The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-16 00:00:00

AMERICA.

There is no leading article on the Eastern ques.
tion in the journals of yesterday of sufficient inte-
rest for extract.
The Constitutionnet says :—" We have received
accounts from Constantinople to the 2d, vitt Berlin
and Vienna, Our correspondent informs us that
the preparations for defence were being carried on
by the Porte with great activity. The greater part
of the redifs, or provincial contingents, are already
on the march ; almost all of them are proceeding
towards the Balkans, where the principal concen-
tration of Turkish troops will take place. The en-
trance of the Bosphorus appears to be sufficiently
defended by the Turkish fleet, which is about to be
reinforced by the ten line-of-battle ships and frigates
which aro every day expected from Egypt. The
last accounts from Malta state that the English
fleet was still there, but the Admiral had made
known that he could be under weigh in five mi-
nutes, and at Constantinople in ninety hours by
the aid of his numerous steam-tugs. It would na-
turally require less time for the French fleet to
make the passage from Salamis to Constantinople.
The Porte appears to feel the conviction that it will
be attacked, and acts in consequence. Our corre-
spondent has sent us the literal translation of the
official note addressed by the Porte to the repre-
sentatives of England, France, Austria, and Prus-
sia, dated the 26th ult. We have already published
the summary of it, but, under existing circum-
stances, we consider the document too important
not to publish it textually. It is as follows :
" Although the question of the Holy Places, which
formed one of the objects of the mission of Prince Men-
schikoff, has been settled to the satisfaction of all parties,
the Prince has put forward pretensions relative to the
Greek religion and its clergy, which are of quite a dif-
ferent nature. The Sublime Porte makes it a point of
honour to preserve from any attack, both at present and
for the future, the religious immunities as well as the
rights and privileges granted under preceding reigns,
and confirmed by his Majesty the reigning Sultan, to
the clergy, the churches, and the convents of the Otto-
man subjects who profess the Greek religion, and as
no one has ever thought of imposing the slightest restric-
tion, neither has any doubt been thrown on the friendly
intentions of his Majesty the Emperor of Russia towards
the Sublime Porte. But to stipulate with a foreign go-
vernment by a sened, or obligatory deed, under the form
of a convention, or by a note or declaration having the
same force and value, for rights, privileges, and immu-
nities (although it should only regard religion, worship,
and churches), in favour of a numerous community,
subjects of the government, would be to affect the rights
of independence and the governmental basis of the
power which thus binds itself, and could not in any
way be compared to some concessions made by ancient
treaties. These facts have been pointed out to Prince
Menschikoff with all candour and good faith, and a
disposition has been shown to give all the assur-
ances calculated to dissipate the fears conceived
with regard to the immunities of all kinds of the
creed personally professed by his Majesty the
Emperor of all the Russias. Unfortunately, however,
this has not led to an understanding between the two
parties, and the Sublime Porte deeply regrets that the
Prince should have carried things so far as to break off
his official relations and to quit his post. The Sublime
Porte does not nourish any hostile intentions towards
the august Court of Russia ; its most ardent wish, on
the contrary, is to draw more closely than before the
bonds of friendship, which have been always dear to it,
by the resumption of official relations. It therefore
hopes that his Majesty the Emperor, in his well-
known character for equity, will not open without
motive the path of hostilities, and that the principles
of his Imperial Majesty, which are evident to the
whole world, will not allow him to take steps in
opposition to the positive assurances which he has given
to the august courts of Europe. But it is a fact that the
Prince has broken off his relations, and quitted his post;
as in that interval the Sublime Porte has not been as-
sured that war will not take place, and whilst it sees
great military preparations, both by sea and land, made
by Russia in parts close to the Ottoman Empire, the
Sublime Porte, without entertaining any hostile inten-
tion, sees itself compelled by prudence and by precau-
tion, to also make preparations, and it has resolved that
from this day military arrangements for defence shall be
made, and the Ottoman Government hopes that the
nigh Courts who signed the treaty of 1841 will approve
of its conduct in this respect. In acquitting myself by
sov,ueigu order of this communication, I avail myself,
(Signed) "‘ MOIISTANIA RESCHID."
The Times of Berlin, which is considered to be
semi-c.fficial, states, in its number of the 12th, that
it has received positive information that in a Ca-
binet Council held in London on the 9th the
Minist€ rs had resolved on sending to the British
Ambassador at Constantinople the most extensive
powers, but under the restriction of not considering
the fact of the entrance of the Russian troops into
L the priApipalitieS as a declaration of war. The

SOUTHAMPTON, THURSDAY.
The United States' mail steam-ship Franklin,
Capt. J. A. Wootton, arrived off Cowes at 10 p.m.
last evening, and, having landed the English mails
and passengers, proceeded to Havre. The Franklin
brings dates from New York to the 4th inst., 180
passengers, specie value $720,000, and a large cargo
for Havre. Among the passengers is Mr. Stocker,
bearer of dispatches to the Russian Legation. On
the 7th inst. the Franklin spoke the American mail
steamer Washington ; on the 10th the brig Henrietta,
and on the 13th a three-masted screw-steamer,
bound west.
Baltimore and its vicinity had been visited by a
tornado, which destroyed a good deal of property.
The steamer Eclipse had exploded near Chicago,
killing several persons.
From Havannah our dates are to the 24th ult.,
but contain no news of importance.
From Washington there is no intelligence of a
political character.
The New York Stock Exchange was moderately
active.
Exchanges—On London, 1091; on Paris, sf.
132 c. to sf. 12ic.
Ashes were brisk and firm.
In cotton there was more offering ; sales on the
4th, 2,500 bales.
In flour and meal, State and Western brands
were more plentiful, and rather declining in price.
Sales on the 4th, 11,000 barrels, at a falling off of
61-c. per barrel. Wheat was more freely offered,
and the price had a downward tendency. The
crops in all directions were represented to be in the
highest possible growing condition, and the pros-
pects of the fruit season were good.
The Legislature of Maryland had closed its ses-
sion, after incorporating the Baltimore and Euro-
pean Steam-ship Company and the Delaware and
MaTrlelaGndovSehiporC-GaneanleColmopf cany.
ada had given his
assent to a bill for incorporating the Canadian
Steam Navigation Company.
Late papers from St. John's, New Brunswick,
give particulars of the measures taken by the British
Government for the protection of the fisheries.
Her Majesty's steamers Basilisk and Devastation
are to be anchored off Newfoundland ; four small
vessels, each manned by 25 men, are to be fitted
out from the flag-ship Cumberland, and to cruise
near Halifax.
From Mexico and California there is no later

news.
The screw steamer City of Manchester reached
Philadelphia on the 2d instant, from Liverpool.
Among the passengers by the steamer is Mr. J.
B. Croskey, Consul of the United States in South-
ampton.

WEST INDIA MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, JUNE 15
The Royal Mail steam-ship Parana, Captain F
Woolley, arrived here this morning, bringing the
usual British and foreign West dia. mails, in
charge of Lieutenant Payne, R.N., Admiralty
agent. Her latest dates are—
Greytown
Carthagena — 26 St. Vincent — 27
Chagres - 28
Santa Martha — 14 Martinique — 29
Kingston — 27 Guadaloupe — 29
Jacmel — 98!Dominique — 29
San Juan —301 Antigua
Berbice - 23 Montserrat — 29
Georgetown
Tobago -25 St. Kitts — 30
Port of Spain — 25 Tortola — 31
1 Bridgetown — 28!St. Thomas — 31
This steamer also brings mails received at Pa-
nama by the Pacific Steam Navigation Company's
ship Barota, which vessel had 32 passengers and
specie value $250,000 for transmission to England.
The dates were—
Valparaiso May I.,lslay
Coquimbo — 2.Pisco -- 9
Copiapo — 3 Callao — 12
Cobija — s,Payta ............... 15
Iquique —61 Panama ............ 19
Arica — 6
The Parana has on freight specie value $BOO,OOO,
or say 160,0001. sterling ; 52 serous cochineal, 17
bales sarsaparilla, 9 casks of ginger, 2 hogsheads of
copper ore, and 2 packages of sundries.
The Parana left St. Thomas's at 3 p.m. on the
31st ult., having received the branch mails from
the Trent and Derwent on the previous day, and
from the Medway the same morning. She has ar-
rived hero nearly two days before due, the mails
coming to hand just in sufficient time to allow a
clear day to merchants and otherS to reply by the
outward packet of Friday.
The Parana remained about a fortnight at St.
Thomas's.
In consequence of the prevalence of yellow fever
Captain Woolley considered it more prudent to re-
ceive coals from the ships alongside, rather than
moor his steamer at the wharf. During her stay
in the harbour his servant died of the fever in St.
Thomas's Hospital and one seaman was left on shore
ill, but he sailed with a clean bill of health. Not-
withstanding these precautions the yellow fever
appeared the day after the Parana sailed, and Mr.
Green, midshipman, from the Medway, on leave to
England, died in seventy hours after seizure, and
William Heated, fireman ; Robert Stone, captain
of the hold ; and Henry Humphries, master-at-
arms—successively fell victims to this fatal disease,
of which there have been eleven cases during the
passage. All the cases appeared within three or
four days after leaving St. Thomas's, and no
case occurred after the 4th of May. As soon as
the fever set in it was deemed prudent "to en-
camp" the sick on deck, not only as a good reme-
dial measure for them, but as a means of prevent-
ing the localisation of the disease below, and the
spread of panic among the crew and passengers.
A temporary tent was erected in the fore part of
the vessel and used as an hospital, and the result
was productive of great benefit. The surgeon
(Mr. Barton) was unremitting in his attentions to