The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-20 00:00:00

THE TURKISH EMPIRE.

(Rom the limes' Corresponf?ent.)
CONSTANTINOPLE, lAN. 4.

Those persons who, on the accession of the pre-
sent Sultan, had ventured to predict a new era of
prosperity and advancement, who hailed him as the
Sovereign who was to remedy the evils of the pre-
vious reign, and who, founding their judgment upon
what had previously transpired as to his character
and disposition, gave him credit for the possession
of such qualities as were necessary to raise the
nation in its own estimation and that of Europe,
will look with disappointment and despondency on
the events whieh are now occurring here. For some
time past rumours of a serious dissension between
the Sultan and his advisers were circulated, and a
feeling of uneasiness, even of apprehension, had
taken possession of the public mind. In a country
where everything depends on the caprice of one
man, and cue who, like the present Sultan, knows
how to keep his own counsel, it is always difficult
to trace rumours to their source, or to foretell events.
On this occasion, however, the public was not long
left in suspense. It soon transpired that the cause
of disagreement was a strong indication, on the part
of the Sultan, of a reactionary policy, manifesting
itself in the first instance in a peremptory order to
increase the naval and military armaments of the
country. This was resisted by his Ministers. Their
representations proved of no avail, and on Saturday
last t hey all resigned in a body. It is remarkable, in a
country where public men are so eager for office, and
so loth to relinquish it—where the ties of party are
set aside and disregarded by statesmen when an
opportunity occurs of satisfying personal ambition—
to observe the unanimity which prevailed on this
occasion. Nor did this unanimity limit itself to the
resignation of every individual member of the Ad-
ministration. The other high functionaries of the
State whose position makes them independent of
the fluctuations of office, joined with the retiring
Minister in opposing the wild aspirations of the
Sultan.

The Sheik-ul-Islam, who, it might have been
supposed, would look with favour upon this reac-
tionary movement, has resigned his functions of
Chief of the Faith ; and Omar Pasha, the Com-
mander-in-Chief of the Forces, who was in the
highest favour with the Sultan, and who had re-
cently been loaded with honour and rewards in
written
consequencecommof the sucessful issue of the Monte-
negrin war, has withdrawn from the command of
the I
army.
nanmicaitnifoonrintoedthethsantltla'unadPash
conveying hisa,ina
resignation and that of his colleagues, expressed
himself with a degree of firmness and determination
great
hcirgehd
.i.tii 0
wo on
Orientalhim.
cwohuireshe clothedrefi ets
in g
phrase-
ology which neverpa for
tion due to the
Ministry as to the policoypu
this effect:—That the views the Sultan and his
materially ; that in their
position, the support of the
empiie lay more in its territorialnatnhde safety of the
dishatetbs the respect
geographical
Powers, and
the faith of treaties, than :n iron-cladrn
ships and an
increase of the army; that every man tak
en away,
for purposes of recruitment, from theagriculture
and industry of the country, caused
propor-
tionate exhaustion of its resources; that
.at their
attention had been directed to the furtherance of
wholesome enterprises, such as a bank, •
railway,
and other industrial undertakings, and the strictest'
retrenchment in expenditure, by which means alone
to be ofi
i noeb
Western
te
followed substance a rildti
tvdwewiffnaaeessrretaoof
it was possible to promote the prosperity and se-
curity of the empire, and not by armaments which
would infallibly call forth the disapprobation of
Europe; that the only policy which could attract
the sympathies of their allies was one of toleration,
economy, and reform ; and that, as they could not
consent to be coerced into the adoption of other
views, they had no alternative left than to place
their resignation at his feet. The Sultan rejected
these wise counsels, and the country at this moment
is without a Government. Said Pasha, a man who
up to the present identified himself with the old
Turkish party, and who was looked upon as a bit-
ter enemy of the Christian element, was sent for,
and it was believed that he would have accepted the
of moderation task of forming a Government. It is now ascer-
tained that he declined the responsibility, and this
rulers. That
on the same grounds which determined the with-
drawalrecentl of Fuad and iris party. There is undoubtedly
springing up
among
'
.ong the people
folly of their
which contrasts and calmness in critical moments
with the obstinacy and
such a remarkable spiirnitdwiffheicrhenotpepraartetsd inof
Europe, and very manner.
at
to represent a fana•
oc-
curred in Greece, would syeem
opposition o ee
existrvyetwno
tthosseowrtmhe heeai ecwsxhiaitlielrntftthheeve
Sheikh-ul-Islam
even in Turkey. The calm
athe d
etn Sultanera 0 is personsho
were suchbelieved
tical and retrograde policy, is a significant fact,
which tends to show that the blind fanaticism
which
animated a portion of the population in this eoun.