TURKISH BARBARISM.

 (From the Atlas, September 30.)

THE incorrigible barbarism of our Turkish proteges has lately been showing itself in the most revolting excesses. About two or three years ago the attention of the religious and scientific world was called to the existence of a very remarkable tribe of Nestorian Christians who had maintained their independence, amidst the general subjugation of Asia to the Mahomedan power, among the fastnesses of the Kurdish mountains which separate Turkey from Persia. Protected by the rugged precipices of this alpine chain, and by their native valour, an interesting community of these Nestorian tribes had preserved from a remote period their nationality and religion, and amidst the revolutions which convulsed and desolated the neighbouring places of Asia, had remained unchanged in their allegiance to the ancient faith and manners. An intelligent and enterprising American missionary, Dr. Grant, was the first, little more than two years ago, to penetrate into the recesses of the immense chain of mountains which lie at the source of the Tigris, and form the eastern wall of the upper valley of Mesopotamia, and to give to the world an account of the independent Christian communities whose existence had hitherto been looked upon as doubtful or fabulous. He describes them in the most pleasing colours, as frank, hospitable mountaineers, being in a state of almost patriarchal simplicity, retaining their ancient Christian faith in a state of purity which contrasts most favourably with the superstitions of the Eastern Greek and Catholic churches, and possessing a degree of intelligence and industry which raise them far above the scale of the surrounding Kurdish and Turkish population. Their institutions were perfectly free, resembling those of other independent mountaineers, such as the Swiss or Circassians, and tempered only by the moral authority of the patriarch, who is represented by Dr. Grant, as a man of very superior character and education.

Such is the account which, about two years ago, was received by the public of Christian Europe of the existence of this interesting community. Since then the crumbling fabric of Turkish despotism has received a reprieve from certain destruction by the interposition of that same Christian Europe, or at least of its so-styled Christian rulers ; and what has been the first use made of the breathing time thus afforded? To attack this unoffending Nestorian community, and exterminate them by fire and sword. In the last letter of the correspondent of the Times from Constantinople we find the following passage—"The news from the Nestorian districts of Kurdistan is disastrous; the Pacha of Mosul has commenced a war of extermination against them, has killed the Nestorian Patriarch, cut his sister in two, and committed all sorts of horrors."

Surely, the governments of Europe, which persist in patronising these ferocious Turks, and in arresting the natural progress of events which would long ago have relieved the Christian population which languishes under the oppressive and desolating incubus of Mahomedan sway, are responsible for restraining the excesses of their barbarian allies. We do not wish to return to the days of the Crusaders and propagate Christianity by the sword, but surely it is too bad that Christian nations should put power into the hands of a set of Mahomedan ruffians to be used for the persecution of Christianity.

That this attack upon the unoffending Nestorians is part of a regular and systematic attempt of the Turkish rulers to revive the old feelings of religious fanaticism among the Mahomedan population, is proved by occurences no less revolting which have taken place simultaneously under the very eye of the Government at Constantinople. Within the last few weeks an obsolete law has been revived, condemning to death all individuals who having once embraced Islamism afterwards recant, and has been carried into execution under circumstances of the most atrocious cruelty and injustice. The following graphic account given by the same correspondent who describes the extirpation of the Nestorian tribes, will give our readers an idea what sort of scenes are actually going on in the year 1843 at Constantinople, and what is the worth of all Lords Ponsonby and Palmerston's fine talk about the march of civilization in Turkey:—

A year and a half ago a young Armenian named Arakim, son of a Yakia, lived at Top Cupusi, and pursued the occupation of a shoe-maker. A drunken brawl brought him within the clutches of the cavasses at the Porte of the Seraskier, at which police tribunal he was sentenced to receive 500 blows. The prospect of punishment having filled him with fear, and the fumes of the wine having lulled his conscience, he offered to turn Turk; the complaint was dissmissed, his declaration was accepted at the Mekkemeh, and he was called Mahommed ; but several important formalities were omitted. But when morning dawned as the poet says, rahet el sikr ejat el fikr, "the wine went and reflection came." Stung by remorse, he disguised himself in Frank clothes, and went on board a vessel bound for Syria, where he remained until a few months ago, when, thinking the affair forgotten, he returned here. One day he went to his sisters house in Top Kupusi, and in returning with a bag under his arm he was met by Mustapha Aga, the officer of the guard of that quarter, who took him to the Seraskier's Porte, where he was identified as a backslider from Islamism. Several days' imprisonment, and frequently beaten, failed to compel him to return to Islamism. The relations of the poor wretch besieged and importuned the embassies to interest themselves in his favour ; but in defiance of the opinion of the whole of the moderate Turkish party, Riza Pasha, to propitiate the Sheikh-el-Islam and the fanatical party, consented that he should be decapitated as a Morted on renegade.

At the place of execution he was exhorted to recant Christianity, the first stroke was delayed, and the naked sword was shown him, but he persisted in his refusal. Twenty or thirty cavasses were requested to strike the blow, but they refused ; at last a man named Ali, of Taook Beynor, one of the cavasses of the Porte of the Seraskier, came and struck him four times without being able to sever the head from the body ; at last he was thrown down in the most brutal manner, and his head sliced or sawn off. For three days was the body of this poor creature laid out on the pavement of the Baluk Bazaar. I never saw a more ghastly spectacle. He lay flat on his breast with the head stuck between his legs at the furca, and looking, as it were, out between his thighs. He appeared to be a good looking young man, of 21 years of age, and but for the loathsome swarms of flies that covered his lips and eyes, one might have supposed the head asleep. The Armenian Patriarch presented a petition to the Porte for the corpse, but it was torn up, and the body, after three days' exposure, towed out to the middle of the Bosphorus, and abandoned to the current. The poor mother of the man sat for some time by the corpse, without shedding a tear ; the idiotcy of grief depicted on her countenance is described by those that saw her, to have been soul harrowing.

We are no partizans of Russia, but we must say that when we read an account of scenes like these, we cannot but feel that the expulsion of the Turks from Europe by any civilized and Christian power would be a benefit to humanity. We cannot but feel that the policy is radically false which sacrifices obvious considerations of right and wrong to remote and contingent expediences, and which identifies the interest of England with the support of an unsupportable anomaly. It is morally wrong there cannot be a doubt of it, to go out of our way to patronise and support a Government which by its every act places itself without the pale of civilization and humanity, and whose existence is a daily curse to millions of our fellow-Christians. The Christian powers of Europe ought to lay aside their jealousies and agree upon some plan for ridding the world of the nuisance of this barbarous and precocious despotism. If they fail to do so, if they persist in the preposterous scheme of attempting to bolster up by protocols and diplomatic conventionalities, and independence which is real only for purposes of domestic persecution, the result will eventually be, that at the first moment when England is embarrassed by difficulties at home, or entangled in a dispute with France or America, the whole heritage of the decrepit Turkish empire will drop like a ripe pear into the lap of the powerful neighbour whose fleets and armies stand ready at a moment's notice to pounce upon their prey. In less than half a century, if the present policy is pursued, the wish of Catherine will be accomplished, and Constantinople will be a Russian port.

Sydney Morning Herald 1844 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12407872