The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-05 00:00:00

RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

The last telegraphic message from Vienna says,
that against the advice of the Four Powers, the
Sultan has signed the declaration of war.
The following is from the Constantinople corre-
spondent of our contemporary, the Morning
Chronicle. It is dated the .22d of September, and
is published in a second edition of that journal to-
day :

1‘ The first news of the refusal given by the
Emperor of Russia to the modified note of the Four
Powers reached here on the evening of Sunday last.
The Tartar who brought the contents of the tele-
graphic despatch that was forwarded on the 13th,
from Vienna to Belgrade, accomplished the distance
from thence to Constantinople in four days and a
half—very fair riding. The contents of that dis-
patch were kept strictly secret by the Austrian Em-
bassy ; and the Journal de Constantinople, which
appeared 911 Monday evening, limited itself to an-
nouncing the arrival of an extraordinary courier
from Belgrade for the Austrian Internuncio, add-
ing that though the most alarming reports were in
circulation, the courier had brought no news of
general interest. Since then dispatches have been
received by the Austrian Embassy from Vienna,
and the day before yesterday two special couriers
arrived from Belgrade for the British and French
Ambassadors. The contents of these dispatches
were, however, anterior to the telegraphic dispatch
of the 13th.

" We are now here exactly in the same position
that we were in this time last month. The drago-
men of the different embassies are hurrying to and
fro ; the representatives of the four Powers are
holding conferences. The evening before last a
great council was held at the Porte. This whole
week has been passed in political excitement. The
Porte refuses to give way. Those who formerly.
lent Turkey full support, now come forward to de-
clare that they will draw back if the Turkish Go-
vernment does not give up the modifications it
thought necessary and fitting to introduce into the
Vienna note.

" Up to the present time the Porte has not given
way. The Turkish Government persists in its refusal
to sign the collective Vienna note, without the
modifications and conditions it had attached thereto.
What will be the consequences ? War ? The
Western Powers are adverse to war. Will Turkey
dare to commence hostilities unsupported by Eng-
land and France ? This protracted negotiation
has proved disastrous to the interests of the
Turkish Government. Au energetic effort has
been made to raise an army, and that effort has
succeeded. The exchequer has been largely drawn
upon, until it is well nigh exhausted. The pa-
triotic and fanatic feelings of the Osmanlis have
been appealed to, and the whole nation awakened
from a slumbering slothfulness to an unprece-
dented activity, and to a sense of the menaced
independence of its position, and of its reli-
gious faith. To what do such stimulations lead,
but to war ? Supposing war to be declared by
Turkey, the Danube and all the rich provinces on
both sides cannot surely be allowed to become the
prey of Russia. Turkish statesmen are not blind
to the fact that the Western Powers would even-
tually be drawn into the struggle, nolens volens ;
and it is therefore not at all improbable that under
the pressure of the belligerent feeling that animates
the country in general, they will take a bold course,
and draw their sword upon an enemy who has
already violated the Turkish soil.
"In the meanwhile, Russian agency is not idle
in the land of the Moslem, and the money spent in
political propaganda not thrown away. Numerous
agents of Russia are busy in encouraging a revolu-
tionary feeling amongst the Christian populations
of the Ottoman Empire ; and it is not difficult to
gain over the Greek subjects of the Ottomans to
the cause of Russia, the protective power of their
Church.

"A person high in office, writing from Bucharest,
uses the following expressions All the measures
taken by the Russian armies now stationed in the
Danubian provinces indicate an imminent campaign.
If the Russians winter in Wallachia, they will ruin
this country, both materially and morally.'
"In Albania and Thessaly, Austrian agency is
stated to be busy. M. Nizzoli, an Austrian con-
sul, has been sent there.

The Turkish armaments continue energetically.
Orders have been sent to Omer Pacha, the com-
mander-in-chief of the Ottoman forces, whose head-
quarters are at Schumla, to make every preparation
for entering upon a campaign.

" Persons are not wanting who prognosticate di-
rect negotiations between Turkey and Russia.
Certainly, the mediation of the four Powers having
failed, nothing but either direct negotiation or war
remains. On the consideration that the guarantee
of the four Powers would be done away with,
Russia might, perhaps, be willing to make conces-
sions to the Sultan."

In consequence of representations made to the
Internuncio at Constantinople by the Danube
Steam Navigation Company, Baron von Bruck has
moved to the Porte to take strenuous measures to
protect the Company's stations in Silistria, Sistow,
Nicopoli, and Lorn Palamka, where the populace
had made demonstrations of a nature to disquiet
the Christians and put them in fear for their lives.
On the 9th of September the Russian dredging
machine had entirely stopped work, and was de-
clared to be spoiled and totally unfit for further
service.

The Russian steamers are said now to pass
through the Kilia mouth of the Danube with every
confidence and safety ; for the most part, it must
be observed, they draw less water than the Lloyd
steamers.
The navigation of the Danube is now fallen to a
lower ebb than has of late been chronicled ; the
depth of water at the Sulina bar is now only 6 feet.
The vessels coming from Constantinople are, of
course, still obliged to unload and convey their
cargoes by lighters on board the Lloyd steamers,
which do the same by the goods and
they have brought down the stream. These steamers
in their turn must again unload at Galatz, and
again at the Iron-gate, where the depth of water is
now reduced another half foot, so that not even
tow boats without cargo can be towed over the
rapids. One steamer plies from the Irongate to
Galatz, and another from there to Sulina, and a
third from there to Constantinople. The Rhine
Navigation Company in Cologne possesses an iron
three-masted vessel, the Fortschritt, built in
Havre, which is so constructed that it can reduce
its draught of water from 16 to 8i feet, with
full cargo, on approaching shoals or a bar ' • its ton-
nage is 182 lasts, and in the beginning of August
it passed the Sulina bar with 360 tons of coal on
board without unshipping her cargo.
The Grand Duke Alexander of Russia passed
through Warsaw on the 28th September, on his
way to St. Petersburg. The Warsaw Bank has
raised its terms for loans from 5 per cent. to 6 per
cent.
The following is from Vienna, Sept. 30 An
extraordinary courier arrived last night from
Constantinople, with advices to the 22d inst. The
Turkish capital was then quiet. The combined
English and French fleets had not at that time
passed through the Dardanelles, but were still at
Besika Bay. The Paris despatch, therefore, which
stated two days ago that the combined squadrons'
had arrived in the Bosphorus on the 20th, was pre-
mature. Nevertheless, I hear, from a most credible
source, that power has been given to the ambassa-
dors to send for their respective squadrons. If,
therefore, the fleets have not yet anchored at the
Golden Horn, that is no reason why they may not
very shortly be there. It is stated that in this
latter event Russia would consider the treaty of
1841 null and void, and no longer bound by its ;
provisions. Indeed, some persons go so far as to
predict that if such a precedent were to be esta-
blished with regard to any particular treaty, all i
other treaties with Turkey would share the same fate,

by which Russia would greatly gain. The necessity
for new engagements would thonbecome inevitable;
but the moral value of all international treaties
would thus be entirely destroyed. •It is said that it
had been arranged at Olmutztolet theßussian army
cross the Danube the very moment that advices of
the arrival of the entire combined fleets off Stam-
boul should reach the Russian head-quarters.
This version agrees with the opinion of certain
politicians, who argue that, to save the honour
both of the Czar and the Sultan, a hostile encoun-
ter between the Russian and Turkish troops
must take place ; after which an, honourable and
satisfactory arrangement will be possible, but not
before. The Emperor Francis Joseph did not
accompany his Imperial guest to the frontier, as it
was thought he would do. The two Emperors
took leave of each other in a most affectionate
manner at the railway station. It is reported that
the Emperor of Austria promised to return the
Imperial visit if possible, very shortly, at Warsaw,
but it is not yet certain whether his Majesty will
go thither at present. The Emperor of Russia was
particularly attentive to General Guyon and the
French officers at Olmutz. His Majesty is reported.
to have assured the general that he is most anxious.
to find an opportunity of making the personal ac-
quaintance of his brother Emperor, Napoleon. 111.,
for whom he entertained the liveliest sympathies
and the highest personal esteem. His Majesty is
further said to have descanted, in his conversations
with General Guyon, on the services which the
present Emperor of the French had rendered to the
cause of civilisation and order within the last few
years, for which not only France, but all Europe,
owed him an immense debt of gratitude.
Advices from Asia speak with certainty of a strong
Russian army being concentrated in the Caucasus ;
it is said to be composed of from 100,000 to 120,000
men, and is posted on the frontier and along tho
shores of the Euxine. Pamphlets are being distri-
buted among the Asiatic Armenians, which are
written in the Armenian language, and headed
with the following prophecy :—" In the year 1854
Constantine will take Constantinople. In the year
1855 the Christians will be enabled to make their
pilgrimage to the holy shrines without let or hin-
drance." In another correspondence it is stated
that 60,000 Ulemas and Softis, Kadis, tkc., belong-
ing to Constantinople and the adjoining districts,
had sworn to leave nothing undone until the Turk-
ish Government had declared war against Russia,
in order to save the honour of the throne and the
country.