The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-18 00:00:00

TURKEY AND RUSSIA.

MR. URQUHART AT MANCHESTER.
A p:tblie meetiog of the people of Mancheeti

wu held et the Corn iitebange enWesinesday evening, "to

express the sympathy of the iattabitants of ?Sauciest

.ith the noble efforts of the Silten of Turkey end his sub•

jects, in their struggle to defend and maintain the inde-
pendence of their country against the aggressions of Rus-
sia." The chief speakers invited were AdmiraiSir Charles
Napier and D. Urquhart, Esq. About 2,000 peopio were

present; but though there iu in Manchester undoubtedly a
deep sympathy with Turkey in the present crisis, the meet-

ing failed to command the attention of the local gentlemen
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of rank. Amongst those present were Mr. Absa Wat-
kin, a borough magistrate, the Rev. Dr. Vaughan, and kir.

Theodore Sekund'.

It win understood that many foreign

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gentlemen resident in the town had boon advised not to be
present, in order that it might be purely an Suglish copra-

sion of feeling.
Mr. ISAAC GREGORY, in moving the bet TC9OIIIIiOO, con-
tended that this country had a vet, great stake in the
Eastern question, in as tar as her commercial interests were
cancernen. The resolution was as follows:—" That the
occupation of the Danubian Provinces by the Emperor of
finials for the purpose of enforcing upon Turkey conces-
sions inconsistent with her independence as a nation, is a
violation of the law of nations, against which it is the duty

of all to protest. ;;;;tlThat this meeting desires to
express its admiration of the dignified conduct of the Sultan
and of the patriotic ardour with which the people of the
Ottoman empire have taken up arras to resist the invasion
of a barbarous and hypocritical enemy."

Mr. THZODORE SCIit'NCK seconded the resolution.

Sir CHARLIE NAPIER, on rising to support the resolu•
tion, was received with repeated rounds of the most hearty
and enthusiastic cheering. Its said—Mr. Chairman and
gentlemen, I beg to thank you moat sincerely for this very
flattering reception. It is not the first time that I have
bean in Manchester. On a former occasion I had the
honour of being entertained here after the settlement of
the last Eastern question, and I little expected then that I
should be upon this platform to denounce Russia for an
infamous attack upon Turkey. Gentlemen, I think you
all know perfectly well that this is not the first attack
made upon Turkey since the year 1815. The first question
that disturbed Turkey, and disturbed Europe, was the
Greek insurrection. After much massacre and confusion
the powers of Europe at last put an end to that, and placed
a king upon the throne of Greece; but in doing so
there occurred an untoward event the destruction
of the Ottoman fleet, that laid her prostrate
at the feet of Russis, and very shortly after the settlement
of that question had Russia declared war on Turkey. In
the year 1828, after meeting with reverses, such as I hope
she has met with at the present moment, she was obliged
to retire from Shumla, but in the following ear she reached
Adrianople; then we sent set fleet ti Besika Bay, and
Lord Palmerston calling upon Russia to halt, Russia did
halt, and Turkey was again restored to peace. Gentlemen,
one would have supposed that these attacks would have been
enough to hays weakened the empire of turkey, bat a third
attack was made upon her by her own Paths, Mehemet
Ali ; he thought proper to wage war with his sovereign,
after having ausiated that sovereign in the insurrection in
Greece, end after he had destroyed the Sultan's army at
the battle of Satan% Turkey was obliged to call in her
ancient enemy Russia to secure her fom destruction
by her owa subject. That was also put an end
to, and again, at the instigation, I am sorry to say,
lof some of our ministers at Constantinople, the
Sultan, in an evil hour, attacked Mehemet Ali again. The
allicsthen same forward, with the exception of France, and
Turkey wee win saved. I had the honour of partaking in
a great degree in these expeditious at that time ; and it is a
very sir si thing is the Watery of Turkey that the cont-
blood auto and armies mum eimmianded by a British ad-
s~dali 110 the Tumid& lest was also commanded by •
em Labile Winkel; and I, a Christian admiral,
had the banenrefeasemenilles the army. (Cheers.) In a
very *beet time, Maumee Ali was driven beck to BryPt,
end Turkey wee Muni In pears and tranquillity. I will
kat, at the proud Most. agues Turkey of being a great
firels but she 1111 met skis" Nat elinstion to the ninon-
oiliness of her ewes-mid net awed to the Christians
BIM poses and quietuses whisk she had promised
her ad vanft ; but I Ws, after the Isms
she has had—alter eh* ounces in driving Bomb
fresher territory—dm Apica due attend ma la her
Chukka subjects, and take frsUllismia every peskinenof
I~kienfering es that gross& Well, gentlemen. k
,tbkilt it wee, the Sultan granted to Turkey by
hut* soberest dated in that year, her Magna Charts. I
don't mean to say that that has been precisely carried out
as it ought to have been, bat there can be no doubt that the
Turkish government hasl done • great deal. She recruited
her army, improved her navy and finances, and had she
been left tranquilly to go on, I believe there is no doubt
she would Dave re-established herself on a solid and respect-
able footing; but unfortunately Russia and Austria, who
are constantly on the watch for any discrepancy with
Turkey, foiled great fault with her for exercising her hoe
pitality, as she had a right to do, only imitating our
example, by giving protection to the unfortunate Hungarian
refugees. (Cheers.) This naturally excited remonstrant* I
from Austria and from Russia. Lord Palmerston came for-
ward again and told them to be quiet—(cheers and laughter)
• fleet was then grain sent to Besika Bay, at the entrance of
the Dardanelles, and had the effect of compelling Russia
and Austria to take the hint. (Cheer.) Gentlemen, this
lasi us to the present question. You pass over some
Mil stain, such us the rebellion of the Montenegrins,
sikkk I believe was excited a great deal by the instigation
*Russia, who came forward and insisted that it was a free
country, and under her protection. The Ottoman govern-
Sent submitted again to Austria and Russia, and thought
by that means, at all events, to have peace and tran-
quillity. But when people are determined to quarrel with
a neighbour, it is excessively easy to do it. Russia and
rAnstria sent missions to Constantinople again, under vari-
ous pretexts. Prince Menchikoff was to be put at the head
of the Russian mission, and Prince Lainingen at the head
of the Austrian. Prince Menchikoff fell ill of the gout, and
it's a pity it-did not get to his head or his stomach—(cheers
and laughter)—but the Austrian commissioner was more
successful, and went to Constantinople, and succeeded in
everything he proposed. Then comes Prince Menohikoff,
having recovered from his fit of the gout, to Constantinople,
and I believe Europe at large does not produce one single
instance of such an insolent embassy as that sent by *el
Czar of Russia to intimidate a weaker power. Prime
Menchikoff was Minister of Marine ; but, not satisfied
with that, they sent the admiral who commended the
Russian fleet at Sebastopol, and the general who com-
manded the army of the frontier, as much as to say, " If
pm don't submit, I have en army and a fleet ready to
come down upon you." Well, the minister at Constanti-
nople at the time, becoming alarmed, asked our fleet Zu
usual to Besika-bay ; but the admiral commanding our
fleet at Malta, wisely and properly, did not ac-
cede to his request. The Baltic would be open in •
month, where Russia bad a fleet of twenty-seven sail
of the line, and the Peace society—(laughter)—
had reduced our fleet to nothing in 1849. In that case it
was perfectly impossible to provoke Russia by sending our
fleet to the Dardanelles, when we had not the means of
sending one to the Baltic. Now, gentlemen, Ido not
blame the government for that; but, what I said before, I
ulna the Pout Soriety—(hear, hear)—aal it's a dangerous