The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-13 00:00:00

RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

Yesterday the Fury's despatches arrived in London
They bring down the news from Constantinople to
the morning of the Ist instant, one day later than
the date of our correspondent's letter given
below. According to a Ministerial evening paper,
they confirm the statement that the Grand Council,
summoned by the Sultan, had urgently recommended
their Sovereign to declare war against Russia. This
recommendation was signed by 173 persons of the
greatest consideration is the Turkish capital, and was
afterwards earnestly pressed on the Sultan by several
lof those in high position around him. The Sultan,
however, true to the last to the spirit of conciliation
which has characterised his policy from the com-
mencement of these negotiations, refused to make a
formal declaration of war; but desired Omer Pacha
to declare to Prince Oortschakoff, that unless the
force under his command should quit the Principali-
ties within fifteen days, he would consider it as a
declaration of war on the part of Russia.
It is further stated that, should General Oortscha-
ikoff at once and positively refuse to evacuate the
provinces, Omer Pacha is, in that case, directed to
commence hostilities, to the extent of giving the
Russians all the annoyance in his power, burning
their ships and boats on the Danube, and interrupt-
ing their communications. He is, however, specially
directed in co case to pass the Danube without fur-
ther orders.

This intelligence correeta the Vienna views of the
question in one or two points of form, but leaves the
chances of war and peace very much as they N ere un-
derstood to exist before. No absolute declaration of
war has been made, and a brief space is lett for the
work of conciliation. Negotiation must, however,
proceed with rapidity as well as sincerity to be of
any jail, as the excitement of the population was at
its height, and there was a rumour of a proclamation
appearing.
fhe despatches sent from Olmutz to M. Bruck,
Austrian Internuncio at the Porte, had not crrived
at Constantinople when the Fury left, and it was not
therefore known that the Czar had so much as
affected to make concessions. The combined fleets
bad not passed up to Constantinople, as it appears
had been erroneously expected. It is probable that
they were in the Sea of Marmora about the
ith inst.

Our own correspondent writes :
CONSTANTINOPLE, SPPT. 22.
In a second sitting, held on the 27th, the Grand
Council, having 240 members present, unanimously
decided that the government should declare waq
gather than yield in the least to Russia with respect
to the modifications.

The next morning the ministers met to draw up
the report which was to accompany the decimion of
the Grand Council, ►nd to be presented with it tb the
Sultan, in order to obtain the Imperial 'rade, which
wou'd consecrate and sanction the whole.

However, the ambassadors interposed ; and up to
this time the trade is withheld. The delay is coml.
dered to be, if anything, in favour of peace. Lcrd
Strafford is fur the moment supreme, and appears to
act with more freedom and more in concert with his
colknues than has latterly been the ease.
The four ambassadors have proposed to the Sultan
that they will collectively guarantee each interprets-

tions of the note accepted by Russia as shall advan-
tageously replace all the modifications for which
Turkey stipulates.
A solution one way or the other can be no longer
delayed. The diplomatists here still expect peace,
and in truth there is no effort which they do not
make to obtain it. What a pity that they did not
put forth that energy and activity a little earlier.

The Constantinople correspondent of the 'rule-
penthinee Beige appends a postscript to his letter of
the 29th ult., dated seven in the evening, to the fol-
lowing effect:
"The had, or Imperial decree, of the Sultan, sanc-
tioning the decision of the Grand Council, has been
transmitted to the Porte within the last hour, not-
withstanding all the exertioni of diplomacy to delay
it."

The Press of Vicuna, of the ith, has the follow-
ing':
Itauhid Puha has, it is paid, declared, in a conference,
to the ambassadors of France and England, that the Sultan
would be disposed to accept the note of Vienna, purely and
simply, on the following conditions:—l. The Czar to en-
gage himself not to meddle for the future in the affairs of
the Greek subjects of the Sultan; the Sultan, on his side,
pledging himself to maintain intact the existing rights of
the Greek Church. 2. The Czar to renounce all claim to
any indemnity for the expenses of the war. 3. The
Emperor to engage to withdraw without delay his troops
from the Principalities, or, at lent, the troops which
occupy Moldavia. In consequence of these overtures of
Resehid Poch' the ambassadors of the Western Powers,
who have lately had frequent conferences with the repre-
sentatives of Austria and Prussia, have seat off a courier

to their respective governments.' Under thew cireU;sl
'nun it is not probable that the war party will push the
Porte to any decisive step before the arrival of the answers
from the French and English governments.
Letters from Brody (in (lenient, on the Volhynian
frontier) state that, in consequence of the severity
with which recruiting is being carried on if' the
neighbouring Russian province, children are being
smuggled over the frontier in whole troops by pro-
fessional contrabandist., whose pay, however, for
their services frequently compels the sale of the
whole parental effects, and brings the entire family
over the frontier in a state of beggary, to be out of
the way of the consequences of their crime—viz.,
the sending off their children. The families thus
hardly treated are mostly Jews of the lower class
those who contribute to the taxes are spared as much
as possible ; but while the supply of recruits in Rus-
sia is being alleviated as much as possible to every
other class, the Jews are being compelled to furnish
their full quota of 10 in 1,000.