The Express.
London, England, 1853-08-18 00:00:00

RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

CONSTANTINOPLE, Avo. 2.
All here looks very like war—albeit the spirit of
conciliation manifested by the Porte in every stage of
these transactions, and the efforts of her allies to
effect an amicable settlement. The hesitation and
irresolute policy of our government is a matter of
general surprise and very general comment at Con-
stantinople. We are accused openly as having con-
tributed mainly by our indecision to the advance and
present position of the Russian forces. Urget prat-
sentia Turni. Where is Palmerston ?

We are losing ground daily in this country—our
credit, influence, and popularity all gone. The
Egyptians are not yet come, but expected hourly.
The Friedland, French three-decker, has been unfor-
tunately damaged, and the Magellan, station steamer,
went on Sunday to tow her up and get her here into
docks. The Inflexible, steam corvette, had also an
accident in the sea of Marmara, and damaged, more-
over, considerably the bridge in passing up to the
dockyard. These circumstances, it is said, affected
the poor captain, whose death I mentioned in my
last. The Firebrand, steam frigate, arrived on
Thursday with thirty officers of our fleet. The Fury
started with despatches on Sunday.
Nafiz Pacha, ex-Minister of Finances, died of
apoplexy.
The
Grand National Council has, by order of the
Sultan, promulgated the following proclamation :
The present proclamation showeth the state of affairs at
Constantinople, and it is his Majesty's wish that it should
be_promulgated in the provinces of the empire.
The Sublime Porte and Russia having disagreed on cer-
tain points, the latter has suspended her relations, and re-
called her embassy from Constantinople, and, moreover,
bas made great military preparations by sea and land;
consequently, the Sublime Porte also has prepared herself
for war, as has been already mado known. The reason as-
signed by Russia for her dissatisfaction is the refusal of
the Porte to accord by treaty certain religious privileges
to the Greek church. But then privileges were
granted by his Majesty Sultan Idehemed the Con-
queror, and observed during the reigns of the late
Sultans, and were also confirmed by his present
Majesty, the Sultan of all benevolence, as well as by his
prodecemon. When his present Majesty and his govern-
ment of their own free will granted and efinfirmed these
ancient immunities, who ever thought that they would be
annulled ? When a government wishes to undertake the
protectorate of several millions of a neighbouring empire,
it menaces its independence and interferes with its domestic
affairs. The impropriety of such an act has been declared,
but Russia would not forego her claim, and has even occu-
pied Wallachia and Moldavia, crossing the Pruth with her
troop., thus greatly annoying the Sublime Porte. Such •
violation of trestles has called forth on the part of the
Sublime Porte a protest, which has been commual-
cated to the different European powers, in which it is
declared that such an act, contrary to treaty, will not be ac-
cepted by the Sublime Porte. When a question of such
grave importance arises, affecting the independence of the
empire, it ought to be arranged by negotiations and friendly
mediation. It is not Russia's intention to make war on
the Sublime Porte, but she has occupied the provinces as a
guarantee until her demands are complied with. The Porte
has received from the different European powers friendly
advice, especially from the maritime nations of England
and Francs, upon whose friendship and good faith the
Porte can rely, and it is certain that she will not accept
anything that will affect her integrity and independence.
Until it is sees what turn affairs will take, it has been
deemed advisable to assume the defensive on the banks of
the Danube and the frontiers of Anatolia. _ _

Such ie the depute and the present itTie of &Hain ma re-
garde Russia. On the part of the government troops and
the munitions of war have been prepared. The Sublime
Porte has tranquillised all her subjects, and has enjoined
them to remain quiet in their several occupations of agri-
culture and **senores, and she requires of her subjects to
obey all her commands. As has been already mentioned,
the claims of Russia relate to the religious privileges of the
Greeks. The Oreek sect and their chiefs have personally
nothing to do with this affair, but have, on the con-
trary, expressed their gratitude and thanks to their
government, and are sorry that such a question has ever
been mooted; they must not, therefore, be looked upon as
enemies. Armenians, Catholicv, Protestants, and Jews ere
also the true and faithful subjects of our Lord and Padi-
shah, the Greeks are se also, and they must therefore live
in pesos with nab ethic
In short, Nosh= and all other subjects of the Porte
most dwell Ispilier is harmony, and not speak of things
which de est sem= Outliner do that which is not law-
kkhot sub mis meet leek affairs.
Marlowe arreqpimmil. gonismation. and order (tends)
has boss pawed in the pressess of the Sheik-U-121am and
all the leessed of the empire, of the Biteable; and all the
onions of the army and viziers who were at the council of
the Greed Vizier. Finally, this proclamation has been
seastisami by his Majesty the Behan, and all than who are
not pleased with the arrangement, and shall act contrary to
it, shell
ished be coaddend as insubordinate, and severely
pun.
[Here follow the signatures of all the pried* °facials of
the empire, elvil, military, and religions.]

and minister plenipotentiary of the King of the
Two Sicilies, a declaration regulating questions rela-
tive to the arrest and delivery of sailors deserting
from the vessels of the two nations.

The rumoured approaching marriage of Prince'
Napoleon with a daughter of Queen thristina has
been repeatedly contradicted, but according to ii
formation I receive to-day, confirming what I have
before stated, the match may be looked upon as quite
a settled thing. The attentions of the Emperor's
cousin to the young lady at the fete were very
marked. The settlements are already in course of
discussion, and, if my information be correct, Mar-
shal Jerome will shortly pay a visit to Queen
Christine at Havre to make a formal demand of her
daughter's hand.
The Petrie of this evening announces that the
Emperor and Empress will go to Dieppe to-morrow.
Although the credit of the Patron as a semi-official
journal has been terribly shaken by the warning it
received the other day, I believe its statement is in
this instance correct. The presence of their Imperial
Majesties at Dieppe will be a great event for that
quiet little watering place.
Apropos of the Po-ris I understand that the M.
Fould has has condescended personally to solicit
M. Delamarre not to put his threat to sell
the paper into execution, and that the ex-banker
has consented to continue his support to the
government. Nothing more ridiculous than this
system of warnings was ever invented. As a pre-
text to crush an opposition print while avoiding the
appearance of a merely arbitrary sentence, it may be
very convenient, as was shown in the case of the
Corsaire ; but the occurrences of every day show
the inaptitude of the invention for the practical pur-
pose of controlling • tolerated press. The " warn-
ing" power conterred upon government by the law
is exhausted after being twice exercised; then
nothing remains bat the extreme measure of sup-
pression. It is felt that the large material interests
of an established newspaper cannot be dealt with
lightly without proclaiming to the world that stato
of siege principles are to govern in Perpetuity.
Therefore the Siecle and other opposition papers
have lately, as I have already mentioned, received
private admonitions instead of technical warnings.
Now, a ministerial journal, which having either
been led into a mistake by some officious per-
son about the court, or presuming upon its official
connection, thought itself at liberty to fabricate a
telegraphic despatch containing intelligence pre-
sumably true, receives a warning like any other
paper. If the law itself were tolerable this instance
of its operation might be accepted as evidence of
praiseworthy impArtiality. But the proprietor of
the Patric, who lauded tne law to the skies, when
he assumed it to be out of the question that it could
ever be used against himself, decides in the course of
two hours after being warned, that he cannot hold
property upon this sort of tenure, and announces at
once that he will sell the Patrie, and its six provin-
cial satellites. If he has retracted this resolution, he
must of course have been made to understand that
the warning in his case goes for nothing.
One of the most absurd of the many oppressive
laws invented by the present government to torment
the weal is that relating to the propagation of " false
news." A provincial journal very popular in Brit-
tany,
the Journal de Rennes, being obnoxious on ac-
count of its legitimist opinions, was prosecuted the
other day for false news, admitted by the indictment
itself to have been " published with good faith, and
not of a nature to trouble the public peace." This is
not the first time that the government has sought to
establish the principle that a journal might at any
time be made criminally responsible for a mistake in
a matter of fact, although that mistake involved
neither a public nor a private libel, although, in
short, it related to a dry matter of fact of no interest
or importance to any one in the world. This
monstrous principle has been admitted and acted
upon by several of the courts who thought the literal
wording of the new law too strong to be
got over. The Correctional Tribunal of Rennes
has, however, aquitted the Journal da Rennes in the
present instance, and given some very sensible reasons
for its judgment. Thi/ court holds that there can be
no crime without a criminal intention, that the
true object of the decree of February 17, 1853,
(having force of law) wee not to punish all false news,
but only false news published with a bad intent, either
as regards government, society, or individuals; that
were it otherwise the public prosecutor would proceed
against all false news, and this it is notorious he does
not do; that the courts of law have equally with the
public prosecutor the right and theduty to judge of the
mature of false news and the intention with which it
may have been published. On these grounds, it
being admitted that the article in qaestien in the
present case was written in good faith, and the court
being of opinion that it contains nothing malicious,
the court declares that the editor of the journal and
the writer of the article have committed no offence,
and pronounces their acquittal. The public prose-
cutor instantly gave notice of appeal, and the case
will doubtless be carried to the Court of Caseation.