The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-15 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY, SEPr. 15, 1864.

The condition of the Ottoman Empire is a matter
some interest to European statesmen. It is true
sat the opinion is shared in many quarters that
rentually the Turks must relax their bold on
urope, and retreat altogether to that Asiatic Ern,.
ire with which their religion, customs, and ways
thinking are not so incongruous. But while the
irks still occupy their present position, they must
:cossarily exercise some influence on other nations,
td it is impossible to forget that the last European
ar originated in that quarter. At present there
e no symptoms of a renewal of such evils, and in-
:ed, if the same need arose, the result would pro-
file peoples and Cabinets
ebly be different, since
ho look calmly on at the distr emberment of one of
is oldest Christian kingioms, a kingdom profess-
ig constitutional liberty, and all the other athl-
etes of civilisation, are not likely to be roused
.om their lethargy by any attack upon the `Turk.
tut we bear less at present of treascns and con,'
p'racies than we have done for some years past,
rid Russia appears, for the time at least, to have
uspended her long cherished designs upon the
'ORTE. The Roumain provinces have been the
eerie of a melodrama of their own, of which Prince
;OUZA was the maneger and principal performer,
-its arbitrary proceedings were openly censured
:y the PORTE, but it is thought that the
,ispleasure was not altogether genuine. It is said
sat the dominion of the Biyards gave rise to
arious uneasiness in head-quarters, and that the
ontinnal disputes among their factions render it
robable enough that Roumania might eventually
rid itself under the protection of Austria or Itus.
ia. The coup iota of Prince COUZA, however

....ENEM
we may regard it here, is looked upon by the Porte
as really advantageous, since, by attacking the
privileges of the Bayards and destroying their
prestige, the Prince has in reality strengthened the
hands of the Turkish Government. Of course, the
question of the effect upon the internal government
of the country, and the sacrifice of public liberty,
will not weigh much with a despotic Administra-
tion like that of the Porte; and the transforma-
tion of a tolerably free State into an arbitrary
despotism is not likely to affect the secret opinion
,of the Sultan or his Ministers. The other out-
lying dependencies of the Porte are in a tolerably
s atisfactory condition, and the SULTAN and his
Ministers are therefore free to give their whole at,
tention to the much needed reforms which have
often been postponed on the excuse that the exter-
nal affairs of the Empire engaged all their time and
energies. Eastern officials are not, we know, very
prompt in any movement, and the entry on the
path of reform is sufficiently troublesome and diffi-
cult to be gladly postponed us long as possible on
any pretext. It is an ungracious office to begin
forcing down salaries, stopping perquisites, and
cutting off superfluities, to examine with a rigid
and microscopic eye into long - standing
abuses and comfortable little methods of en•
riching private coffers at the expense of
the Imperial Treasury. Nevertheless, the eon.
dition of the public finances at the time of the
present SULTAN'S accession was such as to render
it imperative to begin some reforms, and it is greatly
to the credit of the present ruler of the Ottoman
Empire that he has put none of the obstacles that
might have been expected from him in the way.
Some really substantial reforms have been inaugu-
rated, and a good many changes for the better have
been introduced. Considerable savings have been
effected in the salaries of the employes who hold
official sinecures in the profuse outlay of the inha•
bitants of the Palace. It has been endeavoured,
toe, with some success, to check the corrupt deal.
ings so common among Turkish officials, while
the administration of military affairs, though
much better managed, is effected at much
less cost. None of these improvements have,
as yet, been carried to their fall extent, but enough
has been done to make a change in the aspect of
affairs, and to give a little more firmness to the
financial prospects of the country. The SULTAN
himself, however, prevents any hope of a speedy
re-establishment of Turkish credit. He does not
indeed partake of the lavish tastes of his prede-
cessors, whose profligate expenditure helped greatly
to bring the Treasury into serious difficulties.
Neither does he, as we have said, put any difficul-
ties in the way of retrenchment or reform. The
obstacle which he interposes between his financiers
and ultimate success, is one more worthy of a
ruler, though certainly costly enough to be
seriously embarassing. His outlay upon ironclad
ships and fortifications is sufficient to perplex his
Cabinet, while large sums are also required
for his palaces and their improvements. It is natu-
ral, and to a degree praiseworthy in a Governor,
to wish to profit by the great inventions of other
nations, but he should restrict his ambition by the
requirements of the national exchequer. The Turk-
ish Treasury has so lately been in a position of ex-
treme difficulty, and even danger, from its financial
embarrassments that it is a thousand pities the Mi-
nisters lack courage or ability to convince their
Sovereign that if he persists in deranging their
estimates and appropriating their resources by his
expensive tastes, another crisis, and perhaps a
catastrophe, is inevitable. Meanwhile the harvest
prospects are excellent, and the cotton crop gives
indication or unwonted prosperity, so that unless
these extraneous matters continue to hamper the
Government, there is no reason why all these per-
plexities should exist.

It would puzzle many to account for the conduc
of Earl RUSSELL, and to predict what will be his
next venture. He has outdone expectation in his
management of American affairs; and the last ruse
to which he has had to resort has not redounded
greatly to his credit. The notice which appeared
in the Gazette of the other day is a striking proof
of the want of courage and consistency displayed
by our Government, If the order forbidding in
future that any ship of war belonging to the belli•
gerent Powers of America be allowed to enter our
ports for the purpose of being dismantled or sold
were necessary, why is it only just issued ? Why
was not the discovery made of the inadvisability of
such proceedings long before ? The reason of all
this excitement is obvious—it is on account of
the affair of the Georgia. It has teen seen that
is as displeasing to the Government at Washington
for the Confederate ships to be put to any useful
purpose, and hence this order. Can any policy be
more mistaken and humiliating than one which
seeks to curry favour in this manner with an un-
scrupulous and insolent power like that of the
Federals. It cannot result in anything like success,
it must defeat its own purpose, and cover with dis•
credit the men who organise such an attempt to
deprecate criticism and disarm reproach when they
should assume a decided position, and manifest to
the world that they have some opinions of their
own. If the American war be not speedily termi■
mated, it may be supposed, with a sure
ground for the idea, that we shall witness
some other notable extravaganza on the part of
our Government relative to the conduct of affairs.
If any one had prophesied at the outset what would
be the line taken no one would have believed it ;
but events have multiplied themselves in quick
succession. Our Ministers have had to cope with
the difficulties and confront the dangers that ine-
vitably arise in war, and they have not at all been
equal to the emergency. There has been groat talk
of the preservation of strict neutrality, and we have
heard much about the advantages of non-interven.
tion ; but beyond these we have seen and heard
little enough else but mortifying and degrading
affairs, in which our honour has always been sacri-
ficed and our interests set at ncugbt. What
is all this for ? Is it to please the devotees of
America, whose ieflaence in the Cabinet of Lord
PALMERSTON was to work such wonders. Is it
because we are afraid of the Federals and dare not
forsake them too far. It is very difficult to obtain
a decisive and satisfactory answer to such demands,
bat at all events the real result of our policy is
patent to the world, and it remains for us to mourn

over our national decadence in spirit and independ-
ence, and to censure those who are so ill fulfilling
the duties of their high position. The case of the
Georgia is a scandalous one, and it will be a lasting
disgrace to our Government that they should have
veered about in so remarkable a fashicn, and proved
themselves so incapable of a straightforward course.
Tue Government that authorised the granting of a
register, and then denies its responsibility to defend
its own act, may last for a time owing to peculiar
circumstances, but it bears upon its front the
stigma of a disgraceful and dishonourable action.
In private life such conduct would not be tolerated,
and truth and justice are the same everywhere. This
state of things cannot last for ever, and whenever
the prestige of power has vanished, men will speak
their minds pretty plainly as to th,:i mainspring
and origin of all this discreditable foreign policy.
We are to look on and say and do nothing. What-ever insults are put upon us, the flag of England is

treated with contempt by an insolent and over-
bearing power, a soi disant ally ; and English sub-
jects are put to serious losses and indignities, while
the Foreign Office turns its attention to the framing
of orders and issuing of notices which shall pro•
pitiate the Moloch, whose wrath they dread.

The report of the Poor Law Board is one that is
certain to attract attention, and however dry the
details and commonplace the incidents it is replete
with interest of a peculiar kind, and contains much
to deserve notice. In consequence of the length of
time that elapses before the reports are published,
we have now before us some of the details which
chronicle the sad time of the distress in Lancashire.
Of course this was the worst trial that the Poor
Law Board has had to encounter, and therefore it is
not a fair test of its workings, since in some respects
it was too much for it to surmount. Four hundred
and fifty thousand was the number which the year
1862-3 was in excess of the year before it, and that
fact speaks volumes as to the necessity that called
forth such extreme measures. It is, however,
gratifying to learn that this outlay is on the de-
crease, and that when the next report is concocted
much better intelligence will meet our eyes. It is
a strange thing that so much time should elapse
before the publication of these reports, as the labour
cannot be so very great, and the public would
surely be kept more au courant with events if there
was a nearer connection between the period of the
occurrences described and the actual time of perusal.
It is surely time that some inquiry be instituted as
to these particulars, and those who are always
ready to find fault with official arrangements, and
to make it their endeavour to redress all grievances,
real or imaginary, that exist in the departments of
the State, had better look to this anomaly, and
request an explanation of such a singular mode
of proceeding. It was anything but business
like and cannot answer the purpose destined to be
fulfilled. It is curious to notice how little improve-
ment has been made since the New Poor-law
system has been at work. Those who expected so
much from it must feel that they greatly over-
rated the attempt and thought too lightly of its
schemes of reform. When we notice that the
pauperism of 1860 bears the same proportion to the
population as that of 1839, it cannot be said that
there is any cause for satisfaction. The same space
of time has witnessed striking improvements in
almost every other department of the State, and
reforms and new schemes have caused plenty and
prosperity to be carried to the ends of the earth.
The secret of all this is, doubtless, that no one takes
up the subject of the Poor with anything like heart
or energy. It is not considered of vital importance
to the community, and hence little real attention is
given to it. It cannot be true that if the skill of the
Legislature were brought to bear upon the ques-
tion,and the appliances of the State put into requi-
sition, very different results would come to pass,
Surely the present aspect of affairs is not so suit!'
able that we should be content to let things alone,
and the remedy that is so urgently called for ought
to be attempted at once, and as soon as practicable,
if we wish to avoid a disgraceful reflection.

Mr. and Mrs. Kean.

(From the Sydney 11lorning Herald of July 5.)

Mr. and Mrs. Kean's .last appearance on the Australian
stage took place yesterday evening, at the Prince of Wales
Theatre. His Excellency Sir John Young, Lady Young,
and suite were present, and certainly the largest audience
ever brought together within the walls of any building in
this colony, assembled to do honour to the two talented
artists who, after a brief sojourn in Australia, are about to
leave for California, and from thence to the country of their
greatest triumphs—Britain. Not only was the front of the
house crammed to suffocation,but the orchestra was stormed,
and, with the exception of a small place for the musicians,
crowded with people—numbers, too, were unable to get
admission to the audience part of the theatre at all—lnd,
rather than lose this last opportuni yof witnessing the
last performances of Mr. and Mrs Kean, were glad to avail
themselves of places behind the scenes—and that portion
of the stage concealed by the wings was as densely crowded
as the other parts of the house. The play selected for the
occasion was Colman's " Iron Chest," with Mr. Kean as
Mortimer, and Mrs. Kean as Lady Helen ; and the elegant
comely " The Jealous Wife." When Mr. Kean ap-
peared he was literally overwhelmed in an avalanche of
applause, which was repeated when Mrs, Kean came on,
and the enthusiasm continued throughout the play. It is
scarcely necessary to allude to the performance of the first
piece. The play of " The Iron Chest," it is well known,
is founded on the story of Caleb Williams; the character
of Mortimer is almost as gloomy as that of Bertram; amid
the clouds of remorse and self-accusation, one gleam of sun-
shine only penetrates his soul—the love of Lady Helen;
but even this, like the ray on the cloud, makes the more
dark that portion on which it falls. True, there is a som-
breness in the character, yet it is not uniform, but exhibits
all the changes which sensibility and suspicion are certain
to create. The transitions in this play give Mr Kean fre•
quent opportunities for the display of his great powers.
The Soliloquy on Honour, and the description he gives to
Wilford of the assassination cf his rival, were admirable,
and the last scene was a perfect consummation of art. But
it is needless to criticise. The drama has found a great
exponent in the persons of Mr and Mrs Kean; they have
brought out hidden beauties to the eye and sense of all those
who have witnessed their representations, and have created
more critics in Australia than a hundred editions of each
separate play in which they have appeared could produce.
On the conclusion of the "Iron Chest" there was an unani-
mous call for Mr Kean and his talented lady, and after the
cheering had subsided, Mr Kean, in a voice betraying the
emotions of his feelings, said—
" Ladies and Gentlemen,—This being the last time that
Mrs Kean and I will ever perform on this side of the Equa-
tor, I take the opportunity of expressing, in her name and
my own, our most grateful acknowledgments for the cour-
tesy and kindness which we have received during our stay
in Sydney. It has afforded both of us infinite pleasure to
find on our return no diminution of that success which at.
tended our first performances in this city in December last,
believing it to be a signal mark of your good opinion. Al.
low me, however, most especially to record my heartfelt
appreciation of the interest and consideration evinced dur-
ing my serious indisposition some five months since. Such
generous sympathy shed its soothing it. fluence over the sick
cone!), and in the hour of suffering brought comfort and
consolation to the invalid. My illness here, and Mrs
Kean's severe and painful attack in Melbourne, have cast a
shadow over our sojourn in these colonies, having disqua-
lified us for the exercise of our professional labours between
three and four months out of the nine which we have passed
on your hospitable shores. On Thursday next, the ship
which, with the blessing of Providence, will bear us across
the Pacific Ocean, is appointed to eail, and therefore I may
say that in a few hours we shall leave your beautiful har'
hour for that of San Francisco, being within a day of the
anniversary of our departure last year from the port of
Liverpool for Victoria. Anticipating the readings and reci-
tations which we are engaged to give at the Masonic Hall
on the evenings of to-morrow and Wednesday, I will now
take our last farewell of Australia, with the assurance
that during our wanderings memory will be busy, rais-
ing up before the mind's eye the many kind friends we leave
behind, and recalling the many kind acts we have received
at their hands. I will not dwell upon a word which always
fills the heart with sadness, and more especially when the
separation is for ever. I will, therefore, ladies and gentle-
men, simply and gratefully bid you farewell."
"The Jealous Wife" presented Mr and Mrs Kean in the
domestic element of drama; and their success in this is no
less great than in their more sublime conceptions of the
great dramatists of the world.

This evening the first of the two readings of Shakspere
and other poets will be given by Mr and Mrs Kean, at the
Mason!o Hall; and the greht success they have achieved in
a t ithilar instructive entertainment in London and the pro-
vinces of England is of itself a suffineut guarantee that
those who avail themselves of this het opportunity of hear-
ing Mr and Mrs Kean will carry away with them '• some-
thing to remember." On Thursday next they start for
California, accompanied by Mr George Coppin, through
whose instrumentality they were induced to visit Australia.

THE PERILS OF BALLET DANCERS,—An accident
which might have been attended with the moat
lamentable consequences, occurred two evenings since at
the Grand Theatre of Marseilles, During the ballet in the
second act of "Peau d'Ano,'' Madlle. Pancaldi, one of the
principal dancers, made a false step, and fell into the promp-
ter's box, which is sunk below the stage, close to the foot-
lights. She was not much hurt by the fall, but her dress
came in contact with the gas, and was instantly in a blaze.
She however, promptly extricated herself, and was running
ahcerroisas thhie s
s armsta
g
se
andvhe
isn huctceeedmedaninagtexrt,inA.
gluiDeehifrogsse,
thtectia,umgheat
before any fatal injury was done, but his own hands were
severely burnt. As there were 30 other female dancers on
the stage, it is almost a miracle that further injury was not
done,