The Sun.
London, England, 1853-11-07 00:00:00

" CONFIDENTIAL PROJECT.

" In unanimously advising the Sublime Porte to adopt
the project of notes agreed to at Vienna, the Courts of
Austria, France, England, and Prussia are penetrated
with the conviction that this document does not in any
way violate the sovereign rights and the dignity of his
Majesty the Sultan.
" This conviction is founded on the positive assur-
ances that the Cabinet of St. Petersburg has given with
respect to the intentions which animate his Majesty the
Emperor of Russia in demanding a general guarantee of
the religious immunities accorded by the Sultan to the
Greek Church in his Empire.
"It follows from these assurances that in demanding,
in virtue of the principle laid down in the treaty of
Kainardji, that the Greek worship and clergy should
continue to enjoy their spiritual privileges under the
aegis of their Sovereign, the Emperor demands nothing
contrary to the independence and the rights of the Sul-
tan, nothing which implies an intention of intermeddling
in the interior affairs of the Ottoman Empire.
" What the Emperor of Russia wishes is, the strict
maintenance of the religious statu quo of his worship, to
wit, an entire equality of rights and immunities between
the Greek Church and the other Christian communities
subject to the Porte, and consequently the enjoyment in
favour of the Greek Church of the advantages accorded
to these communities. Ile does not mean to resus-
citate the privileges of the Greek Church which have
fallen into disuetude by the effect of time or of admini-
strative changes, but he demands that the Sultan should
make it participate in all the advantages which he will
accord hereafter to other Christian rites.

"The Imperial Cabinet of Austria wishes, conse-
quently, not to doubt that the Sublime Porte, in con-
templating once more, with all the serious attention
that the gravity of the situation requires, the explana-
tion given by Russia, with the object of stating precisely
the nature and extent of her demands, will decide on the
pure and simple adoption of the Vienna Note.
"That adoption, while ensuring to the Ottoman Go-
vernment a new title to the sympathy and the support
of the Powers which have advised it to take the step,
offers to it at the same time a means equally prompt
and honourable to operate its frank reconciliation with
the Russian empire—a reconciliation which so many all-
important interests so imperatively require."
The correspondent adds :
" This note was the result of the conference of Olmiitz,
which appeared at the moment to be ignorant of the de-
claration of war by Turkey. Immediately after M. de
Bruck, Colonel Wildenbruck arrived from Prussia with
a project which was only a copy of the Austrian
project. M. de Bruck did not insist much, but the
Prussian came several times back to the charge. He
did not succeed better. The Porte is quite decided on
war. Reschid Pacha declares loudly, and has repeated
this morning in my presence, that the Turks were
determined to perish rather than ever to accept the
Vienna Note. In their eyes this new project of note
presented to them as a guarantee from Europe, is not
better than the note of the conference, and they have
rejected it without even discussing it. At bottom, those
among them who know a little of European politics,
appear to be persuaded that Europe will not allow them
to perish, that morally their cause will gain something
by attempting the way of arms, even if they should be
beaten ; and that, finally, Europe is ' too deeply in-
terested in preventing the war, not to exert itself to
force the Emperor of Russia to yield his pretensions,
since they themselves have gone to the utmost limit
possible in the way of concession ; and that they have
made up their minds to die with arms in their hands
rather than make further concessions. The Turks
have, therefore, absolutely rejected this new project.
To the reasons which have determined them it
mast be added that, at the same time that this pro-
ject was submitted to them in the name of the four
Powers, there arrived also from France and England the
answer—the contre coup of the note—by which Count
Nesselrode explained his manner of understandinc, the
Vienna note. That answer, that contre coup was thee ad-
vice given to the Porte by the two Western Powers not
to accept the Vienna note accompanied by clear and
frank promises of support and assistance. The Turks
have therefore deemed themselves entitled to consider
these new propositions as non avenus, and the answer
to these new overtures is the entry of the fleets. They
have several days since passed the Dardanelles, but they
have not yet appeared before Constantinople.
" While the propositions of Prussia and Austria were
rejected, the Turks listened to England and France, and
it was on their demand that the orders were sent to the
army of the Danube and of Asia to stop a little before
commencing hostilities ; nevertheless, the new delay
fixed upon is very short. In place of the 23d of October,
it is to the 30th that the opening of the campaign has
been postponed. I do not know what is expected to
arrive during that time, bnt something must necessarily
be expected, since the day fixed by the Turks is the one
proposed by England and France. It must be con-
cluded that these two Powers expect within that time
some important answer or the conclusion of some nego-
tiation which is unknown to me. .

"Austria, who has expressed her regret that all her
efforts to arrive at a reconciliation should have failed,
has intimated to the Porte that in any case she will ob-
serve a strict neutrality, r3ha yesterday officially took