The Sun.
London, England, 1836-02-17 00:00:00

TURKEY.

CONSTANTINOPLE,I,JAN. 20.—The Turks are in the midst of
the Bairam, and think of nothing but paying andreceiving visits.
All kinds of business, public an private, are left until after the
completion of the festival, which terminates to-morrow even-
ing. They will then begin slowly to return to their every-day
occupations and habits. There has been, and still is, a world
of intrigue going forward at the Imperial palace. The Sultan
has determined on establishing in marriage his second daugh-
ter, the Princess Mirlemah, and the men in power are using
each his influence in order to get the Sultan to choose, as the
happy man, an individual who will second their personal viexs
and support them. The present suitors put forward by the
various great men are—Moustafa Pasha, of Adrianople ; Ah-
med Pasha, General of the Guards, and once Ambassador to
St. Petersburg ; Ferik Ahmed Pasha, Lieutenant-General of
the Guards, and late Ambassador to Vienna; Said Pasha,
Governor of the Dardanelles.

The Turkish squadron has not been able to get up, and there
is a large fleet of merchantmen lying also at the Dardanelles
wind bound. It is rumoured that the squadron will not enter
at all, but that after the Bairam the Capudan Paella will set
about preparing other ships, so as early in spring to sally forth
at the head of a powerful fleet against Mehemet Ali. It is
added that, in that case, Namik Pasha (who is fast recovering
from his late dangerous illness) will also go out to take the
command of the marines, whose General he is. Every appear-
ance leads us to expect that we shall have an active political
time of it here soon. A foreign vessel at the Dardanelles has
8,000 stand of arms on board, and 20,000 more are on the way
from Belgium. These the Turkish Government are in the
Most fidgetty impatience to get possession of as soon as possi-
ble. The Sultan seems determined to put down the Pasha of
Egypt, even in the teeth of Russia, whose diplomacy is actively
at work to prevent this. The Sultan, however, is no longer in
such a panic at Russia's menaces, and he seems disposed to
lean more and more on England. As a proof of his good will
towards us, he has,. I hear, caused to be delivered to Lord
Ponsonby, unsolicited, a firman, couched in strong and friendly
terms, addressed to the Turkish General in Chief, directing
him to afford every assistance in his power to the Euphrates
expedition, now progressing uuder the command •of Colonel
Chesney. • _ .

The Turkish Gazette contains an article sufficiently ex-
plaining why the Sultan did not keep his birth-day lately. He
has determined on keeping that, as well as the day of his ac-
cession to the throne, according to the Frank dates.
He was born 14 Ramazan, 1199, which was July 21, 1785 ;
and mounted the throne 4 Djemazi'l Alter, 1223, which was
July 28, 1808.
The anniversies will, therefore, be kept on the 21st and
28th of July. Had the Turkish dates been observed, the pe-
riod would have been continually changing, as the Mussulman
year consists of 12 lunar, not solar, months. In the time of
the Janissaries, a Sultan who attempted such an innovation
would have been cut to pieces before the sun went down.
Alahrooutl uses his power to effect changes, many of which are
highly salutary. Among others, I see by the same Gazette,
that henceforward no such titles and employs as Chaoush and
Musahib, Serjeantsand. Court. Buffoons, are to exist. There
was formerly quite a body of both denominations., who were ;
useless ineurabranoe, quite a nuisance, in the Palace. To ge-
rid of so numerous a class in England would have taken years a
here the are removed by a simple coup de plume. Despotism
has its advantages as well as its disadvantages.

es the columns
Courier e!, ourAs
IMPROVEMENTS IN ii.GR
the improvement that
Icu.LTURE.—We are
Ig,vrlenaidti....ditnonfyofirnualpvedtroh ecr,o:fhotelesliFiplt•
oi following na,t ,styllhletiogDe
nn
oca
temef ni
has taken plr.ee within die last few weeks in the long-depressed
prospects - the British farmer. :It is Hume who talks of "that
lon est point in the affairs of nations from which they naturally
re'curn in a contrary direction ; and as the Saint remark is ap-
-plicablc to agriculture, we would fain hope that we have
gained, and even passed, the great pivot in the ascending
scale upon which the welfare of millions so materially hinges."
George Colman, the dramatist, was dining one day
with George the Fourth, when Regent. The discourse hap-
pening to turn upon the respectiveages of the parties present,
his late Majesty
`OI think, George, you and I are nearly of the saute
observed to the newly-appointed licenser of
a, ; but I think von are the older of the two ; what say you,
forge COlman?" " I don't think I could have taken the
li betty of coming into the world before your, Royal 1-bghness,"
14 its the " younger" Colman's courteous reply.