The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-13 00:00:00

THE SMN, LONDON, Tll tiR.SDAN EVENING, DECEMBER 13, 1849.

ENGLAND, RUSSIA, AND
TURKEY.

The following documents show that the anchoring
of the English fleet below the Inner Castles of the
Dardanelles is no infraction of the treaty of 1841, as
contended by Russia. The first of these documents
is a copy of the official memorandum from Chekib
Effendi, addressed to the representatives of the several
Powers at the Ottoman Porte, dated the 27th of
February, 184ä:—
"Your Excellency is aware that the entrance of ships
of war belonging to foreign Powers in the Straits of the
White Sea (Mediterranean) and of the Black Sea has
always been prohibited. This ancient regulation has
acquired much more force by the treaty concluded
the 19th Regib of the year of the Hegira 1257
(September sth, 1841) between the Sublime
Forte and the five great Powers, so that when ships of
war, either large or small, and whatever may be the
Power to which they belong, wish to enter the above-
mentioned Straits, it shall be first signified to them that
they are not permitted to enter. If they do riot pay
attention thereto one or two guns will be fired without
ball; and if they still persist in entering, then as such a
Proceeding will be a contravention of the treaty and co
the regulation, they shall be prevented from entering
by being fired upon with shot
"It ,is equally known that it is not permitted to mer-
chant vessels in general, either Turkish or of friendly
nations, to pass the Straits after sunset, but from time to
time such vessels are seen, who, not wishing to observe
this rule, attempt to enter; arid although means are
tried to prevent them, by firing guns only to warn them
and without any design of hitting thee, as they are
aware that those guns will do them no harm, no real ad-
vantage is obtained by it.
" Now this ancient prohibition with regard to mer-
chant vessels is alone necessitated by the impossibility
of discerning whether the vessel which passes during the
night be a ship of war or a merchant vessel ; but the
authorities in writing to us represent that as they attri-
bute to a kind of tolerance the fact that they have fired
upon the vessels which have passed, up to the present
time, with the intent to cause them harm, the greater
port of the vessels endeavour to annul the rule
in question. For this reason it has been definitely
determined to put into full execution, with respect
to all vessels which endeavour to pass the
Straits after sunset, this measure of absolute
prohibition ; a measure which ought to be in-
violably observed as part of our ancient system of
administration of the Sublime Porte, and as a neces-
sary consequence of that which has been established
by the treaty which has been concluded a short time
sires with the five Allied Powers. In consequerce
whereof, it has been signified to the authorities that a
delay of three months, to count from the Ist of March of
the current year, 1261, has been fixed; that, at the ex-
piration of this term, they are at first to acquaint by
entering those vessels that insist on enteng the straits,
of the prohibition which exists ; that, if the vessels take
o notice thereof, two or three guns will be fired without
hall ; and that, if the vessels do not take notice of this,
every means will be resorted to to prevent their passing
by firing epon them with shotted guns.
" We accordingly address the present official memo-
randum to your Excellency, begging you to cause the
present measures to be br,ught through the proper
(2hannels to the notice of masters of merchant vessels,
in order that they may be aware that if in consequence
of the regulations before mention, d being put in force
there should result any damage or harm, they cannot
prefer a claim or plaint; and we beg your Excellency to
have the goodness to give orders so that the: e regula-
tions may be made compulsory and necessary."
The other is a detailed account of the practice
hich has been hitherto invariably observed in car-
r:, ing out the above instructions :
" All vessels, either of war or mercantile, are allowed
to enter the channel_ of the Dardanelles at any hour of
the day or night; the straits being considered as com-
mencing at their narrowest part (something less than an.
English mile), namely—at the inner castles of Charak-

Kalessi, on the Asiatic shore; and at Killic-Bahar, im-
mediately opposite, on the European sides.
" If merchant ships arrive at these straits before sun-
set they pass up without hindrance; but ships of war
cannot so pass at any time without being provided
with a Vizierial letter addressed to the Governor of the
Castles, who resides at Carak-Kalesi.- The ambassador
or minister of the nation to which the ship belongs
is usually apprised previously, and obtains this per-
mission in time to send it to the Consul at the Dar-
danelles to meet, her arrival; but until this is delivered
to the Governor, such ship is not allowed to peals,
but may lay at anchor below the inner castles before
mentioned. A recent instance of this occurred with the
American corvette Jamestown in the month of September
last, which entered the channel and came to anchor be-
low the inner castles, to wait for the Vizierial letter
from Constantinople, on the receipt of which on the fol-
lowing day she was allowed to pass up. Charak-Ka-
lessi is the Turkish Larne for the town and castle of the
Dardanelles, where all the European consele reside.
Coming from Constantinople ships of war are nut re-
quired to be furnished with any authority, but pass
down freely ; but all merchant-vessels must be provided,
through their several Consulates at Constantinople, with
a firman to pass, which firman must be delivered at the
Dardanelles, and any that attempt to pass without
doing so is fired on from the castles on either side of the
straits."
It is abundantly evident from the above that Sir
William Parker was completely justified by the
treaty of 1841 in taking up a position where he did, and
should he meet with blowing weather in Bmika, to
which anchorage he went for the purpose of exercising
his men and firing at a target, See., he will return to
' his former anchorage below the Inner Castles of the
Dardanelles.