dence in the ability of its army and its navy to enforce without delay the mandates of the sovereign in any of the outlying provinces of the empire. When Prince Charles threatened to abdicate and leave Roumania a prey to its intestine factions, the Porte immediately proposed an army of occupation, thirty thousand strong, under the then disguise of a camp of instruction at "Shumla," and only needed the sanction of the protesting powers, as provided by the treaty, to exhibit its power to maintain its authority on the most northern border. When the insurrection of the Assyr tribes, on its most southern border, broke out, a well-equipped army was at once dispatched to the scene of disorder, whose rapid marches and signal victories have not only quelled all disturbances in that disaffected region, but have also taught a most useful lesson to the Khedive, who is suspected of being the real author of the rebellion. The territory has been erected into a province, with the victorious general for governor, and it is expected that a permanent force will be maintained there as a wholesome influence at once upon Egypt and Arabia. You will see, therefore, that at present and outwardly the relations between the government of the Sultan and its vassal provinces are entirely peaceful and satisfactory, and that it is only with regard to the Moslem provinces that an under-current of suspicion exists, but that, with respect to them all alike, the Porte is at present more than ever determined to maintain in their full vigor the limited relations of dependence now existing, and is also more than ever confident of its ability to do so. Yours, &c., No. 412. WAYNE MACVEAGH. No. 38.] Mr. Mac Veagh to Mr. Fish. [Extract.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Constantinople, May 26, 1871. (Received June 19.) SIR: In accordance with the intimation contained in my last dispatch, I propose in the present communication to state briefly for your information the actual condition of the internal affairs of this empire. At present the hold of the Grand Vizier upon the political power of the government seems even more firm than at any former period. At peace with all the world and with a new guarantee in the recent treaty of London for the territorial integrity of the empire, Turkey can afford to await the growth of the antagonism which is assumed to be inevitable between Russia and Germany upon the eastern question, and to find safety perhaps for many years behind it. Such appears to be the general idea in government circles here, while in the mean time ample opportunity and leisure will be afforded for the carrying forward of such reforms of internal administration as will give to the Porte the strength of a well-ordered and civilized state. Alas! if the performance would only equal the promise, the realization of the picture would not be difficult, but there is in eastern character such a disposition to postpone matters which are disagreeable, and to allow the future to care for itself, that it is impossible to be sanguine of the future of this country. Certain great advantages it already possesses, among them absolute equality of rights and absolute liberty of conscience; and the value of these two blessings it is almost impossible to exaggerate, especially in the peculiar situation of Turkey. The government has also acquired the habit, owing doubtless in great part to the influence of the capitulations, of great kindness in its dealings with foreigners, which is fitly illustrated by admission free of duty of all articles for the use of the missionaries, and its granting of special grounds for their religious houses, as well as the exemption of their churches and missions from taxation. Of course the bigotry of the Moslems in some parts of the empire is still fierce, and another massacre like that of Damascus, in 1860, is still a possibility here, but unquestionably at present there is far less bitterness manifested by the Moslems toward the Christians than from some of the Christian sects toward others; and the policy as well as the professions of the government is steadily and firmly on the side of the fullest and freest toleration. Indeed, it is now proposed to remove the last bridge of distinction between the Mussulman and the non-Mussulman subjects of the Sultan, that of service in the army, and to include within the limits of the conscription all owing allegiance to the Porte, without distinction of religion. The conduct of the army in the recent suppression of the Assyr revolt was excellent, as was the entire management of the expedition, showing a degree of general efficiency far greater than was supposed to exist. Its probable strength is about one hundred and twenty thousand men, with a capacity for a very quick increase from the reserve to two hundred and fifty thousand men, and is well supplied with artillery. It is, therefore, quite competent to deal with any complications likely to arise within the empire in a summary and satisfactory manner. The navy is in equally serviceable condition for any of the ordinary or probable exigencies of the empire. Of ironclad vessels there are five frigates, nine corvettes, and five gun-boats, and a large wooden fleet, including five ships of the line, while at present the manufacture of torpedoes for marine purposes is being actively pursued. Those great monopolies of modern civilization, the post, the telegraph, and the railway, have also received attention. The two former services, once inaugurated, are sure to push their way into popular favor, and secure their extension, wherever the necessity for their use exists, and perhaps the defects of their present administration here are less proper subjects of surprise than their existence is of congratulation. The same remarks are applicable to the railway system also, though far more important results are likely to flow from it in the general increase of the stability as well as of the resources of the country. The Roumelian railways, connecting the capital by way of Adrianople with the European system, are expected to be completed during 1872, and special attention is now being given to the great project of connecting this city with the Persian Gulf by the valley of the Euphrates. If these purposes are realized a continuous line of railway will traverse the whole breadth of European and Asiatic Turkey, and "thrust, as it were, an iron girder right through the wide arch" of the Ottoman dominions. Of course branches would soon multiply both in Roumelia and in Asia Minor, and would exert an almost magical influence in the development and improvement of the entire empire. Various attempts have also been made at legal reform, but thus far without any considerable success. The failure is partly owing, no doubt, to foreign interference in the withdrawal of a considerable portion of the population from responsibility to the laws of the country in which they choose to permanently reside. Every day a half dozen courts of as many different nationalities are in session here and elsewhere throughout the empire, administering as many different systems of laws. In many instances these litigations are between persons who were born, have always lived, and desire to die and be buried in Turkey; and yet, by a pretext of protection, or by some pretense of naturalization, they assume to be subjects of some foreign power, and thus escape the jurisdiction of the local tribunals of the empire. The evils sure to flow from such abuses were felt to be so serious by the plenipotentiaries assembled at Paris in 1856, that they unanimously agreed upon the necessity of revising the conditions imposed by the capitulations, and Count Cavour pronounced himself in favor of their immediate abolition. While, however, they doubtless seriously obstruct all efforts at thorough legal reform, other obstacles equally serious exist in the utter absence of competent judges, of trained advocates, and of a public opinion which recognizes the absolute necessity of an impartial and independent administration of justice. All these requisites are of slow growth, they can neither be imported nor forced, and until they exist it is to be feared that the well-meaning and repeated efforts in these directions which the Porte makes from time to time will not bear much fruit. And yet the lack of a proper system of law and an impartial administration of it, and the lack of a proper financial system, to which I called your attention at some length in a former dispatch, these are the two most grave evils which afflict the Ottoman Empire and threaten its ruin. The theoretical despotism of the Sultan is so tempered in the actual administration of the government and by the interference of the foreign representatives as to be almost practically harmless, while the cardinal vice of polygamy is rarely practiced out of the larger towns, and has therefore less ruinous effects than would be supposed, and indeed it is hoped that it is gradually diminishing, and with it the degradation of woman, which is perhaps hardly less dangerous to the state. In any event it ought always to be a source of sincere pride to Americans to reflect, apart from any sectarian or even religious bias, upon the great and good work our fellow countrymen and country women have done and are still doing for the improvement, elevation, and enlightenment of the various populations of this empire. Apart even from their labors of evangelization, they leave indelible impressions of their work and its usefulness in the increased desire for knowledge, in the introduction of western ideas of life and growth, in the distribution of printed matter, and above all in the schools they establish, which are altogether the most hopeful signs I see of the future of the East, while, as the natural devel opment of these, numerous small district schools have arisen, "The Protestant College" in Syria, and "The Robert College" on the Bosphorus, which are sure to be fit guardians of the name and honor of our country and to secure for her the benedictions of the coming generations. I have, &c., WAYNE MACVEAGH. No. 3.] VENEZUELA. No. 413. Mr. Pile to Mr. Fish. UNITED STATES LEGATION, Caracas, October 5, 1871. (Received October 21.) SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of letter addressed to this legation by Mr. J. W. Hancox, president of the Venezuela Steam Transportation Company, detailing the facts in reference to the seizure of the vessels of that company at Ciudad Bolivar, to which the attention of the Department is respectfully solicited. I have asked the United States consul at Ciudad Bolivar for an official report of the facts in this case within his knowledge; and, as I am informed that the United States consuls at Martinique and Guadaloupe have been applied to by our vice-consul at Trinidad to send a naval steamer to investigate this matter, I have written to the commander of our West India squadron a statement of the facts, and requested him, in case a vessel is sent, that it be ordered to report at La Guayra for conference with me previous to going to the Oronoco River. I shall bring this matter to the attention of this government as soon as I am formally received, and will promptly communicate to the Department any further information I may receive in reference thereto. I have, &c., &c., WM. A. PILE. Inclosures. No. 1.-Mr. Hancox to Mr. Pile, September 20, 1871. No. 1. Mr. J. W. Hancox to Mr. William A. Pile. TRINIDAD, September 20, 1871. SIR: I have the honor to inform you that I am president of the Venezuela Steam Transportation Company, a company organized under the laws of the State of New York. That this company owns the steamer Dudley Buck, plying between La Guayra and Trinidad, the steamer Hero, connecting with the Dudley Buck, and plying between Port of Spain and Ciudad Bolivar. That this company further owns the steamers Nutrias and San Fernando, plying between Ciudad Bolivar and Nutrias on the rivers Oronoco and Apure. That all these steamers are permitted to carry their national flag by special agreement with the existing government of Venezuela, and only upon this condition the company has consented to navigate their waters. The steamer Hero left Trinidad duly cleared for Ciudad Bolivar, on the 26th of August, and while on her voyage up the Oronoco, opposite a place called Guayana la Vieja, was boarded by about two hundred armed men, calling themselves Blues or revolutionists, the officers were overpowered and the vessel captured. The officers, American citizens, with pistols presented to their heads, were forced to navigate the steamer as directed, and the steamer was forcibly carried to a place called Soledad, opposite to Ciudad Bolivar, and the captain was imprisoned in his state-room. The steamer Nutrias, lying at her moorings at Ciudad Bolivar, was forcibly taken possession of by the legitimate government, converted into an armed vessel, and opened a naval engagement against the steamer Hero, causing the Hero to suffer serious damage. The undersigned was on board of the steamer San Fernando, a new boat making her first trip up the river Oronoco, and arrived at Ciudad Bolivar at 2 p. m, on Sunday, September 3; found the town in possession of the revolutionary party; also the steamer Hero with armed soldiers on board. I immediately had the necessary proofs of capture and imprisonment certified by the American consul, John Dalton, esq. I then demanded from the chief who governed the city, the release of the steamer Hero, which was peremptorily refused, and continued to exercise all the influence at my command toward the release of the steamer, until the 5th instant, on which day I was notified that if I would comply with their conditions the Hero would be allowed to return to Port of Spain, viz: 1st. That the Hero should return from Port of Spain on the 10th, and resume her regular trips. 2d. That the Nutrias, which had been carried off by the legitimate government with government officers on board, to Trinidad, should return. 3d. That I should use my influence to stop the steamer Dudley Buck from running from Trinidad to Laguayra. These were only such conditions which prisoners, as I considered myself and the officers, could accept. The importance of communicating with the United States by the mail-packet ship which was to leave Trinidad on the 8th September, and to preserve my property, gave me no choice but to accept their conditions, which they declared must be in writing, and, through one of their chiefs, my word as a mason. I left on the morning of the 6th and arrived in Trinidad in time to connect with the mail of the 8th instant, by which I had the consul's dispatches forwarded. Copy of his telegram to Secretary Fish I herewith inclose. I returned with the Hero to Ciudad Bolivar, according to agreement, on the 10th September, and the Nutrias left Trinidad on the 13th instant. On my arrival at Ciudad Bolivar I found the steamer San Fernando in possession of the military powers, and on the 14th instant, with the American flag struck, she left on a military expedition up the rivers Oronoco and Apure. To save the vessel, I prevailed upon the master and engineer to remain on board as long as permitted. I left with the Hero on the 17th instant. As the steamer Dudley Buck is, by special contract of the company, bound to and with Captain Trevirianas to make regular trips to transmit the government mails, my influence, according to agreement, could not prevent him from making this trip. Your honor has now before you an unvarnished statement of facts; the proof of nearly all is now in the hands of the United States Government. That our Government will act promptly I cannot doubt, and it will be the only means of saving the vessels in these waters, as an attack, now contemplated by the legitimate governinent upon Cuidad Bolivar, will, without doubt, destroy our steamers. I beg and pray of your excellency to make use of every means at your command to protect and save from loss our vessels, for if the stars and stripes, our pride and glory, are no guarantee to Americans in any or every clime, I say for one, let me hoist a piece of calico in its stead. I have, &c., & C., Mr. John Dalton to Mr. Fish. J. W. HANCOX. U. S. CONSULATE AT CIUDAD BOLIVAR, STATE OF GUAYANA, VENEZUELA, September 6, 1871. SIR: Two American steamers, namely, Hero and Nutrias, have been seized by contending forces in Venezuela. American citizens, officers of said steamers, are prisoners. Property and lives of Americans and other foreign residents are in danger. Full particulars of these outrages forwarded by mail to you. National dignity and humanity compel me to apply to you for due protection, to be granted at the earliest convenience. No. 2. JOHN DALTON, United States Consul. Mr. Edward H. Fitt to Mr. Jas. R. Partridge. UNITED STATES CONSULATE, Trinidad, September 5, 1871. (Received October 21.) SIR: I have the honor to inclose declaration on oath of D. L. Sturges, master of the United States steamer Nutrias, as also of Joseph Edny and John Lovell, first and second engineers of the same vessel. You will perceive that the Nutrias was taken possession of by President Dalla Costa of the State of Guayana, and converted into a vessel of war for the purpose of destroying the American steamer Hero, which, it is said, was in possession of the other belligerent party. |
