The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-06-03 00:00:00

DEPOSITION OF THE SULTAN.

Telegrams from Turkey on Tueeday conveyed
the startling intelligence that Abdul Az:z. the Sultan,
had been deposed, and that Murad Effendi, his
nephew, and the heir presumptive, had been placed
upon the throne.—The news of the dethronement of
Abdul Aziz was generally well received throughout
Europe.

The Daily Telegraph gives the following brief history
of the reign of the deposed Sultan :
Abdul Az's Khan, Sultan, Refuge of the World and Shadow
of God, the 33rd Sovereign of the Dynasty of Othman, and the
26th since the conquest of Constantinople, now deposed, was
oorn on the 9th of February, 1830, ant was the second son of
she Sultan Mahmoud 11., and the brother of the Suit
Abdul Medjid. His accession to the throne took place on
the 25th ot June, 1861, and he has consequently scarcely
attained the average length of rule which his P ncestors
reached, namely, seventeen years—counting front the
coronation of Othman in 1299. His early life was spent in
seclusion , he was educated toy a French tutor, and it is said,
spoke English fairly well. At his accessisn great things
were prophesied of him; his first public acts was to confirm
the Hatti-liumayoun, which gave to all his subjects full
liberty of worship, freedom of religion, equality before the
law for everybody, and the right to possess property by
foreigners. all the Ministers of his late brother were re-
tained, except Rise, Pasha, who, it is said, was accused of
peculation, and for that season was, together with the
Grand Chamberlain, deprived of the post he held. With
a great promise of economy. the Civil List was formally
reduced from seventy to twelve millions of piastres,
the public works of the Empire were inspected, a
decree purifying the courts of justice was issued and, as
'hough to prove himself not only an enlightened monarch,
k but auxus to adhere to the tradLion of the furkish Govern-
ment. he at ono° acknowledged Murad Effendi as his suc-
cessor in prospeetu, and, nominating him a Pasha, gave him
public work to do, instead of keeping him in seclusion, as
had been the practice hitherto. When Italy, a'ter the Franco-
Austrian war was over, attained to the dignity of a Kingdom,
Abdul Az'z was amongst the first to recognise it officially.
He subsequently concluded treaties of commerce with England
and France, and later on paid a visit to Eypt. When
the troubles in Lebanon broke out be showed him-
self very amenable to reason and ready to listen
to the advice of foreign powers; as victor of
Montenegro, he showed himself to be a humane conqueror,
,nd an enlightened act which he performed with regard to
Egypt—namely, that which was embodied in the decree
which settled the succession to the Viceroyalty upon the
sons of the ruler, instead of his nephews—will not be for-
gotten. Of his tendency to raise loans in the European
market, and of his method of treating the bondholders in
more recent times, nothing need be said, the subject being
one with which all who are interested in Turkey are
sufficiently familiar. In July, 1867, he paid a visit
to France and England, receiving in both countries an
enthusiastic reception. Escorted by the French fleet
from Boulogne. he was received at Dover by the Prince
of Wales, the Viceroy of Egypt, the Duke of Cambridge, the
Duke of Sutherland, Lord Sydney, M. Musurus, the lurkish
Minister, and a number of other distinguished personages.
Amidst heavy salute-firing, in which, ills said, the French
ships exceedea ours in rapidity, he landed close to the Lord
Warden Hotel, and was, after a luncheon there, conveyed by
special train to London. At the Charing-cross Station the
grand officers of her Majesty's Household met him and
escorted him to Buckingham Palace in a procession of
thirteen State carriages, in the last of which the Sultan, the
Prince of Wales, the Doke of Cambridge, and M Musurus
rode. Next day he paid a visit to the Queen at Windsor,
where he was received in the grand hall with great state,
and afterwards partook of luncheon. On the follow-
ing Monday the Sultan attended a State performance
at Covent-garden Opera, and heard an ode composed in his
honour sung by all the performers present. 'the next day
bunt one—Wednesday, July 17—was signalised by a grand
naval review at Portsmouth, when a fitet of forty-nine
vessels of war, mounting 1,099 guns and representing a total
burdethsof 102,478 tons, manoeuvred in presence of the Sultan
and the Viceroy. Next evening his Majesty was enter-
tained at Guildhall, most of the distinguished personages of
the realm being present at the fete. The India Office was the
scene of a grand ball on the Friday night, and on Satur-
day, July 20, a large force of Volunteers and regular troops
were reviewed by the Sultan at Wimbledon. His Majesty's
departure took place on the 23rd of that month, the visit
having proved one continuous success. What has taken
place since those days in the Turkish dominions need be
but briefly alluded to. How the Sultan's Government was
disturbed by the Cretan Insurrection, how eventually that
disturbance was put down and peace was given to the dis-
turbed districts in 1868, are well known. A conspiracy to
dethrone his Majesty in the same year came to nothing, and
from that date till now Turkey has gradually fallen into
disorder and difficulty.
Murad Effendi, the new Caliph and Sultan, is the
eldest son of Abdul Medjid, the predecessor of Abdul
Aziz. He was born on Sept. 21, 1840, was one of
fourteen nephews and nieces of the late Sultan; and,
by the law which prevails in Turkey, had priority
of succession over either of the five children
who were born to Abdul Aziz. Of his per-
sonal character comparattvely little is known;
but he is reported to be a man of considerable energy,
firmly allied to the "Young Turkey" party, whose
cry is Turkey for the Turks " and strongly opposed
to the influence of Russia in the Councils of the Mus-
sulman nation. For the last few weeks he has been
placed under confinement, the late Sultan being appa-
rently afraid that the movement of the Softas would
, result in an attempted revolution.

.B.ultan I

In a leader on the deposition of the Sultan, The
TiMeB remarks :

Abdul Az!z has been one of the most despotic and dreaded
of Sovereigns. He had a wonderful capacity for making his
?ire
catnattsioonboetyz,
enalotanodnlayelwigihtht.ouTthriesmwoansseturraitiocuse, beuotn
swidi teh an
ring
the limitations which modern progress has placed on a
sultan's influence. His forefathers could use the sword and the
bowstring ; but in the present age tee worst a Pasha has to fear
Is the loss of salary and perquisites, with, perhaps a disagree-
able banishment to a remote corner of the Empire under the
guise of a Provincial Government. But whatever the cause,
the Sultan never found any real opposition to his will. Even
the group of able men whom Tursey then possessed suc-
cumbed to him one by one; as for later Ministers, ho dis-
missed them at his pleasure, keeping each only BO far as his
especial form of subservience was useful. In the reign of
Abdul Aziz, and under his influence, an enormous debt has
been piled up, and an act of insolvency shamelessly com-
mitted. From the sums received and squandered the Empire
has gained little or nothing. The natural increase in the
country's revenue has been misused with similar reck-
lessness. All the world has he ird of the Saltan's palaces
and kiosks ; the mosques which are the monument
of his piety or pride, the prodigious establishment
which is thour,ht essential to his Ro) at dignity ; the
irouclads whtch he buys to rust in the harbour,
toe formidable artillery which he has collected from
the chief factories of Europe. These things were criticized
by the inteiliseiat, but their enormity was not felt by the
community in general until the ban aruptcy of last year. To
this event must primarily be attribu' ed the fall of the Sultan.
A good deal of the Turkish Stock was held in Constantinople,
and by a class of considerable influence on general opinion
The indignation has been excessive, and the most timid have
learnt the language of resentment. . . . •