Star.
London, England, 1823-08-05 00:00:00

RUSSIA AND THE PORTE.

INSTRUCTIONS GIVRN BY LORD STRANOFORD TU THe
CHIEF INTEREBETER OF HIS EMBASSY.

" Constantinople, May 2s.
" Stn—The stoppage of vessel, under the Russian
flag is too unpleasant an-occurrence not to come,; .al
immediate attention, and the most efforts
on the part of the Embassy.
" Of whatever number and importance may bethe
questions at present depending relative to our own
commerce and navigation, we must not cease follow-
Mg the same route which we have followed for two
years : on this occasion, as on so many others, we
must con-rider our owl: interest as subordinate to the
universal cause of the preservation of peace. In con-
sequence, Sir, I enjoin you to devote all your atten-
tion to the Russian question, and to consider as se-
condary every other affair foe the present..
" The friendly representations which yon have been
previously charged to make to the Reis Effendi, on
this important subject, not havingfroduced the effect
I expected, it is indispensable to explain smote fitily
to the Ottoman Ministry the manner in which I view
the question. The Porte is, or at least ought to be,
too, well convinced of the frankness and g, mi faith
which characterize all my proceedo,gs towards it, to
mistake the motives, those of pure good will, which
induce me to interfere on the present occasion.
" I am not, therefore, afraid that it will be either
offended or astonished at the language of a friend+,
who is interested both in its prosperity and its tree
glory ; and I audio' ize you, Sir, to declare to tl e
Reis Efiencii,• without any circumlocution, that the
measure taken by the Government, with regard to
the shipping of Russia, is false, because taken out of
season—false, because it reposes on an erroneous
principle,—and false, because it has been enveloied
in inexcusable fortis.
" The Ambassador then explains that it is false,
because at the moment that it was adopted, the effott
of the Allies, properly appreciated ',y Russia, had
got rid of the greater part of the difficulties in the
way of re-establishing the friendly relations between
Russia and-the Porte, and the pacification was so far
advanced, that nothing but so marked and important
an error on the part of the Divan could have st"pped
its progress. It was false as to principle, b,cause it
belongs not to the Porte, but to the Ministe Protec-
tor of the flag in question, to decide as to the ',aton-
ality of the vessels which use it. Even, therefore,
supposing the vessels detained n ere Greek., it was
not the business of the Porte to decide the question.
In cases which are exemptions to this rule, the Mi-
nister and the local Government together decide the
question, and not the Porte alone, which would make
it the judge and party in the same cause.
" It was false as to form, because several of the
detained vessels have been in the hat bour four months,
and the Porte has refused them permission to pro-
ceed on various pretexts. If the Porte had any com-
plaint against these vessels, it ought to have referred
them ao the Minister protecting the Russian flag;
and the Emperor of Russia, who suppresses decep-
tion and respects treaties, would not have delayed to
give the Divan another proof of his just, noble, and
conciliatory disposition. The Porte, however, pre•
tends to do justice to itself, and has not even the
excuse of precipitation for the error it has committed.
4, If the Ministers of the Sultan, who are his faithful
and zealous servants, had wished to make common
cause with his enemies, they could not have taken
any measure better calculated to promote this etd,
than to detain the Russian vessels. Forty-five vessels
added to the fleet of the insurgents would not have
done the Emperor so much injury as the detention of
the four vessels in the arsenal of Constantinople. •
44 The Ambassador concludes by authorizing the
interpreter to place an attested copy.of these instruct
tions in the hands of the Reis Effendi, if he requires it.
(Signed) " STRANG.FORII."

DESTRUCTION OF THE CHURCH OF Sr. PAUI,, AT
Rosse.—(Further Particular:).—ln the night of the
15th to the 16th of July 6 some workmen, having been
employed in mending some pipes and gutters to carry
the water off the roof of the church, had, either by
imprudence or forgetfulness, left a little chafing-dish
alight on the cieling, which is entirely of wood; iris
supposed that some spat ks fell, or the heat of this file
communicated flame to the wood, already too combus-
tible from age. About four in the morning, a trn•
yeller happening to pass by on horseback, saw the
flames pouring out in volumes from this magnificent
edifice. He immediately, by dint of shouts and knock-
ing at doors, awoke the neighbours and ran afterwann
through the town calling out for firemen, and the ne-
cessary assistance to extinguish the fire, but, in spiteof
every exertion, nothing could save this noble build-
ing the flames having been too long at work; and
the distance being too great to allow of any aid ar-
riving in time to save this monument, so interesting
to our religion, and so valuable for its contents.—
The beautiful cedars of. Lebanon are consumed;
vast quantity of pillars lie strewed about, an 4 tore
are even calcined by the heat of the flames ;In short,
nothing remains but the ruins of this once superb
edifice. The firemen, it is said, performed prodigies
of valour, and several threw themselves into the mid-
dle
of the flames, to cut or pull down fragment's(
the burning pile: they did everything, in fact, that
men could do to save it, but in vain.
Accounts from Odessa, of the 9th of July, trawl
that the four Russian ships which have been relessed
at Constantinople, and were to return to that per,
have not yet atrived. his alleged as a reason, that
the Captains have formally protested against their
having been sent to the arenal, and ordered to WO
to Wessa, and have, consequently, made no use.of tat
Firman of the IN,rte, but demanded to be allowed •
continue their voyage to the Mediterranean.
in the province of Hainault in the Netherlands,
!From the year 1818 to the end of 1822, there his
been an increase, amounting to 28,637 persons. ga
the 31st of December, in the same year, that Pc.
vince contained .530,335 individuals.
BANK OF ST. PETERSBURGII.—On the Bth efisill
-the Meetingt of the Council which has the saPetifr
tendance of the Bank took place. The Presidwit
Printe LAPUCHIN,. being absent, Court KorscHtslagf
presided in his stead, and M. CANORIN, the
of Finance, made the opening speech, The mod
'of the circulation of the Bank during last Year. real
890,079,035 rubles in Bank assignats, and 6000,611/
tubles in money. The net profits are 1,810,615100 P.
55 copecb.