The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-12 00:00:00

TURKEY.

CONSTANTINOPLE, DEC. 17.—N0 progress has been
made in the Jeruseletn church affair. Mr. Bankhead
being fully aware of the impediments encountered by
his predecessor, has, according to public report, left 01
renewal of these negotiations to Sir C. Canning. If the
object be desirable, it is to be hoped that his Excellency
will succeed ; but in truth it is difficult to comprehend
the ut►l;ty of appointing a Bishop, and of erecting a
elitirch, where there is no flock, or prospect of a flock ;
or at all events where the congregation will be restricted
to successive Consular agents, or to some half dozen
casual Euglish travellers. 'These letter will, doubtless,
dine with the worthy Bishop, and bleat aver his Leban
wine. as becomes lambs of the true fold ; but they will
expend all their superfluous " circular notes" in the pure
chase of Catholic relics, and return home with rheum-
tisms " caught" in the empty Anglo-Prussian church at
Jerusalem.

Fine figures would Lord Asbky and Sir H. Inglis
cut if, after a journey to the Holy Land, they re-ap•
peered at home on crutches—not from bullets picked up
in the victory that would infallibly have been gained
over Ibrahim Paella, had not Commodore Napier im-
mortalised himself by his diplomatic triumph at Ales-
andria—but from sitting in a damp, tenantless church o-
their own architecture.

Principle apart, what great religious or political ob-
ject can be gained ? If the purport be political, then it
is profane and jesuitical, and we should be guilty of the
very duplicity which we condemn io the French. Then
as to proselytism there can be little,hope of such an
issue amidst the prejutFces, bigotry, and intrigue, and
fanatic malevolence to which the new foundation will
be exposed, , The Church may be planted, well tended.
and wit guarded, but its for flourishing, that cannot be
expected by the most suoguinO,
However, as it would be the climslt of absurdity to
mait:tain a Bishop without a Church, and as it is requi-
site for consistency's sake that the negotiation should be
revived, the Church must be sent, as soon as possible,
to shelter the pastor, thus reversing the old story of
Mahomet, who finding the mountain somewhat adverse
to locomotion, jumped on his cannel and trotted off to
say Namez on the mountain.

The Turks, they say, are sell ill dispos.el towards
Christians. If this be true, there is apparently little love
lost. For all Christians, especially French Christians,
according to the French Press, which by the bye has no
fixed creed, moral or political, most cordially hate all
Turks. But Turkish animosity towards unbelievers of
all denominations, is tenderness when compared with
the bitter aversion of the Latin and Greek Church, at
Jerusalem, against Protestant heretics. The official
establishment of a new Church—new at least legally
speaking—may be a cause for union between Catho-
lics, Greeks, A.rmenins, and schismatics ; but it svid
be the signal for interminable and rancorous hostilities
against the, so called, intruders. This, however, may
be an additional motive for losing no time in furnishing
the Bishop with a fortress wherein to defend himself.
The mere fact, also, of the first Protestant Bishop
not being an original Christian will operate unfavour-
ably. Luis observation is made with profound defer-
ence for the B'ishop's personal merits, and with equal
respect for the liberal sentiments of those who selected
him. nut the fact will be disadvantageous to him as a
preacher and converter. It will diminish the respect.
of bigoted Christians, and increase the hatred of Israel-
ites and Turks. Thus, in lieu of his being held up as
an example worthy of imitation, this antecedent wig be
employed as a term of reproach. 'rile Bishop's piety,
learning, and acknowledged virtues will be feeble bar-
riers against the crafty malice and ignorant superstition
of a jealous and rapacious priesteraft ; and whilst he is
solely occupied with the duties of his sacred mission,
they will be constantly engage ! in seeking, by every
possible religious intrigue and political cabal, to bestrew
his path with thorns. Sooner than the Bishop should
undergo this species of martyrdom, we wish him, not at
Jericho, but at Durham, Winchester, or any other
good bishopric not in parlibus infidelium.
But the question is not whether the Bishop will be
well or ill received, but whether he will have a roof
' under which he may receive his limited Anglo-Prussic
flock. Capitulations have been ransacked 5 Dragomen
have passed sleepless nights in hunting for precedents ;
equitable arguments and diplommutic subtleties have
been exlmaußted ; but your Ulicfnah is a sturdy caitiff, a
mixture of crocodile and tortoise, and unless Sir S.
Cenning is prepared to discover a loop-hole in the shell
of .the Koran, or to crack a vertebra of the restrictive
Fetwalls, it is highly problematical whether his Excel-
lency will succeed is adding this pious victory to his
previcrus diplomatic triumphs.
In the msaawhile, in addition to the change already
operated in the Ministry, by the re-annexation of the
department of commerce to that of customs under one
director-general, 'rahir Bey, agent to the Verdi, it is
intended to abolish all the moubassils (a kind of sub-
prefect), who were appointed according to the pl in in-
troduced by lieschid Paella. From early times down
to the period when this innovation, which has proved
detrimental both to government and contributors, was
introduced, the mode of levying the direct taxes was a
system of farms, somewhat similar to that in vogue dur-
ing the existence of the French fern/ices gencraux.
That is to say, the resources of each district and sub-
district in the different pachalics having been calculated
approxitnatively, upon returns furnished by the different
ayes (mayors—literally eyes), the receiverships were
privately bargained for the paellas, or put up to public
auction in the presence of the divan or council attached
to each provincial Government. The purchaser, after
deducting provincial expenses from the amount offered,
paid the surplus to the Governmetv, and was permitted
to levy the taxes in the manner best suited to his own
interests, and this without control as to the amount. The
result not only was, that the farmers committed the most
illegal and oppressive exactions on the people, who paid
double or treble theamountreceived by Government, but
that the paellas became the monopolists of all the farms,
and generally paid to the State only two-thirds of the
real amount which their district was enabled to produce.
For, in the event of their not being able to conclude a
satisfactory private bargain, and their illezain being
put up to public auction in their presence, no man
dared to bid beyond a certain price, lest he should in-
cur the wrath of the Paella. Whereupon the latter
forwarded the highest " bid" to the .Mieister of Finance,
and, as a proof of disinterestedness, usually added an
offer of a few thousand piastres, which was of course ac-
cepted, and thus, as before said, the Government was
pitilessly defrauded, under the mask of the most perfect
legality. Tue only benefit in this plan was that the
Government pretty well knew how much it would reS
ceive, no matter how small. However, in order to da
away with this system of malversation, and to increase
the revenues of the State, whilst it diminished the bur-
dens of the people, a cadastral return was ordered to be
made by all the mayors of the capabilities of their can-
tons, and a fixed standard of taxation determined upon,
beyond which they were not required to pay a single
piastre. Forced contributions and exactions were
strictly forbidden ; the Paellas received regular salaries,
according to the magnitude of their commands, and
the mouhassils (uniting the functions of district magis-
trates and inspectors of revenue) were appointed to pre-
side over the receipts, which were paid into the hands
of the Deftedar (treasurer and accountant). All dis-
bursements, civil and military, for local and provincial
purposes, were paid by the latter, by order of time mou-
bassils, and thit remainder was forwarded to the Trea-
sury.
This system promised to act well, and if honestly car-
ried into execution would have been advantageous to
the state, and beneficial to the people. in the itnme-
diate vicinity of the capital the system produced the de-
sired effect, but in the distant provinces it proved worse
even that the old mode of collection. Instead of one
great robber—the Pasha—there were as many plun-
derers as mouhassile, and these added to their numbers
the Paellas and defterdars, whose silents they were
obliged to purchase by enormous bribes. So in the end
the people were doubly fleeced, the Government doubly
plundered, and the Paellas discontented. It was
difli-
cult to select between two evils, the old or new system,
but as under both the people were plundered, the Go-
vernment has determined to return to that which at
least secured themselves. It has therefore been re-
solved to abolish the monhassiliks, and to farm the re-
venues to the Paellas, not as formerly by auction, but
according to the taxation returns, which are in the pos-
session of the finance department. The Paella, upon
nomination, will be obliged to pay a certain number of
purses to Government, and he will then be at liberty to
levy the taxes and collect the revenues, according to the
returns furnished to him by the Mayors, and reimburse
himself in this manner for the sums paid to the treasury.
'llls, of course, will lead to abuses, but at all events the
Government will be assured of receiving a fixed suns,
upon which it may calculate its expenses. This is a
very imperfect account of the institution, but may serve
to give an idea of the past and projected systems.
It appears that the dismissal of Ali Effendi, Under-
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has been re-
scinded. lie continues to hold office, and Nouri and
Sarim Effendis are appointed members of the Council.
Ali Effendi's amiable and polite manners and perfect
knowledge of the French language have rendered him a
favourite with the whole diplomatic corps ; his continu-
.tion in office has therefore (riven general satisfaction,
Four out of the five line-of-battle ships and three fri-
gates are already equipped, and the remainder of the
squadron destiaed in case of need to be employed upon
the coasts of Greece and Albania will be ready in the
course of a month. The crews are completed, and are
daily exercised in the harbour. Regiments of redif
(militia) continue to arrive daily from Asia Minor to
supply the place of the corps that are directed upon

after removing her artillery and stores on boessl the
cTAeoldepbrhiraftaantoeepdl;e
yananicli -Sofia. The Austrian frigate -.Veneres
into dock to be hove down and repaired. Admiral
atrheree-adnecchkoorre,dFevozniatet,hien the outer harbour, has ,gone
Bandeira continues to reside at the Austrian ??alace
until his vessel is refitted. The Talbot (Captain Step-.
ford), the Austrian and French brigs, Monticuculr. and
Bougainville, are moored ;tear the shore, opposite
Major Farms
cßussianaa k s
dsec)li o,KI
tr,ok and
eimd
ea,jwo war-steamer
nearr-sFteastr
rmat
the
recently arrived from Tabriz with despatches from
broughtto
per
f r bmy -tt, who has
Persia, will continue his route pia Malta, and
thence by the Oriental to England, )his afternoon.
quarantine, hale already
been forwarded to the Government. They are said
to be of no importance. Sir S. Canning- is ex-
pected here in about ten days. His arrival is .`ooked
been "The despatches
compelled
forward to with anxiety by his colleagues and by- ,the
Turkish Government.
Zacharia Pacha is expected every day to take cons,.
mend of the army of observation in Roumelia. It ap—
changed, and that he will proceed to replace Said
pears that the destination of Yacoub Pacha has been,
Pacha at Aidin. Mr. Fellowes, accompanied by the
Rev. Mr. Daniel, has left Smyrna in the Beacon.
Being in possession of the necessary firman, obtained
for him by Mr. Bankhead, he will be able to prosecute!
his researches in Syria, and to enrich the British Mu-
seum with several interesting antiquities already dis-
covered. It is curious that the ruins discovered by
Fellowes shoal.; have escaped the notice of the
French commission which was sent, some time past, to
explore various parts of Asia Minor for the satnepor-
pose. This commission returned home without mak-
ing any important discoveries or additions to the royal
collection.
The French Government steamer was again forty-
eight hours :Ater her time. The inefficiency of these
vessels to perform their passage with regularity, except
in moderate weather, is constantly proved by the delays
that take place in their arrival. The French man-of-
war steamer Veloce has this instant entered the port
(1 p.m.), having on board M. de Baurqueney. The
batteries and guns of the shipping are firing the cus-
tomary salutes.