The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-11-06 00:00:00

'TOPLE, 0

The rumon
change gain 'every day more _consistency. Titer
is a curious feature connected with these changes
In a country where, as in Turkey, the Sovereign's
whims are supposed to be the only law which
regulates the rise and fall of every Administration,
it seems strange that a presentiment, as-it were,
of every changing fit should ,be -invariably com-
municated to the public mind ; and yet so it
Every movement which 'takes place in the higher
spheres is instantly spread 'abroad, and although
often the rumours created by such commotion;
give only a very distorted idea of the movement
which produced theni, yet one may be always sure
that a movement there has been.
A remarkable instance• of this occurred at the
commencement of the present crisis. TheAmMe-
diatocause which led to it was, as you will remem-
ber, the non-official communication made to some
of the ambassadors of the firman for the convoca-
tion of the divans in the Danubian Principalities.
•This brought down the storm on the head of the
ministry. The day' after the storin, if not the same
citiy, the whole town was rull of . the news of a
ministerial change, but instead of attributing it to
its real cause, it was coupled with the news of the
death of one of the favourites, and this was given
as the cause of the change.
This instance may serve likewise as a key to the
seemingly inexplicable sensitivenness with which
all whims of an absolute ruler are felt by the public
at large. Even in Turkey the time is rapidly
passing away when an indigestion or a sleepless
night of one man was liable to lead- to a thorough
change _in the administration of, the country, and
produce peace or war. This was possible when the
Ottoman race,' guided by an unparalleled line of
able SoYerei,7ns, was in the full career of conquest
among feeble and enervated- neighbouring races,
who could oppose -to it- but a Weak resistance ;
but now, when this expansiVe poWer has ceased,
when another equally expansive race is pressing
closer and closer, and . when these Weak and
easily subjugated neighbouring races begin to
raise their heads, the sleepless nights of one
man, even if he be a SoYerei4n, can no more be the
turning point in the policy of an empire, and the
force of circumstances makes itself felt, to which
he as well as every one else must submit. There'
May be a reminiscence now arid then of olden
times, but it must give way in the end. In a
country where public opinion is so little developed;
and the acts 01 'the Government are so closely
veiled-from the public eye, this growing force of
circninstances and the changes to which it leads
cannot be followed up and analysed, but it is
nevertheless keenly felt ;.'hence the sensitiveness
in the public at every.apprOaching change, and the
ignorance which invents the strangest, reasons to
account for them.

an imminent

Whoever has followed with anything like atten-
tion the career of the present Ministry could have
easily foreseen where it must inevitably end. It
was the same process by which you can see lobsters
caught daily in the B6sphorus. Allured by the
bait, they press their way through the narrow
mouth:of the flexible reed basket, but when they
want to turn back therencounter the points of,the
reeds, which haVe again contracted. Anxious only
to keep their places,
.ttie, Ministry pressed forward
without looking WT- ;ng,;until they

re they were go'

coma move nenner oacKwards nor forwards. All
shifts and contrivances to get out of the cul de sae
into which they had got. were in vain, and they at
last resigned themselves to do nothing, and wait
events. The events have ' come, and something
must be. done ; as they cannot do it they have
resigned.
The regignation of the Ministry is, however, the
least important part in this crisis ; the qUestion
was always the difficulty of . forming another
administration. It is useless to repeat that
Redsohid. Pasha is named as the soul of every
future Cabinet. But a change of persons alone is
not all that is wanted. If the old traditions' in

forming a Ministry are observed, neither RedsChid
Pasha nor anybody else will be able to do anything.
These old traditions consist in a 'kind'of compro-

mise, where every one who enters the Ministry
makes the best bargain he can, and tries to make
his department as much as possible independent.
The result of this is, that the Grand Vizier is nothing
more than the nominal head of the Government,
and no unity of action can ever be obtained.
Not only is there no possibility of laying down a
decided line of policy, but very often the most
neceisary. .measures must be postponed, because
sthe'meMbers of the ministry cannot come to an
understanding among themselves.

The first condition, therefore, for a. new admi
nistration is, that it should be one in spirit, and
that the chief of it should exercise a legitimate
influence over all the departments. It was the
want of this that ruined Aali Pasha's MiniStry, and
which made it so dependent upon the Palace as
well as from the representatives of foreign Powers.
Another Condition for its efficiency is that a stop
should be put to the interference of the Palace in
Government matters. In an absolute Government

like that of Turkey it is, of course, difficult to draw

the line where thedirent influence of the Sovereign

Should cease, but it, is impossible to carry on a

government as long as there is no limit, •except a

nominal one, to the civil list, and while every day
heavily paid sinecures are created for favourites,
and the most important places in the Administra-
tion are given away to undeserving palace servants.
Some rules must be fixed regulating the . exact
positioii of the Government towards the Sovereign.
Let these rules be broad —or narrow,_ but let them
be clearly laid down.

There
would be like Wise a good deal to. say ti• '
about..the necessity of regulating the position of constructed with slits for musketry. Beautiful
tranqUillity ! Devoted attachment ! If tranquil.
the Ministry towards the representatives of the lity, why this display of force ? The city is more
Foreign Powers. Undoubtedly the friendly advice
like a besieged town than a free city.
of these la •
latter might be very useful to any Ministry But another
reason of tranquillity is the strong determination of
in Turkey, but there is a great difference between the people to be quiet and wait, and I lay great
friendly advice and annoying interference with all stress upon it, as a proof of the increasing solidity of
the petty details of administration; especially when judgment of the nation.
it is dOne.rather with the view of making oneself The British and French Consuls are charged with
importlint than froth a sincere wish of benefitting the signature of passports, and the archives of our
Turkey.
The position between the 'Ministry and the hag which state that Bri ish sub .
aevgea ti on
beena iree
cpeliaveeedd, in the Consulate. Despatches
foreign representatives will, however, find its true jects are now placed under the protection of Her
level, if' the two conditions which I mentioned Majesty's. naval forces. We expect a frigate,
above are fulfilled, namely, if the Ministry is probably the Bulldog, from Civita Vecchia, on
united and if it is more independent from the Saturday, but not to stay. The Osprey gunboat,
interference of the• Palace . • which was at Civita VecChia,- has left with
We have now quite a respectable English flotilla despatches for Malta The very least that could
in, the :Bosphorus. The Royal Albert;. with . Lad be done would be to station a despatch boat here at
L3'°';'4•flag flying, the Majestic, the Curacoa (30), the orders of the Consul; otherwise, in case of any
the Vulture the Caradoc, . and the two gun boats emergency, we have only to depend
on the passenger
,
Wrangler and Lynx. The Curaeoa and Vulture boats which come in twice a week
both came in yesterday, nearly at the same moment, there should be the means of cons' ant, communica:
the first from the coast of Syria, and' the second Lion with the Admiral. I represent, strongly too,
from the Black Sea. Besides these the Co!ossus the opinion of many' British subjecli, when I add
and Cressy are expected hourly, so that on the day ' that some vessel of war should be stati,)ned here.
when the Dardanelles were to have been closed Many do not see in-the past any reason for believing
there will be a larger . English fleet assembled in in the sanity or the good fai•h of the Government;
the Bosphorus than ever since the allied squadrons and it is an undoubted tact that its political necessi-
I
left the first time for the Black Sea. For ties have compelled it to court and
pay a onsider-
the last few days the rumour has spread that the able number of lazzaroni Ido not myself apprehend
c
Turkish Government had asked for the withdrawal any disturbances, but British subjects ought not to
of the fleet, according to the convention. It is ,be exposed to possible contingences. • A quarantine of
to point out the absurdity of such a rumour, for seven days has been put on all arrivals from Malta,