The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-18 00:00:00

LEVANT MAIL.

COISTANTINoPLE, JUNE 27.—Matters are likely to con-
tinue for some time longer in an unsettled state in Syria unless
the three Powers have recourse to those coercive measures,
of which rumours have been bruited abroad during the last
ten days. Should these measures be enforced, it is to be de-
sired most earnestly that they may produce immediate effect
upon the Porte, and not entail the disastrous consequences—
rebellion and civil war—anticipated by many persons here and
in Syria. That rebellion and civil war should take place is
highly probable. During the last five or six months every-
thing has been done by foreign emissaries and agents to widen
the breach between the people and the Government, to excite
the Chiefs against the Porte's local authorities—to foment
discontent among the people, and to inspire them with an
idea that the Great Powers were prepared to support any
attempts they might make to emancipate themselves from
the 'Turkish yoke. Measures have been employed and coun-
tenanced that would not be permitted in any other country
in Europe, and the Lebanon, thus prepared for revolt,
is ready to rise at the first signal. It puzzles the
wisest heads to comprehend what England is to gain
by this. What France can gain is easily comprehended. She
has already obtained a victory by the destruction of our in-
fluence here, and by the knowledge that it is morally and phy-
sically impossible that we can reap the slightest advantage here-
after in Syria. Her object, and that of Russia, has been to ex-
cite us to quarrel with the Porte, so that we may not support
the latter against them, nor obtain concessions when required
for ourselves. Knowing that the further we advance in our
present system, the more detrimental will be the results, France
continues to urge us forward. We have already done enough
for Russia, and she therefore cautiously withdraws, and leaves
us to get out of the scrape as well as we can. According to the
latest accounts from Syria, serious dissensions have arisen be-
tween the English Consul and Turkish authorities at Beyrout.
It appears that Emir Abdallah and his sons, fearing to be ar-
rested in consequence of the Governor having discovered that
they were implicated in a plot or conspiracy, had taken refuge
on board a *British ship of war. Mustapha Pacha demanded
their surrender. This the Consul very properly refused. Other
letters state that the Patriarch, not feeling himself secure,
or perhaps anticipating a general outbreak, had retired to a
remote part of the mountain, and that several sheiks had fol-
lowed his example. In short, the condition of the Lebanon is
deplorable. The blame is of course cast upon the Turkish
Government alone, and this most unjustly ; for half the evil
results from the intrigues and machinations of foreign agents
and emissaries, whose principal occupation is to provoke
sedition and to foment misrule. The bad seed is now sown
in the Lebanon, and come what will, the consequences must
be prejudicial to the interests of the Porte, anti to those of
Great Britain. . _

Letters from Salonica express astonishment that the British
Government should exert itself so ardently in favour of the
Marunites, with whom British subjects can have nothing in
common, and at the same time apparently submit to
direct violations of treaties that directly affect the inte-
rests of the latter ; these infractions ought to be noticed in
a serious manner. Comparatively trilling he themselves,
they serve as precedents, and, if allowed to exist, may
be extended to every article of export. and thus render
the commercial treaty completely nugatory. It appears
that in addition to the monopoly of salt, farmed to
M. Alleon, a French broker of Pera, the Porte has accorded
the monopoly of the bone trade to another individual. Protes-
tations against both have, it is said, been made by the English
Ambassador, but without success. The bone monopoliser
shelters himself under the precedent of the salt farmer, and the
latter is openly protected by the French Envoy, whose influ-
ence apparently overpowers that of England. M. Allcon is a
French subject, having large claims upon the Porte, which
claims the Ottoman Government finds it more convenient to
get rid of, by sanctioning an abuse, than by paying its debt in
hard money. Coercive measures are taled of for Syria, with
the risk of civil war and bloodshed staring the coercers in the
face. It would be more to the purpose if the Porte were in-
formed that England does not make conventions with excep-
tions for French subjects, and that unless the monopoly is
abolished it must taise measures to prevent its continuance.
Serious losses have, it is said, been inflicted upon British mer-
chants by this grant. Under any circumstances this abuse
ought not to be permitted, nor can it without opening the door
to other violations which, in the end, will render our commer-
cial treaty a mere dead letter. Recently it came to the know-
ledge of our Consul-General at this place that an lonian or
Maltese British subject had obtained the monopoly of oil at
Stangour. No time was lost in compelling this person to re-
nounce his contract. This example ought to be followed by
the French Embassy.
The Greek Patriarch, who has been sometime in a declining
state, expired at the patriarchal Palace, in the Fanar, upon
the 24th, and was buried with great pomp, at the church of
our Lady of the Spring, at Balikli, on the following day. The
demise of this Prelate, the first who, for a length of time, has
terminated his earthly mission with the patriarchal mitre upon
his brow, has set in activity all the intrigues of the contending
parties at the Fanar. The Vogorides, Aristarkis, and other
leading houses have their candidates and relatives, and are mov-
ing every art to turn the vote of the Synod, and the approba-
tion of the Porte upon the person of their choice. The Rus-
sian Embassy' is equally active, and the Greek Legation is not
idle. It is probable that the selection will fall upon the person
most agreeable to the former. Greek Bishops, with few ex-
ceptions the most venal and corrupt of any men of their holy
cabins!, are not likely to resist the golden arguments of Russia,
the most lavish anti expert of all nations in the art of corrup-
tion. A synod of Bishops has been convoked, and their selec-
tion will probably be made public in a day or two. It is a mat-
ter of little importance, however, to any but the Russian and
Greek Governments, whose interests in this matter do not
seem to coincide. •
In consequence of the perpetual squabbles of British Con-
suls and Consular agents with the Porte's local authorities. Sir
S. Canning has transmitted a circular to the former, calling
upon them to use discretion in their relations with the Turkish
authorities, to adopt conciliatory language and measures, to
abstain from according protections to the Porte's subjects, and
to endeavour to exert every effort to draw together more
closely the bonds of amity that unite the Queen's Government
with that of the Sultan. '1 his circular, couched in impressive
and dignified language, reflects great credit upon Sir S. Can-
ning, and will, it is to he hoped, give satisfaction at the Porte.
Her Majesty's steamer Polyphemus arrived here at eight
A.M., on the 25th, with Lady Canning and suite. Her Lady-
ship proceeded at once to Buyukdtr, where the house hired for
the summer residence of the Embassy has been prepared. The
Internuncio is expected back from Brusa upon the 4th. His
Excel'ency's health has somewhat improved, but his physicians
have ucommended change of air, and it is understood that he
will proceed to Italy in September, and there pass the winter.
It is not improbable that his post may be tided during his ab-
sence by M. 1-fusar, who is at present at the head of the
Oriental department in'the Foreign-office at Vienna, and was
formerly first dragoman at this place.
A Turkish corvette has been sent to Calymnos with
orders to investigate the conduct of the commandant of
the Sultan's schooner, to whom is attributed , the
death of the Primate of the island. Different versions
of this story are given, but his Excellency Tahir Pacha
has commanded that the affair shall be rigorously scru-
tinised, and the captain of the schooner Gent here for judgment
and punishment, if it should be proved that he has been any
way accessory to the death of the unfortunate Primate. Ad-
miral Lasusse's squadron, consisting of the Inflexible and
Santri Petri liners, the Fleche brig, and 'Acheron steamer,
have reached Smyrna from Athens. The Aigle, Lord C. Pa-
get, has left Smyrna for Corfu. It appears that some misun-
derstanding touching the employment of the French flag took
place recently between Lord Clarence and the commandant of the
Fleche. The affair was, however, immediately explained, and
it appears, from the admission of the French Admiral himself,
that the commandant of the brig had no grounds far com-
plaint. The worthy officer commanding the Fleche is the
last man, perhaps, in the French navy to seek a quarrel; the
fault entirely rested with one of his subordinates.
MALTA.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE, JULY S.—SHIPS IN PORT—The
Queen, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir E. W. C. R.
Owen, Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean; the Howe,
120, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Sir F. Mason, second
in command ; Ceylon receiving-ship, bearing the flag of Rear-
Admiral Sir J. Louis, superintendent of Malta Dock-yard;
Impregnable, 104 ; Radney, 92 ; Calcutta, 84 ; Indus, 78;
Medea, Devastation, and Vesuvius war-steamers, and Poly-
phemus steam-packet.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE REST OF THE FLEET.—The Thun-
derer, ; Belvidere, 38; and Lizard steam-tender, at Gib-
raltar. The Formidable, 84, and Jaseur, 16, on their way to
Malta, from Gibraltar. L'Aigle, 24, on her way from Smyrna
to Malta ; and the Magicienne, 24, on her way to Smyrna,
from Malta.. The Stromboli war-steamer, at Constantinople ;
the Cyclops war-steamer, at Alexandria ; the Monarch, 84, at
the Pirius of Athens; and the Vanguard, 80, on her way
thither from Malta, to relieve her; the Cambridge, 78, on her
way to the Coast of Syria ; the Inconstant, 36, and Hecate
war-steamer, at Beyrout ; the Vernon, 50; Snake, 16 ; and
Locust steam.tender, at Tripoli, in Barbary ; the Savage, 10,
at Athens; the Phoenix war-steamer, on special service ; the
Prometheus steam-packet, on her way to the lonian Islands and
Patras ; the Alecto, at Marseilles, awaiting the London over-
land mail of the 4th inst. ; the Beacon and Magpie, surveying-
vessels, at Poros ; the Scout, at Corfu.
Moverkiesers OF Sines OF WAR SINCE JUNE 26. —The
Alecto, with the overland India mail for England, left Malta
for Marseilles on the afternoon of the 26th June ; and the
Great Liverpool contract steamer proceeded on her voyage to
Gibraltar and England with the ordinary mail on the morning
of the 27th. The Phcenix, with the mails from Patras and the
lonian Islands, arrived on the afternoon of the 26th, and after
coaling was despatched on some special service, under
sealed orders, on the 28th, on which day the Vanguard and
Cambridge were also suddenly ordered away, the first, it is
supposed, for the Pirreus, to relieve the Monarch, which owing
to her late service off the river Zanthus, is very sickly, and has
lost Major Alecch and Lieut. Burton, of the Royal Marines,
from malaria fever, and several men. The officers were interred
with military honours, the British Minister attending the funeral.
A seaman of the Medea has also died at Malta from the same
fever, and Assistant-Surgeon Webb continues in a very pre--
carious state in the Malta hospital. The Magicienne sailed for
Smyrna to relieve L'Aigle on the 27th. The Cambridge
has liroceeded, it is supposed to the coast of Syria. The Ve-
suvius returned from Marseilles after calling at Genoa and
Leghorn on the 29th ult. ; the Indus from Lisbon, on the 2d
instant; and on the same day the Polyphemus from Gib•
mbar, with the London mails of the 18th ult. ; and the
Prometheus from Constantinople, where she landed Lady
Stratford Canning and family. She sailed again on the 14th
for the lonian Islands and Patras with the mails. The Devas-
tation returned from Tripoli on the 2d, and was sent away
again for the same place, with despatches for the Consul,
brought from the Ambassador at Constantinople (by the Pro-
metheus) on the 3d, and she is this moment signalized as re-
turning ; but any .intelligence she may bring will not be in
time for this post. Massacres of sheiks continue by wholesale,
under the orders of Askar Ali, whose reign is near its close,
as his successor is known to have left Constantinople on the
23th ultimo, in a Turkish frigate, direct for Tripoli. The
Ottoman frigate, Chiaha Bahr i, and the Tunisian
corvette Elelia have both left for Tunis, and the Egyptian
storeship. Auserre ne, with coals (from Port Talbot, in Wales),
sailed from Malta for Alexandria on the 30th ult. The qua-
rantine of merchant ships from Constantinople. has, by a regu-
lation of the Malta Board of Health, dated 27th ult., been re-
duced to eighteen days without susceptible cargoes, and
twenty days with susceptible cargoes, in lieu of twenty-five, as
heretofore, which is a step towards civilisation in sanitary mat-
ters. Ships of war and passengers are relieved after fifteen