Vice-Consul Doughty-Wylie to Sir G. Lowther.
I HAVE the honour to report the following in continuation of my letter of yesterday:
Note from Captain Carver from the American Mission that the Brigadier-General Mahemet Ali Bey appeared on the scene of the fire last night about five minutes after Captain Carver himself arrived. The General took active and energetic measures to limit the fire area.
Before he got to the fire the promised Turkish officer had never been sent to the American Mission. The General now put this right.
I had an informal meeting this morning on the subject of the relief work with Mr. Chambers and the Director of the Ottoman Bank. Before the second massacre we had lists drawn up from each community of people wanting food, numbering some 15,000. We had a regular Committee formed. The Vali had nominated two members.
The second massacre disorganized everything. I do not know whether all the Committee members are alive. The communities are hopelessly scattered. It is said that 3,000 more people had been killed; a larger number than ever are homeless on account of the burning of the town. The lists are all burned.
The bulk of the Armenian population are in refuge in our camp at Yeni Mahalla and in Mr. Stockel’s factory.
The relief work now is to feed the people in the camp and factory, a special camp and the five hospitals. This we continue to do.
The Ottoman Bank is prepared to grant us credit, and for the present I propose to carry on like this until I can re-form another Committee. At present it would not be for Armenians to come to this house, which is closely watched on account of our undesirable revolutionary refugees.
Also the change of Valis, who may require slight changes, perhaps, among the Moslem members. The meeting of this morning think it best to have one central Committee to receive all subscriptions and to distribute them to different places which form Sub-Committees. Also to add to the Central Committee the Adana director of the Ottoman Bank.
I wrote to-day to Tarsus to Dr. Christie to ask him to form a Sub-Committee, and I shall ask the French Consul to be President at Mersina.
The captain of the French ship and the French Consul came up to-day; they will take back to Mersina all or most of the priests and nuns. They say there are now many troops in Mersina, and there is an uneasy feeling.
The French Consul told me that a week ago in Beirout papers said that England had occupied Mersina, Tarsus, and Adana. I suppose this arose from the landing at Alexandretta of the Consular Guard. There is also a story that the American battleships who are coming are to seize the Turkish war-ship and hold her as hostage for indemnity. It is said here that the French priests for an indemnity burnt their own schools.
All these things, distorted and exaggerated, produce a strong anti-foreign feeling.
If it became necessary to land troops at Mersina, it might be the signal for a fresh massacre here.