The Press. — London, England, 1853-07-30 00:00:00

JULY 30, 1853. •" own way: but don't put us in a frenzy." Why, then, should not Ministers go on and prosper in their policy of entrusting to them the pa tronage and guardianship of Ireland ? Their reverences have, we think, just cause of complaint against their allies. The original compact seems to have been that, on the con dition of getting from the Government all they asked for, the priests should keep the peace of the country. A doubt has been cast upon their ability or their will. Ministers are re newing an act which the priestly mouthpieces say is unnecessary. Their excuse must be, that they are not doing it voluntarily : they would willingly concede all, but a bigoted majority of people prefer policemen to pastorals, and would rather trust to legal protection than to the tender mercy of priests. We do not, therefore, expect a rupture of an alliance by which both parties hope to gain, but rejoice that, for the present at least, the safeguard of the law is likely to be continued over districts where secret societies and riband associations rival in cowardly atrocities the Thuggism of India. Spite of a devoted minority of .13, the bill has passed the second reading. A "SOLUTION" OF THE TURKISH QUESTION. "Voss 1 Empire d'Othsenn, ecroulant de tonics parts Ce grand corps dechire, dont les divers epars Languissent disperses, sans honneur et sans lie Sur ces debris &Islam elerour —146 Chretiiimet4 , ." Makontet Jr roltaire. TO TILE EDITOR OF "THE muss." Sir,—l feel persuaded that you will throw open the columns of your influential journal to a few observations from one who has had some experience in the East. Whatever may he the result of the negotiations now pending on the much-vexed Turkish question, no man in his senses can believe that the aspect of political affairs is about to assume anything like a settled appearance in European Turkey. The subject of the Russian occupation of the Danubian provinces will still remain a fruitful source of anger and jealousy to those diplomatists who are bent upon upholding the entirety of the Ottoman empire. Now, sir, I will venture to make two categorical affirmations, however startling and unpalatable they may be to our statesmen :- Ist. That Russia will never quit the principali ties. 2nd. That the progress of events will compel her to cross the Balkan and advance upon Constanti nople. Time will show the error or truth of this opinion. But supposing everything proceeds according to the wishes of England and France, and that we get the Sultan out of his present difficulty—a difficulty, be it remembered, which he has brought upon him self by his own vacillating and deceitful conduct towards Russia, in the question of the Holy Places — what guarantee have we that ere another year elapses some fresh dilemma of our old and faithful ally (!) may not force us again to rush to the rescue, while all the commercial and political relations of the civilised world are thrown into convulsion ? It must be conceded, that while the Sultan is at Con stantinople the peaceable condition of Europe is never secure for a day. We stand perpetually on the brink of a volcano. Now, sir, in place of the Christian powers preparing to cut each other's throats for the ridiculous purpose of upholding a throne which is crumbling to pieces, how much mere sensible would it be on their parts to unite cor dially and intimate to the Sultan that ho must withdraw from the false position in which he now stands, and accept an arrangement which, though limiting his present empire, would really place him in a condition much more befitting a sov,-reign power ? Let them escort him with all honours to Bmussa, the capital of his ancestors. Asia Minor would make him a magnificent kingdom, larger and more fertile than France. While the Taurus, the Caucasus, and the Mediterranean would be the boundaries on three sides, he would retain the southern bank of the Dar danelles, which should be open to the fleets of all Christian nations indiscriminately, the forts on both sides being demolished. All interference by the Christian powers on behalf of the Christian popu lation of Asia Minor should cease at once and alto gether. The Sultan should be left perfectly master of his own house. What an efficient Mohammedan State would thus be formed! What agricultural resources would be developed by the Mohammedan population which would naturally congregate on its now barren plains, and it is needless to add what a wide opening for THE PRESS. British merchandise would hem present itself ! Smyrna might be declared a free port. In place of substituting on the Bosphorus an Hellenic empire, which the Christian powers ►could hare to uphold just as they are now doing the Sultan, and which would make Constantinople a focus of intrigue anti rival jealousies—another Athens, in fact, on a larger scale —the Grand Duke Constantine, seeond son of the Emperor of Russia, should be called upon to assume the Byzantine crown, having for a new and indepen dent kingdom Moldavia, Wallachia, Bulgaria, and Roumelia east of the Rhodope mountains. Bosnia, Ser•ia, and the Herzegovine would be given to Austria. Greece would be enlarged by the addition of Epirus and Theasaly, and some islands in the Archipelago. England, in possession of Sarpente, Nlyteline. and Rhodes, would be ►n a position to maintain her maritime influence in the Mediterranean. Egypt and Syria would be erected into one kingdom, of which the crown might beoffered to his Royal Highness the 1 hike ofeambridge• The Christian sects in Syria, so jealous of each other , would thus be secured from the evil effects o f secta rian hatred, under the tolerant sway of a Protestant. dynasty. The Christians of Asia Minor might be at liberty to emigrate into► this new Christian state. The Mosque of Omar at Jerusalem should be restored to the Jews, who might thus once more offer up wor ship to Jehovah in their beloved temple. How the sons of Judah and Israel would flock to Palestine under such a dispensation ! How soon would Syria become the glory of all lands, with its harbours cleared out, its communications facilitated, the capa bilities of its wondrous soil evoked ! France would extend her sceptre over Tunis and Tripoli, and, having one or two of the islands of the Archipelago in addi • tion, would be enabled to take her fa►r share in the balance of power in the Mediterranean. Morocco would be guaranteed for ever its independence. Thus at each end of the Mediterranean would exist two bond f ide Mohammedan states, while Christian king doms would arise along its shores. Now, sir, I ask, with such an arrangement what has England or France — what has any power—to fear from seeing the Grand Duke Constantine at Constantinople ? Nothing, ab solutely nothing. Greece would he the natural ally of France; Egypt and Syria, together with the new Turkey, of England. Would it not be much more sensible for the Chr titian powers to act thus in con cord, for the benefit of humanity and civilisation, than to proceed in the mad career of squabbling about the maintenance of a power which is virtually defunct? Christianity has only to will its ascendancy over Islamism, and it is effected, and, when once ac complished, the Mohammedans themselves will be the first to bless the change. I am, sir, your obedient servant, July 27, 1853. CHEAP CORN AND DEAR BREAD THE RETAILER AND THE CONSUMER. TO THE EDITOR (IF " THE PRESS." " Though the beat wheat in London at present is three per cent. cheaper than at Paris, and though the first Hour los three per cent. cheaper, the beat 41b. loaf iu London in twenty-three per cent. dearer than at Paris."—Afkm, July 21, 1553. Why is the consumer in England denied the benefit of cheap bread when corn is cheap? Why aro not the prices of flour and bread of first anti second quality made to adjust themselves in fair proportion to the prices of wheat, as is done in France by a law which has survived all the revolutions in that country? How conies it that monopoly and combina tion among millers or bakers, or both, are allowed to defeat free trade in wheat? II ow comes it that the public submits with hardly a murmur to the extortionate prices of beer? It would be a curious investigation, and the result worthy of a place in the columns Of the PRESS, to trace throughout the time which has elapsed from 1700 to August 1M53 the average prices of wheat and barley, and the concomitant prices of flour, bread, and malt liquors, placing the figures in striking juxtaposition, so as to lie obvious to the "meanest capacity." The subject of a self-adjusting fairly-proportionate scale of prices is one of rapidly increasing importance; the tendency in a wrong di rection between raw material and manufactured ar ticle having been evident between 1543 and 11453. B. WHAT IS FREE TRADE ? Hear Mr. Press,—Can you tell me whether the " Advisers of the Queen " of Britain, when accepting office, undertake the government of this country, or of the world at large' You may smile at so very simple a question ; but if British patriots in office think that British labour should have "no favour " anywhere—pot even in British field 4 and in British markets—it clear that they fancy their funct to be to attend, like the mad philospher in " Ita.ssela s," to the general affairs of' universal man. If so, then surely British labour is at least entitled to a " fair field" on the broad earth, if to " no favour" at home or abroad ; for every step towards perfection 291 should he by the road of fairness. Free trade should ever be fair trade. Do we discover any effort to make the field of the world a fair field for British industry" Have we a fair field in the United States ports and markets? No; we reeeive their cotton free, and their wheat and breadstittrs almost so, and yet on our wales and manufactures they levy a heavy du'y, in many eases equal to :10 per cent. ad naoress. Is there any country which reciprocates "free trade " with us ? I would like a list of the reeipro eating countries—l know of none. I Rai told not to ask foolish questions. Our duty, it seems, is to do what is right ourselves, and leave the rest of the world humbly and meekly to follow our excellent, and, under all the eireutustances, mag nanimous, generous example' Very well, I admit that it is my individual duty to he honest and true, &c., &c., wheth r other people are so or no; but have I any right to be generous et other people's expense, or specially at the expense of those who entrust their affairs in my keeping? And have British ministers anti British legislators a right to be generous to foreigners at the expense of this generation of British labourers of all classes? Oh, but the British people wish to have it so, and there fore it is their own generosity. It is no such thing : the mass of the people do not as yet understand the question, though cabmen, perhaps, and sea men, who are crying out against unmitigated compe tition with foreigners on board British vessels, an' be ginning to feel the true state of the case ; and, when the various classes see the matter as it is in reality, it will probably be bored that those who kindly en couraged them to squander their privileges and lode nude themselves of their rights as Britons will enjoy a not very enviable popularity. In deference to your space, I remain, dear Mr. Press, yours respectfully, A•wort.o-ny: CONSISTENT FREE-TRAM:a. EASTFAIN I'ISIoN RAILWAY MM.—This bill, which had provoked much remonstrance', was closely discussed, and disposed of for the time, in the House of Commons on Thursday. The remonstrant peti tioners were chiefly preference shareholders, whose right of preference is by the bill destroyed in return for a supposed equivalent, although that right had been formally and solemnly guaranteed by act of Parliament. The supporters of the bill met this complaint with the counter allegation, that those preference shareholders Intel once agreed to take commutation, but had revoked their consent on find ing their shares rise in the market. Thus, one side condemns the bill as a confiscation, while the other accuses its opponents as repudiators. In the course of the debate Mr. Cardwell (who, from his official position, spoke with special authority, although, as it turned out, without influence) expressed his con viction that the preference shareholders had never given their consent to the bill; and he condemned in a pointed manner the report of the committee to the contrary. Out of :100,000/. of preference stock, of which 50,000/. was registered, one half of the holders of the 50,000/. were dissentient. The right bon. gentleman therefore resolved to vott against the bill. Similar views were expressed in various forms by Sir George Pechell, Mr. Wise, and Mr. Hume; the con trary being maintained by Mr. Corry, Mr. Cayley, and Mr. Agl . by. Notwithstanding the weight which might have been expected to 'Mail' to the official position of Mr. Cardwell, on a division the promoters of the bill carried the third reading by a majority of twenty-four. Without expressing any 'Tinian on the merits of the question between the opposing parties, we feel bound to say that the case la one for con sideration in a quarter where the railway representa tive interest is not so strong or so well organised, and where the deliberate opinion of a President of the Board of Trade on a question peculiarly within his province may perhaps not be treated in a way so little flattering to his official pride. A I.v.rrEtt FROM CoNisTANTINori.E, dated July 14, states:—" The banner of the Prophet will be hoisted shortly. The Egyptian fleet is expected in the Golden Horn. The troops she brings are to join the army at Shumls." AuSTRIAN Criswl. at Smyrna arrived at Athens on July 14: he was dumissioned in eonse quence of the last events. Welt AMTATIHN has been excited in Rome among the French forces in consequence of the many revo- Int . ary pamphlets circulated by the London and American Propaganda. Numerous arrests have been effected, and precautionary measures taken against the revolutionary agents in the province, and espe cially in the Romagna. Tut: Sr HseturnoNs for the new Dank of Discount at Vienna amounted to forty-eight millions of florins. THE ENTEROR HP AUSTRIA will go to Tschl the first days of August. Tna Qt7F.Es OF THR N Interlaken for a month. has pee to I •".