The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-21 00:00:00

dinners, and other rejoicings at Sebastopol and
Odessa. The truth, however, cannot be concealed
from the army, and if the Russian soldiers advanced
spinet the Turks with the contempt with which
it has been the aim of their leaders to inspire them,
and which the reckless mode of attack would seem to
betoken, we may imagine what a severe end painful
lesson their defeat must have proved. The Turks, on
i the other hand, are equally elated, and will, doubt-
less, commence the combat in the spring with re-
! doubled ardour. They need something of the sort,
certainly, to enable them to bear up against the loads
of shameless calumny and depreciation which the
agents of Russia have never ceased to heap upon
them since the commencement of the present crisis.
The progress of the Russian army to Constantinople,
we were gravely informed by one of your contempo-
raries, was to be " a parade march.
The Inealide publishes several columns of Imperial
orders conferring rewards and distinctions upon offi-
cers who have distinguished themselves by land or
we.

'Tile present struggle has found Turkey in a tran-
sition state, very mach resembling that in which
the assaults of Charles XII. found Russia. The
money, time, and attention of their government has
for some years been devoted to the introduction of
wise and useful reforms, which promised, if the good
work were not interrupted, to place her in a far
higher position amongst European nations than any
of the German or Italian states, except Prussia and
Sardinia. I have no hesilation in saying that
the Sultan and his ministers have since
1839, the year in which the Khatti sherif of
Gulkhane was promulgated, shown a far grater
knowledge of the duties of a government, and a far
nobler and better idea of their mission than the ma-
jority of the Christian princes of Europe. The efforts
of the former are constantly devoted to the work of
raising a great and brave people out of a slough of
prejudice and barbarism unto the high ground of
intellectual progress and civilisation ; while the
latter give their whole attention and energy to the
glorification of brute force, and the abasement
and degradation of thought and liberty. I assure
you, one needs to be here on the spot to learn
what Turkel, was eves twenty years ago, to compare
it with what she now is, and what she promises to
be if suffered to pursue her course, to estimate at its
full guilt and enormity the policy which seeks to dis-
member her, and cast the fragments for a prey to her
barbarous assailants.

The difficulties which the present Sultan, young
u he is, has had to contend with, are really astonish-
ing—the savage hostility of the fanatical dervishes,
whose influence over the lower chases is all-powerful
—the more subtle, but not less dangerous, opposition
of the ulemaa, or clergy, a sacerdotal body as trouble-
some, grasping, and bigotted as any to be found
in Europe—and the tiger-like watchfulness of
Austria and Russia. In 1840 the penal code
underwent a total and complete reform ; all
the abuses of the old regime were swept
away at one blow, and a new code was promulgated,
in perfect harmony with the principles of criminal
jurisprudence recognised in France and England.
Other ordinances issued in 1846 introduced a vast
number of improvements into the administrative
system; and a commercial code, borrowed almost
literally from that of France, was issued in 1830.
The beneficial effect which these have had, and will
have, upon the country are immense. True, as Mr.
Cobden remarks, the streets are bad, and the roads
worse; but the great reason why there are not
good streets and good roads lies in the tact that for
several years back the government has been so
harassed by attempts made from without upon its
very existence that its resource', diminished as
they have been by great and sudden changes
in the financial system, have been devoted
to the single purpose of self- defence. You
have a set of men in Western Europe, and
in England as well as in other countries,
who have kept echoing for years past the cuckoo cry,
" Turkey is a dead carcase ! Turkey is a dead car-
case!" and forthwith the Austrian and Russian and
Prussian vultures wipe their beaks and flap their
wings, and prepare for a surfeit of carrion. What
man could have heart or energy to put his house in
order if his work was constantly interrupted by the
clamours of undertakers at his door, driving nails
into his coffin, and insisting that he was dead or
dying, and proclaiming that they were come to bury
lum. Within the last four years Turkey has had
four different times to carry on or prepare for war,
which were in no one instance of her own seeking—
insurrections in Bosnia and in Kurdistan, the
dispute regarding the refugees in 1851 with
Austria and Russia, and now actual hostilities
with Russia. In the midst of difficulties such as
these, it is hard to expect a nation in her position to
do much towards the development of the material
resources of the country. Legislative and social
reforms can be effected by energy and perseverance,
but money is required to make roads and bridges.
The latter do not exist in Turkey, it is true, but their
absence is owing to no neglect of duty on he part of
the present government, but simply to the labours of
those who seek to impede it at every step of its pro-
gress, and in order that by pointing to its detects
afterwards, they may excuse their own vio-
lence and rapacity. In September, 1850, the work
of road-making was commenced pith great activity:
Asa beginning, a new route was laid out from Tre-
bizonde to Erzeroum, end thence to the frontiers of
Persia. Ismail Pacha, the minister of public works,
went from Constantinople in person to superintend
the opening of the work. The peasantry of the
surrounding country flocked in crowds to offer
their services, in many instances gratuitously ' • and
the whole road bade fair to be finished within the
ensuing year. Very shortly afterwards came the
demand of Austria and Russia for the extradition of
the refugees, accompanied by partial threats. De-
fensive armaments commenced, money became
wane, and the road was left to its fate.

SERVIA.

A Hanoverian officer writes from Widin, under
date of the 30th Nov.

"Belgrade is growing into a handsome European
town, its improvement being only hindered by some
Turkish houses and burial grounds which are unac-
I countably suffered to remain. It is a mistake in the
German papers to say the Servians are preparing to
garrison the fortresses in the interior of their coan-
try, for (according to treaty) all these are, and must
be, occupied by Turks. I met a reinforcement
of artillerymen for the Belgrade citadel.
They appeared quite ready fur their work.
The highly intelligent person to whom I was
recommended, explained that there is no chance of
opposition if Russian troops land in Servia, but
that if Austria should play the same trick (' epees')
they would rise to a man.
"What gives the political agents of France and
England much influent's with the Servian govern-
ment is, that they hold out expectations of the
Sultan doing more for the principality than the
Emperor of Russia would do. The Consul-General
of Russia has nominally retired from Belgrade, yet
comes over to it from Semlin as suits his purposes.
The Pacha is said to be so angry at this as to have
fallen ill from vexation. The Russian arms are
lowered, however, and both Pacha and government
have appealed to the Sublime Porte for instructions.
The French consul•general, M. de Segnier, is
said to have gone to Paris to explain
the situation more exactly to his government than
writing allows of. He is an ardent friend of the
Turks. Prussia is unrepresented in Servia, the Con-
sul-General of that state living usually at Bucharest,
and being engaged more in judicial matters than in
political ones.

_
"The electric telegraph at Semlin plays a great
in all this hurry. The captain of the steamer told
me the British Consul-General went to Semlin, the
other morning, to ask for instructions on some point
from London, and in six hours' time he received Lord
Clarendon's reply.

" Semi Pachit,of Widdin, is a superior man in every
respect—brave, well-educated, and disinterested.

" The Turks do not think the Russians will
eras the Danube, but will be glad to receive them—

A la fagon de Barbarie,
Mon ami,
if they should do so.

" December.—lt seems the affair of the Russians
at Belgrade is a serious one. Far from being set-
tied, the Pacha has written for instructions to the
Porte, and the Servian government has sent a note
which has much displeased the Sultan's advisers.
The Austrians are trying to get their fingers into
the fat pasty, and may perhaps burn them."