The Press.
London, England, 1857-04-11 00:00:00

THE SULTAN AND LORD LYONS.

LORD LYONS, before leaving the Bosphorus, was
honoured by a visit from the Sultan on board H.M.S.
the Royal Albert. The following particulars appear
in a letter published by a contemporary :
The Royal Albert shifted her anchorage from Bujudere,
at the Black Sea end of the Bosphorus, to a position imme-
diately opposite the Dolma Baktchi Palace, which has been
recently erected for ihe Sultan at an enormous expense.
On the afternoon of the 27th the admiral issued an order
which set at rest the reports of the Sultan's intention to
visit this ship :—Captains and officers of the squadron to
repair on board the flagship, in full dress, at 10 30 a.m.
on Saturday morning, the Vtli, to receive the Sultan ;
ships to man yards, and the rigging on the port side, that
facing the Palace ; ships to be dressed at the same time ;
Turkish flag at the main ; the Royal Albert to hoist the
Sultan's standard at the main. The early part of Saturday
morning was showery, but, with our usual good fortune,
after $ o'clock the weather cleared up quite fine. We
made the best preparations that we could in the shape of
carpeting the ladders and deck, up to which his Majesty
had to go. Shortly before 11 o'clock the Pachas, who were
to be in attendance, came on board. They were Redschid
Paella, Grand Vizier ; Biza Pacha, Minister of War ; Mehe-
met Ali Pacha, Minister of Marine ; Omer Pacha, Gene-
ralissimo of the Army; and Ethern Pacha, Minister of
Foreign Affairs. Lord Stratford and suite came on board
about the same time.

About a quarter before twelve the Sultan was seen
to step into his calque. The ships immediately
manned yards and rigging, dressing with flags, and a
salute of twenty-one guns was at the same time fired
by the Curacoa and ourselves. The Marines formed the
guard of honour on both sides of the quarter-deck, and
presented a fine specimen of British troops. The band
was across the poop, and the officers were standing on the
after part of the quarterdeck. Six of the youngest naval
cadets acted as side boys, two at the bottom of each
ladder. The Sultan was received at the entry port on the
middle deck by the admiral, ambassador, paellas, and cap-
tains of the fleet. He was conducted to the upper deck by
the ambassador, who was obliged to help him up the
ladders. He wore the fez, with a button at the top, a
loose over-coat, the collar and crffs of which were a mass
of diamonds worth about 50,000/. He appeared very
much exhausted and nervous, and did not seem to be at
all at ease. After he had recovered a little he threw open
his coat so as to show the Riband and Star of the
Garter, telling the admiral that he felt proud to be able to
wear it before so many " brave soldiers and sailors." A
chair was brought out for him, which he refused, saying in
French, which he speaks fairly," Je ne suis pas fatigue."
After the usual complimentary speeches had been ex-
changed the admiral conducted him to the cabin, and
after a short rest he again came on deck and walked for-
ward. Returning he noticed the Crimean medal on the
breast of one of the marines, and said he observed that all
the men wore the same decoration. The marine, poor
fellow, was evidently very uncomfortable at having become
so conspicuous. While on deck tliis time the Sultan had
evidently got over his nervousness, and laughed and
chatted a good deal, apparently taking considerable interest
in all he saw. On returning to the admiral's cabin he re-
quested the admiral, ambassador, and pachas to be
seated, a thing that I believe has never before taken place.
'l'he Sultan then begged Lord Lyons to;inform her Majesty
the Queen how grateful he felt for the prompt assistance
that had been rendered to his country, and for having sent
such a man as the admiral to be one of the defenders of
Turkey. He afterwards paid the admiral a very hand-
some compliment. His Majesty said:—
I loved you when I first saw you, and that affection and regard
has since been increased by the nobleness of your conduct, and
I feel that it is no small thing to come on board such • ship to
see such a man; and I trust that. if again England become the
defender of Turkey, your Sovereign may choose you, if your
services can be spared, to again command the fleet, and I hot•e
that you may long live to adorn the profession of which you are
such a bright ornament.
The captains and commanders of the fleet were then
presented, as also the officer of the guard of honour, Cap-
tain Adair, R.M., of this ship. Before leaving, the Sultan
walked along the maindtek, and, after having been on
board about three quarters of an hour, left the ship, the
same honours being paid to him, with the addition of the
ships' corn pa:des giving three such hearty cheers as his
Majesty probably never heard before. The calque in which
the Sultan came off was very handsome, painted white, the
top inside and out being richly carved and gilded. In the
bows was the figure of a white dove. This marks the
Sultan's calque.

We left the Bosphorus on the following evening. The
squadron weighed together and steamed a short distance
np the Bosphorus, then turning, came down, passing the
Palace quite close, all ships as they passed manning yards
end rigging and dreasirg with flags, the Curacoa and our-
selves firing a royal salute. The ambassador was on board
during the time, and, on his leaving the ship off Seraglio
Point, was saluted with nineteen guns. In the morning,
before leaving, Lord Lyons had a farewell audience of the
Sultan, who received him without the slightest ceremony

THE PRESS.

and without any oue being present except the flag•lieu-
tenant, a nephew of the admiral, and the Turkish inter-
preter, Mr. Sarrell, one of the dragomans to the British
Embassy.
The squadron are at present anchored in Bashika Bay,
about nine miles out of the Dardanelles, where we remain
for two or three days and then leave for Smyrna—thence
to Malta.

A " CORRESPONDENT " FROM LAHORE writes thus
on our foreign policy in Affghanistan

LawonE, FEB. 23.—The interview between Sir John Law-
rence and boat Mohammed still forms the chief topic of in-
terest in the Punjab. The result of that interview has not been
formally announced, but the bargain struck was, I believe,
nothing more or less than this :—l)ost Mahommed under-
takes to fight the battle with Persia in Herat and Affghan-
istan, and we undertake to furnish him with 120,0001. per
annum so long as the war lasts. Part Gf the subsidy, in
the first instance, is to consist of muskets and other muni-
tions of war. Three English officers, the two Lumsdens,
and Dr. Coxe, to Affghanistan to watch the distribution
of the subsidy—in other words, to see that we get our
money's worth. Of course, this arrangement is the sub-
ject of very severe criticism. It is said that with an em-
barrassed exchequer we are deliberately throwing away
twelve lacs a year on an ally whose capacity to serve us, if
honest, is doubtful ; and on whose honesty, if once opposed
to his interest, no one professes to depend. We are not
only wasting the money, we are sowing dragons' teeth ;
putting arms into the hands of those who never can be
real friends, and who have been, and may well be again,
our deadly enemies. If we are to meddle with Central
Asia at all, let us do the work well ourselves—not pay
others to do it ill; which means, let us send a British
force into Affghanistan, or wherever else events may lead.
THE KING OF SIAM, in order to enforce the execu-
tion of the treaties concluded between him and
different European nations, has published the follow-
ing edict, dated 25th December :

We, Sovereign of the country of Siam, of the States of
Laos, Cambodje, Malacca, and l)jonkseylou, being desirous
that the treaties which we have concluded with the power-
ful nations of Europe, France, England, and Russia, shall
he executed in all their clauses, make known these con-
ventions to the governors of our provinces, the officers of
our customs, and all our subjects. We will that the mem-
bers of these different nations shall freely circulate in our
States, transact commerce, and exercise their religion,
while conforming to all our laws, and respecting the acts of
our authority. Done at our Palace at Bangkok, the seventh
day of the twelfth moon.
( S igned ) Phra- Bard •Somdetch•Phra-Paratnen-
d M aha-Mongk u t-Phra-C how-

Klau-Clauyn-flua.
(Countersigned) Ramki•Mahisvvar,
Minister of the Rcyal Edicts.
To this document is annexed a long list of customs
tariff, with the import and export duties to be paid
on each. A special ambas,,ador from the King is
now en route to Paris and London.

The continued absence of any news about the
Australian mail-steamer Oneida is exciting lively ap-
prehension as to her fate. The Oneida sailed from
King George's Sound for Suez on the 4th of February
last, and has not since been heard of. The Simla,
coming over the same ground, sailed from the same
Sound on the 22nd of February, and arrived at Suez
on the 26th of March without sighting or discovering
a track of the missing vessel. Every sort of doubt, ap-
prehension, and downright fear has arisen concerning
her safety. With two hundred passengers on board.
and a large amount of gold, her non-arrival justifies
anxiety; but there is no reasonable ground to sup-
pose that she is lost. It is not at all improbable
that her screw has become damaged ; we know that
she was unable to lift it, and she may now be
dragging her slow length across the Indian Ocean.
A writer to the Times yesterday makes some very
reasonable suggestions. Speaking of the high cha-
racter for seamanship of the commander, Captain
Hyde, he observes :

If he had an accident from fire, it must be remembered
he had plenty of Ipiats, and was supplied with Clifford's
lowering apparatus. In that event he would have been
heard of at Mauritius in some shape before the Ist of
March. If his engines broke down—and he would try
their strength to make this first passage—he could bear
up for no other port, with a fair wind, than that island, or
he must carry on, and " carry on" George Hyde would, if
he had to make a handspike into a topmast. Having thus
determined, he had no help for it, could expect no assis-
tance, he would crawl past the Cocos Islands, under all
the vexations anti roasting of that purgatory called the
middle passage of the great Indian Ocean. I was there
last year about the same time that Capt. Hyde would be
this year, going up to Galle in a smart sailing vessel (the
well-known circle-sailing Constance), in ballast trim, and
well managed, and we were exactly thirtyfour days from
entering the tropics to making Point de Galle. Aud if
Capt. Hyde has crippled engines, and nothing but his
canvas to depend on, at the season, too, of the north-west
monsoon, with that big ship almost coal-laden, we may
wish him joy of his voyage, but we shall assuredly soon
hear of him. Whatever may have happened to him or his
vessel, let us who have friends on board, and those who are
picturing sorrows to themselves and others, bear in mind
one fact—the Oneida is under the charge of as good a
sailor as ever trod a deck, a man of lion heart and cool
head. I have known him very many years, and I have
sailed with him when his temper, courage, and endurance
have never flinched amid appalling dangers.

359

A BLACK HOLE AT HONG KONG.

THE China Mail of the 15th Feb. gives the following
description of the gaol accommodation afforded to
the Chinese prisoners detained on suspicion of being
concerned in the bread-poisoning attempt :
We have just been witness to a scene such as our
readers will have difficulty in crediting—one we can
scarcely believe would be perpetrated under the most
savage and tyrannical Government, and such as no one
could ever have dreamt of seeing in a British colony.
We allude to forty-two Chinese crammed into a cell six-
teen feet long by fitleen feet broad, furnished with only one
small aperture for ventilation, and confined there for
twenty days ! with the bare and damp ground for a bed ;
and in this space they had to perform all the require-
ments of nature. Covering, they required none, for, as
may easily be supposed, the den was in a perfect stew, the
air-hole being only eleven inches high by six feet long,
and placed in the extreme upper corner of the room. We
assure our readers this is s fact. And will it be believed,
too, that the miserable wretches subjected to this brutal
treatment are not condemned felons—no, for them the
best of treatment is reserved ; but men under no charge,
against whom the most active inquiries of our most active
Attorney-General, enlisted heart and soul in the cause,
have been unable to ferret out even a breath of suspicion
—some of them old men tottering to their graves, some
mere boys yet in their teens. Better far to have deported,
or hanged, or shot them at once, than to have exposed
them to such frightful sufferings as they must have under-
gone during twenty days' suffocation in this " Black Hole
of Hong Kong." the walls of which are newly erected,
and the plaster and floor not even dry We cannot
suppose that Sir John Bowring and his council will permit
so inhuman an act to pass unquestioned.
A second case of similar ill-treatment is also re-
lated :

It may be remembered that, a few weeks ago, about 150
men were apprehended somewhere in the Taipeugahan,
but afterwards all liberated except half a dozen. These
men were taken up on the Friday, and placed within that
portion of the gaol compound where the treadmill stands,
there being no room for them in the prison itself ; and
they were left all night, some of them until Sunday even-
ing, if not longer. We Pay nothing of the inhumanity of
leaving men thus exposed to the sun by day and the dews
by night, without covering of any sort, and without even a
mat to lie down upon ; but on the Sunday the neighbours
were alarmed by their cries, and it has since been ascer-
tained that nothing was given them in the shape of food
from Saturday at ten a.m. till Sunday at two p.m.—twenty-
eight hours. Yet on inquiry we are told, no one is
responsible for such cruel neglect ; some one surely must
be. These men, be it noted, were afterwards discharged
on finding security—they were accused of no crime.

RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS AT SEBASTOPOL. —The
apparatus now in process of construction in this
country to be used in raising sunken vessels in the
Sebastopol harbour is larger and more complete than
any heretofore employed for a similar purpose. The
work will be done from immense caissons of wooden
floats supporting eight engines of 40-horse power,
each of which drives a double action pump connecting
with enormous hydraulic rams. These rams weigh
54,0001 b. a piece, and have a lifting power of 500 tons.
They consist of nothing but a cylinder and piston, to
the latter of which a chain is attached, which is
also fastened to the sunken vessels. When the
piston has been driven up to the cylinder head by the
pressure of the condensed water the chain is kept at
that point, the piston is run out again, and so by suc-
cessive hitches the work is done. Four rams can be
brought to bear on one vessel at a time. Gear work
may also be attached to the engines, so as to derive
from each of them an additional lifting power of
500 tons. Four engines and the same number
of rams operating together will therefore supply
an aggregate power of 4,000 tons, which is more than
is required to raise the largest ship in the harbour. Of
the 107 sunken vessels, only 15 are equal in size to the
U.S. frigate Pennsylvania, weighing in water 3,500 tons
and the rest will average 2,000 tons. The chains,
now being forged at Pittsville are much larger than
those spoken of by the English papers as making for
the steamships Adriatic and Great Eastern, being
100 yards in length, weighing 300 lb. to the link,
and capable of sustaining a strain of 500 tons.
The submarine operations will be performed by
the aid of Gowan's diving-bell, a contrivance
never yet exhibited in this country, and his armour
which was used with success in the raising of the
U.S. steamer Missouri, in the recent extrication of
a safe from the sunken boat Atlantic in Lake Erie,
and on several other occasions. Mr. Gowan expects
to get up at least forty of the vessels whole. The rest
lie will blow to pieces, the Russian Government con-
tracting to furnish the powder. As the greatest depth
of water is only 60 feet, and the surface is smooth as
a mill pond for the greater part of the year, Mr.
Gowan will be able to prosecute his labour
to great advantage, and hopes to complete the
job within two years. He receives for his pay one
half of the value of all the ships raised, as appraised
by an officer of the Government and himself. The
larger vessels cost some 1,100,000 dollars each, and
were only a year old when sunk, so that it will be
seen that Mr. Gowan has a chance to make a snug
little profit on his contract. The expense of the
entire outfit is not far from 250,000 dollars.—Nein
York Journal of Conunerce.