Return to Gasko--Thunderstorm--Attacked by Rebels--Enemy
repulsed--Retrograde Movement--Eventful Night--Turkish Soldiers
murdered--Montenegrin Envoy--Coal-Pit--Entrenched Camp
assaulted--Return of Omer Pacha to Mostar--Distinctive Character of
Mahometan Religion--Naval Reorganisation--Military Uniforms--Return
to Mostar--Dervisch Bey--Zaloum--Express
Courier--Giovanni--Nevresign--Fortified
Barrack--Mostar--Magazine--Barracks--Wooden Block-houses--European
Commission--Tour of the Grand Vizier--Enquiry into Christian
Grievances--Real Causes of Complaint--Forcible Abduction of
Christian Girls--Prince Gortschakoff's Charges--The
Meredits--Instincts of Race.
On our return from the town we found the leading battalions in the act
of crossing the stream which separates the valley from the overhanging
woodland. The 900 ponies, now deprived of their burden, carried in lieu
thereof sick soldiers from Niksich, or such as preferred riding to
walking. Little order prevailed, and it is only wonderful that the
consequences of entering a defile more than an hour after midday should
not have proved more disastrous than they actually did. In vain I added
my remonstrances to those of some of the staff, who were intelligent
enough to predict evil. The order had been issued. The advance guard had
already marched, and it was too late to countermand the departure. Thus
saying, Osman Pacha crossed the stream and ascended to the high ground,
now covered with a confused mass of bipeds and quadrupeds. At this
moment the rain, which had ceased during the past hour, began to descend
once more in torrents, accompanied by vivid flashes of lightning and
thunder, which, though still distant, reverberated through the woods
with grand effect. In the midst of this we retraced our steps until
about 4 P.M., when the centre of the column, with the baggage
and head-quarters, defiled from the woods into one of the open spaces,
of which mention has been made. The General informed me of his intention
to halt there until the morning; and he could not have found a spot
better calculated for the purpose, since, by massing the troops in the
centre, they would have been out of range of the surrounding heights,
and a double line of sentries would have been the only precaution
absolutely necessary. For some reason he, however, subsequently changed
his mind, and the delay which had taken place only made matters worse.
The advance guard of four battalions, under Yaya Pacha, had continued
the march in ignorance of the halt of the main body, and were ere this
out of hearing or chance of recall. Scarcely had we recommenced our
advance when a dropping shot in the rear gave us the first announcement
that the enemy had taken advantage of our false step, and was bent on
harassing what would now assume the appearance of a retreat.
The shots, which were at first few and distant, soon increased, and by
the time that the Affghan and myself had reached the rear of the column
the action appeared to have become general. Ali Pacha, who commanded the
rear-guard, now committed the grave error of halting the three
battalions of his brigade, and wasted most valuable time in performing
desultory movements, and in firing volleys of grape and musketry,
without arriving at any practical results. At one point, however, the
rebels, who were advancing in force with loud cries of fanatical
vengeance, received a substantial check. Two companies of Turks had been
concealed on either side of the defile, which was narrow at this point.
Concealment was facilitated by approaching darkness, and it was only at
a given signal that they rose and poured a deadly volley into the ranks
of the advancing foe, who immediately fell back. This circumstance
appeared to damp their ardour, and they contented themselves with
running in small parties along the flank of our line of march; two or
three would dash down the sloping banks, and, having discharged their
pieces without aim or precision, would return to the safety afforded by
the rocks and trees. It was between 6 and 7 o'clock before the order to
resume the march was issued. And now began a scene which none who
witnessed are likely to forget to their dying day: deeply tragical it
might have been, but fortunately circumstances combined to render it
merely ridiculous, as reflected in the mirror of memory. The rain still
fell heavily, lying in places to the depth of nearly a foot, and
converting all the ground that was not rocky into a slippery quagmire.
So profound was the darkness, that it was literally impossible to see
any object six inches from one's eyes, and it was only by the occasional
flashes from the firelocks of the persevering enemy and the forked
lightning that we could realise the surrounding scene. By the light of
the last were revealed horses and men falling in all directions, and I
may safely say, that some of the 'crumplers' received that night would
have shaken the nerve of the hardest steeplechase rider. For my own part
I preferred walking, after my horse had fallen twice, and with this
object proceeded to dismount, but on bringing my leg to the ground, as I
imagined, I made a rapid descent of about eight feet. On clambering up I
was met with a sharp blow on the face from what I believe to have been
the butt of a Turkish musket, and my horse was not to be found. About
half an hour later, while feeling for the road, to my great
satisfaction, I placed my hand upon my English saddle, and thus
repossessed myself of my steed. No need to dilate farther on the events
of that disastrous evening. Suffice to say that, after some hours more
of scrambling and toiling, falling frequently over the stones and trees
which were strewn plentifully across the path, we reached the spot
where the advanced body had arrived some four hours previously, and had
succeeded, in spite of the rain, in kindling a few fires. It was close
upon midnight when Ali Pacha arrived at head-quarters to report that the
rear-guard had reached the bivouac, though nothing was known as to the
losses incurred in men, horses, or provisions. All that was certain was
that one gun had been abandoned, the mule which carried it having rolled
down a ravine. This was never found, as the rebels, who passed the night
within ten minutes' walk of our bivouac, had carried it off before the
arrival of the force sent back at daybreak to effect its recovery. Our
loss, however, proved to be insignificant--two killed and six wounded,
and a few ponies, &c., missing. As might be supposed, the Slavish
newspapers magnified the affair into a great and decisive victory for
the rebels. It is true that it reflected little credit on Osman Pacha;
and it might have been fully as disastrous to the Turks as their worst
enemies could have desired, had not the intense darkness of the night,
the heavy rain, and the want of pluck in the Christians (a fault of
which they cannot in general be accused), combined to get them out of
the scrape without any serious loss. The two whose deaths it was
impossible to disallow, as their mangled bodies gave evidence thereof,
were foully butchered by these long-suffering Christians. It came about
as follows:--An officer and three soldiers had remained a little in rear
of the column, being footsore with the march. As the rebels came swiftly
and quietly along, one of the soldiers, believing them to be a Turkish
regiment, made some observation. In a moment he and his comrade were
seized, and, while receiving many assurances of safety, were stripped to
the skin. The officer and the third soldier instantly concealed
themselves behind some of the projecting rocks, within ten yards of the
spot, and thus became auditors of the ensuing tragedy. No sooner had the
rebels stripped their unfortunate captives, than they fell upon them en
masse, literally making pin-cushions of their naked bodies. Throughout
that long and painful night did those two men lie hid in jeopardy of
their lives, and glad must they have been when they saw the rebels
retracing their blood-stained steps on the following morning, and more
grateful still when the arrival of the Turkish force enabled them to
feel assured of life and liberty. The following afternoon we returned to
Krustach, where we found a Montenegrin emissary, who was journeying
homeward, having had an interview with Omer Pacha. He was a finely built
and handsome man, dressed in his national costume, with a gold-braided
jacket, and decorated with a Russian medal and cross, for his services
against Turkey at a time when Russia was at peace with that power. He
had been Superintendent of the Montenegrin workmen at Constantinople,
and had consequently seen something of European manners, although
unacquainted with any language save Slave and some Turkish. He told me
that he had left 400 followers in Piwa; but this I found did not exactly
coincide with a statement he had made to Omer Pacha, and it subsequently
transpired that his body guard amounted to about double that number.
This worthy asked me to accompany him to Cettigne, but circumstances
conspired to prevent my accepting the invitation; and so we separated,
he to Cettigne, we to Gasko on the following day.
During one of the halts on the line of march, I found the mouth of what
must have been a coal-pit of large dimensions. The entrance of this was
on the bank of a dry stream, and several masses of what appeared to be a
concrete of lignite and coal betokened the existence of the latter in a
purer form within the bowels of the surrounding country. This I showed
to Omer Pacha, who said that he would adopt my suggestion of having it
worked by military labour for the purpose of consumption during the
winter months. In several places, I subsequently came across the same
characteristics, which convince me of the existence of a spurious
description of coal in large quantities in the province. In Bosnia it
is plentiful, and of a very superior quality.
Some miles before we reached the camp we were met by Omer Pacha and his
staff.
As may be supposed, the most extravagant reports of the extent of our
disaster had preceded us. The most moderate of these involved the death
of Ali Pacha (no great loss by the way), and about 1,000 men put _hors
de combat_. Omer's face wore a grave expression when we met, and his 'Eh
bien, Monsieur, nous avons perdu un canon sans utilité' boded ill for
the peace of Osman Pacha. It was a pleasing duty to be able to refute
the assertion that this last had lost his head on the occasion in
question. Although guilty of grievous error of judgement, the other more
pitiful charge could hardly be laid to his account, since he never for a
moment lost his habitual sangfroid and self-possession.
The subsequent operations during 1861 were scarcely of a more decisive
nature than those in the early part of the campaign. They consisted for
the most part of slight skirmishes, which, though unimportant in
themselves, tended to establish the Turks in their occupation of the
country, and produced a good moral effect.
One event, however, deserves notice, as giving fair evidence of the
respective merits of the belligerent parties. In pursuance of the plan
which he had originally devised, Omer Pacha established a permanent
fortified camp in Piwa. Twelve battalions under Dervisch Pacha were
concentrated at this point; and at the time of the contest which I am
about to describe, Omer Pacha was himself present. Reduced to the
greatest straits by famine and the presence of the Turkish troops, and
inspired doubtless by the knowledge of the Generalissimo's presence in
the camp, the rebels resolved to make a desperate onslaught upon the
entrenchments.
On the morning of October 26, a strong force was despatched from camp to
procure forage, wood, and other necessaries. While thus employed, the
enemy, favoured by the formation of the surrounding country, made a
sudden and well-sustained attack upon this force, in conjunction with a
consentaneous assault upon the entrenchments. With more judgement than
is generally found amongst Turkish commanders, the foraging party was
brought back to camp, though not before it had suffered a considerable
loss. In the meantime charge upon charge was being made by the
half-naked savages who formed the Christian army, against the enclosed
space which was dignified by the name of an entrenched camp. Three times
they forced an entrance, and three times were they driven out at the
point of the bayonet, while the guns mounted on the works made wide gaps
in their retreating columns. After several hours' hard fighting, in
which both sides displayed exemplary courage, the assailants were
compelled to withdraw, leaving many hundred dead upon the field. The
Turkish loss was something under a hundred, owing to the advantage they
derived from fighting under the cover of their guns and walls.
Shortly after this event Omer Pacha returned to Mostar, contenting
himself with holding the various passes and other points on the
frontier, which enabled him to keep an unremitting watch over the
disturbed district.
Early in the spring of 1862 he returned to the frontier, which he will
doubtless pacify before the extreme heat and drought shall have forced
him to suspend military operations. With this view eighteen battalions
of infantry and 3,000 irregulars have been concentrated at and about
Trebigné, which he has this year made his base of operations. The
judicious disposal of his troops, which he has effected, have driven
Luca Vukalovitch and his band of hornets to take refuge in Suttorina,
adjacent to the Austrian territory. This circumstance caused the
Austrians at the end of last year to enter that district for the purpose
of destroying certain batteries, which were considered to be too close
to the Austrian frontier. The legality of this measure is doubtful; yet
it may be believed that the step was not taken with any view to
promoting hostilities with Turkey.
The final success of the Turkish arms can scarcely be long delayed,
since starvation must inevitably effect all in which the sword may fail.
The armed occupation of the country during the past year has at any rate
so far worked good, that it has effectually prevented the rebellious
Christians from getting in the crops which belonged to themselves or
their weaker neighbours, while it has enabled such of the Mussulmans as
chose to do so to reap their harvest in security. Should these
expectations, however, not be realised, the result would indeed be
serious to the Ottoman empire. In such case either her already rotten
exchequer must receive its death-blow, or she will be compelled to
evacuate the Herzegovina, a course which would be gladly welcomed by her
enemies, since it would probably be but the first step towards the
dismemberment of the whole empire.
Before quitting the army, I would fain pay a passing tribute to the good
qualities of the Turkish soldiers. Having seen them under circumstances
of no ordinary difficulty and privations, I found them ever cheerful and
contented with their unenviable lot. Uninfluenced by feelings of
patriotism--for such a word exists not in their language--unaffected by
the love of glory, which they have not sufficient education to
comprehend, the only motives by which they are actuated are their
veneration for their Sultan and the distinctive character of their
religion. It would be well for their Sultan did he appreciate the
sterling military qualities of his people. With good management and
honest reform, an army might be created which, if inferior in _matériel_
to those of certain European powers, would in the matter of _personnel_
be sufficiently good to render the Turkish dominions perfectly secure
from hostile invasion, which is now very far from the case. At present,
unfortunately, his whole attention is devoted to the manning and
equipment of the navy, for the amelioration of which large sums of money
are paid and heavy debts incurred. The visionary character of his
ambitious projects on this head is apparent to all but himself, since
the Turkish navy can scarcely be expected ever to attain more than a
fifth or sixth-rate excellence. The recent changes in the dress of the
army betoken that some attention has been devoted of late to the
subject. Nothing can be more desirable than an assimilation of the
uniform to the natural style of costume; and the loose Zouave dresses of
the army of the Turkish imperial guard[R] are not only better adapted to
soldiers who do not indulge in the luxury of beds and the like, than the
tight-fitting garments heretofore in use, but present a far more
workmanlike appearance, for the simple reason that they understand
better how to put them on.
After a month's sojourn in the tents of the Osmanlis, the rapid
shortening of the days warned me of the necessity for pushing on if I
wished to see the more peaceable portion of the country, before the
snows of winter should render travelling impossible. Already the day had
arrived when the first fall of snow had taken place in the previous
year.
Despite the hardships indispensable from the kind of life we had been
living, it was with much regret that I bade farewell to my hospitable
entertainers, and started once more on my solitary rambles. For the
first day, at least, I was destined to have company, as the Pacha of
Bosnia's private Secretary was about to return to Bosna Serai, having
fulfilled a mission on which he had been sent to the camp of the
Commander-in-Chief. My object was to return to Mostar by way of
Nevresign, which, as well as being new ground to me, forms a portion of
the projected line of defence. After waiting no less than five hours and
a half for an escort of Bashi Bazouks, who, with true Turkish ideas of
the value of time, presented themselves at 12.30, having been warned to
be in attendance at 7 A.M., we at length got under weigh. These
irregulars were commanded by Dervisch Bey, one of the principal Beys in
that neighbourhood. Some twenty years ago his father, a devout
Mussulman, and a cordial hater of Christians, whom, it must be
acknowledged, he lost no opportunity of oppressing, built for himself a
large square house flanked with towers, and otherwise adapted for
defensive purposes. This is situated about six miles from Gasko, and
here he lived in considerable affluence. Taken one day at an unguarded
moment, he was murdered by the Christians, and his mantle descended upon
his son, who, if he has not the same power or inclination to oppress,
shows himself perfectly ready to do battle on all occasions against the
murderers of his father. This individual, then, mounted on a good
useful-looking horse, and loaded with silver-hilted daggers, pistols,
and other weapons of offence, was destined to be our guide. Our road lay
through a long narrow defile, which, like most parts of the Herzegovina,
abounds with positions capable of defence. After five hours' travelling
we arrived at Zaloum, a small military station situated at the highest
point of the pass. I did not see any attempt at fortifications; but, as
all the villages are built quite as much with a view to defence as
convenience, these are hardly necessary. Every house is surrounded by a
court-yard, in most cases loopholed. Taking up our quarters at the only
house capable of affording the most ordinary shelter, we passed the
evening, as far as I was concerned, pleasantly enough. The Secretary, a
middle-aged and very affable Slave, was also somewhat of a _bon vivant_,
and, with the help of sundry adjuncts which he carried with him, we made
a very good meal. The habit of drinking rakee, eating cheese, and other
provocatives of thirst before dining, is quite as rife in these parts of
the empire as at Stamboul, and it frequently happens that the
dinner-hour of a fashionable man is later than in London during the
height of the season. Breakfasting at twelve, they do not touch food
again till dinner-time, and even then their repeated nips of rakee taken
in the hour previous to the repast renders them little disposed for
eating. Shortly after we had commenced dinner at Zaloum, a great
chattering and confusion in the court-yard proclaimed a new arrival.
This proved to be Asiz Bey, an aide-de-camp of Omer Pacha, who was on
his road to Mostar. Snatching a hurried meal, he once more mounted, and
pushed on in the darkness, with the intention of not pulling rein again
until his arrival in Mostar. Later in the evening an excited
agriculturist made his appearance, and with much humility demanded the
return of his pack-saddle, which he affirmed that one of my servants had
stolen. It fell out in this wise: I had engaged a certain youth of the
Greek faith, named Giovanni, to look after my baggage-ponies, which he
invariably allowed to stray whenever most required. On the occasion of
our leaving Gasko one of these was, as usual, absent without leave, and
on his being discovered, the pack-saddle in which these long-suffering
animals pass their existence had been removed. Giovanni, whose
pilfering habits were only equalled by his disregard of truth, replaced
the missing article in the simplest way, by doing unto others as they
had done unto him, and appropriated the first saddle he came across. To
allow the saddle to return to Gasko was impossible, as I could not have
proceeded on my journey without it; so I induced the owner to part with
it at a considerable profit, mulcting Giovanni of the same. The
following morning we descended into the plain of Nevresign, one of the
seven or eight large plains in the province.
The road approaching the town passes between two cemeteries--that of the
Mussulmans on the right being the most pleasantly situated, for thus it
was that, even in death, they were more regarded than their
less-favoured Christian brethren. On the outskirts I noticed a very
primitive movable house, strongly characteristic of the kind of life led
by the people: it consisted of two skates, with a hurdle laid across for
flooring and others for walls, the whole being thatched. In this the
shepherd sleeps when he pens his cattle: this he does in a very small
space, shifting his position every night, and thus practically manuring
the country. The town itself has little worthy of notice, save the new
fortified barrack which the Turks are constructing. No labourers were,
however, engaged upon it at the time of my visit: it consists of an
oblong work, with bastions at the angles, on each of which it is
intended to mount three guns. It was proposed to build accommodation
for 1,600 men, but the size of the work did not appear to me to warrant
the belief that it would hold so many. There will be no necessity for
the townspeople to take shelter within its walls in the event of an
attack, as it immediately overhangs the town, and is itself commanded by
the hills in its rear. The engineer officer who conducted me over it
informed me that an earthwork would be thrown up on the most commanding
position, and two block-houses built at other points. The arrangements
for obtaining a supply of water appeared simple; and as it is the only
attempt at modern fortification which I have seen in Turkey, I shall be
curious to hear of its completion.
Leaving Nevresign one crosses two mountains, which, with the exception
of about an hour and a half distance, are traversed by a road. Save one
in course of construction from Mostar to Metcovich, it is the only
attempt at road-making in the province. It is bad enough, as all Turkish
roads are, their engineers having not the slightest idea of levelling.
They take the country as they find it, apparently thinking that a
zigzag, no matter at what slope the angles may be, is the highest
triumph of their art. Until our arrival at Blagai, six miles from
Mostar, an escort was deemed necessary, though it was really of not the
slightest use, since the rebels, if so inclined, might have disposed of
the whole party without once showing themselves. On nearing Mostar I
looked with curiosity for any signs of progress in the new powder
magazine or barracks, which are situated in the plain outside the town.
They both appeared in precisely the same condition as when I left, save
for the absence of some hundreds of ponies, which were at that moment
eating mouldy hay at Gasko and its vicinity. In the barrack square
several block-houses which Omer Pacha had ordered appeared to be in a
state of completion. These are made of wood and have two stories, each
house being capable of containing about two companies of infantry. The
walls are loopholed and of sufficient thickness to resist musket balls:
the use to which they were to be applied was the protection of working
parties and small detachments during the construction of more permanent
defences; and as the rebels are without carcases or liquid fire-balls or
other scientific implements of destruction, it is possible that they may
answer their purpose well enough.
At the British Consulate I found Mr. H., the Consul at Bosna Serai, who
was on his road to Ragusa, where the European Commission for carrying
out reforms in Turkey was about to reassemble, with the view of watching
the progress of events. Little good could be expected to result from
their deliberations, for matters had not been in any way simplified
since their adjournment two months before. The sincerity of the
individual members of the Commission cannot be called in question; but
what avails that, when other agents of the governments so represented
apply themselves with assiduity to stultify the very measures which
their colleagues are endeavouring to effect. As might have been
anticipated, their sittings at Ragusa proved as ineffectual as those at
Mostar, and in three weeks' time they once more adjourned, and have not
since reassembled. Whatever difference of opinion may have existed
amongst the members on this point, at any rate they professedly agreed
that it is for the interest of these provinces that the Turkish rule
should remain inviolate, but that this rule must be very decidedly
ameliorated. Of its sincerity in wishing to bring this about the Porte
will find it difficult to convince the Christian malcontents, so deeply
rooted is their mistrust. Secret agents are not wanting to check any
spirit of wavering which may show itself in the insurgents. In the
meanwhile both Bosnia and Herzegovina are being rapidly exhausted. Even
in peaceable times, the people of the Herzegovina had to draw their
supplies of grain from Bosnia, while the import trade of both provinces
more than doubled the export in value. The demand for horses for
military purposes has of late still farther crippled commercial
enterprise, as the people are thereby deprived of the only means of
transport in the country. At Mostar, even, it was impossible to buy
coals, as the peasants were afraid of exposing their horses to the
probability of being pressed, with the certainty of remaining unpaid.
The foregoing remarks may appear to corroborate ill my oft-repeated
assertion of the immunity of the Christians from persecution by the
constituted Mussulman authorities. A distinction should be made between
oppression and misgovernment, the existence of which last is fully
admitted on all hands. It applies in an almost equal degree to the
professors of all religions in Turkey; and when the Christians have been
induced by designing minds, as has sometimes been the case, to pour out
to the world a torrent of grievances, these have been proved in almost
all instances to have been as much imaginary as real; such at least was
the opinion of the Grand Vizier, after his visit of enquiry through
European Turkey in 1860; and his views, which might otherwise be deemed
prejudiced, were supported by Mr. L----, the Consul-General at Belgrade,
who was deputed by the British Ambassador to attend the Ottoman
functionary. That gentleman's opinion--concurred in, as it is, by almost
all British officials--is especially worthy of attention, since the
greater part of his life has been passed in the Turkish dominions, and a
large share of his attention devoted to this particular subject. At
Widdin, a petition was presented, signed by 300 persons, complaining of
the local authorities. These names were mostly forgeries, and even the
alleged grievances were of a trivial nature; outrages, and forced
conversion to Islamism, could nowhere be proved. The source whence the
petition emanated may be shrewdly guessed, since M. Sokoloff, the
Russian Consul at Widdin, was removed to Jerusalem only a few days
before the commencement of the enquiry. One subject of complaint was the
appointment of the bishops by the patriarch at Constantinople, which
strongly confirms the supposition of its Russian origin. The petition
was moreover presented by one Tuno, a Rayah, who had been turned out of
the Medjlis for corruption, and was at the time a hanger-on at the
Russian consulate. Those few who acknowledged to having signed the
document, stated that they believed it to have been a remonstrance
against the pig tax.
The second ground of complaint was that the Cadi had interfered in the
affairs of the Christians; i.e. in matters of inheritance, and in the
administration of the property of minors. This also proved untenable,
although, in the course of the enquiry, it transpired that something of
the sort had occurred at Crete, which was ingeniously perverted to suit
their purpose on the occasion in question.
Thirdly, it was alleged that the Christian members of the Medjlis were
allowed no voice in its deliberations. This the Bishop even denied. Had
they said that their opinions were of little weight, it would have been
nearer the truth. Nor can we wonder at this, since it is in vain that we
look for any spirit of independence among the Christian members; and
this not more in consequence of the domineering spirit of the Turks,
than from the natural disposition of the Christians, which is cringing
and corrupt. Time and education can alone effect a change for the
better. The government may, by the promulgation of useful edicts, and by
the establishment of schools common to all religions, materially hasten
this desirable end; but in the present condition of the Christian
population, it is questionable whether more harm than good would not
result from the proclamation of social equality.
The veritable grounds of complaint, on which the petition in question
did not touch, it is within the power of the government to remove; and
this, we may confidently anticipate, will be done.
Equality before the law is the principal and first thing to be
established, and such at present is not the case. Christian evidence,
for example, is received in criminal, but not in civil causes, i.e. in
questions concerning property. Moreover, even in criminal causes of any
importance, the decision of the inferior courts, where Christian
evidence is admissible, is referred for confirmation to superior courts,
where such testimony is not accepted. In defence of this it is urged,
that Turkish property would be endangered, if, in the present
demoralised state of society, Christian evidence were admitted. But,
while advancing this argument, it is forgotten that this state is
traceable to the lax and vicious system pursued in the Mussulman courts,
where, as the only way of securing justice for the Christians, Mussulman
witnesses are allowed to give false evidence.
Another abuse, of which the most is made by the enemies of Turkey, is
the forcible abduction of Christian girls by Mussulmans. The practice
has, however, almost died out, except in northern Albania; and yet it is
this alone which formed the groundwork of the most important of Prince
Gortschakoff's charges, viz. the forced conversion of Christians to
Islamism. It would, doubtless, fall into disuse in that part of the
country, were the offence dealt with as an ordinary police affair; but
the clumsy machinery of Turkish law, however sincere may be its object,
has done little to diminish the evil. Many schemes have been devised for
its prevention. One was to make the girl appear before the court which
rejects Christian evidence, and declare herself a Christian or
Mussulman. If she confessed her faith, she was returned to her friends,
and the ravisher nominally punished; but, as they almost always declared
themselves to be Mahomedans, the Christians complained that fear or
other undue pressure had been put upon them. To obviate this, it was
decided that the girl should be sequestered in the house of the Bishop
for three days previous to her making her profession of faith. This has,
however, been discontinued, as it produced much scandal; and the
question remains undecided.
Instincts of race are far stronger in Turkey than is generally supposed.
In Albania, where the Mussulmans are deemed more fanatical than
elsewhere, these are more powerful than even the instincts of religion.
Thus, while other Christians are looked down upon and treated with
severity, the Miridits, who are of Albanian blood, are allowed to wear
their arms, and admitted to equal privileges with their Mahomedan
fellow-countrymen. In Bosnia, more than anywhere throughout the empire,
the question has been one of feudal origin, that is to say, of a
privileged and unprivileged class, analogous to that which now occupies
the Russians; although in Bosnia the former class has been gradually
losing importance, and sinking into a lower position.
To the demoralised condition of the Christians themselves, then,
combined with Turkish misgovernment, resulting from their
semi-civilisation, may the existing unsatisfactory state of affairs be
attributed, and not to any systematic oppression. It is the want of
this, which renders it difficult for the Porte, now that the central
power has been strengthened at the expense of the local, to take any
decided steps for improving the position of the Christians; all that it
can do is to place all upon a footing of legal equality, to encourage
education, and to promote everything which shall have for its object the
developement of the natural resources of the country.
[Footnote R: The 1st Corps d'Armée of the empire.]