The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-19 00:00:00

THE EAST.

We take the following from the levant Herald:
"MOSTAR, Sept. 1.

" Yesterday the recently appointed President of the
Local Military Council, Osman Pasha, left here for Constan-
tinople. This is perhaps to be regretted, as his honest energy
of character might have improved the conditim of the army,
which is now left virtually uncared for. The new ferik,
Omer Pasha will have an unpleasant task, being an entire
stranger to the country; it is therefore probable that the
administration will fall on the shoulders of Mahmoud
Pash3, who is the only general officer capable of discharg-
ing it with any degree of efficiency. Djevded Effendi, the
Imperial Commissioner, has since his arrival displayed an
amount of activity locally quite unparalleled. On his first
entry into Mostar in his costume as a member of the
Ulema, the Bosnians almost imagined that the Prophet
himself had arrived; but they soon found out their mis-
take, and now rather regard his Excellency as the incarnate
Antithesis in a priestly dress. He certainly works well,
and occupies himself attentively with the very important
question of property, regulating the differences and misun-
derstandings between the Bey proprietors and the Christian
cultivators with a vigorous despatch worthy of all praise.
If his duty were only to organise the interior affairs of the
province proper on a sound footing, without doubt success
would crown his efforts; unfortunately he has taken in
hand the troublesome affairs of the lately insurgent dis-
tricts as well. Though these are not now in armed revolt,
they still manifest a very ugly passive opposition. Louka
and a half score of the chiefs of the country form the
nucleus of what may be called" a fourth political party,
the other three being the Russian, the Montenegrin, and tie
Austrian, which last seems t 3 make most headway of any
You are already aware that Osman Pasha was entrusted
with a sword of honour for presentation to the Prince
Nicholas. A Turkish officer was consequently sent to Cet
tigne to invite his Highness to a rendezvous on the frontier
for the purpose of receiving the gift. The Prince, however,
declined the invitation, pretending that his health would
not permit him, and begged the Pasha to come himself to the
mountain capital. Up to the present, therefore, no inter-
view has taken place. On the other hand, negotiations have
been entered upon with Louka, who promised to use all
his influence to induce a deputation of Christian chiefs to
crave the clemency of the Sultan. With this object in view a
meeting of the notables was accordingly held, and it was then
decided that a deputation should proceed to Constantinople,
Louka himself agreeing to accompany it; but just at this
moment the Montenegrin envoys arrived and upset the ar-
rangements—the end of the whole being that no deputation
has gone, nor is any at present likely to go. Such has
always been, and always will be, the case in negotiations
with these gentry, till some strong measures have been
taken by the authorities and the mischief-makers who
foment discord and revolt sent out of the country. With a
population like this half measures do more harm than
good ; they only tend, in fact, to bring about fresh com-
plications."
SAIYRKA., Sept. 5.

" A' strike' among the fig-packers is almost the only
item of news the week has produced. This novelty in our
local industry happened on Monday last, and has hardly yet
altogether subsided ; but inasmuch as the circumstances
permit of no sympathy whatever with the complainants, it
has merely been a matter for the police, and these, I am
glad to say, have dealt with it at once with the firmness and
the moderation the case required. The affair is not unsimi-
lar to the strikes of workmen and labourers in the capital
at and after the final withdrawal of the caimds, when those
parties held out for payment in metallic at the old exorbi-
tant paper-money rates. So here again; it was, as you
know, only last season that we got rid of our three or four
circulating standards, and have gradually attained to some-
thing like a uniform medium. These people were last year
paid in base charouk, currency what was about equivalent
to from 13p. to 19p. a-day in the present good money; yet,
though they are now receiving from 16p. to 20p. in the good
currency, they complain and demand the same number of
piastres now that they formerly got in charouk. Of course
this could not be listened to, and accordingly the grumblers
struck work in a body on Monday, and for some hours
created considerable disturbance throughout the town. At
length they proceeded en masse to the knoak ; to invoke the
support of the Pasha. Here, however, they caught a Tar-
tar. Achmet tried first to convince them of the unreason-
ableness of their demands, and did his best to persuade
them to resume work ; but this moderation only encouraged
them, and seeing that, the Governor-General had recourse
to the more effective logic of arresting and imprisoning the
ringleaders of the movement. This brought the majority
of the others to their senses, and next day most of them
quietly went back to their work. There is still, however,
considerable ferment in what may be called the " trade ;"
but it will, I doubt not, subside in another day or two, and
all will go on as before. It is true that the price of living
has increased here greatly for all classes; but so too have
wages in proportion, as may be inferred from the rates I
have mentioned for this one class of the working popula-
tion. Thar case, therefore. excites no sympathy whatever,
and is consequently all the more easily dealt with by the
authorities."