New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-12-10
THE PRESENT sULTa,N.


THE PRESENT sultan.
Abdul Medjid, the actual " Commander o
the Faithful" born in May, 1922, is the son o
that Mahmoud who, setting up to be the tard,
reformer Of his country, its Peter the Great OIL
its Charlcmagne, probably became one of tn,
causes Of its accelerated decline For, not con
tent with reforms in the army and the govern
ment of the State nor with introducing from
abroad improvements in arms, in administr atiol
and the useful arts, he ventured upon innova
tions in the manners and the dress Of his people
and thus struck at what all wise reformers viii
sndeavor to re-animate, not destroy-the ma
tonality Of the race The Manners of peopl.
by which we mean more especially its domes.
tic and personal customs, amusements and the
hke--are SO linked with its religion, its morals
and sll its sentiments and affections, that the
effort of true reformer should be, even in ele-
waiting, to strengthen them, and rather to lead
back degenerating nation to what its uncor-
rupt part most loves, than to what its irreveren-
tial speculatists would suggest. Reform, in a
word, is one thing Improvement another; and
they are too much to be undertaken at once.
The nation which needs renovation must be con
tent to let that be its improvement As to it's
dress, we cannot recolect any instance in which
. country ever suddenly changed it, without
going to ruin. Mshmoud did that which it cost
Paul, the father of Nicholas, his life to have at
tempted. The Turks endured what the Russians
would not, and are therefore without nation
atty to stand upon. They have, in truth, little
left them, except their bigotry; which makes
them Mahommetans, but not a people.
Nicholas, as we have seen, is wiser; and in
laboring to domesticate among his people all
foreign improv. ments, material and intellectual.
does his best to keep alive all the old Russian
usages. Nicholas is wise, Mahmoud was a
foolish reformer.
Thus falling far below his great model, Peter
Of Russia, Mahmoud yet exceeded him in some Of
his vices. His death was FASTENED by his sem
sual indulgences. and especially by an inordi-
nate love of wine.
His son succeeded him, on the LIST of july,
1889; at the age, therefore, of only seventeen.
He bad, up to that time, been bred in all that
seclosion and that very limited education Of the
royal Seraglio, which form among the Turks
the wretched preparation of prince for the
throne He was thus doubly a boy; and it is
said that. yet further to unfit him for reigniuc.
MS mother, the Sultana-ambitious herself Of
done her best artifcially to pro-
long his minority, by engaging him in those dis
npations which at least retard the arrival of |
manhood. and often make it yield itself up for |
life, prey to loose delights and the control OF
women or sycophants, or even slaves. Besides |
all this, the rebellion of Egypt and war with |
Its dangerous pacha, Mehmet Ali, threatened a |
disruption Of the empire, weakened in its land |
force oy the destruction Of its Janssaries and at
sea by that Of its feet, in the Greek war and |
the battle of Nayarino; while the very person
OF the monarch, like that of Nicholas at his ac- |
cesslon, was menaced by wide-spreading con-
spiracy, known to the Ministry to be in exis-
tence and to have been awaiting the death of
Mahmoud, and the succession of boy sultan, as
the moment for successful outbreak. In A
word, dangers Of every sort. such as are usually
seen 70 attend tottering government, appeared
70 De thickening over the young Abdul Medjid.
Happily, however, there were high qualities in |
me boy, bred up as he had been only among wo- |
men and eunuehs- He at once began to act with |
igor and capacity Taking forthwith as his
'izer old Khosrew Pacha, the subtle and able
Minister Of his father, he speedily crushed the |
Intended revolters at home, checked the sue. |
'esses Of Mehmet Ali; regained Syria; finally |
accomplished an adjustment with Egypt, which
retained it as dependency; and while effect
ing all this, resumed his fathers measures of |
innovation, and soon gave them new and bold |
development
ms last, he more especially did, on the Sd |
u Nov, 1888, by issuing, with all the circum-
stances and ceremonies that could make it i'm
posing, hatti-cherif, or grand proclamation,
n which, appealing to the Koran as its warrant
and source, he may be said to have given new
organization, civil and military, to his whole
realm and to have reconstructed Turkey. BY
LUIS instrument, he assured to all his subjects,
hohammedans and inidels (rauahsJ alike. .
regular administration of Justice, civil and
'r'minaii security in person and property; q
aAed system Of taxation; legal mode of en-
istment ana service in the Army and the abol-
shment of all monopoly and venalitv in tho
'ublic employments; the latter being an old
md fragrant mischief Of the whole Turt;sb
government, which had, of course, rendered il
learly as bad as bad could be-
Upon the general basis of this proclamation
Abdul Medjid, faithfully assisted by Reschid
'acha (the main previous agent and perhaps
astigator of both Mahmoud's and of his sons
lans) went on to give new face to the whole
administrative business of his empire. The
ourts, the revenues, the army, the navy, and
ublic Instruction were all set on new footing
nd made to work. In short, the Sultan pro-
osed to lead on his subjects to new character,
new being as people. They must have