LETTERS BY ALI SUAVI EFFENDI*

No. 1.

TO VISCOUNTESS STRANGFORD.

Paris, August 17, 1876. MADAM,-Having learnt that your ladyship has promised your co-operation in a subscription for the Bulgarians, while continuing to disavow the spirit of hostility which reigns in England against Turkey, I take the liberty to send you some information upon the Bulgarian affair.

I had the honour to be received by Viscount STRANGFORD the 26th November, 1867, that is at a moment when the public agitation in reference to the Candian Insurrection had a complete analogy with that which exists at present. His lordship was pleased to explain to me, a Turk, then but just arrived in London, and seeing things quite differently, the opinions of those in England who were occupied about the Eastern Question. In consequence of that kind reception, I trust that your ladyship will allow me to address to you this letter. To be able to disavow the spirit of hostility which now exists, it appears to me to be necessary for you to make the English hate lies, and to do so, it must be enough to prove to that honest people that the accounts of the atrocities committed by the Turks in Bulgaria are nothing but lies.

Having made a résumé of the despatches of Lord DERBY, Sir H. ELLIOT, and Mr. BARING, with reference to the accounts of the atrocities committed by the Turks against the Christian population of Bulgaria, I wrote to a Bulgarian inhabitant of Philippopoli in these terms:—

"Is it true that at Philippoli the number of victims amounts to 15,000 and that of the villages burnt to 60 ? Inform me of what atrocities the Turks have been guilty. Is it true that women have been violated in a village at the foot of the Balkan! Inform me what atrocity caused KIANI PASHA to be sent from Constantinople to punish the guilty."

Here is the answer which I received by a letter dated the 4th of August:

"The number of Bulgarians killed in fighting against the army and the irregulars amounts to 1836, and that of the Mussulmans to 530. The villages burnt by the insurgents at Philippopoli and at Buzardjik, amount to 49, of these 7 were inhabited solely by Mussulmans, 5 were mixed, and 37 were Bulgarians. These 49 villages represent 14,453 houses; of these 6358 are completely destroyed, 5095 were saved by the Turks, two or three were destroyed as a result of the military operations. As to the atrocities committed by the Mussulmans, they are lies. It is quite the contrary; the Mussulmans have shown an extraordinary example of humanity. Here is one incident:

"At the beginning of the Insurrection, the insurgent inhabitants of the village of Prochtintcha sent some detachments against the village of Ostona to exterminate the Mussulmans of that place. When the army, commanded by RESHID PASHA, arrived at Prochtintcha, which it did in the middle of a fierce combat, 430 insurgents, with their wives and children, went to Ostona to take refuge there under the protection of the Mussulmans. The Mussulmans, although they knew that these people had attacked them with the purpose of exterminating them, and although they saw among them the family and relations of the principal leader of the atrocities, SOKOLSKI received them as they receive guests, and took care of them for five days, that is to say, until the final suppression of the Insurrection, after which they conducted them to the commander of the army, who reestablished them in their village, and thanked the Mussulmans for their humanity.

* Translated from the Mémorial Diplomatique.

"I will give you another example:

"In the village of Sotir, towards the beginning of the Insurrection, the Bulgarian inhabitants retired into the Balkans at the approach of the Turks. Before they left they massacred some Mussulmans and set fire to the village. The neighbouring Mussulmans hastened to the place, extinguished the fire, and remained in guard over the houses of the insurgents, with all the goods they contained, until the end of the Insurrection. When the Bulgarians returned from the mountains they found all their goods as they had left them, without missing one needle, as they stated in their examination.

"I was myself nominated a member of the Council of Enquiry. In conjunction with my colleagues, Mussulmans, Bulgarians, Greeks, and Jews, we made the most minute inquiries at each place; our report was approved by the local council, and was sent to the Grand Vizir on the 21st July.* No doubt your friends can procure you a copy; you will there see in detail all that I have stated. Observe particularly at the end of paragraph three, how the insurgent chiefs persuaded the poor peasants, that whatever they destroyed of their houses or goods would be repaid to them out of the cases of treasure which were to come from Russia. As to the violation of women and girls, we could not discover a single case; we heard only of a rumour in reference to the beautiful Queen of Otlokeni, a village situated at the foot of the Balkan. She is a beautiful Bulgarian girl, who had embroidered a flag for the Insurrection, and who got the name of Queen of Bulgaria. She marched through Otlok-Keni at the head of the insurgents with the flag in her hand. You may be satisfied that this rumour is not true. She was questioned both secretly and publicly, and she denied having received any insult from the Turks. The other day the American envoyést applied to the Government, and insisted that she should be sent for and examined. She was examined, and she denied everything. The Americans, as if wishing to get to the bottom of the affair, went to the Armenian church, and there questioned an Armenian girl. This giri had been at Prochtinteha with her father when the rising took place, and having been prevented by the Bulgarians from making her escape, she shut herself with them into the church. Afterwards, when the irregular troops after their victory opened the doors of the church, she threw herself into the midst of them, and accompanied them to Philippopoli. She declared to the Americans that the stories of atrocities were villainous calumnies.

"The incident which led to KIANI PASHA being sent to Philippopoli had nothing whatever to do with the Bulgarian insurrection. In putting down that insurrection the Turks and Circassians only did their duty and what was necessary. It was a month and a half after, when all was over, and when the Servians had passed the frontier in the present war, that the Kaimacan of Khass-Keui, by order of the Sublime Porte, sent to all the villages to order a levy of three thousand volunteers. These men were forwarded to Sophia and to Nisch by detachments. Some men amongst them, as ABDULLAH, KADRI, and MURAD, conducted themselves badly in the villages, acting unlawfully; but they were not guilty either of assassination or of crimes against women; but only of pillage and robbery.

* It is evident that this report is not the same as that of Edib Effendi. (Note by Ali Suavi Effendi.)

Mr. Schuyler that is to say. It is important to remark that the letter here quoted was written before the date of Mr. Schuyler's report, and long before it was published. It cannot have been prompted by a desire to contradict it.

"A certain Mussulman, HAFIZ AGA, son of OUNDJI (a corn merchant), baving heard of their proceedings, sent off a very strong telegram to the Porte. The Grand Vizir, being alarmed, hastened to despatch KIANI PASHA, a man known for his severity. No sooner was he arrived than he caused KADRI and MURAD to be hung as the leaders, and condemned MUMIN to nine years of hard labour, three persons to the same for seven years, five for five years, forty-three for three years, and twenty for one year. It was an affair in which about 203 persons were engaged that led to the mission of KIANI PASIA; a mission, in point of fact, quite unnecessary, because the local authorities had already arrested the malefactors and had restored the stolen goods. The authorities of Philippopoli and of Khasi-Keni called on the villagers to furnish a list of the articles that had been seized by the volunteers. They did so, and here is the result:

"19,220 piastres, 25 mares, 145 copper utensils, 108 shirts, 67 belts and small articles in silver, 94 pair of breeches, 124 abas (cloaks), 148 sashes, 3 hair carpets, 2 watches, 16 pairs of shoes, 180 aba sleeves, 29 glass lamps, 241 small pieces of silver. But according to the articles found either on the persons of the robbers, or in the village, this list is exaggerated, and the exaggerations have been allowed by their authors. Thus when the Bulgarians of Papalezy, who claimed three mares, were asked whether these three mares were not the same that they had claimed as having strayed away three months before, one of them called out, Yes, they are the same; when lists were demanded of us on the part of the Government, we put together the old and the new things, believing that it was Government that was going to pay."

Your Ladyship's humble and obedient servant,

ALI SUAVI. P.S. Do you remember, Madam, the speech of Mr. ANDERSON, in the House of Commons (August 7, 1876), in which he said: "EDIB EFFENDI speaks of a document found on some insurgent chief, and explaining the origin of the insurrection, but there is no evidence of the truth of this assertion.' He declared that no insurrection had been planned, but that the population had been driven to despair.

I can assure your Ladyship that the document in question does exist. It consists of thirty-six articles accepted at a meeting of three hundred persons, held at Matchka in the Balkan, and approved of on the 17th of April, by VANIKOFF, NIKOWSKI, and BUONOMOFF, who called themselves the Apostles of Thrace, and by nine representatives of districts, calling themselves Commissioners of Thrace. I have received a copy of the translation of this document, of which an insurgent chief, SOKOLOWSKI, has acknowledged the exactness. This document says qu clearly that it was determined to burn Philippopoli, Adrianople, Sophia, and certain villages mentioned by name. In a few days I shall be able translation in French of this paper to the journals, and shall be ppy to send you some copies.*

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Should your Ladyship desire to have more information on any spec points in the accounts that have been furnished of the events in Bulgaria, I am entirely at your orders, and will furnish you with the details according to the authentic documents.

NO REPLY.

This document was published in the Mémorial Diplomatique of the 26th of August, the authenticity of it has been since acknowledged as it has been enclosed by Mr. Bari his report. It is No. 4 of the series given in this number.

lgaria,

No. 2.

THE REPORT OF MR. SCHUYLER.

(To the Editor of the "Mémorial Diplomatique.")

September 4, 1876.. SIR,-As you know the rumours of which M. SCHUYLER, the American Consul, has made himself the echo, in his report on the atrocities committed in Bulgaria, it is important to be able to make some corrections in that document. These corrections which I now send to you are not put forward, as you will see, for the purpose of a systematic defence; they are intended merely to serve the cause of historical truth, and therefore I doubt not that you will insert them.

The American Consul said in his report of the 10th of August, 1876:— "At Bellowa, the insurgents burned the railway station in which some Zabtyehs had taken refuge."

It would have been exact to have said: At Bellowa, the insurgents burnt some Mussulman guards and two Zabtyhes, when they set fire to the railway station. (This has been avowed in the examination of the insurgents.)

Mr. SCHUYLER says:

Prustintza, a town of 3000 to 4000 inhabitants, took no active part in the insurrection."

How then are we to explain the fact that a week before the insurrection broke out, this town had been surrounded with intrenchments by the inhabitants ?

The Consul:

"Alarmed at the attitude of the Turks in the neighbouring villages, the inhabitants sent a deputation to AZIZ PASHA, asking him for regular troops to defend them; he returned them a written message that he had no troops to send them, and that they must defend themselves."

It is true that there were comings and goings of deputations between Philippopoli and Prustintza. But the names of those who composed them are enough to explain the truth. HADJI MEHEMMED EFFENDI and HADJI RASHID EFFENDI two Mussulman notables, and THEODORAKI AGнa, Bulgarian member of the Council of Philippopoli, were sent by the Governor, Aziz PASHA, on account of the complaints of the Mussulmans of Ostona that they had been attacked by detachments from Prustintza. The letter of Aziz PASHA, of which 1 possess a copy, of which those deputies were the bearers, contains an exhortation to the inhabitants of Prustintza to lay down their arms and to return to their duty.

The Consul :-
:-

"When the Bashi-Bazouks appeared before the town, the inhabitants refused to surrender, intrenched themselves in a church; retreating finally into another, and held out for five days until they saw the regular troops under RASHID PASHA, when the remainder gave themselves up."

The truth is that, at last, 130 men, with their women and children, retreated to a town named Ostona, the same which they had attacked at the opening of the insurrection. The Mussulmans of Ostona received pechese refugees as their guests and kept them five days, until the rising s finally put down, and then conducted them to the General RESHID ASHA, who re-established them in their villages, thanking the Mussulnans of Ostona for their humanity. What I here state is taken from the answers of the insurgents when examined. (See the report of the extraordinary tribunal of Philippopoli, August 2,)

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The Consul:

"As soon as the Bashi-Bazouks entered Klissura they pillaged it and burnt it."

Let me recall to the memory of Mr. SCHUYLER, the examination of THEODORE Of Dechansa, member of the Revolutionary Committee of AvratAlan: "Why did you massacre those forty Tziganes (gipsies) at AvratAlan?" Here is his reply: "When the Bulgarians of Klissura were beaten by the army, they fled to us at Avrat-Alan, and told us that their town had been burnt by the Tziganes of the neighbourhood, before the enemy had arrived. Upon hearing this, the Revolutionary Committee ordered the arrest of all the Tziganes that were to be found at Avrat-Alan and put them to death, in revenge for the crimes committed by the people of their nation at Klissura. This avowal of a rebel, which was confirmed by all his companions, furnishes of itself the correction of the Consul's report, which ought to have stood thus:

"The inhabitants of Avrat-Alan had killed ten Turks and forty Tziganes; these last having been suspected of wishing to pillage the town."

Speaking of Klissura, the Consul says:

Among other things 450 copper stills, used in making attar of roses, were carried away to the Turkish village."

This passage again does not agree with the avowals of the rebels: they confessed that they had made these alembics into canons. When ATHANAU Son of LOKA, was questioned as to the origin of machines which resembled copper canons he answered: "When we were exercising; PETRE VANIKOFF, one of the Apostles brought out these canons; they had been made out of alembics."

The Consul:

Avrat-Alan was not burned, and a general massacre was avoided by large payments of money paid by the leading inhabitants to the Turkish commanders."

Mr. SCHUYLER here alludes no doubt, as did the correspondents of the journals, to the sums contained in the chest of the Revolutionary Committee of Avrat-Alan. There were many rumours abroad in reference to these sums; but unfortunately they had been carried off before the arrival of the army. I say unfortunately; because the 12,000 piastres which were in the chest came from the taxes levied by the Government; this sum the, insurgents, after having killed the Mudir of Avrat-Alan and his Zabtyehs had forced KIRKOFF the Government treasurer, to deliver up to them. Here is the examination of the insurgents upon this subject before the tribunal of Philippopoli. The following question was put to SOKOBODA, the treasurer of the Revolutionary Committee of Avrat-Alan.

"Q. We are told that you were the treasurer of the Committee One hundred and fifty gold medjidyehs were seen in your possession: it is said that you paid them over to certain people."

"A. Immediately before our Committee was broken up, I was called to attend it, and there, in the presence of THEODORE of Dechansa, of PANCHO SUDDJI (the milkman), of NICHOLAS, of Dr. SPAS, of NENEHO, and of the Apostles, the President, THEODORE KUPLICHKO, said to me; Take the money out of the chest; give ten pounds to THEODORE of Decbansa, ten to PANCHO, ten to NICHOLAS, and the remainder will remain in the chest in your hands. The next day, upon the arrival of the news that Otlok-keni had been defeated, and understanding that the army would march upon Avrat-Alan, we wished to flee into the Balkan; but the inhabitants, saying that it was we who had raised the town and that our flight would betray them, arrested us in order to deliver us up to the authorities. While they