The Times of Wednesday publishes a striking letter from Prince
Teano, who is a distinguished scholar and deeply versed in the history of Islam. Prince Teano, perhaps not unnaturally, though we are sure without warrant, accuses the British correspondents of unfairness in their censure of the action of the Italian troops towards the Arabs of the oasis. Their prejudice and hostility, he declares, is proved by their systematic ignoring of the first phase of the fight on the 23rd a phase which he thus summarizes :-
" Whilst the Turks were assaulting the Italian trenches on the desert side, the Arabs, who up to then had been considered pacific inhabitants of the Tripoli oasis, and were therefore unsuspected, treacherously attacked our soldiers from the rear and stabbed all the wounded that fell into their hands. They massacred the wounded sheltered in the Red Cross tents, and on many inflicted tortures and mutilations, assisted, as is often the case in savage countries, by women, old men, and children. Some officers were stabbed in the rear by their native servants, in whom they had placed the greatest trust. Some wounded were fastened to palm- trees and beaten to death, others savagely blinded, again others hung, and one wounded soldier was crucified. Some, placed for safety by the Bed Cross officers within an Arab hut, with the con- sent of its owners, were afterwards found murdered. I purposely omit detailing yet greater horrors that were perpetrated on my countrymen on that day. These are the facts which your corre- spondents have completely ignored, and which the British public should know of before expressing its judgment on the work of our troops."
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