SEC. I.] BULGARIAN ATROCITIES DECLARED A MYTH. 63

Russian intrigue' as the most probable explanation of every mischief. So that in this case Consular testimony must be regarded as testimony extorted against the grain, and I fear I must add against personal interest, by sheer love of truth and honesty. It thus possesses the best of all guarantees of trustworthiness, supposing, of course,-what there is no reason to doubt -the competency of the witnesses in other respects.

I have seen, however, doubts thrown even on the evidence of Her Majesty's Consuls. This has been done in a book just published by Messrs. St. Clair and C. A. Brophy under the title of 'The Eastern Question in Bulgaria.' A chapter is devoted to the ridicule of British Consuls and their reports. How much credit is due to the authors themselves the following quotations will show:- No atrocities have been committed by Mussulmans [in Bulgaria]. I have evidence to the contrary, and no evidence to prove even Mr. Baring's report to be true.' Mr. Schuyler's report is a cockand-bull story, upon evidence of the most mendacious nature, and causes the British public to swallow all that pernicious nonsense as if it were official evidence; and thence all the mischief done by what are termed the Bulgarian Atrocity Meetings.' The only report which tallies with the facts is Edib Effendi's' (pp. 208, 297). The volume from which I have made these choice quotations is, in fact, the re-publication, with the addition of a few notes, of a trumpery book published eight years ago under the title of 'A Residence in Bulgaria.' I read it then, and I have read it now under its new title; and I will take the liberty of expressing my opinion of it in the language furnished by the authors. It is pernicious nonsense,' based upon evidence of the most mendacious nature.'

But there is a graver aspect of the question. We learn from the Blue Books that a gentleman bearing the name of one of the authors of this volume holds a consular office in Turkey. If he is the same person, I ask whether it is proper that a gentleman in her Majesty's Consular Service should be permitted not only to cast discredit on the reports furnished to the Government by his colleagues, but also to denounce as 'pernicious nonsense,' founded upon evidence of the most mendacious nature,' crimes which even Lord Derby has held up to the reprobation of Europe?

What evidence, then, will the apologists of Turkey accept? Is a bluff English engineer, who relates in artless language of transparent honesty his five years' residence in Bulgaria making roadways for the Sultan, likely to have been bribed by General Ignatieff or the Omladina to malign the Turkish Government? The most ardent philo-Turk will scarcely hazard such an insinuation. So let us hear what Mr. Barkley has to say touching the security of life enjoyed by the people of Bulgaria. The scene of the following incident was Kustendjie, a place of which we have already heard in some of the extracts from the Consular Reports. The Kodjabachi, or head man of the little town, called one day on Mr. Barkley, who shall tell the rest in his own language:

'He was a Bulgar, as were nearly all the inhabitants, and proved a quiet, decent fellow. There was a dash of melancholy in his looks, which we thought was accounted for when he told us that when the war first broke out,1 a regiment of Bashi-Bazouks was sent up

1 The war referred to is the Russian war of 1854. As the Bulgarians then resisted every solicitation to insurrection on the part of Russia, there was not the shadow of an excuse for the barbarity of the Turks.

SEC. I.]

it

EVIDENCE OF MR. BARKLEY.

65

here after a few Cossacks who had crossed the Danube and were acting as scouts. They encamped for the night on the very spot we were just quitting, and before they left the next morning they set fire to the town, and even took the corn out of the granary, piled up in the streets, and burnt it. Some of the young Bulgars remonstrated with them, and were at once cut down and hacked to pieces. Of the horrors the women went through I dare not write; but of one thing I feel sure:-so long as there is a Sultan in Turkey every Bulgar will curse him for having let loose such a mob of devils on them. We afterwards heard this corroborated by many Christians and a few Turks, though the latter tried to make the best of it.'

This outrage was inflicted on a peaceful population, unoffending subjects of that paternal Government of which we hear so much just now. The only motive for the crime was the wanton love of cruelty engendered by centuries of unrestrained power over a defenceless people. This it is which makes the case of the Rayah so hopeless while the Turk rules over him. Nowhere in Turkey,' says Mr. Barkley, ‘are isolated houses to be found; for the good reason that, if there were, the owners would have their throats cut within a week.' It is of course the Rayah that suffers chiefly from this entire absence of security for life; for he is an object of special hatred to the Turkish officials, and he is absolutely without any means of self-defence. But the village Turks also, though in a less degree, suffer grievously from the rapacity and brutal insolence of that brigand confederacy known in diplomatic language under the name of the Ottoman Government. In Bulgaria both Christians and Turks build their villages as far as possible from the highway,

F

in the hope of escaping the ravages of the officials who roam about the country seeking what they may devour. 1

The following story is vouched for by Mr. Evans, in his recently published book on Bosnia and Herzegovina (p. 313):-It was in the beginning of the insurrection, and nobody could go from one village to another without being provided with a Turkish pass. A Belgian engineer, who happened to be head of the Road Commission, was authorised to examine and set his visé on the passes of all who went along the road. A young Herzegovinian Christian passed the tent of the engineer, had his pass examined and visé, and then went his way. He had not proceeded far, however, when he was met by two Turks, not soldiers, or officials of any sort, therefore not persons entitled to question or molest him in any way. Nevertheless they stopped him, and in insolent tones demanded to see his pass. What chance had an unarmed Christian against two Turks, armed to the teeth? The Herzegovinian therefore obeyed the summons, and showed his pass. The two Mussulmans, who could not read a syllable of any language on earth to save their lives, declared that the pass was not correct, and seizing hold of the Christian, began to drag him along towards the tent of the Belgian. They had not proceeded far, however, when they dragged the young Herzegovinian into a field of maize, and hacked him to pieces with their kandjiars. Having finished their butchery, they walked coolly away, through a crowd of Christians who had been attracted to the spot by the cries of the murdered man. The murderers had no malice against their victim; he was

1 Four Years in Bulgaria. By H. C. Barkley, Civil Engineer, pp. vi-vii. 18-19. Cf. 'Ranke's Slavonian Provinces,' pp. 457-8.

SEC. L]

EVIDENCE OF A FRENCH ENGINEER:

67

a total stranger to them. they wished to have a giaour.

Evidence of this sort might be accumulated to any extent from the most various sources; but I think I have produced enough to prove that security for life is a blessing totally unknown to the Christian population of Turkey. It is not merely that they are exposed to occasional outbursts of fanaticism on the part of their oppressors. That is bad enough in all conscience. But the horrible nature of their bondage can only be realised when we learn that the Turk holds the Christian's life so cheap that in the mere wantonness of sport or of caprice he will think nothing of putting an end to it by his kandjiar or short sword. He seldom uses his pistol; for why should he waste his shot on an infidel dog who has no arms for self-defence? Besides, the Turk likes to hack and mutilate his victim, and there is no weapon like the kandjiar so handy for that kind of work.

I have quoted from the experiences of an English engineer in Bulgaria to show the precarious tenure on which the Rayah enjoys his life. Curiously enough a French engineer has recently published his experiences of some years' duration in Bulgaria, and they tally in all respects with Mr. Barkley's, except that the Frenchman's picture is of still more sombre hues. Here is one illustration of Turkish rule:

'The Bulgarians stand in great fear of the Turks. One day, as we were on our way from Sophia, we saw a young Mussulman soldier, without any conceivable motive, draw his kandjiar, and with all his might began striking at the poor drivers of the arabas. These fled without daring to use the hatchets which they are