The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-19 00:00:00

TURKEY.

We have great satisfaction in being enabled to lay
before our readers an authentic and most interesting
dispatch from a correspondent at Constantinople.
The subjoined is a hurried translation :

CONSTANTINOPLE, FEB. 25.—The question which
is pending amongst us has been brought to no decisive
conclusion since my last communication. Neither
party evinces any inclination to yield, and war be-
comes every day more imminent. The Porte,
strongly backed by the English and French Ambas-
sadors, has summoned Russia to evacuate the
Danubian Principalities, and although Russia offers
no decided refusal, she is evidently solicitous to obtain
from the SULTAN his signature to a treaty
still more pernicious to the interests of
Turkey than that deplorable treaty which
can never be forgotten, the treaty of
Unkiar Skelessi. As you may readily conjecture,
the Sublime Porte has no great inclination to sign his
own death warrant. The Divan has, moreover, re-
jected at once, and indignantly, the ultimatum inso-
lently tendered by M. TITOFF ; and, to hold itself' in
readiness for any emergency has pushed forward the
armament with the utmost energy and rapidity. The
reserve forces have been all called forth into active
service ; and the whole of the effective army of the
Ottoman empire, comprising the contingents from
Servia and from Egypt, will very speedily
have reached a grand total of 300,000
men. The Turkish marine, meanwhile, consists of
24 vessels of the line, 26 frigates, more than a hun-
dred corvettes, brigs, bomb-ships and schooners, with
20 stegm-boats,—all in admirable, condition. The

only deficiency I>s 111 tegatd to officeus of sufficient
ability to cope successfully with the maritime strength
of Russia.

It should not be overlooked that Turkey will find
incalculable resources in the present position of
affairs in Moldo- ‘Vallachia, for the hatred of the
Wallachians for the Russians is reaching ifs highest
point, and is every day attaining more and more inten-
sity. As a token of this feeling of animosity, I may
mention that, from news received here the other day
from Bucharest, it would appear that in one district
(that of Mehediatzki) a serious engagement recently
took place between the peasantry and the Russian
troops, the Greeks taking part with the peasants, and
both sides meeting with very considerable losses.
Beyond this, another circumstance is not undeserving
of mention, seeing that although of itself of little im-
portance, it may afford you a more vivid idea of the
state of public feeling in the Danubian provinces :
A new-born child, whose swaddling clothes were of
the national tri-colour, was recently found lying in
the Cathedral of Bucharest, with these words in-
scribed upon the tri• colour :—" My first cry is
the cry of my elder brothers, who weep in exile or
expire in dungeons, Vengeance against the oppres-
sors of my country ! Death to the Russians ! Turks
Poles, Roumans, we will fight together against our
common enemy I We will all perish, or we will all
be free !"

Every day the number of the Russians in Moldo-
Wallachia is increasing. Fresh battalions are con-
stantly crossing the Pruth from Bessarabia.
CONSTANTINOPLE, FEB. 15. The Russian and
Turkish troops have lately been as near as possible
coming to an engagement. The origin of the quarrel
was as follows :—A Russian officer in Bucharest sent
a challenge to a Turkish officer, the latter accepted
the challenge, and the duel, which was fought with
swords, was conducted according to the laws of
honour. The Turk fought worthy of a Janissary,
used his sword with great dexterity, and completely
cleft the head of his opponent, and, as some say, even
severed it from the body. The Russian Commandant
was greatly exasperated at the act, and marched im-
mediately to arrest the Turkish officer, under the
pretext that the duel had not been conducted
according to the laws of honour. Fu AD EFFENDI,
the Turkish Commissioner, was undecided, and would
probably have given in. The Turkish Commandant,
however, OMAR PACHA (or the renegade, being a
Croat by birth) offered decided resistance, and de-
clared to the Russian General that he had no right
whatever to arrest or inflict punishment upon a
Turkish officer, this being decidedly within the pro-
vince of the Turkish Commandant himself. The
Russian General persisted, and declared that if the
duelist were not given up within eighteen hours he
would fetch him by force. OMAR PASCEA calmly
replied that no consideration whatever would induce
him to deliver up the Turkish officer ; that if the
Russian Commandant employed force, he should
be opposed by force. In the state of affairs a collision
seemed inevitable, when the consuls happily inter-
fered, and effected a settlement of the affair, by in-
ducing the Russian General to desist from his demand.
The Porte was highly satisfied with the conduct of
OMAR PACHA, and immediately sent him a present of
700,000 piastres. The truth is that a collision be
tween the Turkish and Russian troops has long been
apprehended, and they have therefore been consigned
to opposite quarters of the city, and are kept asunder
as much as possible. That the result of this duel,
although it is quite an isolated fact, will reanimate the
latent reminiscences of the former military powers and
martial fame of the ancient Osmanli, and rekindle
their ardour, is questioned by none who
know this people. The fact also that at a late trial
of shooting at a mark with cannon hall, which lately'
took place in Bucharest, the Turkish artillery car-
ried off the day over the Russian troops, has tended
not a little to advance their courage.—Allgemeine
Zcitung, March 13.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-(THIS DAY.)
The House sat to-day to bear appeals. The Peers
present were the Lord Chancellor, Lord Brougham, and
Lord Campbell.