View PDF version of this page

TMOOUPl. PHILEMON. 407 our sway its Christian inhabitants have been guilty of the least iiisloyalty to our government, Lut, on the contrary, on certain occasions wheu the Turks revolted, the Christians have joined our victorious forces, and given willing help in routing and reducing the rebels: nevertheless, to carry out oui1 decree for the disarming of all the Christians in our dominions, we command that it be enforced in Cyprus also." In accordance with this rescript special orders and officers were despatched to all the districts of the island, who carried out the disarmament without opposition or difficulty. But as soon as the troops from Syria and Palestine, about four thousand men, were lauded on May îî, there began, in pursuance of a pre-arranged plan, denunciations of persons, com-munities and monasteries, for hiding arms and munitions of war, for acting in concert with the rebels, and for waiting only the appearance of vessels from Hydra and Petsni to rouse the whole island to anus. On these followed enquiries of all kinds, prosecutions and imprisonments without number. NO concealed store of anus or munitions was, however, discovered, and uo understanding with the islands which had manned a fleet. Yet for all this the Mittesolim of the island, Kuchnk Mehmed, acting chiefly on the advice of his dear friend Georges Lapierre, of a family belonging to Syros, the interpreter of the French Consulate, thought the circumstances propitious to the acquisition of a fortune, if he could only make victims of the principal persons in the country. He reported to the Porte the peaceable disarmament of the Christians, but at the same time submitted a list of 480 names, including the Archbishop of Cyprus, the throe metropolitans, the abbots and officers of all the monasteries, the principal clerics and all the leading citizens in every district of the island. He pointed out that the disarmament would be useless ns long as these persons remained alive, seeing that they had wealth and influence, and wide relations with Europe and the islands which were manning the rebel fleet, and so could easily procure all kinds of arms and stores from abroad, call up ships when they liked, and raise the whole island iu rovolt. In reply the Porte curtly ordered the slaughter of all the proscribed persons, the con-fiscation of their personal and landed property, as well as the enslavement of their wives aud children, with the exception of those who embraced Islam. Armed with this authority Kuchnk Mehmed considered (always in concert with Lapierre) how he should proceed to the arrest of so many individuals, since most of them lived away from the capital Levcosia, and were scattered over several districts. This fact led him to suspect that iu their despair the notables might raise a general revolt throughout the island, of which he feared the con-sequences. And notwithstanding the presence and support of the force from Syria and Palestine he desimi to make accomplices of the local aghas, and summoning them to a private council he affected leniency in the matter of so many death -warrants. " For the safety of the island," lie said, " I consider the execution of the Archbishop, the bishops and the most prominent citizens sufficient." But these degraded and brutal aghns pressed for the whole list, and for yet a longer one, declaring that it was necessary to slay everyone, even of the lower ranks of tbe population, who had wealth, education, or influence of any kind which could make him suspect. Of course they too thought this the most fitting opportunity to buy up at a low rate the confiscated property of their victims. With cruel craft the Muteselim insisted on the nselessness of so general a massacre, as likely to excite an armed insurrection in the island, bnt the aghas all the more threatened him as incurring a grave responsibility towards the Sultan who had given tbe order. Tilt» Kuchnk'Mehmed appeared to sanction the slaughter of all the proscribed persons, while he threw back on the aghas the responsibility for any armed resistance winch might

View PDF version of this page