The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-01 00:00:00

THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE
SULTAN.

CONSTANTINOPLE, Sept. 2 I.—D urin g the last
few days the sole topic of conversation has been the
conspiracy which was to have broken out last
Saturday, but which was fortunately discovered
two days before. The most exaggerated state-
ments respecting it were, and still are, current.
The most distinguished name connected with the

affair is that of Hussein Pacha, who was at the

defence of Kars, and who was afterwards defeated
by the Montenegrins at Grahovo. He was arrested

at Yanina. Djeffar Bey leaped overboard from the
boat in which he was being conveyed to prison,
and was drowned in the Bosphorus, but the com-
mission which has been constantly sitting has ob-
tained possession of documents which give the most

ample information as to the names and objects of
the conspirators, although it was supposed that

Djeffar Bezhad others of considerable importance

about his person.
The discovery of the plot seems to have been made
through Hassan Pacha, commander of the Black Sea

forts, to whom overtures were made by the conspi-
rators, and who had the wit to adjourn the negotia-

tions until he had time to warn the Government of

,he existence of the peril. Most of the military men

concerned are, like Hussein and Djeffar, Ciroas sians
or Kurds ; few Turks being mixed up with it; but
it is said, though the fact is scarcely credible, that
some of the Italian and Hungarian refugees are
concerned in the matter. The Government has, how-
ever, promised to communicate to the publio the re-
sult of the inquiry, but it is doubtful if the whole truth
will be stated as regards the motives and objects of
the conspirators. It is stated on good authority that
among the documents seized are the addresses to the

foreign ambassadors, setting forth the necessity of
the revolution, as the sole means of averting
the ruin of Turkey. They point to the weakness
and to the silly extravagance of the Sultan and his
household, which not only impoverishes the exche-
quer, but which has so far exceeded his means that

Multitudes of persons are reduced to great straits,
from their inability to obtain payment for the
articles they have furnished to the palace. A few'
great pachas, according to the addresses, have grown
enormously rich at the expense of the public, and
have set an example of covetousness and peculation
in high places which has spread like a gangrene
through the whole administration. While those
evils were suffered to exist all reform was hopeless;
and, since the Sultan had been deaf to the counsels
of those who desired to save Turkey from ruin, no
other course was left but to put a more energetic
ruler in his place, shmild it be absolutely necessary,
but at any rate to sweep away those overgorged
leeches who are draining the very lifeblood of the
country and 6icouraging the Sultan in his, waste
fullfollies for their. own advantage.

In all this there is too much truth. Mehemet
AA Pacha, Grand Admiral, and Riza Pacha, Seras-
kier, both brothers-in-law of the Sultan, have accu-
mulated offices, the duties of which they cannot pea•
sibly fulfil efficiently, but of which they absorb the
legitimate and illegitimate emoluments ; nor are
they the only ones who have arisen from the lowest
and even the vilest occupations to the possesssion of
dignities and of enormous wealth. The extreme
penury of the Treasury and the urgent wants which
have had to be supplied at a ruinous sacrifice are
matters of public notoriety. But the measure
of the patriotism of these millionaire pachas
may be guessed by the fact, that on every
occasion it is to the Christian merchants and
bankers that the Minister of Finance has had
recourse, and that in the various loans to the Govern-
ment, many of them projected with the express view'
of aiding in the reform of the currency, no Turk of
wealth or position has ever taken part. They re-
ceive, but, like the grave, they give nothing back.
The pay of the army is in arrear, and yet the Sultan
is making costly prosents, and is proposing the pur-
chase of land at the back of his new palace of
Dolma Bagtche to the value of ninety millions of
piastres, or about £BOO,OOO, owing as he does already
five or six times that sum, which he cannot pay. If
the Sultan is aware of those facts he is insane and
unfit to govern ; if he. is not aware of them, the
Ministers who so grossly abuse their position and
neglect their duty as to leave him in ignorance of
matters so important, richly merit the fate to which
the conspirators consigned them. It will be impor-
tant for Europe to watch the measures which will
now be taken ; they will show either that the spark
of vitality which England has sought so anxiously
to keep alive still exists, or that the Turkish em-
Dire has fallen into that state of hopeless decrepi-
tude that we have nothing to do but look on quietly
at its dissolution, and hail the advent of the new and
stronger power which shall replace its present 'ru-
lers. If the government possesses either energy or
capacity it will seize this golden opportunity of
pushing forward the necessary reforms, which
have been deferred by the dread of such a plot as
that which has been so fortunately frustrated. In
such a course the physical aid of the great powers
would not be wanting should there be danger of
serious opposition, and we shall now see how far
the Sultan and his ministers are serious in their in•
tentions as to the Hattihumaion.
Some of the Paris papers give copious and in-
teresting details of the conspiracy It appears that
there were a good many Circassian officers among
the conspirators. As to the number of arrests,
one letter says that there were 500 the first day, and
that by the 21st inst. they amounted to 2,500. The
conspiracy made many recruits, some of them men
of much importance. They included a great
number of officers, and even non-commissioned offi-
cers and soldiers of Artillery, Engineers, and the
Guard. The number of officers comprised is esti-
mated at not less than 850. There was a regular
organisation. The society was divided into two
classes, chiefs and associates,
Only the chiefs knew each other; the associates
knew only their chiefs, each of whom grouped
around him 100 to 150 men. I believe I may
affirm that this society reckoned scarcely less than
15,000 to 18,000 men. The following was the plan
of the conspirators :—When the Sultan should be
returning from the mosque, or when at night he
should leave his kiosk at Tophaneh to return to the
palace with his habitual escort of palace officials
and domestics, he was to be allowed to reach the
narrowest part of the street which runs pa-
rallel with the Bosphorus from Tophaneh to
Dolma Bagtchi. In that part is the post of
Cabutach. The officers and the soldiers were to
carry off the Sultan. All had been gained over,
or nearly so, and the officer answered for hie
men. The Sultan taken, rockets were to be thrown
from the stairs of Cabutach, and to serve as a signal
to the regiment quartered at Koolalee, some dis-
tance up the Bosphorus, on the opposite side. This
regiment was to go by detachments to arrest the
Minister of War, Riza Pasha, in his 'lei, at Bailer-
bey, and the Grand Vizier, Aali Pasha, and the
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Pasha, at their
ialis at Canlidja."

PRESENTATION OF A CLOCK TO THE REV. HENRY
ALLON.—We are glad to learn that the services of this
able and eloquent preacher, so well known both on the
platform and in the pulpit, are fully appreciated by those
who have the benefit of his spiritual teachings. A superb
clock may now be seen at Mr. Bennett's, watchmaker, 65,
Cheapsido, purchased of him by the subscriptions of Union
Chapel, for presentation to the rev, gentleman. The de-
sign consis 3 of two fine bronze figures representing Science
and Art ending on a variegated green marble base,
circled with a bronze wreath of flowers. In the tablet sup-
porting the clock is embedded a bronze bas-relief symbo-
lical of the fino arts. Under this is engraved the following
inscription :—" Presented to the Rev. Henry Allen, mini-
ster of Union Chapel, Islington, by the church and con-
gregation assembling therein, as an expression of their high
appreciation of his ministerial character and labours, their
cordial esteem for him as a friend and pastor, and their
confident hope that the blessing which has already crowned
his efforts will be the earnest of still richer blessings in
years to come. October, 1859."
IMPORTATION OF BASE HALF-CROWNS.---The
Manchester police are on the watch with a view to defeat
the operations of a gang of coiners, who have accomplices
in the city for receiving and distributing among unwary
shopkeepers the products of their nefarious industry. Oa
Tuesday Mr. Watson and another detective officer watched
at the Fox Inn, Victoria-street, the arrival of a person for
whom a heavy brown paper parcel had been left there " to
be called for." The address on it was "John Clegg." In
the course of time a person called for and got the parcel.
The officers seized him in the street. He called himself
John Clegg, but refused to give any further informatim
about himself. On opening the parcel it was found to con-
tain base half-crowns to the amount of £7 7s. 6d. They
were rolled in paper parcels, and all enclosed in a quantity
of hay. Clegg was on Wednesday brought up at the city
police court. He refused to say who had sent him the
parcel, and was remanded till Monday for further inquiry.
--jfancltester Guardian.