The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-04 00:00:00

THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.

(From the J.imes' Correspondent.)
CONSTANTINOPLE, May 25.
Nubar Pasha, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
the Viceroy of Egypt, is expected to arrive here
in a few days, charged with the mission of bringing
to a termination, one way or another, the much-
discussed and still unsettled question of the Isthmus
of Suez Canal. The last mail has brought to us a
copy of the original Note of the Porte on the sub-
ject, addressed to the Turkish ambassador in Lon-
don and Paris, and communicated by them to their
respective Cabinets. This Note, the substance of
which I placed before you in various letters, found
its way into the Monzteur, and the replies of the
English and French Governments are anxiously ex-
pected. It is not difficult to foresee what the reply
of England will be ; but it is not quite so easy to
foretell in what spirit it will be dealt with by the
Government of France. The tone of moderation in
which this document is framed, the nature of the
objections which it brings forward, will no doubt
place the French Government in some difficulty, if
they should be still inclined to urge the execution of
the original agreement between the late Viceroy
and M. de Lesseps. The force of this appeal lies
not only in the political considerations which induce
the Turkish Government to withhold their assent
to the undertaking in its present form ; but also
upon the broader principles of the interests of
humanity, which have been invaded by the constant
employment of forced labour in carrying on the
works of the canal. The Turks have not failed to
see that this argument, in the judgment of Europe,
would serve them, even more than an exposition of
the political encroachment of the scheme; and they
have, therefore, concentrated upon it all the logic
and reasoning which are likely to find favour in the
eyes of free and unprejudiced people. The ques-
tion, at the point to which it has now been reduced
by the Turks, stand thus :—They propose a revision
of the un unrecognised cs
stipulations
concession,expunging
s threaten
the pre-
jectirogative such ob-
onable
as regards
the Should these
objections be rejected by the company, special
canal.agreeagreement,t, thegua-
ranteeing
appropriation
theo
or
ft et ;morelle land
p larrrtligc
auttl y
by
y
the fresh
water canals and the employment of forced labour,
-
raanndtetehiengintthroe ductionof a
neutrality
ofthe Porte,
with prodigal generosity, proposes to indemnify the
parties interested by the reimbursement of such
expenditure as may have been incurred, and to un-
dertake itself, in conjunction with the Viceroy, the
termination of the works. It is a question how far
the company would be enabled to dispense with the
system of labour as hitherto carried on, and, in the
event of their being able to dispense with it, whether
the introduction of legitimate means of labour
would not involve the outlay of more capital than
they are possessed of; and, also, whether with such
increased expenditure the remunerative prospects of
the enterprise would not be jeopardised_ The sur-
render, also, of the privilege which confers on the
company the possession of extensive tracts of land--
a privilege to which the promoters attached a very
great importance—is not likely to prove palatable to
them. Be this as it may, it is not likely, I think,
that the Turkish Government will consent, in nego-
tiation, to diminish any of their pretentious as set
forth in their Note. Special Councils were held on
the subject. The Imperial Divan has been specially
convened to fully discuss the matter; and the unani-
mous resolution arrived at on these occasions has
been to withhold the confirmation of the grant, and
to resist the execution of the enterprise on its pre-
sent principles.

A succession of fetes and entertainments is being