The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-26 00:00:00

TURKEY.

We (Wats) have received letters from Constan
tinople, dated the 12th, which enable us to re-
establish a little order in the telegraphic dispatches
which have succeeded each. sAller so rapidly for the

last few days, and which come down to the 13th.
The first fact worthy of remark mentioned in our
letters is that the note by which the Porte signifies
its refusal to accede to the demands of Russia was
drawn up, and notified to the Russian Ambassador
by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was put
in possession of power at the time of the arrival of
Prince Menschikoff at Constantinople, for our
letters say nothing of the Ministerial crisis which,
on the 13th, brought Reschid Pasha to the Minis-
try of Foreign Affairs. His return was to be re-
garded as a confirmation by the Sultan of the de-
termination he had come to not to yield, and
which appears to have caused not a little surprise
to Prince Menschikoff. As a comminatory demon-
stration he had, in fact, embarked two days before
with all the personnel of his Embassy on
board the Russian steam-frigate Bessarabia, an-
chored off the Palace of Buyukdere, and on the
10th he received the negative reply of the Divan.
Instead of starting for Odessa, as was expected, he
on the 11th sent M. Argyropoulo, first dragoman
of the Russian Embassy to the Porte, to declare
to the Ministers of the Sultan that he considered
their reply as evasive, and requested to have a
More categorical one. M. Argyropoulo was, more-
over instructed to recommend the Ministers to
accept a fresh delay of three days which the Prince
offered to them, in order that they might have time
to weigh maturely the consequences the negative
reply they had sent might entail on the Sultan and
on the Empire. If, therefore, the telegraphic
dispatches, dated the 13th, are correct, and the
article of the Moniteur proves that they are so, we
may conclude that the Porte, encouraged perhaps
by the hesitation which appeared to it to be
evident in the conduct of Prince Menschikoff, re-
plied to his fresh overtures by the nomination of a
Ministry notoriously hostile to Russia. On the
other hand, we are assured that the language used
by Lord Clarendon in the House of Lords, on the
24th April, contributed to induce the Divan to
show resistance, and that the note by which
it signified its refusal to accede to the demands
of Prince Menschikoff had been concerted with the
English Ambassador at Constantinople. However,
the note is moderate and polite, but dignified and
firm. If we are well informed, it is couched some-
what in the following terms : The Porte is animated
with the strongest desire to draw closer the bonds
of perfect amity and alliance between the two
governments. The Sultan is himself constantly
and sincerely disposed to keep up and to increase
the relations of good neighbourhood and intimate
union which have so long and happily existed be-
tween him and the Emperor of Russia. The Porte
will therefore receive favourably such of the
demands of Prince Menschikoff as wound neither
its honour nor its independence. It grants the erec-
tion at Jerusalem of the church, the convent, and
the hospital which the Emperor Nicholas wishes
to found there, provided that it takes place in such
a manner as to maintain intact the rights of the
Sultan to internal administration and after mature
negotiation between the two governments. As
far as regards the religious privileges granted to
all the Christian subjects of the Porte, and espe-
cially to the Greeks, by the predecessors of the
Sultan, and on the maintenance of which Russia
appears to have some doubts, not only has the
Sultan Abd-ul-Medjid never thought of withdraw-
ing or restricting them, but their maintenance and
development at present and for the future have
been, and always will be, the object of his con-
stant solicitude. At the same time he cannot con-
clude any treaty with any foreign power on a ques-
tion which exclusively belongs to the internal
administration of the Empire. To do so would
be to sacrifice his rights of sovereignty and his in-
dependence ; and whatever may be the character
of the friendship with which the relations and re-
ciprocal sentiments of the Sultan and the Emperor
are impressed, that friendship cannot go so far
as to impose such a sacrifice on the Porte. It would
be contrary to international rights, and to those of
every free and independent State. The Sultan ap-
peals entirely on this subject to the justice and
equity of the whole world, and particularly of the
Emperor of Russia, who is so well known for his
good faith and uprightness of character. The Sul-
tan formally declares in the face of the universe
that he will maintain in all their extent the pri-
vileges and immunities which have been so long
enjoyed by the Christian Churches in his State,
and particularly by the Greek Church. This de-
claration ought to suffice, for he would no longer
be an independent sovereign if he were to consent
to bind himself on the question by any treaty or
convention with a foreign power. Such is the
sense of the note, which does honour to the govern-
ment of the Sultan Abd-ul-Medjid. What followed
is known, namely, the offer of a fresh delay made
by Prince Menschikoff, and the return to power
of Reschid Pacha. It is the debut of a new state
of things.

The following telegraphic dispatch has been
received in Paris. It is dated Constantinople the
16th :—" The new Ministry has issued a firman
relative to the question of the Holy Sepulchre ;
the other negotiations are still pending. Prince
Menschikoff has obtained an audience of the Sul-
tan ; but nothing has transpired of the result. The
preponderance of the anti-Russian party is gene-
rally believed in, without, however, any fear of
serious complications being felt."
The English fleet was still at Malta on the 18th
inst. On the previous day the French fleet had
anchored at Egiva, in the Bay of Salamis.
The following information extracted from a per-
fectly credible private letter, cannot fail to prove
interesting :

" CONSTANTINOPLE, MAY 12.

"It was not until the question of the Holy Sepulchre
was set:led that new demands were formally made by
Prince Menschikoff. Strictly speaking no ultimatum has
been presented, but a period was fixed within which a reply
to a certain demand was to be returned. This was, that all
the concessions and privileges granted to the Greek
Church since the reign of Mahomet 11. (1451) be guaran-
teed by a regular diplomatic convention. The Greeks in
Turkey are governed entirely by the clergy, who unite
temporal with spiritual authority ; 'consequently, should
the Porte consent to the wishes of Russia, the non-
united Greeks and Armenians will become in reality
Russian subjects. The Sultan offers to make any such
arrangements for securing the rights, privileges, and
religious freedom of all the different Christian sects as
may be required by the parties to the treaties of 1841.
But will Russia be satisfied with this 1' Can or will the
other powers look quietly on should the Russian Govern-
ment attempt to carry its measures by force ? This
question is more than I can answer."