fiRM/F/O/f)/ 7/y^ 7>t D 651 .A7 S5 Copy 1 Armenia and the Pontus !ci *-^ 9 At the end of the review came the warriors of brave Eger: a race living on the southern ranges of the mighty Caucasus, upon the east coast of the great Ascanazian Sea, where are bred women of unrivalled beauty under the sun. And those of ashen complexion, living inland around Arda- han, who drink of the springs of Kur, and of Jorcch of heavy currents. With them come the hosts of Chaldia, of Sper and Ajar, and the native bands of Shatcomk, Barkhar and Kola. And hill-men from inaccessible Daik, arrayed in Chaldian Silver, gleaming and sparkling with the gold and silver of Sper. For their helmets are of gold, their mail and arms of silver ; the tips and fringes adorned with ribbons of gold and silver. Their shields, too, of gold, like suns from the earth upward shining. Of iron are only the swords which hang by their sides, of iron from the mines of Barkhar, now made into shining steel. The copper points like sharp tongues of flame, sent forth their glitters like the glowing rays of a sun. from Haig the Hero, IX. 333-349 •A7S5 Armenia and the Pontus By D. E. Siramarc The State of Armenia that is to be created by the Peace Conference will naturally include within its confines the dis- trict of Trebizond — the Black Sea littoral of Armenia. There is to be found in this region a considerable Greek population. Mr. Venizelos, in the memorandum on the territorial claims of Greece, which he submitted to the Peace Conference, advocated that said district be included in the proposed State of Armenia. A Greek-Armenian commission which held its sessions in Paris has already agreed upon a plan which will insure the Greeks of Trebizond full cultural autonomy. We rejoice that Armenian and Greek leaders have thus laid the foundation of an Armeno-Greek rap- prochement, which should develop into a close and enduring friendship between the two kindred race-. This paper has two purposes : (a ) To examine and deter- mine the geographical, ethnographical, historical and eco- nomic status of Pontus and (b) to show that Pontus is an integral part of Armenia. The name Pontus. which in Greek means sea, was first used to indicate the Black Sea; later it was applied to the seacoast of that sea, especially from Sinope to Batum. This name, however, has no meaning of race ownership of a given territory: it is only an appellation similar to that of Pacific Coast, and outside of Greek literature is seldom used. Pontus taken in its restricted area, extends about 300 miles from east to west, and an average of 40 miles to the south, where the entire range of the Barkhar mountains forms the bound- ary line. Thus, it approximately coincides with the Turkish province of Trebizond. 5 Although Pontus is really a coastland, yet it often is made to include not only the coastline from Batum to Con- stantinople, but is often meant to enclose all that tract of land which in a gulf-like shape is encircled by the right bank of the river Halys. This last is the ancient Cappadocia, or the Second Armenia of the Armenians. The name Pontus adhered to it from the day of Mithridates, who ruled Second Armenia also, and politically gave it the new name. His empire, however, soon fell, and Pontus was pushed back into its original legitimate boundaries, between the Barkhars and the sea. Modern Greeks, especially the claimants of Pontus for Greece, use the name to include beside the real Pontus, all Second Armenia and the entire coastline to the Bosphorus. The true Greek definition, however, does not go inland at all; it only takes the coast. Pontus, being actually part and continuation of the Armenian table-land, it has all the climatic and geological characteristics of that land. The land is very hilly, so much so that only a few roads cross it, and the most prosperous towns are on the seacoast. The mountains lift up their heads in very sharp inclines, and at a short distance from the sea, a first altitude of 2,000 feet is reached, as a stepping stone to the higher territory inland. Eastern Pontus has little agri- culture, although the western part has broad fields; fruit is probably the chief agricultural specialty. Geographically, Pontus can be classified under one of two designations. It may be considered a distinct country, if we would take the eastern half of it, from Tiropolis to Batum : for this section is enclosed on one side by the sea and on the other by the arching Barkhar. Such a classification, however, has never been tried, because the same races of old which overran Armenia also settled in this section, and thus force us to classify it as an integral part of the Armenian table-land, which would be the only natural and sensible classification. Not only the Armenians look at it in this light, but also all foreign nations, both ancient and modern, have conceded Armenia's right to this district; because for ethnological and economic reasons, no other view can be taken on the subject. From historic times, the Armenians have considered 6 Pontus as an Armenian province, named Chaldia, and they have always referred to it under this second name. This geographical designation is very old; much older than the possible claims other nations may put forth. From the list of Armenian provinces two, Chaldia* and Second Armenia, are the ones which actually coincide with the foreigner's Pontus of Mithridates, not including the northern extent, from Batum to the Danube. Now, not only have we the names of Armenia's provinces handed down to us, but also the names of the district of the provinces. Of these we give here the list of Chaldia's and Second Armenia's districts, showing their location on the map by numbers : Chaldia Second Armenia Hamamashen 1 Capira 10 Rizus 2 Nicopolis . 11 Athenae 3 Satalla 12 Ardashen 4 Eudocia 13 Opius 5 Sebastopolis 14 Susurmenia 6 Amassia 15 Ardasia 7 Comana 1 6 Colanz 8 Zela 17 Zankha 9 Teprika 18 Agn 19 Dascousia 20 Singa 21 Of these names a few are Greek in form, although only in form. About four of them are truly Greek words ; but even these have seldom been mentioned in old Greek authors. Chaldia and Second Armenia, as will be seen from the map, stretch from the Black sea far into the heart of Asia Minor, where the Taurus Mountains form the dividing line. They enclose one-third of Armenia's area, and often native Greeks demand these two provinces, to be formed into Greek Pon- tian State. This same territory, including the northwestern corner of Asia Minor, as far as the Bosphorus, once formed the Roman province of Pontus. In no other nation's history have these two provinces been mentionedas parts of that nation's land, except Arme- *The reader must bear in mind the different orthography of the two similar names : Chaldaea and Chaldia. The first refers to the ancient empire of southern Mesopotamia, while the second is the Armenian name of an Armenian province, coinciding with Pontus in its restricted sense. This difference in orthography is strictly adhered to in this paper. 7 nian history, which mentions them as a matter of fact. These provinces, being on the boundaries of Armenia, naturally were the first to be attacked by an enemy, such as Rome and Byzantium ; hence these two empires have left traces of their civilization and arms in these sections. Underneath, how- ever, there always existed a substratum of native elements, which was sometimes lost into the newcomers' fold, but more often absorbed them thoroughly. This is shown in the per- manent majority in population the Armenians have always held in this territory, in spite of all pressure and repeated massacres by the Turks, Tartars and Arabs. These massa- cres, moreover, have been of a regular and periodic nature from the days of the first Mohammedan ascendancy. This is another proof of the statement that "an indigenous stock is practically ineradicable." ^ -i ; H< Something is known of Armenia historically as far back as the 20th century B. C. At those times, the state of Nairi was flourishing in the very heart of Armenia. Westward, the entire length of Asia Minor and as far as the Red Sea in the south lived the Hittites (Cheta). The Hittite country included the so-called Pontus, although it was not a separate state, nor carried this name. The Nairi people were probably of one blood with the older inhabitants of Lower Mesopo- tamia, the Chaldaeans, because names derived from the word Chaldaea are met in all parts of Armenia. Thus we find a Chaldaea between the Western Euphrates and the Black Sea, which has given us the Armenian Chaldia (province). From the same name we have the Greek Colchis, while the old Assyrian form of Cilicia, Khilaki, shows the same origin. We also find a district Chaldiran**, south of Kars, and another of the same name further north, around the Lake Glial dir. South of Harpert a town Colchis is mentioned in ancient times, while further south was the Ghaldaean empire. The national god of those ancient peoples at that time was Chaldis, and as nations have often named themselves after their deities, so also, we can assert that all these peoples living in nearer Asia were closely related, and were branches of the same mother stock. The Chaldaeans of Lower Meso- **The Ch in all these names is pronounced as a hard gutteral. 8 potamia probably branched out from the Chaldaeans of Northern Armenia, who have given to them a new physical type, the Armenoid, and a new name. The Armenian tribe has been traced as far back as Thessaly, in Europe, whence they emigrated not later than the 10th Century B. C. In Thessaly and Macedonia, they have left, their traces in names, such as the ancient city of Armenium. It is not known clearly how they crossed into Asia Minor. The first sign of their settling down is found in the Armenian province called First Armenia. Here they cut into two the Hittite country Cilicia (see map). From here they migrated north and east, establishing Second and Third Armenia. But their onrush into modern Cilicia was reduced by the barrier of the Taurus range, and while they went there also, yet their entrance was gradual and they did not obliterate the name of Cilicia. These Armenians rushed through all of Asia Minor until they approached the Caesarean district. There are two names which might indicate their course of travel. One is the mountain Orminius in northwestern Asia Minor, now known as Oren or Ischik Mountain. The original name shows a similarity to the word Armenian. The other name is of the little town Ak-Liman (White Haven), originally known as Armene — now Armenon in Greek means a sail, and has its verb also armenize. Whether the word is derived from the name Armenian, we cannot say. The originator of the name Armenia is Armenus of Thessalian birth, and whether he sailed with white sails into this harbor and gave his name to the town, and whether Greeks took his name to mean a sail, we cannot definitely say. The Greek word armenon must be a non-Greek word, as it is used very rarely. Both the moun- tain and the town mentioned are in Ascania, of the Ascana- zians, the traditional forefathers of the modern Armenians. It is definitely known that the Armenian tribe came from Europe, and were probably cousins of the old Hellenes, for Greeks point to Thessaly and its Olympud as the cradle of their race and ancient religion. By valor and virtue the Armenian tribe assimilated the Nairians, the Araratians (Alaoridi), the Chaldians of the north, the Hittites, etc., until they gave them a new name, Armenians; while few, mostly in inaccessible corners kept their distinct type for a longer 9 period, such as the Armeno-Chalybes (Chaldians west of Trebizonde) on the Iris, the Lazes (or Armeno-Lazes) on the Barkhar slopes, the Carduchi (now called Kurdes) on the Tigris, etc. Of these a small number of the Lazes and a con- siderable number of Carduchi remain yet. At the present time the ancient mother-stock of the Chaldaeans is extinct; some of their descendents today are the Armenians, the Nestorian Chaldaeans, and the Khildani of Lower Mesopotamia. Other branches, such as the Chalybes, Mocynoeci and Colchi, of the Pontus have since long vanished into the main body of the modern Armenians. Their homeland was for many years known as Chaldaea, while the eastern half is even now known as the Armenian province of Chaldia. In Roman times all of this land was known as the province of Chaldia, and there is, even today, a diocese of Chaldia maintained by the Greek Orthodox Church in the district of Ardashen (Map No. 4). What does all this mean? That the modern Armenians are a composite of the old Chaldaeans, the Araratians, and the European Armenians. This new nation, as a united race, spreads from the Cilician seacoast to the Caspian Sea, and from the mouths of the Halys to the neighborhood of Resht, all those other tribes as the Lazes, and the Kurdes are only branches of this mother nation. The strongest proof of this statement is that the physiognomy of these tribes is identical with the Armenian and that their customs are so similar to the Armenian and so unlike the Moslem. In spite of the claims of the vandal Turks, that these tribes are of Turkish extraction, we know that they are originally Armenians, kept apart only by political pressure and lack of commu- nications- Returning to Chaldia (Pontus-Lazistan) and Second Armenia (Pontus-Sivas), we have the following statistics of their population. Chaldia (all of Trebizond Province) Armenians 180,000 Greeks 200,000 Other Christians 1,000 381,000 Turks and all Moslems 301,000 301,000 682,000 10 Second Armenia I all of Sivas Province i Armenian? 165.000 Greeks 30.000 Other Christians 25.000 220.000 Turks 192.000 All other Moslems 95.000 287,000 517.000 Total Christians and Moslems in each Province 601.000 588.000 ( Christians i ( Moslems) Total population of both Provinces 1.189,000 We can very easily see that, had the Armenians enjoyed peace and security under the Moslem rule during the last five centuries, they would have been in full majority over all other races in the two provinces: we can see the justice of their claims, and the tenacity with which they have stood by their fatherland. * * * It must be borne in mind that, being situated at the confluence of immigrant nations between Asia and Europe, Armenia has had much difficulty to keep its territory intact and independent continuously for long periods. It has often been divided between a number of native or foreign rulers. Therefore, while Armenians were divided in their involuntary allegiance, they have by that very situation been forced to concentrate the national ideal of all divisions around one and only dream. With the evil of a foreigner's rule they have received the impetus toward a stronger national bond as a necessary means of saving their racial identity. Naturally those provinces of Armenia which lie immedi- ately on the boundary lines, have been the very first to fall under the invader's yoke. Such has been the fortune of the provinces of Armenian Mesopotamia, Atropatene. Paida- garan. First Armenia. Second Armenia and Chaldia. Of these. Second Armenia and Chaldia interest us here, as they occupy the territory claimed by Greeks. As far back as the 20th Century B. C. the Hittites lived in all Asia Minor, including these two provinces. By the 10th Century they had vanished, leaving a branch of their descend- ants, the Phrygians, near the iEgean Sea. Soon the Median 11 Empire swept westward and reached to the banks of the Halys (Alysse) River, occupying the Pontian territory. This empire fell before Cyrus the Persian, under whose successors the Persian Empire extended from the Danube to India and from the Caucasus Mountains to the Red Sea and the Libyan desert in Africa. All Asia Minor fell under its sway more completely than under any other rule since. Then, Alexander the Great, took this empire over, but did not subdue the northern provinces of Armenia, that is Chaldia, Daik, Gou- cark, Otene, Arzah and Paidagaran. The provinces of Chal- dia, and Second Armenia had been two separate satrapies under the Persians. Alexander's empire soon broke up after his death, and following its division, all of Greater Armenia, Chaldia and part of Second Armenia became independent. Soon, how- ever, the Parthians threw off the tedious yoke of the Seleu- cidae and began to build a strong empire. Their influence spread into Armenia, where a new dynasty began to rule, related to the Parthian royal family: thus, these two coun- tries began to grow as independent states, and there took place much mingling of blood back and forth between the two nations. They became actually cousins. During this period Armenia also began to expand into an empire, under Dikran the Great, and with him does foreign history become initiated into the study of so-called Pontus. For the Arme- nians, however, Chaldia (Pontus) was nothing new, as we saw; in fact much traditional information existed concerning the territory of Chaldia. Here are a few : Based on Biblical record, the race of Ascanaz, which lived in western Asia Minor during the 12th Century B. C. together with their cousins the Phrygians, were a branch of the Hittites. Through the Ascanians, the Hittites were con- nected with the Armenians, who call themselves the " Asca- nazian Nation." Similarly the old Armenian name of the Black Sea was the Ascanazian Sea, for the land of Ascanaz reached to the coasts of that sea, although we cannot say how far east or west ; but the Ascanians did spread to Arme- nia. Still following tradition, where we may believe to be some actual truth, we find that the progenitor of the Arme- 12 nians, Haig', had seven younger brothers, who settled in modern Caucasus. Of these Carthus settled in modern Georgia***. Leek settled on the northeast of the Caucasus Mountains and established the Leskes' race, whose land is still called Leskistan or Daghestan. Bart settled near the mouth of Kur; Herr settled in modern Imerthi ; Caucas set- tled around Kutais ; while the youngest of all, Eger, occupied the lower ranges of the mountains which join to the Chal- dian ranges. He held all of modern Lazistan and also Egeria or Guria around Batum. His territory spread from the eastern coast of the Asca- nazian Sea, to the neighborhood of Kars, and includes Lazis- tan, Guria, Ajar, Kola, and the province of Chaldia. Among his descendants were named the most beautiful women of the world. This same reputation is owned now by the Lazes, who have supplied the main demand for beauties for the harems of Turkish ■ Sultans and grandees. The fact that both the Egerians and the Lazes of today live in the same territory and carry the same reputation of physical beauty, and the fact that the Lazes are often referred to as Arme- no-lazes, gives us the right to assert that both races are the same, and are first cousins with the Armenians.**** Returning to the first political appearance of Pontus as a strong State, we find that Dikran's grandfather Arshag (Arsaces), had to go to war against the inhabitants of Chal- dia because they had revolted against the Armenian govern- ment. He quelled the disturbance and erected a monument to commemorate his success ; and the Chaldians for a long time worshipped the monument as a god. Before half a cen- tury had passed, his grandson, Dikran the Great, came upon the stage of history. Dikran is the most cherished and the most typical king - in Armenian history, ruling almost half a century. During his reign Parthia was beginning to grow, while on the west Rome was spreading, after having absorbed all the Hellenic states and cities, and had reached to the heart of Asia Minor. To oppose these two growing opponents, Dikran became related to the Prince of the Chaldian Province, and *** Still known as Khartli or Carthli. ****See Frontispiece. 13 they together proceeded east, south and southwest ; he took ancient Persia, almost to the shores of the Persian Gulf, and as far as Palestine, Syria, Cilicia and Cyprus. The Kingdom of Seleucidae came into his possession. His brother-in-law, Mithridates of Chaldia, occupied all northwestern Asia Minor, and all the seacoast of the Black Sea as far as the mouths of the Danube. He also went as far as Greece, now a Roman Province, but he was defeated north of Athens. Two other wars he waged against Rome, with the help of Dikran. At last, the Romans defeated him and expelled him to far-off Crimea and gave his throne to his son Parnak ( Pharnaces). At first Parnak lived at peace with Rome, and prevented his father from organizing a new expedition against it. Rome's life-long enemy, Mithridates, now de- spaired, committed suicide. When, however, civil war broke out in Rome between Caesar and Pompey, Parnak took occa- sion to reoccupy Greater Pontus; but Caesar, who had gone to Egypt, hastened north and quickly defeated Parnak, and ended his reign. His report to Rome was: Vcn'i, Vidi, Vici. On the other hand, Dikran, who had prospered much and had continuously warred against Rome, now was weak- ened and finally sued for peace, and was allowed to keep part of his territory as an independent kingdom. Dikran and Mithridates were the first Asiatic rulers to oppose Rome in the East, thus giving opportunity to Parthia and later Persia to grow westward more easily. At these times, the royal house of Armenia was very closely related to the rulers of Parthia, and having a similar religion, Armenians and Parthians intermarried to a great extent, and so, Parthian blood in Armenia increased to an al- most equal proportion as the Hittite and old Armenian blood. The Chaldians had never been subdued by the old Persians and by Alexander, and kept up their local independence. Their princes were always called Mithridates, a Parthian name, which clearly shows that the Chaldians now were as much mixed with the Parthians as their Armenian cousins, and it was through Dikran's support that Mithridates built up his empire, a terror to Rome. These princes held their local rule from 520-47 B. C, when the principality ended permanently. 14 And now we find the Roman Empire extending its boundaries in the East to a line following from the Barkhar Mountains south with the course of the Euphrates. East of this line Armenia held an independent kingdom, tributary to Rome, while Armenian Mesopotamia was continually changing masters between Romans and Parthians or Per- sians. At the division of the Roman Empire into the West- ern and Eastern branches, the boundary wavered still on the same line, until the Arab ascendancy engulfing within itself Persia, Armenia and Syria in the 10th Century, A. D., its eastern division, the Eastern Caliphate pushed into the heart of Asia Minor, leaving free a fringe on the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Cilicia was now reborn as an independ- ent Armenian State (1080), while the Byzantine Empire, as the eastern division of the Roman Empire still held under its rule the seacoast of Armenian Chaldia. Just previous to this, another royal house had sprung up in Greater Armenia, the Bagratides, tributary to the Caliphs, and had lasted 859-1045. This kingdom reached north of the Tigris as far as the Kur and from the Araxes to the borders of Second Armenia. Towards the sea it found an opponent in the Byzantine armies, who landing at Trebizond, would attack Armenia, both to weaken the Arab power and to acquire for them- selves the prosperous Armenian lands. By continuous war- fare Armenia became a battlefield and at last by treachery the Byzantines took its wealthy capital Ani. The Byzantines, however, held this Armenian territory only for a few years, when the Seljuk Turks came from Turkestan and drove the Byzantines out. Soon the whole of Asia Minor was lost to these invaders, except the rugged seacoast of Trebizond, which now had given refuge to the Comnenian family, who had established in this Byzantine province a so-called "Empire" ; and when the Latins were driven out from Constantinople, the Comnenians did not return there. In the meantime the Turks had reached the Bosporus ; Cilicia was independent, while all of remaining Armenia was under the invader's heel. Soon, however, Cilicia fell under the Mohammedan Emirs of Egypt in 1375. The "Empire" of Trebizond lasted about one century longer, where in all 15 twenty rulers sat. These emperors were appointed by the Byzantine Emperor; but when Constantinople fell, the Turks took Trebizond, and killed the Prince's family. The youngest son fled to Greece, where in Peloponesus he estab- lished the Comnenian Duchy. This Empire of Trebizond was not identical in extent neither with Chaldia, nor with the Mithridatian Pontus. It only comprised the immediate coastland and stretched from the mouths of the Iris to east of Trebizond. It was not an empire, nor w r as it a glorious state. Yet upon it are founded claims that all of Pontus be handed over to the Greeks. But history disproves this. To begin with the Eastern Empire, we know that it was not a Greek Empire. It was only a Roman State, the Emperors using the title of Roman Emperor to the very end. Even the Turks knew the Byzantines as Romans (Rooms). It really was a cosmopolitan Empire, where first Romans, later a multitude of nations, gave emperors. And as the Em- pire waged most of its war in Armenia, it naturally followed that many Armenians entered the Byzantine service. Not only generals and statesmen, but even emperors were of Armenian stock. Thus, purely Armenian were the follow- ing emperors in Byzantium (Constantinople). Maurice 582-601 Philippicus 711-713 Leo V the Armenian 8 1 3-820 Basil T 867-886 Leo VI the Philosopher 886-911 Alexander 911-912 Constantine, Porphyrogene 912-959 (Romanus I, Lecapius ' 919-945) Romanus II 959-963 John I, Zimisces 969-975 Basil II, Bulgaroktonus 975-1025 Constantine IX 1025-1028 Queen Zoe 1041-1052 Queen Theodora 1054-1056 Aside from these a larger number of Armenian pretenders to the throne are mentioned, while over thirty Armenians are known as great generals and statesmen. It will be noted that all these Armenians antedate the establishment of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in 1080. 16 From this date onward, hardly an Armenian appears in Byzantine affairs, for the reason that, they now could serve their own fatherland instead of a foreign state. This shows that they were in the Empire's service, probably for a national policy. For they always favored the Armenian provinces and opened the avenues of advancement before their countrymen. Aside from those mentioned above, Leo the Isaurian is supposed to be from an Armenian family, so through his dynasty we must add one and a half century more (117-867) to the period of the Armenian Emperors. All this means that the Armenians played a leading part in the Empire. And as the language of the Empire was at the end the Greek, these Armenian Emperors and the Em- pire itself is spoken of as Greek. The people were, how- ver, a motley crowd. Only the last dynasty, the Comnenians were probably Greeks, who ruled for about four centuries. During those last centuries the Empire declined rapidly, until, at the time of Constantinople's capture by the Turks, it did not spread much beyond the city itself. Truly, during this period, the Empire gave no literary fruits or political inspiration to the world. Thus we find the Byzantine Empire to be divided into three periods : Roman, Armenian and Greek, as far as the ruling elements are concerned. During the first two periods, Armenia Minor* and Chaldia were a Roman Province, called the Armenian Military Department. During the later, Greek period, all of this territory was gradually lost to the Em- pire, until only the Empire of Trebizond was left. With the fall of Constantinople, Greek culture which had spread so much under the Empire, gradually died out, and native races grew into a new life, such as in Armenia. But the prosperity of the Armenians could not be tolerated by the Turks, who tried to check their growth by occasional massacres. During the Turkish rule in Asia Minor, the Byzantine element which was now incorporated into the Greek nation, through the agency of the Church of Constantinople, was comparatively well treated by the conquerors, while the native Armenians were always persecuted. This was an ^Composed of three provinces : First Armenia, Second Armenia and Third Armenia. 17 established policy of the ruling* race : to oppress every sub- ject race in its native land only, thus preventing them from claiming their homeland as an independent state. Equally, Greeks were seldom molested in Asia Minor; neither have Armenians living under the Turks, but outside of Armenia, been oppressed very much. So, in Chaldia and Second Armenia, the Greeks were unmolested, and prospered, while the growth of the Armenians was incessantly obstructed. For even the Turks consider these provinces as parts of Armenia.* Yet in spite of all obstructions, the Armenians are still a majority in their home land; even after the ravages of the last war** (including the two provinces here in question). This again proves that "a native element is practically ineradicable."*** Considering all these facts, no foreign nation to this day has claimed these two provinces ; so the Armenians have always considered needless to lay stress on the fact of their true ownership. And a question of Pontus never ex- isted, until some Greeks forced it into the public notice of late. * * * A last consideration, although not the least, is the eco- nomic necessity of these two provinces to Armenia. Both these provinces are productive in plant and mineral prod- ucts. Yet these provinces are not dissimilar in these their products to other sections of Asia Minor or the Balkan Pen- insula. Here g*row nothing more nor less than what grows "Under the terms of the Reform Measure, dated Feb. 8, 1914, agreed upon between Germany and Turkey on the one side, and Russia, repre- senting the Entente and the Armenians, on the other, acting by direction of the Ambassadorial Conference of London of 1913, said Six Provinces and the Province of Trebizond, were considered as parts of Armenia." . . . Armenian Question before the Peace Conference, p. 9. note. . . . One of the Six Provinces is Sivas (Second Armenia), first mentioned in such a list of Six, in 1878, by Treaty of Berlin, Article 61. **The Memorandum of the Armenian Delegation to the Peace Con- ference at Paris gives for 1914, in Turkish Armenia 1,403,000 Armenians against 943,000 Turks. E. A. Powell, in the American Review of Re- views for April, 1919, page 405, gives an equal proportion for 1914, that is "of proximately 1,000,000 Armenians as compared to 600,000 Turks. ***British Blue Book: Treatment of the Armenians, by J. Bryce, 1916, Putnam's, page 527. 18 in those other sections ; therefore, no foreign state could lay claim to these provinces on account of their need for such products. For Armenia, however, Second Armenia is the province which probably has the largest area of tillable grain land, with the exception of the Province of Armenian Mesopotamia ; while the mines of gold, silver and iron of Chaldia are prime necessities for the industrial progress of that nation. So each of these two provinces has a particular aptitude for plant or mineral products. Fruit is abundant in both provinces, and through Chaldia, many important fruits have migrated from Asia to Europe. The pear, the apple,* the peach, the apricot and the cherry are proven to be indigenous of eastern Armenia or western Persia, on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea.** All of these fruits are originated in Asia, and have come to Europe through northern Persia, whose only outlet to the West is the road connecting Teheran, Tabriz, Choi, Bayazid, Erzerum and Trebizond. This road has been the main artery of traffic be- tween Europe and inner Asia for many centuries. There are no other roads that connect the Black Sea harbors to the East as directly as this one; it passes through the heart of Armenia and is its channel of communication with the out- side world. In fact Chaldia is the seaport province for all that part of Armenia lying north of the 39th parallel. It would surely be an unfortunate day when one nation held the door of another country > it would mean the com- plete economic dependence of that country upon the holder of the door. No country is free and independent, unless it is free in an economic sense. With this goes the military con- sideration that as in the past the Chaldian seacoast has been used as a landing place for military expeditions of the *The botanical names of most of these show their original home : Peach : Prunus Persica ; amygdalus Persica ; Persica vulgaris. Apple : Pyrus mains ; malus communis. Pear: Pyrus communis; pyrus sinensis. Apricot : Prunus Armeniaca ; Armeniaca vulgaris. Cherry : Prunus Cerasus : prunus avium. **" After examining the evidence carefully, A. DeCandolle came to the conclusion that it (the apple) is most indigenous to the region south of the Caucasus, from the Persian province Ghilan on the Caspian to Trebizond on the Black Sea.'' It is needless to say that this region is Armenia. (Apples of New York, by S. A. Beach ; vol. p. 3) 19 Romans and the Byzantines against Armenia and Persia, thus causing infinite disturbance in Armenian political life, it would be a policy of wisdom to make such an occurrence impossible in the future. Armenia must be made a true barrier state, reaching- from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, and even to the Caspian, although the Armenian Dele- gation in Paris has not demanded this last one. In fact our Delegation has asked for only two-thirds of Armenia, be- lieving it best to be moderate. In a final review, let us point out to the reader the following facts : I. Geographically, Pontus (whether Second Armenia and Chaldia, or Chaldia alone) has never been considered by any one as being- anything else but an integral part of Armenia. Any map will make this clear. Further, only Armenian geography takes in these two provinces as a national territory, and no foreign nation has any claims upon these provinces, on geographical grounds. II. Ethnologically, the basic element is Armenian, being a mixture of old Chaldaean, Hittite, Araratian and old Armenian races, and is evenly spread from the Caucasus to the Mediterranean. No other nation or race has settled there permanently, and none claims to be the native there, as the Armenians are. With the change of the political for- tunes of the land, all foreign races have gradually vanished from Armenia. No other nation has fought or suffered for Armenia, or dreamed and worked for her as only her native children have. So that, Greek, Russian or Turk, are only welcome guests, to live with us as long as they desire; but surely no guest can claim ownership of a house for having resided there for a length of time. III. Historically, Chaldia and Second Armenia have had occasional local independence, such as all other Armenian provinces had under local princes. Further, they have often been under foreign yoke ; yet no foreign yoke has been wel- come and the natives have always preferred their independ- ence. The Pontian Empire was an Armenian State, for Mithridates himself was almost an Armenian and Parthian 20 by race, as the very name indicates, and as all other names of that period indicate. To this day, all those Pontian names, as Mithridates, Pharnaces, etc., are commonly used among the Armenians. Previous to the Mithridatian Em- pire, Chaldia was an Armenian province. Since, it has car- ried the yoke of bondage. IV. Economically, no other nation could derive as much benefit from these provinces as the Armenians can. Should they be deprived of them, nothing could take their place; while in the hands of a foreign nation, they would lose much of their value, on account of their remoteness. For so many centuries Armenia has enjoyed the financial benefits of the seaports of Chaldia, that it would be like a blockade to de- prive her of it. Armenians claim this territory not only on the con- sideration of the facts above-mentioned, but because theirs would be the only sensible and business like ownership of these territories. Thus, Armenians openly claim Chaldia and Second Armenia. As to the claims of the Greeks, some of them demand both provinces, others only one. It would be better for the mutual friendship of the two nations, that, as Armenians are supporting always the just claims of their Greek friends, the Greeks also yield to the just claims of Armenia. Thus can these two nations clasp hands and by their firm friendship solve the notorious Eastern Question, which for at least twenty centuries has disturbed the peace of the world. This desire of the Armen- ians has already been welcome by all clear-thinking Greeks, and we are not far from the day when both these nations will reap the benefit of this spirit of mutual equity, of which future ages will sing the praise, as being the cornerstone upon which true peace and good will among nations may be perpetuated. 21 ,H.2? RY ° F CONGRESS 010 464 919 1 The American Committee FOR THE Independence or Armenia JAMES W. GERARD, Chairman Charles Stewart Davison, Vice-Chairman Wm. Henry Roberts, D.D., LL.D., Secretary-General Charles Evans Hughes William Jennings Bryan Alton B. Parker Elihu Root Henry Cabot Lodge John Sharp Williams Charles S. Thomas Lyman Abbott Gov. Bartlett, N. H. James L. Barton Gov. Beeckman, R. I. Alice Stone Blackwell Charles J. Bonaparte Gov. Boyle, Nev. Nicholas Murray Butler Gov. Campbell, Ariz. Gov. Carey, Wyo. Gov. Catts, Fla. • Gov. Cooper, S. C. Gov. Cox, Ohio Rt. Rev. J. H. Darlington Cleveland H. Dodge Gov. Dorsey, Ga. Charles W. Eliot Rt. Rev. William P. Faber Admiral Bradley A. Fiske Lindley M. Garrison James Cardinal Gibbons Martin H. Glynn Samuel Gompers Madison Grant Lloyd C. Griscom Gov. Harding, Iowa Gov. Harrington, Md. Albert Bushnell Hart Sara Duryea Hazen Myron T. Herrick John Grier Hibben Gov. Holcomb, Conn. Hamilton Holt George A. Hurd Richard M. Hurd Henry W. Jessup Robert Ellis Jones Gov. Larrazolo, N. Mex. Gov. Lister, Wash. Edward C. Little Julian W. Mack Norman E. Mack William T. Manning Elizabeth Marbury Rt. Rev. Wm. H. Moreland Gov. Norbeck, S. Dak. Frederic C. Penfield George Haven Putnam Rt. Rev. P. N. Rhinelander Ernest W. Riggs Gov. Robertson, Okla. Jacob G. Schurman Gov. Smith, N. Y. Gov. Sproul, Pa. Oscar S. Straus Rt. Rev. A. C. Thompson Gov. Townsend, Jr., Del. Rt. Rev. B. D. Tucker Rt. Rev. Wm. W. Webb Benjamin Ide Wheeler Everett P. Wheeler Talcott Williams Rt. Rev. J. R. Winchester Stephen S. Wise Gov. Withycombe, Ore. Gov. Yager, Porto Rico. Press Bureau, The Armenian National Union of America, One Madison Avenue, New York