The Sun.
London, England, 1839-08-12 00:00:00

to my having in very early life emerged fr
by a series of fortun.,, : .
that when
1 ,
~.. .... .., circumstances, so .
on,".aty-tour years of age, I had attained the rank
of general officer. Having invited me to inspect the
`,',".7. Itc.; crowd, 1
cavalry regiment quartered at Coucoules, and to be
present at the maoceuvres it would perform, the Grand
Signor diSmissed me in the kindest manner, saying that
every thing would be shown to me that I desired to
see at Constantinople. In withdrawing I was accom-
panied
by persons of the highest rank, and in particular
by Halil-Pacha, the son•in-law of Mahmoud, who pro-
fessed a great regard for me."

THE REFORMS OF THE LATE SULTAN AND THEIR

TENDENCY.
" Their fame has resounded throughout Europe, and
it has been thought that the Sultan has created a new
order of things, and commenced 'an era of civilization in
Turkey, whereas in reality, little more has been effected
than the destruction of the Janissaries, and the esta-
blishment of the new military force. The former was
an useful and important act, for which the Sultan id
deserving of the highest praise ; but the troops by which
the Janissaries have been replaced, are far from realiz-
ing the hopes that were conceived of them and as to
the boasted reforms, they bear only on matters of a
frivolous nature, such as the change of titles or of dress.
Thus the turban has been proscribed ; the Reis-Ef-
fendi has changed his name to that of Minister for Fo-
reign Affairs ;' the power of the Grand Vizier has been
curtailed ; the extent of some of the provinces altered ;
and the army is recruited by conscription, according
to the arbitrary will of the Paellas. • •
" The great Timars' or Fiefs, which existed in
Asia, and were wisely governed, furnished the Empire,
in time of war, with twenty thousand good cavalry ; but
the Sultan -has destroyed these fiefs, and as his agents
cannot exercise over the population the same degree 131
authority that the original owners possessed, he neither
receives troops nor money from these districts, which
are a prey to disorder. Everything, in short, exhibits
weakness, and the elements ef dissolution are spreading
in all directions.

A remarkable change has taken place in the cha-
racter of the Turks, who, instead of the profound
respect and veneration which they formerly entertained
for the blood of Othman, feel a sentiment of estrange.
ment for the Sovereign who frequently forgets the prin-
ciples of the Koran ; imitates the customs of the Chris-
tians, and attempts to force their institutions on his
people. Their fanaticism, once a powerful bond of
union, has been subdued, and as they have no privileged
classes of society, or hereditary distinctions, the sever-
ing, or even loosening of the ties which they acknow-
ledged, leaves to them only separate interests, without
moral power, or real force.
0 The Turk is guileless, honest, and truth-speaking,
but proud, ignorant, and . apathetic. These peculiari-
ties have undergone no alteration, because there is
scarcely any impulse capable of rousing him. The
sensual enjoyments he derives from repose, his pipe, or
from the pleasures of the harem, and the regular per-
formance of the prescribed prayers, constitute his only
occupation and excitement. His mind, naturally of a
law standard, would require the most powerful stimu-
ants to bring it into action ; but such an existence as
we have described, the insipidity of which causes both
discouragement and disgust, must produce a state of '
lethargic stupor and inanity, pervading the entire nation.
The only important result of the changes that have
taken place is a softening of the national manners."
AN ARAE GUIDE.
" Throughout this day's journey we were under the
guidance of a young Arab, named Dyes, whom we
engaged at Sassayack, a miserable village at the top of
Anti-Libanus, and about two leagues distance from
Baalbeck. He was a Christian of the Greek Church ;
of a kind and lively disposition, finely proportioned, and
very active. Like the rest of his nation, he had a
strong affection for his horse, and he possessed a degree
of practical philosophy which rendered him compara-
tively indifferent to the course of passing events ; and,
regardless of the future, he contented himself with en-
joying the present, and recollecting the pleasures of the
past. His fervid imagination, constantly excited by
the charms of a beautiful climate, sweetened his life,
and created an imaginary existence far surpassing any
reality. 'I his man was such as eastern tales depict
the Arab, winning upon those whom he desires to
p'easc by his simplicity, and by the truth and guile-
lessness of his character, and exciting their astonish-
ment by his natural enthusiasm for everything that
is magnanimous in sentiment, or beautiful in nature. I
derived great pleasure from conversing with this young
man ; his observations always bore the stamp of sound
judgment, and showed that he possessed a feeling and
generous soul. basked him if he were married, and he
replied in the negative, but added that he had a beau-
tiful mistress ; and on my inquiring if he would defend
her against those who might try to tear her from him,
he exclaimed, with a degree of energy and feeling that
I shall never forget, ' Against ten would I defend her,
and even until death, if she be faithful to me ; but not
against a single arm, or even for a single moment, if I
could suspect her to be false.' What a noble sentiment
to spring from this simple-hcaited, but right-minded
youth !"