Exotic Small Mammal Care and Husbandry 1st

Edition Banks Ron E Sharp Julie M Doss Sonia D

Vanderford Deborah A download

https://ebookmeta.com/product/exotic-small-mammal-care-and-
husbandry-1st-edition-banks-ron-e-sharp-julie-m-doss-sonia-d-
vanderford-deborah-a/

Download full version ebook from https://ebookmeta.com

We believe these products will be a great fit for you. Click
the link to download now, or visit ebookmeta.com
to discover even more!

Exotic Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine 1st

Edition Jennifer E Graham Grayson A Doss Hugues
Beaufrère

https://ebookmeta.com/product/exotic-animal-emergency-and-
critical-care-medicine-1st-edition-jennifer-e-graham-grayson-a-
doss-hugues-beaufrere/

Neonatology for Primary Care Deborah E. Campbell

https://ebookmeta.com/product/neonatology-for-primary-care-
deborah-e-campbell/

Mammal Skin V. E. Sokolov

https://ebookmeta.com/product/mammal-skin-v-e-sokolov/

Human Resource Planning Dipak Kuma Bhattacharyya

https://ebookmeta.com/product/human-resource-planning-dipak-kuma-
bhattacharyya/
Sweep in Peace Innkeeper Chronicles 02 1st Edition
Ilona Andrews

https://ebookmeta.com/product/sweep-in-peace-innkeeper-
chronicles-02-1st-edition-ilona-andrews/

Cultivating Teacher Wellbeing 1st Edition Kate Brierton

And Christina Gkonou

https://ebookmeta.com/product/cultivating-teacher-wellbeing-1st-
edition-kate-brierton-and-christina-gkonou/

Politics of the Gift Towards a Convivial Society 1st

Edition Frank Adloff

https://ebookmeta.com/product/politics-of-the-gift-towards-a-
convivial-society-1st-edition-frank-adloff/

Artificial Intelligence for a Sustainable Industry 4 0

Shashank Awasthi Editor Carlos M Travieso González
Editor Goutam Sanyal Editor Dinesh Kumar Singh Editor

https://ebookmeta.com/product/artificial-intelligence-for-a-
sustainable-industry-4-0-shashank-awasthi-editor-carlos-m-
travieso-gonzalez-editor-goutam-sanyal-editor-dinesh-kumar-singh-
editor/

Dermatology for Advanced Practice Clinicians A

Practical Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment 2nd
Edition Margaret A. Bobonich

https://ebookmeta.com/product/dermatology-for-advanced-practice-
clinicians-a-practical-approach-to-diagnosis-and-treatment-2nd-
edition-margaret-a-bobonich/
Break in the Storm 1st Edition Sherryl D Hancock

https://ebookmeta.com/product/break-in-the-storm-1st-edition-
sherryl-d-hancock/
Exotic Small Mammal Care
and Husbandry
Exotic Small Mammal Care
and Husbandry

Ron E. Banks, DVM, DACLAM, DACVPM, CPIA

Julie M. Sharp, DVM

Sonia D. Doss, M.Ed., RLATG

Deborah A. Vanderford, DVM

All authors are staff at the Office of Animal Welfare Assurance, Duke University,
Durham, North Carolina

A John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Publication

 Edition first published 2010
© 2010 Ron E. Banks, Julie M. Sharp, Sonia D. Doss, Deborah A. Vanderford

Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwell’s publishing program has
been merged with Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell.

Editorial Office
2121 State Avenue, Ames, Iowa 50014-8300, USA

For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for
permission to reuse the copyright material in this book, please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell.

Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is
granted by Blackwell Publishing, provided that the base fee is paid directly to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222
Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923. For those organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by
CCC, a separate system of payments has been arranged. The fee codes for users of the Transactional Reporting
Service are ISBN-13: 978-0-8138-1022-5/2010.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and
product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This
publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered.
It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional
advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Disclaimer
The contents of this work are intended to further general scientific research, understanding, and discussion only and
are not intended and should not be relied upon as recommending or promoting a specific method, diagnosis, or
treatment by practitioners for any particular patient. The publisher and the author make no representations or
warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all
warranties, including without limitation any implied warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. In view of
ongoing research, equipment modifications, changes in governmental regulations, and the constant flow of
information relating to the use of medicines, equipment, and devices, the reader is urged to review and evaluate the
information provided in the package insert or instructions for each medicine, equipment, or device for, among other
things, any changes in the instructions or indication of usage and for added warnings and precautions. Readers
should consult with a specialist where appropriate. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this
work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher
endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further,
readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when
this work was written and when it is read. No warranty may be created or extended by any promotional statements
for this work. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any damages arising herefrom.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Exotic small mammal care and husbandry / Ron E. Banks . . . [et al.].
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8138-1022-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Exotic animals. 2. Pets. I.
Banks, Ron E. [DNLM: 1. Animal Welfare. 2. Veterinary Medicine. 3. Animal Husbandry. 4.
Animals, Domestic. SF 745 E96 2010]
SF413.E96 2010
636–dc22
2009041421

A catalog record for this book is available from the U.S. Library of Congress.

Set in 9.5 on 11.5 pt Sabon by Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited

Printed in Singapore

1 2010
Contents

Acknowledgments vii

1 Introduction 3

2 Enrichment 11

3 Preventive Medicine 21

4 Rabbits 49

5 Ferrets 61

6 Mice 73

7 Rats 81

8 Gerbils 93

9 Hamsters 103

10 Guinea pigs 115

11 Chinchillas 125

12 Degus 137

13 Hedgehogs 143

14 Sugar Gliders 157

15 Opossums 169

Index 175

Color plate appears between pages 80 and 81

v
Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the many unnamed strong and effective stewardship of the condi-
and on occasion unknown contributors to our tions in which we and animals live is the highest
education and training in the field of husbandry ideal one can assign to a human-and-animal
and veterinary medicine. No accomplishment relationship; the engaged manner of our com-
is a singular achievement, and without the passionate care and our progressive husbandry
assistance of many this book would not have is the best reflection of our humaneness.
been possible. Thank you. The authors wish to acknowledge Mr. Ian
It is the desire and hope of the authors that Thomas for all line drawing illustrations as
this text will be used for the betterment of the well as the following individuals for assistance
animals with which we share this globe and for with photographs: Amy M. McArdle, CVT,
improvement of the condition and environ- LATG; Dan Johnson, DVM; Judi Fox, Cynthia
ment in which they live. Our commitment to Prevost, and Dorcas O’Rourke, DVM.

vii
Exotic Small Mammal Care
and Husbandry
Introduction
1
The role of the veterinary technician continues • Feeding options
to develop and mature. Although historically • Temperature
the duties allotted to the veterinary technician • Humidity
have been supportive and responsive—that is, • Thermal neutral zones
do what you are told when you are told to do • Ventilation
it—the current, progressive veterinary climate • Illumination
offers increasing levels of responsibility for • Noise
engagement. Principal to the modern veteri- • Transportation
nary technician is the ability to have a dramatic • Overcrowding
impact on the well-being of the pet by educat- • Isolation
ing the pet owner and assisting with building • Social ranking
and maintaining a strong relationship of stew- • Handling
ardship and compassion of the pet owner with • Chemicals used in sanitation
the pet. To best accomplish this task, the vet- • Air quality
erinary technician must clearly understand the • Water intake
impact of a variety of factors, both intrinsic • Feeds and diets
and extrinsic, and the role each factor may play • Adventitial diseases
in the health and well-being of the small
mammal pet. The take-home questions for any discussion
Any list of factors that affect the well-being such as this are:
of a pet would be incomplete, but to provide
an outline for this discussion we should con- • What is the pet owner doing that may impact
sider those in the following list as having the the well-being of the pet?
potential to affect the pet’s well-being: • Is the impact of those actions improving or
detracting from the well-being of the pet?
• Genetics
• Age We will discuss the factors affecting the pet’s
• Gender well-being by considering those which are
• Immune status intrinsic and those which are extrinsic.
• Circadian rhythms
• Endocrine system
• Cage design INTRINSIC FACTORS AFFECTING
• Bedding choices WELL-BEING
• Cage accessories
• Enrichment strategies Intrinsic factors are those that are inherent to
• Watering options the animal, including genetics, age, sex, health,

3
4 Exotic Small Mammal Care and Husbandry

nutritional status, immune status, circadian immune function is important as neither the
rhythms, and endocrine factors. very young nor the very old can successfully
mount a strong immune challenge to infection.
Genetics The geriatric animal is prone to increased
Although genetic factors generally are not a disease states as the organ systems begin to fail;
concern for small mammal species, excessive the young animal is prone to similar concerns,
inbreeding may present a spectrum of disease but because of physiologic systems that are not
states which interfere with the well-being of the fully functional at the time of birth. This is
pet. For example, malocclusion in a rabbit is often species dependent: a guinea pig is “preco-
highly heritable, especially in selected lines, and cious” and ready for all that life can throw at
will interfere with normal nutrition and regular it, whereas a ferret requires weeks of nurturing
animal-initiated activities. Malocclusion may and care to survive to healthy adulthood.
interfere with grooming, and it will interfere
with selecting and chewing preferred food- Gender
stuffs. Pet owners should be discouraged from Gender may also mark an important considera-
breeding their own pets because they generally tion for animal well-being. For example, 80%
do not have sufficient numbers of animals to of New Zealand White female rabbits will have
provide a varied genetic stock and because uterine adenocarcinoma by 4 years of age;
additional animals may also add to the abun- males are not affected (as they obviously lack
dance of unwanted pets. Breeders must have a uterus). Biomedical research has shown a
genetic diversity if they are to maximize a clear distinction between the susceptibility of
strong and healthy population of pet animals. mammary tumors to certain chemicals and
Even in the best of circumstances, mismating, gender. In the Wistar-Furth rat, 100% of
spontaneous mutations, chromosomal aberra- females, but only 19% of males, will develop
tions, and residual heterozygosity may result in mammary tumors to DMBA (a carcinogenic
undesirable offspring. Afflicted offspring chemical used in breast tumor research).
should be neutered; if not, at least they should
be prevented from mating. Immune system
Immunologic dysfunction (including hypersen-
Age sitivity and allergy, autoimmunity, and immu-
Neonatal animals have an immature immune nodeficiency) may influence experimental
system. That may oversimplify the situation, outcome. A litany of agents or situations can
but it is important to note that the very young alter immune function, such as age, nutritional
are susceptible to conditions or circumstances status, a host of chemicals, various drugs, select
which would not be important to older animals. food additives, many metals, and specific
Rodents less than 1 week of age are exother- microbes. In certain circumstances, the immune
mic, which means they cannot control their response may be decreased (most common) or
body temperature. Neonatal pups or kittens, increased in response to the interference of
when removed from the nest, will become outside agents.
hypothermic relatively quickly. As a general
statement, these young animals begin to Circadian rhythms
develop their “internal furnace” around 1 Many behavioral, biochemical, and physiologic
week of age, and by 6–8 weeks of age are fully parameters (daily, rhythmic, minima and
capable of maintaining a steady core body tem- maxima) occur at specific times. For example,
perature. Age becomes critically important blood counts and coagulation times, plasma
when considering placement of the cage in a steroid, body temperature, sensitivity to audio-
room where the windows allow sunlight and genic seizure induction (in gerbils), drug
there is variable air flow. A stable, and even metabolism and toxicity (e.g., anesthesia and
warm, place is important for the well-being of analgesia), and susceptibility to neoplasia are
neonatal animals. Although not as pronounced, influenced by circadian rhythms. Although the
the same kinds of concerns exist for the very veterinary technician may not be able to impact
old animal too. In both cases the status of most of these items by modulating circadian
Introduction 5

rhythms, it is worthwhile to recognize that cir- approach is generally desirable (e.g., rodents’
cadian rhythms may impact therapies, enrich- preference for solid floors over wire floors), it
ment strategies, and outcomes of the pet must be managed for its effectiveness (e.g., a
patient. preference for sunflower seeds may interfere
with generalized nutrition and well-being).
Endocrine factors
Sex hormones are important determinants of Cage design
hepatic cytochrome P450 enzyme activity. Cas- The style or design of the cage used for housing
trating male rats decreases the ability to the animal affects its well-being. All other
biotransform xenobiotics and, by extension, factors being the same, cage design can deter-
can affect the required amount of anesthetic for mine the amount of air, light, and sound the
subsequent events (i.e., castration may extend animal receives. Cage design can also impact
the effectiveness and duration of anesthesia). the amount of heat, humidity, and gaseous
Neonatal gonadectomy of select strains of mice waste dissipated into the macroenvironment.
leads to high incidence of estrogen-secreting Again, all items being equal, plastics or poly-
adrenal tumors; so if small mammals are to be carbonate caging materials tend to be an
neutered, awaiting puberty in the species may acceptable compromise for most situations.
be worthwhile. Plastics filter the light, diminish the sound, and
foster a stable microenvironment (heat or
cool). However, if not properly ventilated,
EXTRINSIC FACTORS AFFECTING
plastics may also limit the amount of fresh air
WELL-BEING
available and thus increase ammonia level,
humidity, and the risk of airborne infection.
Extrinsic factors are those that are external to
Studies generally indicate that static (plastic-
the animal and include physical factors (mac-
walled) caging is preferable to slatted wire-
roenvironment vs. microenvironment, cage
walled caging for most small mammals. Many
design, caging accessories), chemical factors
pet owners choose slatted wire-walled cages
(air, water, diet, and drugs), microbial agents,
because it allows for increased “communica-
stressors, and environmental factors (tempera-
tion and interaction” with their pet, but such
ture, humidity, ventilation, illumination, and
caging can have significant disadvantages. For
noise).
example, a slatted wire-walled cage will allow
free exchange of air, but air flow through an
Physical factors
accumulation of fecal matter is not a good idea.
The single most important thing a veterinary
The preferred caging design is one that pro-
technician can do is to stop thinking of small
vides for normal physiologic and behavioral
mammals as small humans. Just because
needs, allows conspecific social interaction,
humans would like something does not mean
facilitates development of hierarchies within or
it is a good choice for the small pet. The focus
between enclosures, remains clean and dry, has
of consideration for the pet’s well-being is the
adequate ventilation, assures access to food
animal’s environment: The microenvironment
and water, serves as a secure environment, is
is the environment immediately surrounding
free of sharp edges, and allows an animal to be
the animal. It may be the cage, the pen, the
observed with minimal disturbance.
box, or the room. The microenvironment is
Cage accessories should receive the same
where the animal lives. By extension, the mac-
general consideration as caging materials.
roenvironment is where the animal’s container
Items that come in direct contact with the pet
is maintained—the macroenvironment is where
should be nonreactive, nonpalatable, smooth
the humans live. Although the macroenviron-
and impervious, durable, corrosion resistant,
ment contributes extensively to the microenvi-
and sturdy. In certain specific situations natural
ronment, one must be principally focused on
materials such as wood may be used, although
the “nose of the beast” to achieve a preferred,
the wood should be in the form of branches
healthful, supportive, and enriching microenvi-
from pesticide-free trees, without signs of tree
ronment. One way to state it is “what is the
disease or damage, and replaced frequently to
animal’s preference?” Even though this
Another Random Scribd Document
with Unrelated Content
place in the early spring of 1870. Fray Emanuel remained for
about four months in this state of dilemma, praying to know the
will of God, and he was admonished as to what he should do.
Having performed his task on earth, he fell asleep quietly one
day about three months afterwards. Some said the death was
caused by climate, but many of his most intimate friends, living
a few hours from the convent, did not hear of it till late in
November, 1870, and then they had cause to suspect treachery.
"The converts, now numbering some two hundred and fifty, held
regular prayer-meetings in one another's houses, and these
could not fail to attract the notice of the neighbouring Moslems.
Later still a crucifix or two was seen, and suspicions ripened into
certainties. The local authorities were at once informed of what
had happened. The Ulemá, or learned men, who in El Islam
represent the Christian priesthood, were in consternation. They
held several sessions at the house of Shakyh Dabyan, a noted
fanatic living in the Maydán suburb. At length a general meeting
took place in the town-house of the Algerine Amir Abd el Kadir,
who has ever been held one of the 'Defenders of the Faith' at
Damascus.
"The assembly consisted of the following Ulemá:—
"1. Shaykh Riza Effendi el Ghazzi.
"2. Abdullah el Hálabi.
"3. Shaykh el Tantáwi.
"4. Shaykh el Kháni.
"5. Shaykh Abdu Razzak (el Baytar) and his brother.
"6. Shaykh Mohammed el Baytar.
"7. Shaykh Salím Samára.
"8. Shaykh Abd el Gháni el Maydáni.
"9. Shaykh Ali ibn Sa'ati.
"10. Said Effendi Ustuwáneh (the Naib el Kazi, or assistant
judge in the Criminal Court of the Department at Damascus),
and other intimates of the Amir.
"Riza Effendi, now dead, was a determined persecutor of the
Nazarene, and Abdullah el Hálabi, also deceased, had
pronounced in 1860 the Fatwa or religious decree for the
massacre of the Christian Community, and had been temporarily
banished instead of being hanged as high as Haman. These
specimens will suffice. Still let us be just to the President of this
assembly, Abd el Kadir. He was carrying out a religious duty in
sitting in judgment upon renegades from his faith, and he was
acting in accordance with his conscience; but during the
massacre of 1860 he not only extended his protection to the
Christians, but he slept across his own threshold on a mat, lest
any terrified and supplicating wretch might be turned adrift by
his Algerine followers.
"The assembly, after a long discussion, pronounced the
sentence of death upon the converts. The only exceptions were
the Amir Abd el Kadir and the Shaykh Abd el Gháni el Maydáni,
who declared 'that a live man is always better than a dead
man.' The Shaykhs Tantáwi and El Kháni declared 'that to kill
such perverts was an act more acceptable to Allah than the
Friday prayer.'
"If there be one idea more strongly fixed than any other in
Moslem brain it is this—the renegade from El Islam shall surely
die. His death must be compassed by any means, fair or foul:
perjury and assassination are good deeds when devoted to such
an end. The Firman of February 12th, 1856, guaranteed, it is
true, life and liberty to all converts; it was, in fact, a perfect
system of religious toleration on paper. But it was never
intended to be carried out, and the local Turkish authorities
throughout the Empire have, doubtless acting under superior
instruction, ignored it as much as possible.
"The usual practice in the Turkish dominions when a convert is
to be convicted, opens with a preliminary imprisonment, either
on pretence of 'counselling' him, or upon some false charge.
The criminal tribunal then meets; witnesses are suborned; the
defence is not listened to; a mázbatah, or sentence, is drawn
out, and the victim is either drafted off with the Nizam (regular
troops), or sent to the galleys, or transported to some distant
spot. The assembly, however, not daring to carry out the
sentence of death, determined that the perverts must be exiled,
and that their houses and their goods must be destroyed or
confiscated. A secret Majlis was convened without the
knowledge of the Christian members of the tribunal, and this
illegal junto despatched, during the night, a squadron of cavalry
and a regiment of infantry, supported by a strong force of
police, to occupy the streets of the Maydán. Some fifty Shádilis
were known to have met for prayer at the house of one Abu
Abbas. At four o'clock Turkish time (10 p.m.) they rose to return
home. Many of them passed amongst the soldiery without being
alarmed, and whilst so doing fourteen were separately arrested
and carried to the karakuns (guard-houses) known as El Ka'ah,
and the Sinnaníyyeh. Here they were searched by the soldiery
and made to give up their crucifixes. They were then
transferred, some to the so-called great prison in the Serai, or
Government house, others to the karakun jail in the
Government square, and others to the debtors' jail, then at the
Maristán, or Mad-house, now transferred to Sidr Amud, near
Bab el Baríd.
"I hasten to record the names of the fourteen chosen for the
honour of martyrdom. All were sincere and inoffensive men,
whose only crime was that of being Christians and martyrs; the
rulers, however, had resolved upon crushing a movement which,
unless arrested by violence, would spread far and wide
throughout the land.
"1. Abu Abbas (the man in whose house the prayer-meeting
was held).
"2. Sáid Isháni.
"3. Abu Abduh Bustati.
"4. Abd el Ghani Nassás and his son.
"5. Mohammed Nassás.
"6. Ghanaym Dabbás.
"7. Salih el Zoh.
"8. Abdullah Mubayyad.
"9. Ramazan el Sahhár.
"10. Salih Kachkul.
"11. Mohammad Nammúreh.
"12. Bekr Audaj.
"13. Mohammad el Dib.
"14. Marjan min el Kisweh.
They are "After some days they were brought to the great
tried and secret Majlis (tribunal), at which presided in person
condemned.
his Excellency the Wali, or Governor-General, of
Syria, Mohammed Rashíd Pasha. This officer, a protégé of the
late Aali Pasha, Grand Vizier at Constantinople, has been
allowed to rule the province of Syria for the unusual term of
more than five years, and the violence and rapacity displayed by
him and his creatures have doubtless added an impulse to the
Revival of Christianity—it was evil working for good. With a
smattering of Parisian education, utterly without religion, but
determined to crush conversion because it would add to that
European influence which he has ever laboured to oppose,
Rashíd Pasha never conceals his conviction that treaties and
firmans upon such a subject as Moslem conversion are so much
waste paper, and he threatens all who change their faith with
death, either by law or by secret murder—a threat which, as the
cold cruelty of his nature suggests, is not spoken in vain. And he
uses persecution with the more readiness as it tends to
conciliate the pious of his own creed, who are greatly
scandalized by his openly neglecting the duties of his religion,
such as prayer and fasting, and by other practices which may
not be mentioned here.
"The Governor-General opened the sessions by thus addressing
the accused—
"Are you Shádili?
"Answer: We once were, we now are not.
"Gov.-Gen.: Why do you meet in secret, and what is done at
those meetings?
"Answer: We read, we converse, we pray, and we pass our time
like other Damascus people.
"Gov.-Gen.: Why do you visit the Convent of the Faranj (Franks
or Europeans)?
"Abu Abbas: Is it not written in our law that when a Moslem
passes before a Christian church or convent, and finds himself
hurried by the hour for prayer, he is permitted to enter and even
pray there?
"Gov.-Gen.: You are Giaours (infidels)!
"Abu Abbas (addressing one of the Ulemá): What says our law
of one who calls a faithful man Giaour?
"Answer: That he is himself a Giaour.
"The Governor-General was confounded by this decision, which
is strictly correct. He remanded the fourteen to their respective
prisons. Here they spent three months awaiting in vain the
efforts of some intercessor. But they had been secretly tried, or
their number might have attracted public attention; the affair
was kept in darkness, and even two years afterwards not a few
of the Europeans resident at Damascus had ever heard of it.
The report reached the Consular corps in a very modified form—
persecution had been made to assume the semblance of
political punishment. The Russian Consul, M. Macceef,
succeeded in procuring their temporary release, but this active
and intelligent officer was unable to do more. The British Consul
could hardly enter into a matter which was not brought officially
before his notice. The Consul of France and the Spanish Vice-
Consul took scant notice of the Shádili movement, perhaps
being unwilling to engage in open warfare with the Governor-
General, possibly deeming the matter one of the usual tricks to
escape recruitment or to obtain a foreign passport. The
Neophytes, however, found an advocate in Fray Emanuel Förner,
before mentioned. This venerable man addressed (March 29,
1870) a touching appeal to the General of his Order, and his
letter appeared in the Correspondance de Rome (June 11,
1870). The Franco-Prussian War, however, absorbed all thoughts
in Europe, and the publication fell still-born from the Press.
"Fray Emanuel relates in his letter that one day, when visiting
the Neophytes before their imprisonment—he modestly passes
over the important part which he had taken in receiving them—
he asked them if they could answer for their constancy. The
reply was: 'We believe not simply through your teachings of the
Word, and through our reading the religious books which you
gave us, but because the Lord Jesus Christ has vouchsafed to
visit us and to enlighten us Himself, whilst the Blessed Virgin
has done likewise!' adding, 'How could we without such a
miracle have so easily become Christians?' The good priest
would not express his doubts, for fear of 'offending one of these
little ones.' He felt an ardent desire to inquire into the visions
and the revelations to which they alluded. But he did not
neglect to take the necessary precautions. Assembling his
brethren, and presiding himself, he began with the unfortunate
Salih, and he examined and cross-questioned the converts
separately. He found them unanimous in declaring that on the
first night when they witnessed an apparition, they had prayed
for many hours, and that slumber had overcome them, when
the Saviour Jesus Christ appeared to them one by one. Being
dazzled by the light, they were very much afraid; but one of
them, taking courage, said, 'Lord, may I speak?' He answered,
'Speak.' They asked, 'Who art Thou, Lord?' The apparition
replied, 'I am the Truth Whom thou seekest. I am Jesus Christ,
the Son of God.' Awakening agitated and frightened, they
looked one at the other, and one took courage and spoke, the
rest responding simply, 'I also saw Him.' Christ had once more
so consoled, comforted, and exhorted them to follow His path,
and they were filled with such ineffable joy, love, faith, and
gratitude, that, but for His admonishing them (as He used to
admonish the disciples), they could hardly restrain themselves
from rushing into the streets and from openly preaching the
Gospel to the Infidel City. On another occasion the Blessed
Virgin stood before them with the Child Jesus in her arms, and,
pointing to Him, said three times in a clear and distinct voice,
'My Son Jesus Christ, Whom you see, is the Truth.' There are
many other wonderful revelations whose truth I can vouch for,
but I feel a delicacy of thrusting them before unbelievers.
Indeed, I have kept back half of what I know, and I am only
giving the necessary matter.
And "Of the fourteen Christian converts remanded to
persecuted. prison, two were suffered to escape. The relations of
Mohammad Dib and Marjan bribed the authorities
and succeeded in proving an alibi. Abd el Karim Matar, the Chief
of the Shádilis, who had been placed in confinement under the
suspicion of being a Christian, fell ill, and his relations, by giving
bribes and by offering bail, carried him off to his native village,
Darayya. There, as he was now bedridden, the family gathered
around him, crying, 'Istash'had!' That is to say, 'Renew the faith
(by bearing witness to Allah and his prophet Mohammad).' The
invalid refused, turning his face towards the wall whilst his cruel
relations struck and maltreated him. The cry was incessantly
repeated and so was the refusal. At last such violence was used
that the unfortunate Abd el Karim expired, the protomartyr of
the Revival.
"On the night of Ramazan 1, A.H. 1286 (December, A.D. 1869),
the 'twelve' (a curious coincidence that it was the number of the
first Apostles in this very land) who remained in prison were
secretly sent ironed, viâ Beyrout, to the dungeons of Chanak
Kalessi (the Dardanelles fortress). Thence they were shipped off
in a craft so cranky and dangerous that they were wrecked
twice, at Rhodes and at Malta. At last they were landed at
Tripoli in Barbary, and they were finally exiled to the distant
interior settlement of Murzuk. Their wives and children, then
numbering sixty-two, and now fifty-three, were left at Damascus
to starve in the streets, but for the assistance of their fellow-
converts and of the Terra Santa Convent. It is a touching fact
that if one of these poor converts has anything, he will quickly
go and sell it, and use the profit in common, that all the
brethren may have a little to eat. The Porte is inexorable; even
H.I.M. of Austria was, it is reported, unable to procure the
return of the exiles. Yet probably the 'Commander of the
Faithful,' Sultan Abdul Aziz, will ere long expect Austria, as well
as England and the rest of Western Europe, to fight his battles.
"I call upon the world that worships Christ to punish this high-
handed violation of treaty, this wicked banishment of innocent
men. Catholic and Protestant are in this case both equally
interested. The question at once concerns not only the twelve
unfortunate exiles and their starving families. It involves the
grand principle of religious toleration, which interests even the
atheist and the infidel throughout the Turkish Empire,
throughout the Eastern world.
"Upon the answer depends whether Christianity shall be allowed
free growth and absolute development. Let England demand of
the Porte the removal of this Governor-General. Deliver us from
this modern Herod! Let Abdul Aziz call off his dog from worrying
the followers of Christ for the sake of the bones thrown to him
by Aali Pasha, his Grand Vizier. Send us an honest man, unlike
Rashíd Pasha, who will not dare to rend asunder the most
solemn ties that can bind nations, who will have the courage to
do his duty.
"Amongst the Shádili converts was a private soldier of the Nizam
or Regulars, aged twenty-three, and bearing the highest
character. About five months after the movement commenced,
the soldier Ahmed el Sahhár being in barracks retired to a
corner for prayer and meditation, when suddenly our Saviour
stood before him, and said, 'Dost thou believe in Jesus Christ,
the Son of God? I am He.' The youth at once replied, like the
man blind from his birth, 'Lord, I believe.' Jesus said to him,
'Thou shalt not always be a soldier; thou shalt return free to thy
home;' upon which Ahmed inquired, 'How can I set myself free?'
Jesus again said, 'I will deliver thee,' and with these words the
beatific vision disappeared.
"The young soldier had fallen into a state of ecstasy. Presently
he arose and passed through the barracks, exclaiming, 'Jesus
Christ is my God! Jesus Christ is my God!' His comrades were
scandalized. A crowd rushed up; some covered his mouth with
their hands; others filled it with dirt, and all dealt out freely
blows and blasphemies. At last it was decided that Ahmed had
become possessed of a devil, and, whilst he preserved perfect
tranquillity, heavy chains were bound upon his neck, his arms,
and his legs. At that moment Jesus Christ again appeared to
him, and said, 'Break that chain!' He said, 'How can I break it, it
being of iron?' and again the voice spoke louder, 'Break that
chain!' He tore it asunder as though it had v been of wax. A
heavier chain was brought, and the same miracle happened
once more. This was reported to the officers, and by them to
their Bey or commandant; the latter sent for the private, and,
after heaping reproaches, abuse, and threats upon him, ordered
him to be imprisoned without food or water, and to be carefully
fettered. Still for a third and a fourth time the bonds fell off, and
supernatural graces and strength were renewed to the prisoner,
who made no attempt to move or to escape from his gaolers.
"The soldiers fled in fear, and the commandant no longer dared
to molest the convert. The case was represented to
Constantinople, and orders were sent that Ahmed must appear
at the capital. He was despatched accordingly under an escort,
and with his wrists in a block of wood acting as handcuffs.
Reaching Diurat, a village three hours from Damascus, he saw
at night the door of his room fly open, and the Blessed Virgin
entering, broke with her own hands the block of wood and his
other bonds. By her orders he walked back alone to Damascus
and reported himself to his regiment. It was determined this
time to forward him with a party of soldiers, but without chains
or 'wood.'
"Arrived at Constantinople, the accused was brought before a
court-martial; a medical man was consulted as to his sanity, and
the prisoner was not a little surprised to find himself set at
liberty, and free to go where he pleased. Thus the promise of
Jesus Christ was fulfilled. The neophyte took the name of 'Isa,'
which is Jesus, and returned to Damascus, where his history
became generally known. The Turks pointed him out as the
'soldier who broke four chains.' Some term him the 'Majnún,'
the madman, though there is nothing about him to indicate the
slightest insanity; but most of the people held him in the highest
respect, calling him Shaykh Ahmed, and thus raising him to the
rank of 'Santon,' or saintly man.
"The terrible example of the Shádili families has not arrested the
movement—persecution never does. The blood of the martyrs is
still the seed of the Church. But the converts now conduct their
proceedings with more secrecy. They abstain from public
gatherings, although they occasionally visit Fray Dominic d'Avila,
Padre Guardiano, or Superior of the Terra Santa. The society
has now assumed a socialistic character, with private meetings
for prayers, and with the other precautions of a secret order.
The number of converts has greatly increased. At the end of
1869 the males in the City of Damascus amounted to 500; in
1870 it had risen to 4100; and in 1871 it represents 4900, of
whom some 700 have been secretly baptized. Moreover, I have
been assured by the converts with whom I associate and
converse frequently, some of them being men highly connected
and better educated than their persecutors, that a small tribe of
freebooters living in and about the Druze mountain (Jebel Druze
Haurán), having been troubled and threatened by the local
Government, has split into two parties—Moslem and Christian,
the latter known by crosses hoisted upon their tent roofs. The
converts described to me the Bukâa (Cœlesyria) as a field in
which the gospel has lately borne fruit, and this was
unexpectedly confirmed. The peasantry of B——, a little village
on the eastern slope of the Lebanon, and near Shtora, the
central station of the French road, lately became the property of
a certain M. A—— T——. He owned two-thirds of the village, but
by working the authorities he managed to get into his hands the
whole of the houses and fields, the crops and cattle—in fact, all
the village property. The wretches, after being nearly starved for
months, lately came up to Damascus, and begged to be
received as Christians. In early July it was whispered that the
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Mgr. Valerga, is expected to meet,
at his summer residence in Beyrout, Mgr. Franchi, the Papal
Envoy; that both these prelates will visit Damascus, and that
then these poor souls will ask for baptism.
The "Protestantism has also had its triumphs. About ten
Protestant months ago a certain Hanifi Moslem, named Abd el
Converts.
Razzak, having some misgivings about his faith, left
his native city Baghdad in order to visit the Bab or head of the
Babi sect, who lies in the galleys of S. Jean d'Acre—what a place
for such a purpose! The interview not being satisfactory, he
travelled to Damascus, where he came under Protestant
influence. Thence he was removed to Shtora on the French
road, and finally to Suk el Gharb in the Maronite mountains.
There he was enabled to study, and he was publicly baptized
under the name of Abdallah. The Turkish authorities had no
power over him; but the second case did not end so well.
"A certain Hajj Hassan, a coachman in the service of a Christian
family at Beyrout, M. Joachim Najjar, began about 1869 to
attend the Protestant service, and for two months before his
incarceration he professed himself a Christian, although he had
not been baptized. He is described by all who know him as a
simple and sincere man, gifted with great strength of will. He
was waylaid, beaten, and finally cast with exceeding harshness
into prison at Beyrout by the Governor, Rauf Pasha, who replied
to all representations that he was unable to release him; he
acted, in fact, under superior authority. The convert was not
allowed to see his family, and on Thursday, June 29, he was
sent in charge of a policeman to the Capital: this, too, despite
the remonstrances of the Consuls-General for the United States
and Prussia.
"The superintendent of the British Syrian school, where the
convert has a child, took the precaution of despatching to head-
quarters one of the employés, the Rev. Mr. Waldmeier, so that
energetic action began even before the arrival of Hajj Hassan.
Rashíd Pasha commenced by treating with contempt her
Majesty's Consul's strong appeals to his justice; he openly
ignored the Treaty, blaming me for not having quoted the actual
article, and he declined to permit the interference of strangers
in the case of a subject of H.I.M. the Sultan. He maintained that
he had a right to send for the Neophyte in order that the latter
might be 'counselled;' and for that purpose he placed him under
arrest in the house of the most bigoted Moslem in Syria, the
chief of police, Mir Alai (Colonel) Mustafa Bey. He complained
strongly of the conduct of Protestant missionaries in Syria,
accusing them of secretly proselytizing, though he admitted in
the same sentence that the convert Hassan had openly
attended a Christian church for some time. On the next day he
ungraciously refused my request that the Presbyterian
missionaries (Rev. Messrs. Wright, Crawford, and Scott) might
be allowed access to the Neophyte. About midday on Friday,
June 30, Rashíd Pasha sent for Hajj Hassan, who had been duly
disciplined by the police, and locking the door, he began to ask
whether the convert was not in fear of being strangled—words
which, in his mouth, had a peculiar significancy. He then
proceeded to offer a price for apostasy, which rose to thirty
thousand piastres. This was stoutly refused by the Neophyte,
who was returned to arrest. Presently the Governor-General
heard that I had telegraphed for permission to proceed to
Constantinople to represent to my Ambassador the state of
things in Syria within my district, and Hajj Hassan was ordered
to return under the charge of a policeman to Beyrout. The new
Christian, however, was warned that he must quit that port
together with his family within twenty days, under pain of being
sent to Constantinople handcuffed, or, as the native phrase is,
'in wood.'
"The case of Hajj Hassan came to a lame and impotent
conclusion. He had been delivered out of the Moslem
stronghold, Damascus, to the safe side of the Lebanon. The
Protestant Christians of Beyrout, with their schools, missions,
and Consuls-General to back them up, should have kept him at
Beyrout, and Rashíd Pasha should have been compelled either
to eat his own words or to carry out his threat. In the latter
case the convert should have been accompanied to
Constantinople by a delegate from the Missions, and the
Sublime Porte should have been compelled to decide whether
she would or would not abide by her Treaties and Firmans. The
plea that exile was necessary to defend the convert from his
own co-religionists, that banishment was for his own benefit, is
simply absurd. Either the Porte can or she cannot protect her
Christian converts. In the latter case they must be protected for
her. Never probably has there been so good an opportunity for
testing Turkey's profession of liberalism, and the Turks are too
feeble and too cunning to let another present itself.
"In their first fright the Beyrout European Christians withdrew
their protection from Hajj Hassan. On the diligence arriving at
the 'Pines,' a forest about an hour before reaching Beyrout from
Damascus, the convert was ordered to dismount, and his wife
and five children (one at the breast) were turned adrift from the
house which had protected them for some days, at nine o'clock
at night, to wander whither they could. Hajj Hassan was
subsequently removed from Beyrout to Abeigh, an Anglo-
American (U.S.) Mission station in the Lebanon, probably by the
exertions of Dr. Thomson, author of 'The Land and the Book,'
who distinguishes himself in Beyrout by daring to have an
opinion and to express it, though unfortunately he stood alone
and unsupported. On July 20th, Hajj Hassan was to be shipped
off by night to Alexandria, where he was expected to 'find good
employ.' Suddenly his passport was refused by the local
authorities, and he was hidden in the house of a Consular
Dragoman. The Porte had sent a secret despatch, ordering him
to be transported to Crete, Cyprus, or one of the islands in the
Archipelago, where his fate may easily be divined. At length a
telegram arrived from Constantinople, and the result was that,
after a fortnight's detention by sickness, Hajj Hassan was sent
off by the French mail of Friday, August 11th. Verily, the
Beyroutines are a feeble folk. They allowed themselves to be
shamefully defeated by Rashíd Pasha when he was grossly in
the wrong.
"When the depositions of Hajj Hassan were taken at the
Consulate, Damascus, he declared that a Moslem friend of his,
named Hammud ibn Osman Bey, originally from Latakia
(Laodicea), but domiciled at Beyrout, had suddenly disappeared,
and had not been heard of for twelve days. Presently it became
known that Hammud, about two years ago, when in the employ
of Mr. Grierson, then Vice-Consul of Latakia, was drawn for the
Army, but had not been called upon to serve. He was in the
habit of hearing the missionaries preach, and on more than one
occasion he declared that he would profess Christianity—a
course from which his friends dissuaded him.
"Hammud determined, in the beginning of 1871, to visit
Beyrout, and Mr. Grierson gave him letters of introduction to the
missionaries and to the superintendent of the British Syrian
schools, requesting that he might be taken into the service of
some European family. Here he again openly committed himself
by declaring that he was a Christian. His former master,
knowing that the eyes of the police were upon him, made
immediate arrangements for his leaving by the steamer to
Latakia, where he had been recruited, giving him at the same
time a note for the colonel commanding the regiment.
Hammud, however, on the evening before his journey,
imprudently walked out in the direction of the barracks: he was
seized and put in irons—probably to be 'counselled.'
"Mr. Grierson, when informed of this arrest, at once addressed
Toufan Bey. This officer is a Pole commanding one of the
regiments of the 'Cossacks of the Sultan,' the other being
quartered at Adrianople. Visiting the Military Pasha of Beyrout,
he begged that as Hammud's passage had been taken for
Latakia, where his name had been drawn, the convert might be
allowed to proceed there. The two officers sent for the man and
gave the required directions respecting him. But Hammud was
already in the enemies' hands; and the normal charge of
desertion was of course trumped up against him. He was sent
with a number of other conscripts to the capital, with tied
hands, and carrying the rations of his fellow-soldiers; and
presently a report was spread that he had been put to death.
"Hajj Hassan on returning to Beyrout informed Mr. Johnson,
Consul-General for the United States, that during his arrest at
Damascus the soldiers had threatened to 'serve him as they had
served Hammudeh.' He went at once to Rauf Pasha, who replied
that the man had been arrested and sent to head-quarters
because he had been conscripted two years before at Latakia
and had deserted. This was directly opposed to the statement
made by Mr. Grierson, namely, that the man had never been
called upon to serve. Mr. Johnson could do no more, as
Hammud had made himself amenable to the law of the land,
and he seems not to have taken any steps to decide whether it
was a bonâ-fide desertion. He inquired, however, what the
punishment would be, and was told that it would depend upon
circumstances.
"Several people at Beyrout wrote to me at Damascus, begging
of me to institute a search for the missing man. Shortly
afterwards letters were despatched from Beyrout, stating that
Hammud had been found in the barracks alive and well, and
contented with his condition as a soldier. What process he has
been through to effect such a wonderful change we are not
informed, nor where he has been hidden during its operation.
The 'counselling' has probably compelled the convert by brute
force to conceal his convictions.
"Another story in the mouths of men is that a young
The Shádilis.
man, the son of a kázi or judge, had lately suffered
martyrdom at Damascus for the crime of becoming a Christian.
This may possibly be a certain Said el Hamawi, who disappeared
three or four years ago. Said was a man of education, and a
Shaykh, who acted khatíb (or scribe and chaplain) to one of the
regiments. He was convicted of having professed Christianity,
and was sent for confinement to the Capital. When let out of
prison he repeated his offence, and he has never been heard of
since.
"On the morning of the Saturday (July 1) which witnessed the
unjust sentence of exile pronounced upon Hajj Hassan, a certain
Arif Effendi ibn Abd el Ghani el Nablusi was found hanging in a
retired room of the Great Amáwi Mosque at Damascus, where
he had been imprisoned. No inquest was held upon the body,
which may or may not have shown signs of violence; it was
hastily buried. Some three years before this time, Arif Effendi, a
man of high family, and of excellent education, had become a
Greek Christian at Athens, under the name of Eustathius.
Presently he reappeared in Syria as a convert, a criminal whom
every good—that is to say, bigoted—Moslem deems worthy of
instant and violent death. He came to the Capital, and he
introduced himself as a Christian to the Irish-American
Presbyterian missionaries; to Monseigneur Yakub, the Syrian
Catholic Bishop, and to others; nor did he conceal from them his
personal fears. He expected momentary destruction, and
presently he found it, being accused, truthfully or not I am
unable to say, of stealing fourteen silver lamp-chains, and a
silver padlock. The wildest rumours flew about the City. The few
declared that the man had hanged himself. The Nablusi family
asserted that, repenting his apostasy, he had allowed himself to
be hanged, and the vulgar were taught to think that he was
hanged by order of Sayyidna Yahya, our Lord John (the Baptist),
whose head is supposed to be buried in the Great Mosque. It
was currently reported that the renegade had been sent to the
Algerine Amir, the Sayyid Abd el Kadir, who, finding him guilty of
theft, had ordered him to receive forty stripes and to be
arrested in the Mosque, at the same time positively refusing to
sanction his execution as his accusers demanded. This
proceeding, though irregular, is not contrary to Moslem law; the
Ulemá claim and are allowed such jurisdiction in matters
concerning the Mosque.
"I, suspecting foul play, applied on the 3rd of July for
information upon this subject to the Wali, who rudely refused to
'justify himself.' Eight days afterwards the Governor-General
thought proper to lay the case before the Tribunal. The result
may easily be imagined. That honourable body cast the blame
of the illegal imprisonment upon the Amir Abd el Kadir, whom
they hate because he saved so many Christian lives in 1860.
They delivered a verdict that the convert had been found
hanged by his own hand, they antedated a medical certificate
that the body bore no marks of violence, and they asserted
contrary to fact and truth that the deceased was decently
washed and buried, whereas he was thrust into a hole like a
dog.
"And now I will answer the question prominent in every reader's
mind: 'These men are Turks; are we bound to protect them?'
"I simply reply we are.
Richard "It is obviously our national duty to take serious
quotes Mr. action in arresting such displays of Moslem
Gladstone.
fanaticism as those that have lately taken place in
Syria. Mr. Gladstone cannot forget his own words: 'We would be
sorry not to treat Turkey with the respect due to a Power which
is responsible for the government of an extended territory, but
with reference to many of her provinces and their general
concerns, circumstances place her in such a position that we are
entitled and, indeed, in many cases, bound to entertain
questions affecting her internal relations to her people, such as
it would be impertinent to entertain in respect to most foreign
countries.... All that we can expect is that when she has
contracted legal or moral engagements she should fulfil them,
and that when she is under no engagements she should lend a
willing ear to counsels which may be in themselves judicious,
and which aim solely at the promotion of her interests.... As
regards the justice of the case, we must remember that as far
as regards the stipulations of the Hatti-i-Humaioun, we are not
only entitled to advise Turkey in her own interest, in her regard
to humanity, in her sense of justice, in her desire to be a
civilized European Power, to fulfil those engagements, but we
are also entitled to say to her that the fulfilment of those
stipulations is a matter of moral faith, an obligation to which she
is absolutely bound, and the disregard of which will entail upon
her disgrace in the eyes of Europe.... We are entitled to require
from Turkey the execution of her literal engagements' (Debate
on Crete and Servia. Mr. Gregory's motion for correspondence
and Consular Reports on the Cretan Insurrection, etc., as
reported in the Evening Mail of Feb. 15-18, 1867).
"These memorable words deserve quotation the more, as
throughout the nearer East, especially among the Christian
communities, England still suffers under the imputation of not
allowing the interests of Christendom to weigh against her
politics and her sympathy with the integrity of the Turkish
Empire. Even if we care little for the propagation of Christianity,
or for the regeneration of Asia, we are bound to see that
treaties do not become waste paper.
"The first step to be taken in North Syria, and to be taken
without delay, would be to procure the recall and the pardon of
the twelve unfortunates who were banished in 1870 to Tripoli of
Barbary, and to Murzuk in Inner Africa. This will be a delicate
proceeding; imprudently carried out, it will inevitably cost the
lives of men whose only offence has been that of becoming
Christians, and it will only serve to sink their families into still
deeper misery. But there should be no difficulty of success. Our
Consul-General at Tripoli could easily defend the lives if not the
liberties of the Neophytes. Her Majesty's Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Constantinople should be
directed firmly to demand that an officer of high rank be sent
from Head-quarters, and that he should be made duly
responsible for landing the exiles in safety at Beyrout. Thence
they should be transferred to Damascus; their pretended
offences should be submitted to a regular tribunal, whose action
would be watched by me or my successor, and when publicly
proved to be innocent these men should be restored to the
bosoms of their families, whilst the police should be especially
charged with their safety.
"This step taken, the next will naturally be to urge the instant
recall of the unjust Wali, or Governor-General, of Syria,
Mohammed Rashíd Pasha, together with those members of the
Secret Tribunal, more especially the Mufattish Effendi,
 Mahommad Izzat, who made themselves his instruments in
carrying out illegal and tyrannical measures against a body of
twelve innocent men. And when the head and front of the evil
shall have been removed and the limbs formally impeached, a
consummation devoutly to be desired, unless due prudence be
exercised much evil may be the result. Rashíd Pasha has filled
every important post with his familiars and creatures; he will
doubtless leave directions after his departure for all manner of
troubles to be excited, especially between Christians and
Moslems, Greeks and Latins, in order to stifle the outcry which
will rise from the length and breadth of the land. The remedy
will be a High Commissioner, and a Firman from Constantinople
couched in the strongest terms, and holding all Governors and
Judges (muftis and kázis) personally responsible for any
disorderly proceedings. And should they not be able to keep the
peace, should any threat of repeating the horrors of 1860 be
heard, the nations of Europe must prepare to keep it for them.
"Thus will the unhappy province—a land once flowing with milk
and honey, now steeped to the lips in poverty and crime—
recover from the misery and the semi-starvation under which it
has groaned during the last five years. Thus also Christianity
may again raise her head in her birthplace and in the land of
her early increase. Thus shall England become to Syria, and
through Syria to Western Asia, the blessing which Syria in the
days of the early Church was to England, to Europe, and to the
civilized world. Let her discharge her obligations before her God.
"Richard Francis Burton."

Letters I saw at the Mission in Damascus, and obtained leave to

approving his copy, the following testimonial addressed to Richard, and
Conduct.
his reply.—I. B.
"Damascus, July 12, 1871.
"To Captain Burton, H.B.M.'s Consul at Damascus.
"Sir,—We beg to tender to you our heartiest thanks for your
prompt decisive action in the case of Hassan the converted
Moslem, and also to congratulate you on the result of your
determination and firmness.
"For some time past we had heard that a Moslem converted to
Protestantism at Beyrout had become subject to considerable
persecution. A convert more obscure than himself has been put
out of the way and has not since been heard of, and Hassan
had been subjected to a series of arrests and imprisonments,
and had several times narrowly escaped assassination. The chief
Consulates, however, had become publicly interested in him, so
that his safety from legal execution seemed ensured; and as he
was always accompanied by some one to protect him from
assassins, he seemed for the time to be safe. But on the 29th of
June we were surprised to find that he was being transported to
Damascus, having been arrested and bound in chains. The
English colony in Beyrout became alarmed, as they declared
that none so transported to Damascus ever returned again. Two
agents of the Mission were despatched from Beyrout, one
preceding the prisoner to give us information as to what had
taken place, and the other accompanying the prisoner to watch
what became of him. On receiving intelligence of the convert's
transportation to this City, the missionaries of the three Missions
at Damascus resolved to lay the case before you, but on doing
so found that you had with your usual energy already taken up
the case, and categorically demanded the release of the
prisoners. And though the authorities ignored the Firman
granting civil and religious liberty to the people of this Empire,
and denied your right to interfere on behalf of the prisoner, the
unflinching stand you took by the concessions of the Hatti-Sheríf
secured the release of the prisoner: you have thus vindicated
the cause of humanity, for on the day on which the prisoner
escaped through your intervention, the Moslem authorities
strangled in the Great Mosque of Damascus a Moslem convert
to Christianity. The man had made application to the Irish
American Mission for protection, and declared that he lived in
daily fear of strangulation. He was imprisoned in the Great
Mosque, and strangled as they say by St. John the Baptist, and
then carried away by one man and thrown into a hole like a
dog.
"This accident proves that your uncompromising firmness with
the authorities was an act of pure mercy, and that the worst
apprehensions of the Beyrout missionaries were not unfounded.
But more important still, you have asserted the binding
character of the spiritual privileges of the Christian subjects of
the Porte, contained in the Firman of 1856, and which,
according to Fuad Pasha's letters to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe,
comprises 'absolutely all proselytes.'
"We are sure, Sir, that your conduct in this affair will receive the
unqualified approbation of the best public opinion in
Christendom, and we have no doubt it will receive, as it merits,
the warm approval of your own Government.
"We who were near and anxious spectators of the proceedings
in this affair cannot too warmly express our sense of the
satisfaction with which we witnessed the fearless, firm, and
efficient manner in which you conducted this important case
until the convert was permitted to leave this city.
"(Signed) E. B. Frankel, Missionary of the London Jews' Society.
"James Orr Scott, M.A., Missionary of the Irish Presbyterian
Church.
"Fanny James, Lady Superintendent of the British Syrian Schools,
Damascus.
"William Wright, A.B., Missionary of the Irish Presbyterian
Church, Damascus.
 "John Crawford, Missionary of the United Presbyterian Church of
North America at Damascus.
"Ellen Wilson, Lady Superintendent of the British Syrian Schools,
Zableh."

Richard's Captain Burton's reply to the Rev. E. B. Frankel, Rev. J.

Answer and Orr Scott, Miss James, Rev. W. Wright, Rev. John
Remarks.
Crawford, Miss Wilson.

"Beludan, July 19, 1871.

"I have the pleasure to return my warmest thanks for your letter
this day received, in which you have formed so flattering an
estimate of my services as H.M.'s Consul for Damascus. Nor
must I forget to express my gratitude to you for the cordial
support and approval of my proceedings connected with your
Missions which you have always extended to me. This friendly
feeling has greatly helped to lighten the difficulties of the task
that lay before me in 1869. You all know, and none can better
know, what was to be done when I assumed charge of this
Consulate; you are acquainted with the several measures taken
by me, honourably I hope to our national name, and you are
familiar with the obstacles thrown in my way, and with the
manner in which I met them. My task will encounter difficulties
for some time. Still the prospect does not deter me. I shall
continue to maintain the honest independence of H.M.'s
Consulate, to defend our rights as foreigners in Syria, and to
claim all our privileges to the letter of the law. Should I meet—
and there is no fear of its being otherwise—the approval of my
Chiefs, who know that an official life of twenty-nine years in the
four quarters of the world is a title to some confidence, I feel
assured that we may look forward to happier times at
Damascus, when peace and security shall take the place of
anxiety and depression.
"Meanwhile I recommend to your prudent consideration the
present state of affairs in Syria. A movement which I cannot but
 characterize as a Revival of Christianity, seems to have resulted
from the peculiar action of the authorities, and from the spirit of
inquiry awakened in the hearts of the people. It numbers its
converts by thousands, including men of high rank, and it is
progressing even amongst the soldiery.
"I need hardly observe that it is the duty of one and all of us to
labour in the grand cause of religious toleration, and to be
watchful lest local and personal interpretations are allowed to
misrepresent the absolute rights of all converts to life and
liberty. And I trust that you will find me, at the end as in the
beginning, always ready to serve your interests, to protect your
Missions and Schools, and to lend my most energetic aid to your
converts.
"I am, with truth and regard, yours faithfully,
"(Signed) Richard Burton,
"H.M.'s Consul, Damascus."

This was the time that Richard was nearest making a public
declaration of Catholicity, but it was his "recall." I cannot tell it better
than in his own words:—

"I took the part, and espoused the cause of these forty martyrs,
and wrote home offering to be security for them if the Latin
Patriarch Valerga might be sent down to baptize them. I
promised to stand guard, and my wife would be godmother to
them all. I asked her if she were afraid, and she said, 'Afraid!
No, indeed, only too proud.' Lord Granville wrote to inquire into
the matter, and the reply was, 'that Valerga would not come,
that the matter was very much exaggerated, that there were
only four hundred.' I have copies of the letter now. Then my
seven enemies clubbed together, and represented most falsely
that my life was in danger, that I was very unpopular with the
Moslems, which only meant the corrupt Rashíd Pasha."