The Sun.
London, England, 1834-05-06 00:00:00

( , -/,/ 1

(No. 12,996.)

CONSTANTINOPLE.

(From the Times Correspondent.)
PERA, MARCH 29.
Perfectly agreeable with those who consider the treaty
concluded on the 29th of January at St. Petersburgh be-
tween Russia and Turkey an important, indeed most im-
portant, fact, we deeply regret our inability of in any way
sharing the great pleasure which some pretend it has
afforded them. To us, here, it appears in no other light
than a further act on the part of Russia to secure Tur-
key's thraldom,—an additional chain, to render impossible
her devoted victim's escape from the altar where her am-
bition has so artfully bound it. Not only we cannot per-
ceive that this treaty is " advantageous to the Turkish
empire," but are even perfectly at a loss to conceive by
what perversion of logic it were possible to give to a simi-
lar proposition even the sh4dow of probability. The
evacuation of Wallachia and Moldavia, which is pointed
out as one of the advantages Turkey is to derive from this
treaty, and a proof of Russia's moderation, is a circum-
stance which, without benefitting the former country in
any way, is too immaterial to the real interests of the lat-
ter to deserve being called a sacrifice on her part. Too
well is Russia aware of the nature of. the basis on which
the supremacy of her influence in the principalities rests,
to be apprehensive of any diminution of its omnipo-
tence after their evacuation. Indebted for their nomination
solely to the Emperor's will—aware that the duration
of his good pleasure only can insure the continuation
of their reign—bowid, on the other hand, by no ties
to Turkey—influenced by no apprehension from that
quarter—the hospodars necessarily must readily com-
ply with theix_constituent's views, and as punctually
obey his orders as the Russian governors who prece-
ded them. Like faithful stewards, their duty will be
to husband the resources of the country intrusted to
their care, so as to convert it into an inexhaustible de-
pot capable of supplying the wants of their protector's
army whenever circumstances shall occasion its passing
through it. To facilitate the execution of this duty,
no doubt, and at the same time conciliate the affection
of the inhabitants, already sufficiently well dispOsed in
favour of their co-religionaries, Russia has totally
exempted them from the annual tribute they were
bound to pay to the Porte, consisting of timber, cattle,
salt, corn, &c. So long as Silistria and the territory
three leagues around it remain in the hands of Rus-
sians—as Gicurgovo, Ibraila, and the four fortresses
on the banks of the, Danube, occupied by the Turks
before the last war, continue levelled to the ground—
as the mouth of this important river is under the con-
trol of Russia, does not the command of so extensive a
line, of so formidable a tete de pont, insure to her not
only the possession of the level country between the
Pruth and the above-mentioned stream, but also the fa-
cility of penetrating at once into the heart of European
Turkey ? This military position is by far too pre-
cious ever to be given up ; and the immense sums of
money expended on Silistria's fortifications, the erec-

tion of stone barracks, store-houses, and the conver-
sion of its mosques into churches, clearly point out
that its present possessors do little consider their stay
there as provisional. As nothing could grieve Russia
more deeply than relinquishing a fortress to her of so
vital importance, her " good sense" prompted her to
introduce into the new treaty with the Porte a clause,
in virtue of which its occupation is assured to her for
an indefinite, instead of a limited period. To obtain
this end, without awakening the slumbering vigilance
of jealous nations, Russia, concealing her intentions
behind the oft and so successfully assumed mask of
moderation, generosity, and disinterestedness, going
even to the length of attributing her motives to a feel-
ing of commiseration towards the impoverished Sultan,
unblushingly Fives out, that in order to relieve her
unfortunate friend " from the pressure of engagements
imposed upon him by the treaty of Adrianople," she is
willing to allow him the option of paying the remain-
ing portion of the war indemnity whenever the state
of his finances shall make this payment convenient.
Mark the consequence of this act of Russian modera-
tion ! According to stipulations, as the evacuation
of Silistria is to take place only when the extinction of
Turkey's debt to Russia- is effected, it naturally
follows that the latter power's cabinet has acquired
now the right of keeping it till the Turks are capa-
ble of satisfying their claims ; an event, against
the possibility of whose occurrence, effectual mea-
sures can be readily found. This apparent demon-
stration of moderation, Russia has well calcu-
lated, will not only be favourable to their designs, but
turn out of the highest importance, by the moral effect
her truly able diplomatic agents will cause it to ope-
rate in her favour on public opinion in Europe. This
fact, coupled with the evacuation of the principalities,
will in their hands be converted into a talisman, wnose
magic touch shall convert the apprehensions of the
suspicious into sources of self-congratulation, and lull
into fatal lethargy the jealousy of rivals. Its opera-

tion seems already to be in full action, and in the state
of infatuation to which France and England have been
reduced by its influence, the extensive tract of country
in Asia granted in this treaty by Turkey to Russia,
important as it is both as a military and commercial
position, is considered by them, not as a breach of the
integrity of Turkey, but as an additional advantage
conferred upon her by her generous ally—not as a
proof of Russia's ambition, but as an additional cor-
roboration of her moderation.

" The sum exacted by the former treaty is now re-
duced to one third," triumphantly cry out the admirers
of Russian liberality. To be correct, this statement
should be thus worded, out of the original debt, amount-
ing to ten millions of ducats, about four millions having
been already paid by Turkey, the remainder of the sum
exacted by the former treaty is now reduced to one
third. One would, from this expression, be led to
conclude that this reduction has been operated in
consequence of a donation of two millions on the part
of Russia. The truth is, that this sum has been
granted to Turkey in compensation for the extensive
tract of country she consented, in the treaty of St.
Petersburgh, to give up to Russia, to enable her to
round her Asiatic frontiers, or, in plain language,
Turkey has been prevailed upon by Russia to sell her,
for the sum of two millions of ducats, so many thousand
square miles of the Pachalic of Ackhattsick. We see
in this circumstance motives to admire.rather the "good
sense" than the generosity of Russia. Every one here,
was aware that when Count Orloff arrived at Constan-
tinople bearer of the treaty which he prevailed upon the
trembling Sultan to sign at Unkiar Skelessi, the pro-
mise had repeatedly been made by him that he would
use his influence on his imperial master's mind to
obtain a reduction of two millions in favour of his
friend and ally Sultan Mahmoud—every one, we repeat,
was fully persuaded that the bargain in virtue of
which the Dardanelles were placed at the disposal of
Russia, and her protectorate over this empire esta-
blished, not being of the worst, the request of the able
negotiator who struck it should unconditionally be
granted. Nicholas is evidently more exigant than the
Count. The extension of the Asiatic frontiers of his
empire, to his moderation's taste, was mentioned by
him to the thunderstruck Achmet Pacha as the sine guii
non to his granting his favourite's request.
How
_ far a similar treaty can be thought a fair subject
of congratulation we cannot understand. To say that
it is due to the influence which the union.
of England
and France, and the firm and concerted language of
these two powers, have acquired in the councils of
is
St. Petersburgh, indeed too bad. The bitterest
irony could not supply expressions
lmore galling to the
feelings of those powers,
spite
to their dig-
nity, when the facts are, that, inin eoftheir protests
against the treaty of Unkiar Skelessi,pionlya a single
eyeaoneof
iota's alteration has not taken place notn
its articles, but an additional treaty has been
con-
cluded between Turkey and Russia, to legitimate
the latter's aggrandisement at the expense of the for-
mer's territorial integrity, and consolidate the political
preponderance this natural enemy has been so fatally
exerting over the destinies of Turkey,—a preponder-
ance that has already been productive of more evil
than the best directed efforts of her armies and fleets
were able to accomplish. The diplomatic and mate-
rial demonstrations made lately by England and France
have had no other result than to convince the Turks
of our willingness to relieve them from the Russian
yoke, and of our inability to do it. What other infer-
ence can they draw from our satisfaction with the
conduct of Russia • than that our councils and those of
France either are disunited, as Admiral de Rigny's
emissary, M. Bois le Comte, has laboured hard to
persuade them, or that we feel the impossibility of
coping with the formidable autocrat ? The practical
application of this conviction must inevitably be, where
they can place no reliance on the good intentions of

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