The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-09 00:00:00

ARMY.

Regiilar,aCtiire'army
.(reserve)
Irregular troops
Auxiliary contingents
.. 110,000

NAVY.

448,860

6 sail of the line of from 74 to 90 guns and from 600 to
900 mon.

•
11 frigates of 52 to 64 guns, 400 to 500 men.
12 corvettes from 11 to 48 guns, 150 to 260 men.
4 brigs from 12 to 18 guns, 100 to 150 men.
6 steam-frigates from 450 to 800 horso power.
-22 cutters, schooners and other small craft."
The 'Journal de Constantinople confirms there=
port mentioned in the last letters from that city
that the s Divan has resolved on ameliorating the
position of all the Christians in. the Turkish empirel
without distinction of sect. • In its number of the
21st ult. the Journal de Constomtinople after giving
details respecting the negotiations, which are known
to our readers, expresses its regret that Prince Men-
schikoff did not wait for the Porte to communicate to

him the decision to which it had come on this subject,
and which it thinks would have been accepted by
him as a satisfactory solution of the question. Ac-
cording to a letter from Constantinople of the 23,1,
however, an intimation of what the Porte proposed
to do was given to the Prince, and rather hastened
than retarded his departure, aF.; the proposal was of
a nature to prevent the possibility of Russia ac-
quiring any additional influence in Turkey. Prince
Menschikoff had demanded the signing of a treaty
which would have given to Russia the right of in-
terference in any case where a :person professing the
Greek creed should become the object of religious
persecution, or be involved in any difference with
the Turkish Government in matters unconnected
with religion ; and this power being granted to the
Russian Government, it could. at any time lay hold of
the slightest pretext for inter vt intion. The reported
intention of the Porte to place the rights of Chris-
tians of every denomination i Limier the protection of
the Christian Powers gener tlty would however, if ,
realised, deprive Russia of all power of interven-
tion, except in concert with the other Powers, who
are parties to the treaty of protection. As yet we
have no positive information, that the Porte had
come to such a decision, but all the accounts from
Constantinople agree in at ating that this was the

1
general impression, and there can :be little doubt
that the Turkish Ministry had submitted a project
of this kind to the Sultan. If this was intimated
to Prince Menschikoff, he must have regarded it
as a further proof of the determination of the
Porte not to concede to his demands, and at the
same time to convince the world that, as far as pro-
tection from intolerance towards the members of
the Greek religion was required, there was no
necessity for giving extraordinary influence to
Russia, and it may easily be conceived that he
would not wait for an official communication of the
decision.
A letter from Berlin, of the 4th inst., says :
" We learn that General Count Von der Grceben,
commanding the 7th corps d'armee, and aide-de-
camp to the King, will proceed to Constantinople,
charged with a private mission to offer in the name
of Prussia to be mediator in the differences of Rus-
sia with Turkey. The Count, who was summoned
from Munster by telegraph, has already arrived
here."

The Wanderer of Vienna, of the 3d, says :
" Letters from Jassy inform us that the Bishop of
Moldavia, M. Sofronius Niglesko, has adhered to
the protest of the Patriarch of Constantinople
against the acceptance of the protectorate of Russia,
and has expressed a wish that the Porte should
submit the matter to a congress of the sovereigns
of Europe."
The Bulletin de Paris, which has in some quar-
ters the reputation of being a semi-official organ of
the French Government, has a long article on the
rumour that a very large body of Russian troops
have received orders to advance towards the fron-
tiers of Wallachia and Moldavia.. The Bulletin, de
Paris says it will doubt the truth of this rumour
until there shall be some positive information to
confirm it, but proceeds to express its opinion as to
the consequences which would result if it should
prove to be true. Whatever colour should be
given by` the Russian Government to the occupa-
tion, of these principalities, whatever professions
should .be made by Russia on the subject, nobody
acquainted with the character of Russian diplo-
macy, says the Bulletin, can doubt that if Russia
should on the present occasion occupy the princi-
palities, it will be with the intention of keeping
them as an important step towards future designs
upon Turkey. "This occupation," adds the Bul-
letin, " would be a manifest violation of the treaties
of Ackerman and Adrianople, and would be equi-
valent to a declaration of war against the Turkish
Empire. The clause of the treaty of 1841, declar-
ing that the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus shall
be closed to the vessels of war of all nations so long
as the Porte shall be at peace, would, in the case
of the occupation of the principalities by Russia,
be no longer applicable, and the Porte would have
a perfect right to apply for the presence of the
French and British fleets."