The Press.
London, England, 1855-10-27 00:00:00

GENERAL BEATSON AND HIS BASHI.
BAZOUKS.

THE Constantinople correspondent of the Morning
Herald forwards tbrst following letter, as giving the
latest account of the doings of this irregular corps
and their general. We imagine the main facts may
be relied on,—that the " Regulars " have been set in
battle array against the " Irregulars," and that
General Vivian has thought it necessary to resort to
the strong measure of dismissing General Beatson
from his command, and of sending a strong force to
insure obedience to bis orders :

Dardanelles, Oct. 8.
Perhaps before you receive this you will have heard of
the dismissal of Major-General Beatson from the command
of the Turkish irregular force (Bashi-Bazouks). He was
summoned to Constantinople by General Vivian, and forced
to give up the appointment. It is necessary, however,
to go back for some weeks, in order to give you a detailed
account of the grave events that have occurred, and which
brought about General Beateou's dismissal. A few days
ago nearly the whole of the merchants and consuls and
chief men of the town of the Dardanelles had accepted
the invitation given by the officers of her Majesty's ship
(Theron, ter a plc-nic at the Renkuey Hospital, and the
Pacha himself had been induced to form one of the
party. In the middle of dinner a hasty summons came
for him to return immediately to the town. We learnt
when we got home that the cause of his departure was a
Bashi-Bazouk native officer having deliberately, and with-
out the slightest provocation, tired his pistol at, and
severely wounded, the officer of a Turkish guard. The
culprit was secured, but the reiterated attempts at murder
which had taken place since the irregulars landed, deter-
mined the Pacha to take his own steps for preventing any
armed men entering the town in future, especially as
General Beatson bad refused again and again to give a
similar order. Accordingly, early the following morning,
the whole Turkish regular force stationed here, comprising
600 infantry, SW cavalry, and 8 field-pieces, presented
their formidable front before the camp of the irregulars.
Their infatuated chief, on this demonstration (which, hp
the-bye, was rather too violent) issued peremptory crdera
that no one should give up his arms. The Pacha then
declared solemnly that any person or persons entering the
town armed would be taken up and treated as rebels. The
Bashis, notwithstanding the order of the general, held a
meglis (council) among themselves, and presently two
companies of Albanians, with their native officers at their
head, rode up and desired to hold a parley with the colonel
commanding the regulars. The result of the interview
was, that the Bashis consented to go into We town un-
armed, if they were treated well and fairly by the inhabi-
tants ; and they even declared they would have done so
long since if their European officers had only authorised
them. The men then rode back to their tents, deposited
their arms, and then quietly entered the town. The vic-
tory was now gained, and General Beatson was very much
mortified at finding his men such peaceable and rational
beings, by allowing bis own will to be thwarted by that of
the Paeha's. The excitement of the day was then over.
The sublime was initiated, but the ridiculous was to fellow,
A certain Lieutenant-Colonel Giraud, who has earned a
notoriety from being raised from the position of a valet-di..
place at Smyrna to that of superior officer in the corps,
called at the Pacha's in the course of the day. While in
the ante-chamber, he fell into an argument with a certain
Muheddin Bey, commanding the garrison, and, in the
course of the discussion, rudely told him that he did not
talk or reason like a military man. The colonel retorted
that he could not know much of military matters himself
(alluding to Lieutenant-Colonel (Arend), as he was a mere
shopkeeper. The latter, as became a man of his dignity,
immediately left the room, and, remounting his horse,
rode post•haste to General Beatson, to tell him that
Colonel Muheddin Bey had called him (the general) a
shopkeeper. The general immediately sent a litter to
the Pacha, demanding that the colonel should be plsced
under arrest. The Pacha refused to accede to this, an-
swering that the term made use of was not intended for the
general. Just about this time the obnoxious colonel hap-
pened to be near the camp, and five steff officers, chival-
rously jealous of their chiefs honour, rode up to Muheddin
Bey, and demanded an instant apology. As none was of
course forthcoming, they each and all, and Colonel Giraud
at. their head, flung their five gloves upon the ground, and
challenged him to single combat. The gloves were picked
up by a corporal, and showed to the astonished colonel,
who was bewildered to know what the scene might mean.
Three of the above officers are foreigners—Lieut.-Colonels
Giraud and Fadella, and Major Kiralli; and two, I am
sorry to say, were Englishmen. So the day ended. In
the meanwhile a special steamer was despatched to Con-
stantinople to acquaint the ambassador with the events of
the day, which embrace a grand military demonstration on
the part of the Pacha, opposition on that of General Beat.
son, and a provocation to fight a Turkish colonel. The
public, iu due time acquainted with these facts, exhibited
great anxiety to leant the result of the deliberations at the
capital, when a few days after, early in the morning, we
observed a little steamer towing down the straits a sailing.
vessel with a battalion of the Turkish Contingent on
board; an hour or two afterwards a steam-transport with
460 men and General Smith arrived and landed. MP
latter brought au order from General Vivian for Beatson tq
repair at once to Buzukdere. He was rather offended at
the tone of the communication, at first declaring that he
had no orders to receive from the contingent, and that his
commission was signed by Lord Panmure. It is not
quite certain yet whether General Smith succeeds to the
command of the irregular force • but here we do not think
there can be any reasonable doubt en the matter.

OCTOBER 27, 1855.