The Press.
London, England, 1854-10-28 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

with something like triumph at his own
sagacity,
II -

"Bolingbroke seems on his .
Repeating a story he heard that, owing to
the increase of the Greek population, the
Sultan would one day be told by his Ministers
to become a Christian, he asks with covert

road !"

emphasis—
Will it, then, be a convert or a conqueror, a Constantine
or a Ferdinand, who will be first crowned in St. Sophia?
On board the Bellerophon, the sight of a
host of our tars enjoying themselves at a
theatrical representation moved him to pity
at the very idea of their being pitted against
the fire-eating Russians of his lordship's
imagination
It was impossible to look round on the manly jolly
audience without hoping that they are not reserved to be
mowed down by Russian cannon.
The Turks have in general a good character
for honesty; but, according to a trusted in-
formant of Lord Carlisle, the Greeks fairly pay
their debts, but
he has found, by damaging experience, that it is despe-
rate to lend money tti the Turks.
In other places we read of the " amazing
" amount of peculation, irregularity, and judo-
" lence among the Turks ;" that they are
" shiftless," and that in Smyrna he met with
" one of the most damning specimens of
" Turkish impotence " he had yet encountered.
Towards the middle of August, when Lord
Aberdeen's Government contemplated leaving
Turkey to make head against Russia as she
best could, Lord Carlisle notes sneeringly
We hear that the Turks are much out of humour with us,
as they think we have left them in the lurch, and, I believe,
prevented their occupation of Moscow.
Three days later the dissatisfaction of the
Turks is again noticed, and Lord Carlisle indi-
cates his opinion of what British policy should
have been
I hear on all sides that there is great exasperation against
England among the Turks, and we are reproached for
having encouraged them to resist Prince Menschikoffs
original demand ; and now, after they have made great
efforts, and incurred large expenses, counselling them to
adopt a declaration, slightly varied in form, but almost
identical in effect. lam inclined to think that we ought
either not to have gone so far at first—which I believe would
have been best—or to go further now. It is thought possi-
ble that the Turkish Government may still decide on re-
sistance.
When, in prospect of an invasion by Russia
of Turkish territory, Abdul Medjid announced
his intention of going to Adrianople himself in
the spring to take the field, it is slightingly
mentioned as " rather a long adjournment of
"his Gazi-hood." So persuaded is his lord-
ship of the inevitable fall of Turkey, that the
evidences she gave of vigour and capacity on
occasion of the rupture with Russia failed to
impress him favourably. In the conversation
of every one he met he found illustrations of
" the sense usually assigned to the prediction
"in the Apocalypse of the waters of the
" Euphrates being dried up."
As the result of Turkish dominion, ho sees
everywhere
deserted villages, uncultivated plains, banditti-haunted
mountains, torpid laws, a corrupt Administration, a disap-
pearing people.
On the other hand, the Greeks are generally
praised for their intelligence and the progress
they are making, though his lordship is com-
pelled to record incidents which fully show
the treacherous conduct of the Greek Court in
her relations with Turkey at the commence-
ment of the war. Could Lord Carlisle and
the party he represents have had their way
Turkey would rather have found in England
an insidious enemy than a powerful ally.
Apart from his political opinions, Lord
Carlisle is a pleasant diarist. He is too
eminent a personage, it is true, to care much
about his style, which in his own phrase is
apt to be " slip-shod " He " cannot abide" one
thing, and he " gets to feel" another; Mr.
Marsh, the American Minister, is one of the
"best-conditioned " men to be met with ; the
ward-room of the Britannia is a " well-condi-
tioned" mess ; and Captain Excelmans is very
intelligent and " well-conditioned"—phrases
not admitting of very definite meaning as his
lordship applies them. These are trivial
faults, however. The extracts with which
we conclude afford a fair idea of his lordship's
powers as • descriptive writer ;

SATURDAY,

CONNECTION BETWEEN RELIGION AND PROSPERITY.
The scenery along the Elbe continues to be pretty, but
the transition from Saxony to Bohemia, with regard to
the aspect of the people, of their dwellings, and of their
agriculture, rather resembles the change from English to
Irish landscape ; not that Saxony is so well dressed as
England, or Bohemia so ill dressed as Ireland. How are
we to distribute the causes of this difference—what to

Government ? what to creed? I think I may take credit to
myself for wishing to look at all things with au unbigoted
eye ; but true it seems to be, that as soon as you come to
the crucifix on the high knolls and in the little groves,
often moat picturesque in effect, the appearance of com•
fort and well-being among the people is on the wane.
A DIPLOMATIC RECEPTION AT VIENNA.
June 12, 1858.

Later in the evening the Westmorlands again took me
to a reoeption at Count Buol's, the Secretary for Foreign
Affairs : I was received very civilly. I was introduced to
the Russian Minister, M. Mayendorff, who seems a very
accomplished person. M. de Bourqueney, the French
Minister, whom I saw at Schanbrunn, rather expects war.
Prince Metternich told him that his instinct predicted
peace, though his reason pointed to war ; also, that he
feared the question might have to be resolved, not at
Petersburg, but at Moscow (that is, by the high Russo.
Greek Church party).