The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-22 00:00:00

,-.. 1
TITE DANUBIAN PRINCIPALITIES.

VIENNA, March 17.—At Bucharest it is related
that when the Hospodar Stirbey retires from office
in May next a Kaimakam, or Turkish Commissary,
will be placed by the Porte at the head of the
Waflachian Administration, and the very idea of
such an encroachment on their privileges highly
exasperates the Wallachians. The rumour has doubt-
less been spread in order to serve the purposes of
ono or other of the numerous candidates for the
Hospodariate, as it is difficult to suppose that the
Porte can intend to take a step which would make
the Wallachians lament that the Russian protecto-
rate had been abolished. The question of the Danu-
bian Principalities will long occupy public atten-
tion, and, therefore, a brief summary of the various
official documents which relate to the privileges of
the Danubian Principalities will now be given.
The oldest document, which bears the date of
1393, is a treaty concluded between Bajazid 1.,
surnamed Ilderim, and Mirza, Prince of Wallachia.
The treaty, which was signed at Nicopolis, contains
5 articles :

"Art. 1. The Principality 'recently subjected by ocr
invincible force, shall be governed according to its own
laws and the Prince shall have the right to make war
and peace, and the power of Ida and death over his sub-
ject".

" Art. 2. No Christians who, having adopted the Ma-
hos:medal' faith, shall go to Wallachia, and there return
to their original religion, shall be reclaimed or attacked.
" Art. 3. Wallacbians who may go to any part of our
territories shall be exempt from captitation or poll•tax.
"Art. 4. The Christian Princes shall be elected by the
Metropolitan and the Boyarcfs.
"Art. 5. But, in return for this great clemency, aed
because we have inscribed this Prince Rayah in the list
with our other subjects,' he shall be obliged to pqy every
year into our Imperial treasure 3,000 red piastres of the
country, 1r 500 silver piadres of our money."
The MTh article would seem to establish for the
Porte a right of sovereignty rather tht of suze•
rainete.

The second document is a treaty concluded in
1460 at Adrianople, between Mahomet 11. and
Viade V., Prince of Wallachia. •
" Art: 1. The Sultan engages to protect Wallachia
against ail. enemies ' without exacting anything more
than the supremacy over the sovereignty (la supr6natie
sur la souveraintte) of the Principality.' The Voivodes
shall be °bilged to pay to the Sublime Porte a tribute of
6,000 piastres.
" Art. 2. The Porte will not meddle in the administra•
tion of the Principality, and no Turk shall be permitted
to enter Wallachia without an ostensible motive.'
" Art. 3. Every year an officer will be sent by the
Porte to receive the tribute.

" Art. 4. The Voivode.s to be elected by the Metropo-
litan, the bishops, and the 13,iyards, and the election
to be recognised by the Porte.'
" Art. 5. The Wallachian nation to have its own laws.
The Voivodes to have the power of lite and death over
their subjects, and the right to make peace or war with-
out any kind of responsibility to the Porte.
" Art. 6. No renegades, who, having gone to Wal-
lachia, bad there returned to the Christian Church, to
be reclaimed by any Ottoman authority.
" Art. 7. Wallachian subjects going to any part of
Turkey not to pay the poll tax to which ' all the other
Rayahs are subjected' (et laquelle sont sountis les autres
Raps).

Art. 8. If any Turk has a difference in Wallachia
with a native, it shall be settled by the Wallachia!'
Divan conformably to the laws of the Principality.
" Art. 9. Turkish merchants going to the Principa-
lity t buy cr sell goods to announce to the authorities
how long they intend to stay, and to leave when the
time fixed is at an end.

" Art. 10. No Turk to take away with him Walla-
chian servants of -either sex. No Turkish mosque ever
to be built in Wallachia. •

" Art. 11. The Sublime Porte pledges itself never to
summon a Wallachian subject to Constantinople, or to
any part of the Turkish dominions."

The third document is a treaty concluded in
1513, between Sultan Selim and Bogdan, reigning
Prince of Moldavia :

" 1. The Sultan acknowledges that Moldavia of its own
free will promised obedience to the Ottoman Empire.
"2. The Moldavian nation to en)y all its priv►leges,
and the Porte promises never, in any way, to curtail
them.

" 3. The Princes to govern the country, and the Porte
not to inedclie either directly or indirectly.
" 4. The Porte not to inter:ere in any private differ.

enec s.

" 5. The boundaries of Moldavia to remain unchanged.
" 6. The Mahomedan re.igion prohibited in Moldavia.
" 7. No Mahomedan to posses real property in Mot•
davia.

" 8. Trade with Moldavia to be open to all nations,
but the Turks to have the preference if they should wish
to purchase the produce of the country. The Turks
must, however, trade at Galatz, Ismail, and K ilia, as
they will not be allowed to penetrate further into the
country without the express permission of the Fringe.
"-9. Moldavia shall -preserve the title of Independ-
ent,' and it shall be given in all letters addressed by the
Porte to the Prince.
" 10. Turks bringing letters from the Porte to the
Prince to remain on the right [rink of the Danube. The
Governor of Galltz to eend across the river for them,
and forward them to the Prince.

" 11. The Moldavian Prince to be elected by the ra-
tion and recognised by the Porte without the least dial.
culty.

12. The country to bo prnte,,,ted by Turkey when
the 51,11davian nation shall demand aid at,d as4istance.

" 13. For all t.hest, adiantage4 the euntitry wakes :;t1
annual present (peschsclt) ut 4,000 ducAts to the Porte."

In 1666 the Pacha, of Silistria have greatly an-
noyed the Wallachians, the Pirte gave orders that
all the habitations constructed by Turks on the left
bank of the river should be destroyed, and the
Wallachiaus left in peace. The form employed by
the Porte in the Hatti-Sheriffs addressed to Mol-
davia and Wallachia has invariably been, "
country enjoying fud liberty and self-government."
In the year 1834 the following remarkable Hatti-
Sheriff was issued by the Sultan Mahmoud
:
It having been found necessary .to establish on a
more solid basis the internal adminfstration of the two
c ,untries, we have resolved that the Princes of Moldavia
and Wallachia shall be chosen for life. They, conjointly
with their Divans, shall direct the internal aff.iirs of
their countries without the interference of any one, and
without any order being issu. d to detract from their
rights. All the isles belonging to the left bank of the
Danube shall form an integral part of the two Principa-
lities, and the middle of the river, from its entrance
into the Ottoman States to its codioence with the Pruth,
shall form the boundary of the two countries. The
Porte promises not to maintain fortr,emes or any other
esta!)lishinents on the left le of the Danube. No
Mahomedan can reside on the left bank of the river,
and no merchants shall be permitted to enter the coun-
try excepting those who have a special permis,ion and
come to purchase goods on their own account, cr that
of the Ottoman Government. The two Principalities
having an independent internal administration can esta-
blish quarantines and sanitary cordons along the Danube
and wherever they may consider them necessary."
As compensation for the above-mentioned con-
cessions, Wallachia agreed to pay an annual tribute
of 4,000 and Moldavia 2,000 purses. As no part
of the foregoing can possibly apply to that portion
of Bessarabia which is now to be ceded to Molda-
via, there is no reason why any forts which may
be constructed on the left hank of the Pruth should
not he intrusted to the safe keeping of the Turks.
The Moldavians are such a degenerate and corrupt
race that they are not to be trusted.

GIVING WAY OF A HOUSE FLOORING.—On Saturday,
Miss Davies, a rather elderly lady, a grocer residing in
Castle-street, Neath, was leaving the parlour of her
dwelling-house and was crossing the passage which con-
nects that room with the kitchen when the flooring gave
way, and she was precipitated into the cellar beneath.
Hearing her cries, her brother, living next dour, hurried
to her assistance, but no sooner opened the kitchen inner
door, and stepped thence into the passage, than he also
tell int.) the cellar, through the chasm, which being just
behind the kitchen door he unfortunately did not per-
ceive. Attracted by the noise, a Mrs. Lindsay, who
lived close by, also went into the house, and, singular to
say, also fell through the flooring. The interference of
neighbours rescued them, subsequently, from their
ex-
tremely unenviable position. Each of the Davises is
bruised very much, and Mrs. Lindsay, in falling' broke
hei• leg—indeed, the shock she received was so great that
her recovery is not by any
Herald.wansca
means certain—S

FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT. —A fatal accident occur-
red on the Swansea Vit;e Railway on Saturday last, by
which
Thomas Williams, an engine-driver, lost his life.
The deceased and a stoker named Lewis were proceeding
up the line with a train of empty waggons, at about 10
miles an hour. When near the Psilinawn station the axle
of the left side leading wheel of the engine suddenly
broke. The engine went off the line at a right angle, tak-
ing the tender with her, and went about 10 yards down
the bank ; the first waggon was upset. The deceased,
who was standing at the time on the right-baud side, en-
deavoured to jump off, but the stoker held on to the en-
gine, which stuck in the bank. Deceased was found lying
on the middle of the railway very much injured and inset).
Bible, and very much cut about the bead and middle of
the body ; his foot was cot off, and his whole body so
frightfully mutilated that it literally had to be collected in
fragments in order to be placed in the coffin. At the coro-
ner's inquest, after the above facts had been deposed to,
Wm. Lewis, engineer, deposed that he had charge of
the engines on the Swansea Valley Railway. It was his
duty to see that they were kept in proper working condi-
tion. The engine in question was an old one, but had
been repaired in the months of December and January
last. He had examined the engine since the accident,
and found that the leading axle hail broken in the
part called the "journal" where the brasses went on.
This axle had been examined at the time mentioned, and
was considered safe. After the repairs the engine com-
menced running on the 29th of January last. Witness
considered that there must have been an extraordinary
strain of the wheels some time previous to the accident,
signs of a flaw or fracture being found. Verdict, " acci-
dental death." The deceased N;as a well-conducted and
careful man, and has left a widow and eight children,
who were entirqly
dependent on him for support.-..
SW Hong. ,