The Sun.
London, England, 1830-03-22 00:00:00

CONSTANTINOPLE.

Extract of a letter from a British officer, dated Con
stantinople, January 25, 1830 :
" The force of the Turkish navy now at Constantinople
consists of two three-deckers (Mahmoud, of 140 guns, and
&lint, of 130 guns), seven line-of battle ships, eight fri-
gates (one of which is double banked of 61, guns), and
20 large corvettes, of from 21 to 26 guns each; besides
these, an 80-gun ship is daily expected from the arsenal at
the Island of Marmora. Her masts and yards are in readi-
ness at Constantinople, she being at present but jury
rigged. The Sultan is quite enamoured with the majes-
tic appearance of the Blonde, British frigate, and salt a
draughtsman on board a few days back, who took a com-
plete architectural drawing of her, for the purpose of
having a frigate built exactly after her model and dimen-
sions. The Turkish shipwrights are now busily em-
ployed in preparing timbers for the intended La Blonde of
the East. The Russians are determined not to be entirely
behind us in our movements through the Bosphorus ; and
as England was the first Foreign power that ever sent a fri-
gate through the Thracian Bosphorus to the Black Sea, so
are the Russians the first to send a line-of-battle ship from
the Black Sea down the Bosphorus ; thus the birth which
the Blonde occupied last summer at Bujuckdere is now
possessed by a line-of-battle snip, in company with the
frigate which carried out the Russian Ambassador, and a
sloop of war of his nation. On Friday last the BI snde
Wes honoured with the company at dinner of the Ca-
pitan Bey, second in command of the Turkish Navy, and
Reale Bey, a Rear-Admiral, and Leman Reis Bey, the
Naval Commissioner, with Captain Kelly, an Englishman,
the Commander of the Steam Navigation ; but unfortu-
nately the harmony of the evening was suddenly inter-
rupted by the breaking out of a fire on the Galata side of
Constantinople, which soon assumed a most alarming ap-
pearance. The flames: spread like wild-fire; and having
taken a direction in the line of the Custom-house, it w.s
deemed advisable, as well for the safety of the town as
that of the shipping, to send a large force from the Blonde
to assist in arresting the progress of that destructive ele-
ment. Consequently, Lieutenant Barrow (son of Mr.
Secretary Barrow, of the Admiralty), Mr. Turton, the
Master, Lieutenant Hayes, of the Marines, and one
hundred seamen, with a division of marines, landed, and
their prompt conduct excited great admiration. Finding
they could make little progress in arresting the fury of the
flames by the engines, they turned to and tore down by
main force a range of houses which lay betwixt the Cus-
tom-house and the direction which the fire had taken ; and
thus, by sacrificing eight or ten houses, they saved the ex-
tensive towns of Tophana, Galata, and Pena, perhaps
the Turkish Navy, and the thousands of merchant ships
of all nations that are lying along the Galata and Pera
wharfs.; for had the fire once reached the Custom-
house, where there are numerous stores of combustible
materials, it would be impossible to prevent its com-
municating to the merchant shipping; and these break-
ing loose, would soon have drifted amongst the Turkish
ships of war, and thus have fired the Dock-yard, the
City of Constantinople, and perhaps the Seraglio; owing,
however, to the exertions of our people, the fire was got
under by eleven o'clock at night. About forty houses
have been consumed. It is but right to observe that the
Capitan Bey took an active part in extinguishing the
flames, and seemed to vie with our Officers in braving the
fury of the element. Captain Kelly, of the Steam navi-
gation, was also very conspicuous on this occasion, and
rendered himself particularly useful in assisting our people
to tumble down the houses. For this very important
service the ship's company of the Blonde has had the
honour of receiving the unqualified thanks of the Turks as
well as the Franks of this place. The French Ambassa-
dor's Lady, Countess Guilletrsinot, in speaking of it, corn-
pares the English sailors to angels, and their actions to
everything bordering on the miraculous. A strong
squadron from Alexandria, with presents from the Pacha
of Egypt to the Grand Seignior, has recently arrived in
the Sea of Marmora. It consists of one line of battle
ship, two frigates, six corvettes, and four brigs. Mr.
Mellish, our Secretary to the Embassy, left us last month
for England : the Blonde landed him at Ro,hstow on the
10th of December. We have heard that the plague is
raging to a great extent at Adrianople, and if it extends
to this city we shall be off for another anchorage."
Another communication from the same officer, dated
February 6, states—" The English Ambassador,Right Hon.
R. Gordon, has had two conferences with the Reis Effenli
every week, and his Dragoman is daily engaged with the
Porte. Important affairs are under discussion. Halil
Pacha's mission to St. Petershurgh appears likely to prove
favourable to Turkey, for several private letters state that
the Emperor will grant facilities to the Porte, and that the
Turkish Ambassador's representations are received by the
Court of Russia with the kindest attention. 'Here every
thing is quiet, although the people regret the Sultan's lAA
for innovations, and blame it openly. The organization
of the regular troops has caused less discontent than the
projected erection of quarantine lazarettos, which will cer-
tainly be of great service to the capital. Tee accounts
from the provinces are not satisfactory. The insurrec-
tion in Asia is not yet put down, and the Commanders
in Bulgaria still commit great excesses. Notwith-
standing the act of amnesty lately published, many rich
Bulgarians arc about to emigrate to Russia. Great acti-
vity prevails in re-organizing the army ; several
thousand recruits, levied at Constantinople, have beers em-
bodied with the regular troops. Frequent meetings of
the Divan have been held subsequent to the arrival of M.
de Ribeaupiere, and the discussion of important topics con •
nected with Isis mission. To judge by the apparent satis-
faction of the Turkish Minister, the overtures of the Rus-
sian Ambassador had produced an agreeable effect on him;
while, on the other hand, the cordiality which had pre-
vailed between the Porte and the British Embassy seems
to have diminished. A serious difference is said to have
taken place between Mr. Gordon and the Reis Effendi ;
the latter is even stated to have told the English Envoy
that the moment of illesion is past, and that the Porte is
not blind to the fact that England, notwithstanding her
friendly protestations, would, without hesitation, consent
to the annihilation of the Ottoman Empire, should her
own interests seem to require the sacrifice. On this point
the Turkish Minister probably alluded to the political
equivocation of the British Cabinet with regard to Greece,
whose entire emancipation is now demanded by the Eng-
lish Government, although at a former period she offered
to assist in reconquering the State for the Grand Seignior."

A methodist preacher, by trade a mason,
somewhere from the neighbourhood of Cowbridge, and
lately returned from America, has been doing infinite
mischief among the workmen of Merthyr-Tydfil and its
vicinity, by the glowing colours in which he has been
painting that land of promise. In the course of the la. t
two weeks a great portion of the sitting magistrate's time
has been occupied with taking settlements, preparing re-
movals, and ordering relief for the wives and children of
these deluded exiles, most of whom are gone with the full
expectation of finding tobacco ready prepared on the
roads, and loaves of bread ready baked upon the trees.
Cambrian.