Page:The Nestorians and their rituals, volume 1.djvu/425



now continue my narrative of the Nestorian affairs from Chapter XVIII., where it was broken off. Kemal Effendi, the Turkish Commissioner, and his colleague, Mr. R. Stevens, had been at Mosul for nearly three months previous to our departure, and nothing further had been done in behalf of the Nestorians, than the redemption of a few captives. The Coords still garrisoned Tyari and Dez, and continued to harass and persecute the Nestorians with as much severity as ever. The feeble expostulations of the Porte, if even these were sincerely offered, had no effect whatever in curbing the tyranny of the Emeers, who kept possession of their ill-gotten booty, and dared to proceed to yet greater lengths in their oppression of the mountain Christians. There were now several hundreds of these unfortunate people in Mosul and the surrounding villages, who could not return to their homes for fear of the Coords, and who were dependent upon the charity of strangers for the supply of their daily wants. The Commission wishing to have some estimate of the property plundered from the Nestorians, I was requested by Mar Shimoon to assist in drawing up the following schedule, to be presented to the Turkish government.