The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-10 00:00:00

APFAIRS OF TURKEY.

A letter from Constantinople, dated June 30,
says :—Sultan Abdul Aziz has ascended the throne
at a moment when the wonderful fabric raised by
his predecessors seemed to have reached that point
where the decline of empires merges in their fall.
With some qualities that woul have commit eed re-
spect in private life, the late Sultan was utterly unfit
to govern a great country, and the last four years
of his reign were pre-eminently years of decadence.
Will his brother prove that he has at once the will
and the capacity to arrest the progress of decay ?
This is, doubtless, a question which people are ask-
ing in England no less than in Turkey. It is one
which Ido not pretend to answer. All I itan do
is to place before your reaGrs a statement of facts
as they develope themselves from time to time, ac-
companied with such observations as may fe-sist
you in forming a just conclusion.
For many years past Sultan Abdul - leap ap•
pearance, and what was known of his habits, gave.
rise to frequent anticipations of the event which was-
delayed until last Tuesday morning. Under these
circumstances it was natural. that the disposition
and opinions of the heir to the throne should have.
been a subject of frequent and anxious inquiry.
Nevertheless, such was the jealousy
with which
every
that, except
nativement of Aziz Effendi was watched
through the medium of his medi-
cak. attendant and his music-master, all com-
munication with the outer world was denied
him ; and the popular notion of his character was
and undefined. All that could
therefore varying
be ascertained was that he was a robust man, fond
of healthy and invigorating amusements, such as
riding, yachting, and shootirag. It was also known
that he took some interest in
agriculture, that he
manifested a lively curiosity, in respect to steam
machinery, and that he had at once taste
and
appli-
cation enough to induce him to learn music. A
strong will of his own he was said to have; but
it was generally supposed that this had taken an
evil direction, and that it would one day manifest
itself in acts of religious intolerance. The better
opinion, perhaps, was that although his sympathies,
were with the more austere of the Alussulmans, they
did not extend to the extreme fanatical party. A
strict economy, and regularity in matters of account,
distinguished the management of his household from
that of the neighbouring Palace ; but whether this
was attributable to himself, or to his mother, the
present Valide Sultana, did not clearly appear. The.
actions of the worst Princes have rarely been suck
in the first days of their reign as to furnish an index.
to their future conduct; and we should not, per-
haps, allow our hopes to be raised too high by what
is now passing around us. Still, events would seem
to justify the more favourable opinion previously
formed of the new Sultan's character. That his
tendencies incline towards the old Mussulman party
the choice of Namik Pasha, to which I shall pre-
sently advert, must be taken to imply. Yet one of
his first acts would negative the presumption of a
blind fanaticism. Signor Guatelli, the late Sultan's
bandmaster, had been in the habit of giving lessons
on the piano to Abdul Aziz Effendi. On the day
after the accession of the latter his music-master
called at the Palace. He was at once admitted to
the presence of the new Sultan, who asked him to
ho was indebted for the honour of the visit.
" I have come to give your Majesty your lesson
on the piano," was the answer. " You know,"
replied the Sultan, " a Pasha cannot condescend
to give lessons in music." Signor Guatelli was
thus informed, for the first time, that he had been
raised to the rank of Siva Pasha Marco Bey. His
Imperial Majesty's physician, another Christian,
has been raised to the same rank.
An Imperial hatt will be read at the Porte in the
course of a few days, in which, I am told, economy
will be proclaimed as the order of the day. It is
said, too, that a firm determination to carry into
immediate effect the provisions of theHatti-Huma-
voun of February, 1856, will be expressed therein.
The practice of economy has, however, preceded
its preaching, his Majesty having already dis-
missed some 1,500 attendants of the Palace, and
having announced his intention of reducing the ex-
penses of his Civil List to 7,000,000 piastres per
month—one haif of that which proved insufficient
for the wants of his predecessor. Some idea of the
extravagance which prevailed in the Imperial house--
hold may be gathered from the fact that there were
over 000 boatmen (caiquedjis) constantly employed.
The women of the harem, numbering over 750, have
been removed from the Palace of Dolma-Bagtche,
and their jewels taken possession of for the service-
of the State. Among these ladies the lawful wives:
of the deceased Sultan are, of course, not included.;
these, with their children, being allowed for the pre-
sent to remain in the Palace.
Ghalib Pasha, a man of good repute and of a
liberal education, which he received in Vienna, has
been appointed First Chamberlain, in place of
Ahmed Effendi, who is under arrest until he shall
render satisfactory accounts—a task he is not likely
to accomplish on this side of Doomsday. A number
of other officers of minor importance have also been
replaced by others, whose appointment gives gene-
ral satisfaction.
But the event 'which has produced the greatest
sensation took place yesterday. The fall of the
favourite of the late Sultan, Itiza Pasha, Minister
of War and Seraskier, was an occurrence which,
sooner or later, must have happened if any serious
reform of the Administration were intended. Still,
he is a man of considerable ability, and, being Com-
mander in-Chief of the army—a position which
enabled him to dispense many favours, it was
doubted whether the Sultan would venture thus
early on his dismissal. This step has, however, been
Mehemet Ali Pasha, a son of the
taken, and Namik Pasha reigns in his stead.
great Mehemet
Ali of Egypt, died here a few days since.

THE NATIONAL RIFLE MATCH.

Yesterday the shooting was continued at Wimble-
don, with the contests for the Duke of Cambridge's
prize and that given by Lord Ashburton, to be com-
peted for by such public schools as have enrolled
corps. Nothing decisive, 'we are told, has been done
towards winning the first named trophy, and the
score will not be published till to-morrow. The
match between the public schools, however, was
brought to a definite conclusion, and resulted after
a most exciting contest in Rugby winning the
prize by two points. The schools which contended
were Rugby, Harrow, and Eton, each of whom
sent up 11 competitors. Five shots were allowed
to each gentleman at 200 and 500 yards. The match
seemed to excite the greatest interest, and the prac-
tice ground was better attended than on any pre-
vious occasion since its opening.
The superb prize is a massive copy of thtoenC, etlhliunai
Shield, electrotyped in silver by Elkiough
School.
passed to the temporary possession of
Rug
Prize is to
We say temporary possession, for, as
be
e propertycompeted
of faouryeach t year,school:
itT can neverraag be
me ceonmt e
its h ea
mistake, and far greater efforts at excellence
be put forward if it became property of the
hse
ae would
r
school that held it against all all comers for three
seemed to be some
years after gaining it.
such
the
close feeling f
oa s
the this
shooting
.Tth e
Lord
pye
b enes
et
ee
err
odmoa yf
fp ,ee
rtf
eoe a
dr
heerbtehst o n
t shot of each of the
af
onr absolutey
aprrdi
ez e
heyP worth
t
three schools. Three gentlemen were accordingly
chosen at once, and competed with seven shots
each, Eton 'won the cup easily,
and Mr. Howard of
though the other scores were also good. Among
others present were the Marquis of Abercorn, the
Earl of Winchilsea, Lord Somers, Viscount Field-
ing, Lord Valletort, Viscount Ingestre, Lady
Chelmsford and Miss Thesiger, Viscount Ranelagh,
Mr. J. A. Smith, M.P., Colonel North, M.P., Sir
D. Baird, Lord Hamilton, the Hon. Colonel Char-
teris, the Hon. Colonel Lindsay, Lord Vernon, the
Earl and Countess of Ducie,. Sir Alexander Cum-
ming, Sir D. Wood the Earl and Countess Spencer,
Lord Radstock, Lord Bury, Lord ant'. Lady
Elcho, &c.