The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-11 00:00:00

TURKEY.

CONSTANTINOPLE, JAN. 30.
It is just a year sine() the Sultan signed the
Hatti-Humayoun which abolished in principle the
difference between the ruling and subject classes,
and declared them equal in all respects. As with
all general principles, it was easy enough to
enounce them, but not quite so easy to endow
them with life. The only attempt which the late
Ministry made in the question of the enlistment
of non-Mahometans failed, and ended with leaving
the Kharadj rather larger than before, and only
changing its name into that of military sub-
vention. Nor ought any one who knows the
history of this document to be surprised at this
It did not emanate from any conviction on the
part of the Sultan or the Government, as was the
case with the Hatti Sherif of Gulhane. It was
dictated by the Representatives of the great
European Powers at the preliminary Conferences.
The negotiations for peace had begun, and it was
of the highest importance that Turkey herself
should give* such assurances about the future
position of the non Mahometans in the Ottoman
Empire as would preclude the necessity of any
foreign protectorate. The programme which the
great Powers deemed satisfactory was laid before
the Turkish Government, and the latter bad
nothing else to do but to clothe it in the least
objectionable form.
As the late Ministry after its first failure gave
up the idea of immortalising itself by solving the
difficult problem of making the ruling and SUhier.,t
classes forget the history of centuries, it devolved
on the present Grand Vizier to undertake the
remodelling of the empire on the principles laid
down in the Hatti-Humayoun.
These principles are not new. All the reforms
attempted hitherto were in that direction. The
aim was to abolish the distinction between the
ruling and subject classes, and to establish a
government based on the principles of justice and
equity. Thus Redschid Pasha, who first laid down
these principles in the Hatti Sherif of Gulhane,
has now once more a chance of carrying out the
reforms which he has been hitherto prevented from
introducing. He loses no time in doing this—
The questions of immediate necessity have
scarcely been satisfactorily settled, and he
turns his attention to the subject. He does
this in a manner which shows that he is one
of the few men who after a life passed in the
p'trsuit of an object, has the freedom of spirit to
investigate how far he has succeeded, and the cou-
rage to begin anew should he find that he has been
mistaken He sees that the system of adminis-
tration which he himself originated has not brought
forth the fruits which were anticipated. He sees
that many, if not most, of the laws enacted have
remained a dead letter, or have only been imper-
fectly executed. Yet one must not attribute to
him this failure, for he never was allowed to carry
out his ideas of reforms. A short time after the
publication of the Hatti-Sherif of Gulhane, when
he attempted to give life to the principles enounced
in that document, he was forced to retire before
the opposition which he encountered everywhere,
and to ask to be sent abroad.

After a few years residence as Ambassador in
Paris, he was again sent for, and entrusted with the
organisation of the administration..
.He laid down
the basis, and a commission woke i out the de
tails, but he was forced to abandon many essential
points, and try to make a compromise between the
still powerful influence of old ideas and his own
views. Thus his work remained incomplete and
very soon degenerated. But even had he been
allowed full liberty, could it be expected that some-
thing perfect should be produced in the first in
stance ? We must remember that the new system
is not fourteen years old, and that- it was intro
duced after a very violent crisis, which had
shaken the empire to its very foundations : how
was it possible, under these circumstances, to
change an Oriental despotism into an European
monarchy all at once, and to eradicate a deep-
seated system of favouritism and corruption ?
Purity of administration is even in Europe of
recent origin ; and not fifty years ago all that we
cry out against in Turkey was openly practised
in all European Governments ; nay, we have
not far to seek at the present moment to find
analogies to the state of things here. So we
must not be too hard on the Turks, especially
when we see that a great effort is being made to
remedy what is wrong. What Redschid Pasha
contemplates is a thorough revision of the whole
system of government. Four conferences have
taken place, in which all the members, active
and passive of the present Ministry have taken
part; and it has been resolved that a commission
shall be formed of six members and a president,
who are to study the existing state of things, and
to propose a plan by which the present abuses
can be corrected, and the principles laid down
in the Hatti-Sherif of Gulhane the regulations of
the tanzimat, and in the late Hatti-Humayoun
can be best realized, No programme is put before
them, and they are left entirely at liberty, guided
only by the spirit which pervades the above-named
, documents. The first subject which they are to
take into consi aeration is the administration of the
provinces which must naturally contain the
basis of all reforms. Their work is to be divided
into six sections, according as it has reference
to the political financial, judicial military,
educational, and to the administration of
public works of the province. The mem.
bers who are to compose this commission
are not yet named, but it is intended to have
members of the different departments, in order to
take advantage of their special knowledge in the
different branches of administration.
When the commission will have elaborated its
plan of provincial • administration, it will be first
introduced in our provinpe as an e*neriment, and
if it is found t 6 ammo'', then the whole provincial
administration will be reformed on that model.
The province in which the experiment will most
likely be tried is either Brousa or Adrianople, as
being nearest, and therefore most easily superin-
tended. To speak in praise of this measure seems
to me superfluous. Every one is penetrated by
the necessity of a thorough revision of the system
of government and of administration in Turkey;
the question is only " Who will have the courage
to undertake it ?" for it must needs affect powerful
private interests, and will create not a few enemies
to him who carries it out, but if successful it pro-
mises to merit for him who undertook it, the name
of regenerator of his country.
The Austrian, Russian, and Prussian Plenipo-
tentiaries are to leave this city to-day for Vienna.
I told you some time ago that the Turkish
Government was preparing a division of troops
to go to the Principalities when the Austrians
baye ovacuatpd. them. The original intention
was to send seven battalions to Moldavia,.
and eight to Wallachia ; this has now been
altered to four and five battalions to each