The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-09 00:00:00

THE FRENCH EMPIRE.

By accounts from Constantinople, of the 25th,
we learn that the Eastern question may be consi-
dered settled. The question concerning the Holy
Shrines has been arranged in the way required by
Russia ; that is to say, the top of the church on the
site of the Sepulchre is to be restored in the Byzan-
tine style, according to the wish of Russia, and not
in the classic, according to the taste of the Count
de Lavalette. The Greeks, too, are to take prece-
dence of the Latins at the altar of the Chapel of
the Virgin, and so ends the war of the Big Endians
and the Little Endians. Thus, in fact, has the
most grotesque of the satirical fancies of Gulliver
been realised in the middle of the 19th century.
The Constitictionnel hasnewsfrom Constantinople
which is probably derived from Government
sources.
It says :_.....
" Accounts have been received from Constantinople
to the 25th ult. At that date the demands of Prince
Menschikoff relative to the question of the Holy Places
were as follow :—The Russian Ambassador declares that
the Emperor Nicholas is opposed to the cupola of the
Holy Sepulchre being repaired in a style of ancient ar-
chitecture, as France wished, and as she had been
promised ; he wishes that the repairs shall be made in
the Byzantine style. He will not allow that the Catholics
should have the right of praying two days a week on the
tomb of the Holy Virgin, as had been agreed upon be-
tween Fuad Effendi and M. de Lavalette; but he would
only permit them, as well as the other Christian com-
munions, to pray after the Greeks shall have concluded
their religious ceremonies. Lastly, Russia demanded a
diplomatic act, which should once for all close the door
to all remonstrances from France and the Catholics, the
concessions made by France being, in its opinion, only
instalments made on the execution of treaties
between that power and the Porte. Lord Radcliffe
and M. de Lacour are not opposed to the
propositions of Russia, and it is that which, it
is said, has determined the Sultan to give from the
first moment an order to grant all that Prince
Menschikoff should demand, after coming to an under-
standing with the French Ambassador. The affair of
the Holy Places is, therefore, regarded as nearly ar-
ranged ; and the diplomatic act demanded by the Rus-
sian Ambassador is to be granted. M. de Lacour has
had a conference on the subject with Rifaat Pacha and
Arif Effendi, and made no objection to this diplomatic
document. Lord. Radcliffe appeared well satisfied at the
solution of the question of the Holy Places, and was
preparing to dispute the question of the Greek Patriarch.
Prince Menschikoff was waiting for instructions from
St. Petersburgh before delivering his ultimatum ; he ap-
peared to desire that the solution of the question of the
Holy Places should be contained in a paragraph of the
convention relative to the Patriarchate and to the pro-
tection of the Greeks in the East. The Sultan is said
to have so offended the Russian Ambassador, that
it required all the efforts of MM. de Nesselrode
and d'Ozsrof to prevent his breaking off his nego-
tiations with Rifaat Pacha. A pamphlet against,
Prince Menschikoff, written in verse, and attri-
buted to one of the functionaries of the Porte, had
raised the irritation of the Prince to such a degree that
it was at one time feared that he would have suddenly
left Constantinople. The armaments of Russia which
had been for some time suspended had just been re-
sumed in consequence of orders received from St. Peters-
burg. As far as concerns domestic affairs the Duz
family appeared at the date of these accounts to be at
the apogee of its credit. In accord with the Grand
Vizir, the Duz appointed to all employments. Mirhan
Dux, his uncle Carabet-Bey, and his cousin Dirha,y-Duz,
as well as Selim-Bey, first Chamberlain of the Palace,
all united with Mehemet Ali Pacha, formed a barrier
round the Sultan which the highest functionaries could
not pass. A band of 30 Mussulman Magyars had just
arrived at Constantinople, having been dismissed from
the army by Omer Pacha, in execution of the engage-
ments entered into with Austria. These men demand
to serve in Asia, but no decision has been come to by
the Government on the subject. It was expected at
Constantinople that the Russians would incite the Greeks
to invade the Turkish territory. The Divan had given
orders to oppose force to force in case of attack."
The enormous extent of new buildings in Paris
having, as it would seem, excited some doubts as
to the municipality being able to meet the colossal
undertakings in which it has engaged, a statement
has been inserted in the Moniteur, by which it ap-
pears that the whole charge on the city, 4 millions
sterling, becomes reduced by sale of building mate-
rials, Government aid, &c., to 62 million francs, or
less than 2i millions sterling ; to meet which there
is an annual surplus out of octroi duties of from 4
to 5 million francs a year ; so that the loan of 50
million francs raised by the city to meet the new
improvements will be extinguished in 1819.
A warning has been given to the Journal de Lisle
for having censured the laws on the newspaper
press.
The Pays hints that there will be an extraordi-
nary session of the Corps Legislatif, to pass bills
which cannot be got through by the 12th, the last
day of the regular session.
The Univers says :

" Private letters inform us that the curd of Torny, in

the canton of Friburg, declared guilty of having followed
his parishioners to administer the last sacraments to the
insurgents, mortally wounded in the recent attack on
that town, has been condemned to 25 years' labour in
irons by a court martial."
The general character of the Bourse on Saturday
was favourable, the tendency towards a reac-
tionary movement so often evinced at the close cif
the week not being very decided. In the Three
per Cents., for cash, a decline occurred of 35c., with
a rise of sc. in the Four-and-a-Half per Cents. For
the end of the month the Four-and-a-Half per
Cents. fell 10c., and the Three per Cents., 156.
In Bank of France shares there was an ad-
vance of 15f. The following were the concluding
quotations :-For money, Three per Cents., 81f.
70c. ; Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 104 f. For the
account, Three per Cents., 82f. sc. ; Four-and-a-
Half per Cents., 104 f. 10c. Bank Stock, 2,695 f. The
Mortgage Bank and Credit Mobilier quotations re-
mained unchanged, that of the former being 885 f.
and the latter 950 f. The improvement recorded
as having taken place the last few days in the Rail-
way Share Market was not continued on Saturday,
a tendency to decline having been shown in several
of the more important lines, in Orleans and Rouen
and Havre shares to the extent of 10f. each. In
Bordeaux and Cette shares, however, in conse-
quence of a reported fusion, a rise of 13f. 75c. took
place, and the announcement of the increased re-
ceipts of the Paris and Strasbourg line also caused
an advance of 20f. on the previous quotations. The
following are the closing prices :-Northems, 928 f.
75c.; Orleans, 1,115 f.; Paris and Strasbourg, 935 f.;
Paris and Lyons, 973 f. 50c. ; Paris and Rouen,
1,170 f.; Lyons to the Mediterranean, 860 f.; West-
ern of France, 802 f. 50c.; Rouen and Havre, 552 f.
sbc.; Bordeaux and Cette, 666 f. 25c.; Caen and
Cherbourg, 648 f. 75c. ; Dijon and Besancon, 597 f.
50e.