THE CHRISTIANS OF TURKEY.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—In your interesting review of "Turkey in Europe," by "Odysseus" (Spectator, January 19th), there is an am- biguous sentence which may convey an erroneous ifn- pression to those who are not familiar with the subject ; I mean the sentence in which the Christians are said to be in some manner "protected by• the Capitula- tions." Of course you mean Christians who are not subjects of the Porte. The Capitulations embrace the subjects of the Christian Powers, whether Christians or Mussulmans. They afford no protection at all to the Sultan's Christian subjects. For these there is practically no protection at all. Their theoretical status as " Tributaries " is in practice quite worth- less. They are not allowed to bear arms, and their evidence is never received against a Mussulman, and no Mussulman will ever give evidence against a Mussulman in favour of a Christian. The result is that the Christians of every Mussul- man State are outlaws. No redress against wrong is open to them. And as this is an article of the unchangeable creed of Islam, it follows that no reform in favour of the Christians is possible. The prejudice of a ruling caste might be overcome, but not the obligations of a law which is believed to be divine
and immutable.—I am, Sir, &v., Msicolat MacCor.a..
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