for them!

Mediterranean.

BRITISH FOREIGN Bible socieTY. PROCEEDINGS OF MR. BARKER IN ROUMELIA.

IN May and June of last year Mr. Barker visited various places in Roumelia: we subjoin the chief parts of his communications.

Thessalonica.

The POPULATION is generally computed thus: Jews, from 25,000 to 30,000-Turks, from 15,000 to 20,000-Greeks, from 5000 to 6000-Turkish Jews, 1200-Europeans, mostly Roman Catholics, 150-Greek Catholics, 100-Protestants, 15.

The Jews have one chief Rabbi, with a considerable number of others under him, 36 synagogues, a large school, and several small. Their language is the Jewish-Spanish, which they read and write with the Rabbinical characters; and those who have had a superior education know also the Ancient Hebrew. There are among them a few bankers and merchants, and the rest are divided into brokers, shopkeepers, artisans, porters, and boatmen: they are very industrious, and, like the Jews in general in the Turkish Dominions, their chief aim is to amass money. On account of their number, they enjoy a little more consideration than in other towns in Turkey in short, they are in commerce the leading wheel; for on their Sabbath, nothing hardly is done here, and the streets and bazaars appear to have been deserted.

Of the Turks little is to be said: they are everywhere the same. They have several mosques and medrasses, or schools, where they are taught to write, and to read the Korân; and, outside of the town, they have a convent of dancing dervises: they are either farmers, merchants, tanners, or shopkeepers; of an indolent character-proud, haughty, and

insolent.

The Archbishopric of Thessalonica embraces eight provinces, each of which has its respective Bishop. Before the Revolution, the Greeks of all these provinces, together with those of Thessalonica, were computed to be about 50,000; and now they are estimated at only 30,000. The greater number of those missing, emigrated; and the others have been killed. They have, in Thessalonica, an Archbishop and about 40 Priests, 12 large and 6 small churches; one school of upward of 100 scholars for Ancient Greek, and several small for the Romaïc; also a hospital and a plague house. They are clever, but not so industrious as the Jews. At present there are but a few merchants of this nation, having emigrated or been ruined by Aboul Nabout: they are principally shopkeepers, artisans, dyers, manufacturers, or sailors. Before the Revolution, the Greeks enjoyed apparent independence and some conside

pressed them, and they are now much cast down; for he not only killed and tormented them, but deprived them of all their wealth, and reduced them to misery. The present Pacha, an Albanian, has been, comparatively speaking, extremely mild to them, so that they begin again to breathe a little. Upward of 500 women and children were made slaves by the Turks, from the revolted provinces of Callamania, Cassandra, and Mount Athos; and were brought to Thessalonica for sale: it is supposed that more than half that number have regained their liberty, by the combined charity of the Christians: the others are still in slavery, mostly in this town and its environs. About 400 more were made slaves from the town of Naousta, which had also shaken off the Turkish Yoke for a time : many of these also have been liberated, but the remainder still linger in slavery. Such is the present state of the poor Greeks of this place; and I have been told, that, in the villages, they are faring still worse. Besides the great misery of the peasantry, they are daily ill-treated by the vagabond troops of the Pacha, who are stationed in different parts of the Pachalic for the tranquillity of the country, while they themselves are the enemies and robbers to be dreaded.

The Jewish-Turks are a sect which I have never heard mentioned before, although they tell me that some of them exist at Constantinople. The following information is all that I have been able to obtain concerning these people: they are called by the Turks Donmethes, or renegados, and are divided into three separate classes; viz. Bezestenlithes, Ghoniothes, and Cavalieros: each class is distinct, as they do not intermarry; nor have they any kind of connexion one with the other or with the Turks. It is generally supposed that they still retain many of their Jewish Ceremonies and Observances; and many think, that, in secret, they are still Jews. In public, they affect not to know any but the Turkish Language; and, in their families, they often speak the Jewish-Spanish. They have Rabbies, or preachers, in their private worship; and, publicly, they go to the mosque. Their circumcision takes place, as with the Jews, about eight days after the birth of the child; while, if they followed the Turkish Custom, that ceremony ought to be With the Turks, delayed several years. before the ceremony of circumcision takes place, the children are dressed very gaudily, and are paraded about the town with music and a concourse of people; but the JewishTurks, on the contrary, have that ceremony performed privately in their houses. It is the firm opinion of many, that they are only Turks externally, in order that they may enjoy the same privileges with them.

Of the European and Greek Roman-Catholics, there is nothing to be said: the European, who are mostly from France and Italy, have a convent and two priests: the Greek are from Scio, and have been brought over to the pale of Rome: they have no church of their own, but frequent that of the Europeans.

Seres.

The town of Seres stands on the sloping part of a hill: having many trees intermixed with the houses, it has a pretty appearance at a distance, but the interior is a Turkish place, in the full force of the term. The country round is beautiful, and extremely fertile.

This province comprises about 80 country towns, villages, and chieftlicks (small villages or farm-houses, which take this name when they are the sole property of a family). The Greek and Bulgarian Population in these places is computed to be upward of 100,000; but it is impossible to form a just idea on that head. În the town of Seres the inhabitants are supposed to be divided thus: Turks, upward of 15,000- Greeks, with strangers, 15,000-Jews, from 5000 to 6000.

The Greeks have a Metropolitan or Archbishop,with more than 40 priests, 21 churches, a small hospital and plague house, one school of about 50 boys for Ancient Greek, and several for the Romaïc.

The Archbishopric, like that of Thessalonica, is bought at Constantinople, from the Patriarch, by the Metropolitan: he makes afterward, as merchandise, the most of it, by selling to the priests the right of performing Divine Service; and these priests, according to their talents and the blind credulity of their parishioners, make the most that they can of their office; and they have many means to exert their talents, by imposing on the weak minds of the people. Besides the selling of the priest's office, the Metropolitan has many other perquisites, and often levies impositions on his Nation.

The temptation, under which the Greek Church has fallen into this deplorable condition, is thus stated

As that Nation is obliged to pay large sums of money to the Grand Signior and to the officers of the Porte to support their privileges and maintain their Church Establishments, they are absolutely obliged to exert all their faculties to raise these sums, if they do not wish to see the total fall of their Church.

Mr. Barker proceeds

I was well received by the Greek Metropolitan of Seres, Porpherius Mytilinios, another of the Rev. Mr. Leeves's acquaintances: I informed him of my mission, presented him with the New Testament in Ancient and Modern Greek, and requested of him the permission to distribute the Sacred Scriptures among his followers: he told me that he was acquainted with the object of the Bible Society, and approved of it very much he then called the priests and other persons that were in his house, and explained to them my views for visiting Seres, and finished by telling them that they had his sanction to purchase of the Sacred Scriptures in my possession. The first two or three days the Greeks did not appear for books; their minds being greatly occupied in the means to accumulate upward of a mil

lion of piastres, which Usuf Pacha demanded of them as a loan, it being understood that they were never to see a para of it afterward: this Governor was on his way to his Pachalic, at Magnesia, near Smyrna: the poor Greeks shut their shops, and kept at home, fearing other persecutions from such despoilers of the country: the money was at last procured. Immediately after the departure of this Pacha, many persons applied for New Testaments; and in the course of two days, I sold 129 volumes, which were, in short, all that I could spare, wishing to carry with me the rest to the other places which I had to visit.

Now that the field is opened, I make no doubt a considerable number of copies of the Sacred Scriptures will be annually disposed of in this town, which possesses all the advantages necessary for a depôt, it being situated in the midst of a great many towns and villages which communicate continually with this place. Seres is the entrepôt of merchandise that is bought for Thessalonica, besides the magazine of foreign goods that are destined for the interior. Mr. Sponti, who is both British consulary-agent and merchant, has willingly offered his services to place in his magazine (the only European one in the town, and which is daily frequented by all sorts of people, and of all places in the vicinity), a good stock of the Sacred Scriptures, which I shall send him; and he will, besides, transmit to his friends in those towns which do not communicate frequently with Seres the Sacred Scriptures that will be required.

When I was on the point of starting for Drama, many persons applied for the Sacred Scriptures; among others, women and young men. I could give them only this consolation, that shortly all would be supplied with New Testaments; and I quitted Seres with the benedictions of the Greeks, who wished me a prosperous journey, and all that I could desire. I must observe here, that three or four hours previous to my departure, I sold about 60 volumes of New Testaments, and was absolutely obliged to quit that town, not to be tempted to give the rest that remained with me of those books. As I remained but ten days at Seres, I had no opportunity to witness the effect of this distribution on the minds of the Greeks; but, from their eagerness to become purchasers, I am inclined to think that the seed has been thrown on good ground.

Drama.

Drama is a small Turkish Town, at the lower hills of Minikeon Oros: it contains about 800 Turkish and 40 Greek Houses. It is a Greek Archbishopric; and contains, together with the districts of Zilina, Allistratti, and Nevrocope, upward of 103 villages, all of which are Bulgarian, and the inhabitants do not know Greek. In Drama, the Greeks have two churches; and a small school for beginners, of only 10 or 12 boys: the language of the place is the Bulgarian: a few strangers only know the Greek, to whom I sold about 26 New Testaments.

The Archbishop of Drama being at this

moment at Nevrocope, I went to pay him a visit, as that town was on my way: he received me very kindly, and I remained with him two days. He informed me that the villages in his diocese were all Bulgarian; and, with the exception of the persons in his service and a few strangers, not any of the inhabitants knew the Greek Language. He lamented very much that the Sacred Scriptures and Church Books were all either in Greek or Slavonian, neither of which is understood by the people. He grieved that no measures had ever been taken by their Prelates to translate the New Testament into the Bulgarian tongue, for the use of such a vast population attached to their Church, who understood no other; and he seemed quite delighted when I told him that the Bible Society would shortly print that work, since a MS. had been purchased for that purpose.* This Bishop is a good man: during my stay with him I acquired much information relative to the difficulties through which the Greek Church has to pass, in order to support its character with the Turkish Power, and not be entirely annihilated. In talking of the adoration of pictures, &c. by the Bulgarians, the Bishop observed, "Until they read and understand the Sacred Scriptures, such practices will be continued by them at present they know nothing of the Christian Faith, for they have no Sacred Scriptures nor Church Books; and we, that are to teach them their faith, do not know their language." I distributed a few books to the Bishop's people, and sold a few more to some strangers who understood Greek.

Tartar Bazargik.

Tartar Bazargik is a large town, but has a very mean appearance; and being on a perfect plain, and no care taken to drain it from the superfluous water, the streets remain dirty, and nauseous smells proceed from them: this evil, and the stagnated waters of the rice-grounds occasion many fevers in the autumn, or as soon as the great heats commence. The population is computed as follows: Turkish Families, from 4000 to 5000 -Bulgarian Families, 1000-Jewish Families, 60-Armenian Families, 40. The language generally spoken is the Bulgarian: the Turks, Armenians, and some of the Bulgarians, speak also Turkish. The Bulgarians have a Bishop, who is under the Archbishop of Philippopoli: the Bishopric contains about 60 villages, all Bulgarian. They have one church at Bazargik; and one School of 100 boys, where the Slavonian and Bulgarian are taught, but the Scholars never retain any thing of the former language but the characters, which serve afterwards to them to write and read the Bulgarian: their Church Books are in the Slavonian and Greek Tongues, but the people do not understand either; consequently the Bulgarian Sacred Scriptures, with the Slavonian characters, would be a great gift to them.

The Bishop, in whose house I lodged,

I was sorry, on my arrival at Constantinople, to learn that this MS. proved to be defective, in consequence of which it has been rejected.

was kind to me: he is a very old man, and has a venerable appearance. I distributed a few books among his people who knew the Greek. Dr. Steffano, a Greek friend of mine, quitted Bazargik the day I arrived: he was come from Adrianople to attend the Governor, who was unwell; and he brought with him some New Testaments, as a well-wisher of the Bible Cause, and sold 30 volumes to those families who knew Greek: this Gentleman, on several occasions before, distributed the Sacred Scriptures for our account. Had I had with me the Holy Scriptures in Bulgarian, I should have had much to do at Bazargik; but here, as well as throughout the vast country I had visited, none but in that language are required.

Philippopoli.

Philippopoli is a considerable town, situated on four hills, and part of it in the plain; it is close to the river Maritza; and has a much better appearance than the other towns which I passed through. Its population, according to the best information which I had, is computed thus, in Families: Turkish, from 5000 to 6000-Bulgarian, 1500-Greek RomanCatholic, 200-Gypsies, 200-Armenian, 50 -Jewish, 40.

The Greeks have a Metropolitan, who has in his Archbishopric 180 towns and villages; all Bulgarian excepting four, which are inhabited by Greeks: they have in Philippopoli four churches and two chapels: the languages in use among them are the Bulgarian and Greek; but Greek is not generally known, and they speak it indifferently: many know how to read it, but the Bulgarian is preferred. The Greek Roman-Catholics originate principally from the islands of the Archipelago, pale of Rome. The Gypsies are stationary: whose ancestors were brought over to the they attend, strange to say, the Greek Church three times a-year; on Christmas, New-year's Day, and Easter: at other times they never go to Church, nor is it known if they have any ritual ceremonies among them general, these people, in Turkey, are looked upon as having no religion; and, excepting at Kutaieh, I do not remember to have seen them any where else residing in towns: here they speak the Bulgarian. The Jews know guished from those of Constantinople, Salothe Jewish Spanish, and are not to be distin

nica, &c.

in

The best part of the town is the Greek Quarter it is situated on the principal hill, which has a commanding view of the town. I lodged with the Greek Archbishop, a very good man, and a friend of the Rev. Mr. Leeves. As I had no Sacred Scriptures with me, I had the intention to wait the arrival of some; but the Archbishop begged me not to do so, but proceed to Adrianople, and from thence send some to a trustworthy person to sell, as if they were merchandise, and he shop, who perfectly knows the object of our would see that they were distributed: the BiSociety, from his acquaintance with the Rev. Mr. Leeves, assured me that he would, on the arrival of the books at Philippopoli, cooperate with the person whom I should send them to, in the distribution.