Page:The Nestorians and their rituals, volume 1.djvu/245

Rh therefore it is best that we should first take what you have, as you will afterwards take our property." And again, speaking of Noorallah Beg, the same author writes: "This chieftain had foreseen that the changes occurring in the east, must sooner or later cause his country to fall under the domination of a stronger power than his; but above all, he disliked the position in which he stood with regard to the Patriarch of the Chaldeans [Nestorians,] over whom he claimed superiority, and whom yet he could not dictate to. He had thus been led to barter his independence for a recognition of his power by Hafiz Pasha of Erzeroom, and had returned back by the influence of Turkey, at once to keep in control his own restless predatory tribes, and also to extinguish the power of the Patriarch, of which he had always been extremely jealous. From the new ties of friendship that the Christian bishop had been lately and suddenly entering into, with the English on the one hand, and the Americans of Ooroomiah on the other, his enmity now burst into an open flame, and ultimately led to the Patriarch beingbetrayed into the hands of the Turks. As far as I am concerned, I extremely regret that the mission I was engaged in, should have hastened a catastrophe, painful in itself, and calculated, unless timely assistance and consolation, and strengthening advice is given to the mountaineers, to subvert the sacred independence which has withstood so many ages of trial and persecution, and to sap the ancient institutions of their glorious Church to the very foundations."

After the above testimonies I shall leave the reader to judge how a friendly visit of three days which I made to Mar Shimoon at Asheetha, in February, 1843, (a detailed account of which shall be given in the sequel,) could have had any influence whatever in bringing about the slaughter of the Nestorians in the month of June following. The charge is too preposterous to be dwelt upon, and I shall therefore drop this division of our subject for the present to resume the narrative of our mission from the date of our arrival at Mosul.