TURKEY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 627, 10 November 1858, Page 5

TURKEY.

, The "state :6f: the interior of Bosnia is frightful; ■• jThe * Augsburg Gazette,' the only journal in;E"urope which receives Tegular correspondence from these regions, contains harassing descriptions of the atrocities the Mahomedan Bosniahs contiiaia^tor;perpetwte;on -their Christian cpunljfeXJnepij! '•;.. ;.TJ»e. ; ißey.s;o£:lJnna, Verbac, and vßo*tiia,*-r,wera^ recently irobVery£d7^reparing a chastiseniient'rfor: those.Christians who had re!solvedj;iri a public\meeting, to send a-.deputa-jtiontoWiehnaj calling for; Christian assistance. The commissioner of the. Porte, Kiani Pacha, went to Travaik, and attempted to effect a rieconciH.atidn.;betweeu: the: Mahomedans ifrijL. Christians, t>ut in vain; ;In the] meantime ihe -Beys had effected a general levee of the armed Mahomedans in the ..district, which composes the north-eastern angle of-ißosnia and is everywhere, surrounded by Austrian .territory. :At^ least A 20,000 apahis; and others were "got .under arms, all resolved •to avenge thfe defeat of Grahdvo. On /the; 26th y 27tlii;arid :28th of June, they went out for;a: razzia all over the district, and carried, away from the helpless Christian villages all the'yourig women between 12 and 16 years of age they could lay: hands oh. They secured 180 of these infantine maidens, the Favoured objects of Turkish lust.; On the 30th of; June and the 2nd of July, another razzia was made; on this occasion the object was to strip the unfortunate villagers of all valuables to be found in the houses. Great numbers of Christians were killed on both occasions, old men, women, and children among.them. ■- On the 4th and 7th July, when the attacks were repeated, the exasperated Christians for the first" time attempted aY defence,; having brought the;remainder of their families, about 4000 or 5000, to a secure spot in the mountains. They now rushed on their opponents, armed with pitchforks, &c. On July 7 they were so far successful as to surprise an isolated detachment of the Mahomedans encamped in the open fields, and to seize upon 700 guris and pistols. They then risked a general combat on the Bth, but were defeated. On- the 10th not less than. 6000 Christians refugees had crossed the Austrian frontier, here the Austrian- soldiers in the frontier posts, mostly belonging-to the same race as the Bosniaks, were gnashing their teeth at not Being, allowed to rush into Bosnia. The Austrian local authorities provided lodging and food for the refugees!, and have appealed to Vienna for instructions what to do under the circumstances. :' ' , ■•» A Trirkish vessel of war,: having on board 2000 quintals of stores and ammunition, arrived on the 7th ab Antivari. Two thirds of the ammunition are destined for the 7000 regular troops arid the bashi bazouks who are collected at Scutari! At .Antivari there are 1500 regulars.-. The Montenegrins, believing that these forces'are to be employed against them, are actively engaged:in preparing for their defence. At Grahovo there'are 300 Montenegrins observing; the inoyementsi of the Turks. The> folloWing despatch', dated Marseilles, July 28,' lately oamo to hand ■:•'•— r *' Accounts have been received from Caridia t'd the 19th. The firman which was published on the 15th contained several very serious alter-, fifcions ; the • Christianß therefore > required thjit the text of it should bo reestablished in a man-

iier 'conformable "to lift*" promises whic^'had been'givento them. During two days hesitations were manifested on the part of the Turkish authorities. Some disturbance* took f>i*# and -fears were entertained- at Canea of frwh.massacres. At Ketinio the Turks -bare beeargailfrf of great' excesses. The ; Christian^ camp were about. to • avenge themselves, vrben? afc'ilerigth Sami Pacha- yielded. The Chrisfciami f ffo. the number of 10,000, all armed; have refcnnied to theft Hoittesiri order to prepare for the elidtions. The Turk* jrefnse.to evacuate the fortresses. The re-establishment of-peace appears to beprecarion»."/, - ,'■-,■•■ ...■•...-•■ ... .■'■'■

In the fresh; petition which the Christians in Candia have addressed to the consuls they say — "We again .protest against the sanguinary and infamous .treatment to. which we are constantly exposed on the part of thVhative Turks. We have hitherto suffered in silence. We now make our sufferings known to you, begging that they may-be laid as soonaspossible before the Sublime-Porte 4hrdiigh yocir legations at Constantinople^ so that1 an end' may be put to them. 1. The Turks have assassinated Christians in the southern province without any motive. 2. They *have violated and mutilated females in :the same province after having, despoiled them of all they possessed.. ; 3. They have ill-treated and robbed all thosa who have; been unfortunate enough to; fall, into their hands, or have been surprised by them. 4. They have more particularly ill-treated in the most hohible manner the Bishop of Arcadia, who was proceeding from his usual residence to a p-ace of greater , security; they stopped him. on the road, arid after taking away his clothes and money plucked put his beard, beat him and left him on the ground in ' a'most pitiable condition. , 5. They have cut down or burnt the olive or other fruit tree 3in a great number of localities; and in other parts fhey have torn up the small trees. and carrieii. them .away for their own use. 6. •They have everywhere cut down th c crops of the.Christians in.the fields, and destroyed what they could- not carry away. 7. They have in many places ill-used the women in the presence of their-husbands, whom they bound hand and -foot. They have acted in a similar manner to a number of young girls, both in towns and in the country. 8. They! have carried off from the convent of St. George 12,000 piastres in cash, and precious objects to., the value of 20,000 piastres more. 9. They have broken-open the doors'of ;the,twd,'churches of Ethymo, and on entering smashed the images, the lamps, and other .sacred, objects, and, having torn open tombs topk away the.bones an«l r scattered them; about. We." have been deeply affected also, not at. a chastisement inflicted on a"Ghratiati guilty of having killed a Taflc who ma3e a revolting attempt on him, but^at the ferocity witb. which his; body was; dragged through all thestreets of ihe town.; j We^can no longer be^c^uch treat_menjfc goatbe part of'the native Tjurks;,of. our islancuV;"■'W.e beseecK^Xba/fhWep)jfei%iaar despair, tdinake. known our/sufferings to the Porte,: in" order ; that our august sovereign may take pity on us." (Here follow the signatures)

" An official telegraphic despatch of the 4th of August, from Trebigny," says'the -' Observer/ "gives, the >following "details of a"%irprise of Kolaehind,by 7 the Montenegrins. Early on the?morriirig of the 28th of July, the Montenegrins, having attacked the town in great force, the inhabitants of which, relying upon the established-security, were entirely off their guard, burnt all the houses, killed about a hundred; men, committed atrocities of the 'most revolting description, and at last retired; taking T with them, 200 .Mussulmans, women and children. The excitement there was very great. Ai the moment when the above despatch was sent, Kimat Efferidi received from the Governor of Albariie an official "report upon the two rencounters "at Podgoritza. It stated that, in both these' attacks, the Montenegrins, [ who brought artillery with them, were the aggressors, and fought upon Albanian territory."