The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-10-11 00:00:00

THE
EASTERN QUESTION.

FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.
LONDON, MONDAY NIGHT.

Though the decision of our own Cabinet, as well
as that of France, is, that the independence and
integrity of Turkey are to be supported to the last
extremity, the organs of the ministry speak with
much reserve. They concur in -declaring that
Turkey cannot be sacrificed, but affect great mode-
ration in referring to the means by which that
object is to be attained.. They.wish all the means
of conciliation to be exhausted before assuming to
speak in the tone which their material preparations
would justify.

It is understood, too, that 'the British Cabinet
is annoyed at the tone which has been taken at
the metropolitan and Othermeetings against Russia.
They fear it may tend to embarrass the means of
arriving at a pacific solution, and wish to retain
all opinion within their own command, lest the
present state of complication should be rendered
hopeless. They are, as lam told, even apprehen-
sive of Russia declaring war against us, on .the
double ground of our aid to Turkey; and the hostile
tone of British feeling towards the Czar. These
apprehensions are unworthy of any British Minis-
try. That they have existed, however, on the part
of a minority in the Cabinet, I have every reason
to believe, though there is unanimity upon the
point of maintaining Turkey against Russian
encroachment.

Letters from Constantinople have been received
to-day, but they do not , contain any more news
than we had received before by telegraph. There
is no doubt as to the Sultan having declared war
against Russia; but there is some ambiguity on
the point, whether the instrument was to take effect
in four weeks from its date, in order to afford the
Russians an opportunity of evacuating the Princi-
palities, or immediately. The former is most likely,
particularly as the season will prevent immediate
serious movements upeil any considerable scale.
It is said that the Emperor of Russia received
the news of this Declaration at Warsaw, and that
it rendered him furious. Of course it would. It
is added, too, that it dissipated the pacific ideas
he had expressed at Olmutz. This is not so
likely. •

In the mean time the harmonious action between
the Governments of this country and France con-
tinues, Louis Napoleon having stood proof against
the temptations held out to him to withdraw from
the English alliance. A well-informed correspond-
ent of the Morning Chronicle says :--
"As the question of peace or war approaches to a crisis,
it is gratifying to find that the attitude assumed by the
French Government becomes more and more firm. Louis
Napoleon and his Ministers express their firm determin-
ation to adhere to the English alliance, whatever may hap-
pen ; and declare that they are determined to support
Turkey, not only by force of arms, but to the utmost of
their power. Orders have been given for the concentration
of troops, as if it were felt that a struggle was inevitable. A
large body of troops is to be directed towards Toulon, where
they will be prepared to embark for the East at a few days'
notice. In the event—the probable event—of its being
necessary to despatch troops, the intention is to form a depot
in the island of Candia, which will be the head-quarters of
both the French and English troops. and to which stores
and amunition will be directed. Should this demonstra-
tion not to be sufficient, and should the Turkish capital be
threatened, a large body of troops will be despatched for
Constantinople, and that place will be occupied by a con-
bined French and English army. You are already aware
that the French auxiliary army will be much more numerous
than that of England ; and it is understood to have been
arranged, long since, between the two Governments, that the

,
land forces are to be commanded by a French general, while
the naval forces will be placed under the command of the
English admiral."

Yet, in London, we know nothing whatever of
any auxiliary army being collected to proceed to
Cadiz, however probable such a contingency may
be. If such a force as was mentioned the other
day, 10,000 men, is to be sent out, it is being pre-
pared in the most unostentatious way possible; it
will be sent out in small detachments, from many
different parts, probably a few from Corfu, and will
only be concentrated upon arriving at its destina-
tion.

I understand that the military authorities at-
tached to the Honorable Company's service here,
have not been unmindful observers of the progress
of the Russian arms towards the East. Many bar-
ren wastes and rocky deserts will have to be tra-
versed before the Czar can affect us in that quarter.
Still it is satisfactory to know that our eyes are
upon him.
The following biographical notice of the Turkish
commander in Chief is translated from the Debats ;
and will be read with interest at this moment :
" It is known that the chief command of the Turkish army
in Bulgaria has been confided to Omer Pacha, considered the
best general in the Sultan's service. The following. is a
biographical sketch of that personage :—Omer Pacha is an
Austrian subject, born in Crotia. His family name is
Lattas. His father was lieutenant-administrator of the
circle, and his uncle a priest of the Greek religion. Young
Latas was admitted very young into the mathematical school
of Thurm, near Carlstadt, in Transylvania, and after having
completed his studies with distinction, entered the corps of
Ponts-et-Chaussees, which in Austria is military organized.
It was towards 1830, that, after some discussion with his
superior, he proceeded to Turkey and embraced 'simian.
Chosrew-Pacha, who was then general-in-chief of the army,
took him under his protection, made him enter the regular
armyt and attached him to his person. He even gave him
for wife his ward, one of the richest heiresses in Constanti-
nople, daughter of a leader of Janissaries, whose head he had
cut off in 1827, when that body revolted against Sultan Ma-
homed. In 1834, Lattas, who had taken the name of Omer
was already chef de bataillon, and was appointed by Chessew-
Pacha, as aide-de-camp and interpreter of General Chzahow-
ski, charged with the instruction of the Ottoman troops col-
lected in a camp near Constantinople. Omer was then em-
ployed in the reorganisation of the Turkish army, and still
pushed on by Chossew-Pacha, he obtained successive diffi-
cult missions and important commands. The troubles of
Syria and the Albanian insurrection of 1846 gave him an oc-
casion to distinguish himself, and to attract the attention of
the Sultan. 'Being sent into Kurdistan, he succeeded in re-
ducing that province, which was almost independent of the
Ottoman empire. In 1848, being appointed to the com-
mand of the corps d'armee sent into the provinces of Mol-
davia and Wallachia, he knew how to make the authority
of the Sultan respected there, whilst showing considera-
tion to the susceptibilities and privileges of these pro-
vinces, placed under the double protection of Turkey and
Russia. The year 1851 is the most brilliant period of Omer
Pacha's military career. Being named commander-in-chief
in Bosnia, of which the principal chiefs had refused to recog-.
nise the Tanzimat, that is, the new organization of the
Empire, he successfully fought against the Beys with in-
ferior forces. Lastly, he was sent out to Montenegro, where
he found himself for the first time at the head of a regular
army of 30,000 men. It may be remembered that the inter-
vention of Austria put an end to that expedition before he
could commence decisive operations. At present Omer
Pacha is at Schumla, at the head of 100,000 men • he dis-
plays, it is said, great activity, and is occupied in fortifying
the country which may become the seat of war. Omer Pacha
is 52 years old, short in stature, but with a physiognomy
full of martial expression. He speaks with equal facility
Servian, Italian, and German. After the insurrection of
Hungary he took up the defence of the refuges, whose
extradition was called for by Austria and Russia. He pro-
ceeded in person to Schumla, where he made the acquaint-
ance of the principal members of the emigration, and on
his arrival at Constantinople he intervened warmly in their
favour with the Sultan. He took several of them with him
to Bosnia and Montenegro, and entrusted them with impor-
tant commands. Some of the refuges distinguished them-
selves there, and remained in the service of Turkey."

The City has been tranquil to-day. Most of the
public securities have maintained, and even im-
proved, their values. •

FRANCE

THE correspondent of the Morning Chronicle,
writing from Paris on Sunday evening, on the
Tuykish question, says:—" The general belief is,
notwithstanding the Jesuitical denial of the Patrie,
that General Canrobert is to have command of the
expedition to Constantinople. It is reported here
to-day, but I do not know upon what authority, that
the Emperor of Russia had received accounts via
Berlin of the proclamation of war against him by
the Porte; that his Imperial Majesty was furious
on receiving the news ; and that he immediately
esponded tothe defiance by giving orders to declare
war against the Porte."
The visit of the Emp,eror and Empress to Com-
piegne has been postponed to the 12th.
The Patrie says ;—" Several foreign journals have
announced that the French corps of occupation at
Rome is about to be increased. We are authorised
to give the most formal contradiction to this asser-
tion."

The Progris, a paper published at Arras, has re-
ceived a " warning" for its attacks on the religious
and judicial authorities: This is the sixth paper
warned within a short time.
The Emperor has conferred the order of Cheva-
lier of the Legion of Honour on M. G. Gttibert, of