The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-23 00:00:00

CONSTANTINOPLE.

The Moniteur publishes the following letter from
Constantinople :---" It has already been said that
the two civilising influences which must save and
regenerate the Ottoman empire acted simul-
taneously, and that any one could follow with his
eye at the same time the humiliation of Russia and
the progressive movements of reforming ideas at
Constantinople. Whilst the expedition of the
Crimea sets sail in order to strike a great blow
against the Muscovite power in the Black Sea, the
Sultan, by the Imperial hatti-scheriff of the 7th in-
stant, strikes on his part a decisive blow against
inequalities and abuses. Is it possible to have a
better proof of the result of the noble policy of the
Western Powers towards the Ottoman empire
than in the grand spectacle given the civilised
world by a Sultan who, of his own accord,
anticipating the wishes of his allies, and
only consulting the instinct of his generous na-
ture, takes in the face of his empire and of the whole
of Europe irrevocable engagements with civilisation
and progress? Nothing can be done iu Turkey
with the rapidity of the political evolutions of the
west. After the violent destruction, the cruel op-
pressions practised by the Sultan Mahmoud, came
the era of more pacific progress. It was at the com-
mencement of the reign of the Sultan Abd-ul-Med-
jid that the tanzimat, so violently attacked by the
enemies of Turkey, was given to his empire by the
young sovereign of a principle, the consequences of
which were to be the workof his whole reign. Every
one knows in what painful situation Turkey
was placed up to the time when the politi-
cal influences which contended either openly or
secretly on diplomatic ground at Constantinople,
changing into a military struggle, the Sultan,
sure of his allies as of his enemies, was
able to enter on a more candid path, and relying on
the armed co-operation of the two most powerful
nations of the West, to brave at once both the Rus-
sian arms and the secret intrigues of the old fanatic
party. The Ottoman Empire had to support, it is
true, in this violent state of things, very heavy
sacrifices, but these sacrifices secured the future,
and traced out in an unequivocal manner the road
to political reform. Tho time is at length come
when the general principles contained in. the Tanzi-
, mat must receive their full and complete develop-
' ment, and nothing can henceforth impede Turkey
in the fruitful though slow and laborious work of
political regeneration. Some astonishment will
perhaps be felt at seeing the question of corrup-
tion play such an important part in the last Impe-
rial hatti-scheriff. It is not sufficiently well known
in the West to what an extent pecuniary abuses in
Turkey have become precedents, and how much
they have become governmental habits. It is not
many years ago that the majority of the functiona-
ries in Turkey received no salaries, and were paid
by the public, as was the practice in Europe dur-
ing the middle ages, and oven up to modern times.
Even now the salary of a great number of the func-
tionaries in the provinces of the Ottoman Empire,,
more particularly among the judicial authorities, is
so small that it appears impossible not to shut the
eyes to certain abuses. The custom of presents
made by inferiors to all whose influence might bo
useful to thorn had therefore as it were instilled it-
self into the veins of the Ottoman Empire. It was
necessary, however, to have done with this sad re-
mains of the past, and it is this which Roschid
Paella pointed out with the greatest energy in
the speech that he delivered before the Grand
Council. A veil will be thrown over the past,
but for the future the most severe punishment
will be inflicted, without consideration of rank
or position, on any functionary who shall
forget that it is the State alone which has a right
to accept remuneration for its services, and that
his services are gratuitously due to the public.
This new act of reform of the Sultan, Abd-ul-
Medjid, has produced e. deep impression at Constan-
tinople on all classes of the people. It is known
what matters will engage the attention of the Coun-
cil, which has just been formed, and it may be said

that the points on which it will specially havo to
decide have been already discussed and solved in
public opinion. The name of Reschid Pacha, al-
ready associated with the proclamation of the tan-
zimat in 1839, will be again associated in 1854,
with the promulgation of the Imperial hatti-
soherif, which ratifies the developments of it. It
is a real historical glory for that statesman to be
always the instrument in the hands of the Sultan
for accomplishing good. The great act, the bear-
ing of which we have just appreciated has worthily
inaugurated the resumption of political affairs,
which had been for some days interrupted by the
fetes of the Courbam Beiram."

THE BLACK SEA.
RUSSIAN FORCES IN THE CRIMEA;

A letter from Kalisch, in the Lloyd of Vienna,
says :—" Very little is known of the Russian
forces in the Crimea, and all that has been said
on the subject is hypothetical. Only the troops
sent to the Crimea in the spring are known,
namely, the troops of the 17th division, which
with their cavalry and artillery, amount to
30,000 mon. The question then is asked—
What was the original garrison of the peninsula,
and what the reinforcements which have since
arrived? But these troops cannot be very consider-
able, as if they were their march could not have
been a secret. If it be borne in mind that all
these troops, including the soldiers of the marine,
cannot be estimated at more than 50,000, and that
they are necessarily distributed on several points,
it follows that the allies will be in preponderating
force on whatever side they go. The Russians
have for them only the advantage of the positions,
which may compensate for the superiority of
number."

The Lloyd of Vienna says :—" A letter from.
Odessa of the 12th states that some Russian ves-
sels had left the port of Sebastopol to make a
reconnaissance. Prince Menschikoff's reason for
thus risking part of his fleet was no doubt the
uncertainty in which the Russians were as to
the point at which the allied expedition would
disembark. Ordinarily the Russians are kept
well informed by their spies, but this time it
was not possible for them to gain information,
the orders relative to the disembarkation having
only been given in the open sea. It is not pro-
bable that the vessels went out with any other
object than to ascertain the point towards which the
allies were proceeding."
The Kalisch correspondent of the Lloyd; speak-
ing of the probable strength of the Russians in the
Crimea, says that not above 30,000 men were sent
there in spring. To these troops must be added
the original garrisons and any forces which may
have recently marched into the Crimea.