The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-09-13

combined forces OF England, France and Russia
were sorrows beyond the power of This eminent
sovereign to support. II may be said that the
reign Of Mahmosd was commenced and terminated
in blood and war. His character, which, among
his own subjects, has acquired for him the title of
"The Great" was remarkable for strength, deter
mipaon and perseverance but his career was
also marked with many acts of cruelty, weakness,
and, perhaps from a want of wisdom and prudence
in his ministers and generals, with entire failure in
many of his chief enterprises particularly in those
connected with his intercourse with foreign ma.
tons.
His son, the present young Sultan, Abdul Mejid,
commenced his reign surrounded by great difficult
ties, all the result of the failure of his late fathers
measures. With his accession, nevertheless, peace
was restored TO every part of his still very extern
sive empire. Those parts of his inheritance which
had been wrested from his father by the hand of
power, and the covetousness of Russia, the never
sleeping enemy of Turkey, have, perhaps, been
lost TO him forever but through these gloomy
verses, the star of the young prince shone out
with vivid lustre, which has been strength
eEed by the subsequent sage and patriotic acts
of his reign With universal peace both TO-
reign and domestic, which has seldom been dis
turbed, and then mostly by the intrgues of the
agents of the enemy Of his country among the more
remote and less civilized portions of his empire,
agriculture, commerce, manufactures, and the
general Improvement of his people, were again re-
vived. new navy has taken the place of the
one unjusty sacrificed at Navarino, and the
arsenal of Constantnople contains some of
the finest ships of war in the world. His Naval
Academy bids fair to produce officers of talent it
seeks professors from amongst the subjects Of all
other nations, without regard 10 their form of 60
vernment or religious belief. This may be said to
be the case in all the branches of his government.
The Medical College of the capital now supplies
physicians for the army and the navy, and gives a
general good education annually to some three
hundred pupils, composed Of Mussulmans, Arme-
mans, Greeks, and Jews, all on one common foot
ing Of equality. His army las been regenerated
and reformed il is now composed of one hundred
and eighty thousand men, maintained in different
parts of the empire, all well clad, fed, drilled, and
kept under strict military rule and discipline and
during the last year II was increased temporarily,
by drafts on his militia system, to three hundred
thousand His navy contains two three deckers,
eleven seventy-fours, fifteen frgates, eight cor
vettes, twenty brigs and schooners six steam
ers of from four hundred TO four hundred and fifty
horse power, and fourteen others of various powers
One of the two three deckers, called after his late
father, is pierced for one hundred and forty-six
guns, and one of the frigates, built by the late F.
Rhodes, Esq, of New York, carries seventy-four
guns. The Sultan has had public schools estab-
lished in every part of his immense capital and is
now extending them throughout his empire, in all of
which useful knowledge and the modern languages
of Europe are taught TO their pupils, composed of all
classes Of bis subjects and without any reference
10 their religion. The poor have not been ne
elected in these salutary ameliorations, and justice
is now as readily obtained by them as by the
wealthy. He has limited the power of the governors
of his provinces, and their decisions guided by
the opinions Of local councils, formed of equal
number of members selected from the different
sects of his subjects. Capital punishments are of
rare occurrence, and are dependent in ell ca SEES,
upon the SuItan'e approval. All the functionaries
Of the government, and those of the provinces, re-
ceye fixed salaries, and all irregular taxation has
been abolished Thus it is seen that, whilst the
Sultan may exercise despotic power, his govern.
ment is eminentiy paiernal in practice; this anne
Iteration Of his country and his people is not forced
| upon him by the clamors Of the latter, but arise,
| spontan, ously, from the correct judgment and
noble views Of the young sovereign. We thus
have the striking spectacle, amidst the numerous
contradictions offered US by the conduct o, some of
| the Christian sovefeigns Of civilized Europe, Of a
youthful prince leading his people onward to re.
form and improvement. In this he is ably
supported by the present ministry, headed by
the now celebrated Grand Vizier, Reschid
Pacha, whose name has become closely identified
with the rejuvinaton Of the Turkish Empire. II
should also be mentioned that public hospitals,
well provided with physicians and medicines,
have been erected in Consta niinople and on
the banks Of the Bosphorus. The mother of
the young Sultan, on the spot where once stood
large barrook Of the ferocious and cruel
JsnissaIies, has le,ierly had constructed a large
hospital for INDECENT and afflicted females,
Of all religions; aud the proud Mussulman female
proud in the fancied superiority Of her iai,h-may
daily be seen within lite dispensary, receiving health
from the hand Of benevolence, side by side with the
humblest and most abject Of the female Jewish
subjects Of the phiianthropic Sultan, who so gene
rousy supplies his mother with means for such
charitable purposes. The character and acts Of
the present Ottoman Sultan have endeafed him TO
his subjects. The thousands Of Arme man fami-
lies which, at the insiiearion of Russi. migrated
from Turkey into South Russia, during the wars
Of his father, have nearly all returned to the paicr.
ns rule If the son, fully convinced, by actual ex-
perence, that Mussulman rule is better than Chris
iian despotism. Again, in Strya. where Russia
claims to be Proieciorate,' its people are de.
voted to the sultan. and would willingly free them
selves from the baneful gf." OF the Cars pro-
lection.
Il is said that the present Sultan attends per-
sonay to all the more important affairs Of his GO
vernmsnt, and q his yesi empire The reports of
HI ministers and other functionaries are twice
week laid before him. Those Of his representatives
in foreign lands meet with his particular attention.
he takes deep interest in the better state Of things
existing in some OF The counties Of Europe, and
sc,ks 70 inform himself Of whatever they contain
which may be beneficial TO his own people In
this view BE- sends special agents to Europe to pro-
cure desired information: and among these, we