The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-27 00:00:00

MONTENEGRO.

In order that the merits of the Montenegrin
question may be perfectly understood, it will be
necessary to communicate a few historical facts.
Persons who profess to be well acquainted with
what took place at the Congress of Verona, assert
that el. en in 1822 the Emperor Alexander en-
deavoured to get Montenegro placed in the same
position as Servia ; that is, to have its claim to
self-government secured by a treaty. The ques-
tion, however, was set aside by the advice of
Lord Strangford, who undertook to impress upon
the Porte the necessity there was for fulfilling
the conditions of the Treaty of Bucharest (1812),
by Art. 8 of which the autonomy of Servia,
under the guarantee of Russia, was secured. Twist
and turn the matter as one will, it cannot be
denied that the recognition by Russia of Daniel
Petrovich as an independent Prince has in-
duced Turkey to attempt to enforce claims which
she has never for a moment relinquished. It: is,
very generally supposed that the Montenegrins
have never been defeated by the Turks, but this is a
great mistake.. A small work entitled iiMontenegrO
and the Montenegrins," published by Cotta in 1837,
is a source from which subsequent historians have,
freely drawn. The author of this •paiitplilet,'
has evidently strongly pronounced Sclavonic sym-
pathies, informs us that in 1623 Suleiman Pasha, of
Scutari, in spite of a most desperate resistance, took
possession of Cettinye, and that long afterwards the
Montenegrins paid " Ha/ratsch," (capitation tax)
to the Turks. In 1700 the Vladika Daniel induced

his countrymen to put the Mahometans to death,
and, accordingly, " one Christmas-eve all were kill-
ed, excepting a few who embraced Christianity."
In 1714 the Turks under Duman Pasha Kjuprelich
again took Cettinye, and a fearful massacre oc-
curred. Two thousand Montenegrins were also led
away as slaves. In 1767 "the Turks and Vene-
tians determined to extirpate " the restless Mon-
tenegrins, but they failed in the attempt to reach
Cettinye. In 1785 Mahmoud Pasha, of Scutari,
penetrated into the very heart of the land, plun-
dering and destroying many villages. After laying
several tribes under contribution, he evacuated
Montenegro, "as an army cannot find sustenance
in such a poor country." In 1796 Mahmoud under-
took a second expedition against Montenegro, but
was defeated, and lost his head. In the year 1832
Reshid Pasha, after he had subdued Albania and
Bosnia, talked of reducing Montenegro to obedi-
ence, but he subsequently gave up the idea.
Advices from Cattaro of the 16th state that on
the 10th a British frigate was seen anchored
off the Bojana ; that the Captain went on shore
and had a long interview with the Pacha of
Scutari, when he returned on board and set sail
for Corfu. Montenegro is to be surrounded by
an army of 30,000 Turks, who are to attack it
simultaneously on all points. The communes
of Herzgowine, which had rebelled against the
Porte, have made their submission again • the
Grahowians alone hold out yet, but as the IVlon-
tenegrins cannot come to their aid, it is expected
they will soon submit. Certain words pronounced
by Ferik Pacha, viz, that " Grahowo no more be-
longs to Montenegro than Krivascie to Austria,"
appear to have created some sensation among the
Austrian authorities. Symptoms of religious per-
secution have broken out at Mostar, several maga.-
zines belonging to Christian merchants having been
set fire to on the sth ; and when the Christians
hastened to the spot to put out the fire, they were
stopped by parties of Turkish soldiers, while other
Turks were pillaging the warehouses with impunity.

THE CONVICT ICIRWAN.-Mr. John Wynne, the late
Under-Secretary, states, under his hand, that Lord Eg-
linton was induced to commute the capital sentence
pronounced upon this wretched criminal at the suggestion
of the two judges who tried him, the late Lord Chancellor
concurring in the recommendation. No other person or
party had anything to say in the affair.—Times Dublin
Correspondent.

SUICIDE ON THE SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.—On
Tuesday evening the passengers travelling by one of the
down Windsor trains were most painfully excited by a
suicide committed on the line by a lad not more than 15
or 16 years of age, whose name is at present unknown.
The youth had been discharged from a situation he held
in the neighbourhood of Wraysbury, and on going home
to his parents' house some few words ensued between him
and his friends as to the impropriety of his conduct.
While his temper was excited, he started off, walked on
to the South-Western Railway, and seeing a train tra-
velling on the Windsor line, he walked on to the metals
near the Wraysbury station, and stood awaiting the ar-
rival of the train. The engine-driver on seeing him at
once sounded the whistle, shut off the steam, and the
guards applied the breaks most vigorously, hoping to
stop the train in sufficient time to save the boy's life, but
unfortunately without success, for the buffers of the en-
gine struck the youth on the stomach with such violence
as tchhurl him a considerable distance up the line, and so
frightfully injured him as to cause instantaneous death.
The body was picked up,
and removed to a place of
safety to await an inquest.