The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-24 00:00:00

1121 r TBEATIES BETWEEN BUSSId AND

TURKEY.

The political and territorial treaties between Russia,
and Turkey have not been easily accessible to the Eng-
lish public. Copies of the chief of them have now been
presented to Parliament by the Government, and
printed.

- The claim of Russia to a right of surveillance in refe-
rence to the Christian religion and its churches in Turkey
rests on the first treaty in this collection, the treaty " of
perpetual peace and friendship," concluded between
those two Powers at Kutschouc-Kainardji, upon the
right bank of the Danube, in July, 1774, This treaty
settled the then boundary between the two countries,
leaving Bessarabia to Turkey ; and " the two empires
agreed to annihilate and leave in an eternal obli-
vion all the previous treaties between them." By
Article VII., "the Sublime Porte promised to protect
constantly the Christian religion and its churches ; and
it also allowed the Ministers of the Imperial Court of
Russia to make upon all occasions representations, as
well in favour of the new church at Constantinople, of
which mention was to be made in Article XI V., as on
behalf of its officiating ministers, promising to take such
representations into due consideration, as being made by
a confidential functionary of a neighbouring and sincerely
friendly power." By Article XIV., "after the manner
of the other powers, permission was given to the High
Court of Russia, in addition to the chapel built in the
Minister's residence, to erect in one of the quarters of Ga-
lata, in the street called Bey Oglu, a public church of the
Greek ritual, which should always be under the protec-
tion of the Ministers of that empire, and secure from all
coercion and outrage." By Article VIII., Russian
subjects were to have full liberty to visit Jerusalem, and
no contribution or tax was to be exacted from these
pilgrims and travellers ; "but they were to be provided
with such passports. and firmans as were given to the
subjects of the other friendly Powers." By Article
XVII., Russia restored the islands of the Archipelago
to the Sublime Porte, "and the Sublime Porte on its
part promised to observe religiously, with respect to
the inhabitants of these islands, the amnesty stipulated
in Article I. ; and that the Christian religion should
not be exposed to the least oppression any more than
its churches, and that no obstacle should be opposed to
the erection or repair of them, and also that the officiat-
ing minister should neither be oppressed nor insulted."
After some intervening treaties came the treaty of
Adrianople in 1829, again stipulating for " perpetual
peace" between the two empires. This treaty , con-
firmed all the treaties which bad been concluded at dif-
ferent epochs between the two empires," except as there-
by modified. It contains no new provision on the sub-
ject of religion or of Russian interference, except in rela-
tion to Moldavia and Wallachia. Those provinces stand
on a peculiar footing, and form a special case, The
Porte had received them back by the treaty of Kut-
schouc-Kainardji upon conditions set forth in Article
XVI., one of which ran thus :—" The Porte like-
wise permits that, according as the circumstances of
these two principalities may require, the Ministers of
the Imperial Court of Russia resident at Constantinople
may remonstrate in their favour, and promises to listen
to them with all the attention which is due to friendly
and respected Powers." These principalities had been
the subject of further treaties at Jassy in 1792, and at
Bucharest in 1812 ; and this treaty of Adrianople in
1829, speaking of these provinces, states that " Russia
had guaranteed their prosperity." The treaty of Balta-
Liman, in 1849, recognised Russia as a protecting Power
in relation to these principalities.
In reference to the Straits, we may mention that in
the convention signed at London in 1841, by the Minis-
ters of Russia, Austria, Great Britain, France, Prussia,
and Turkey, after reciting " that the Five Powers had
resolved to comply with the invitation of the Sultan, in
order to record in common, by a formal act, their una-
nimous determination to conform to the ancient
rule of the Ottoman empire, according to which the
passage of the Straits of the Dardanelles and the
Bosphorus is always to be closed to foreign ships of
war, so long as the Porte is at peace," the Sultan
declares that he is firmly resolved to maintain that prin-
ple, " and that so long as the Porte is at peace he will
admit no foreign ship of war into the Straits ;" and the
five powers engage to reslect this his determination,
and to conform themselves to this principle, it being
understood that the Sultan reserved his accustomed right
to deliver firmans of passage for light vessels under flag
of war, which should be employed as usual in the ser•
vice of the missions of foreign powers.

THE COSSACK'S ADDRESS TO .HIS

HORSE.

We have been favoured with the following
spirited translation of one of Beranger's most bril-
liant odes. Even when written, it was not so ap-
propriate as now to the actual position of affairs:—
My noble courser of the waste, true friend to bold Cossack,
Impatient still for pillage, intrepid to attack,
Fly where the northern trumpet sounds along the Polar
heath,

And lend beneath thy rider's form to-day new wings to
Death.
No gold adorns thy saddle, no jewels deck thy rein •
But gold and gems enrich the foe, and valour all shall gain.
Then, neigh aloud with martial pride, my courser wild and
fleet ;
And trample nations in the dust, and Kings beneath thy
feet.