The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1854-05-31
The Eastern Q1astion--.HoW the
Quarrel Began.

"u1AAOh
Phe ostensible grounds of dispute between
Russia and Turkey at the outset were,-
the demands of the former for a more efficient
protection by the latter, of few lazy and
dirty Geek priests in the Holy Land-of n
guaranty for the security of the Russo Greek
church in Turkey,-and for the expulsion of
political refugees harbored at Constantinople
and other places. AS the Porte had already
guaranteed to France in behalf of the Latin
Church, the restoration of the key to the
principal gate at Bethlehem; andhad replaced
Mt the sameinstance,a certain silver star in the
grotto ofthe Nativity, with Latin inscrip-
ton, (Which had been displaced in 1919 and
had consented that the cupola over the Sa.
cred S"puichre should be constructed in the
ancient and not in the Byzantine order of
architecture and as, moreover, the Porte
had granted to Austria, consequent upon the
Montenegrin insurrection of which she COM
plained-the barber of Kleeck AMI the
Sutorian ports, with 4 control of the Bosnia
Satholics, and few commercial facilitics,-
while ut the same time the Sultan WAS get-
ting more thick as the schoolboys say,
with the clever English mbassador--Russia
supposed ita good opportunity for asserting
some of her own old claims of similar
character. She accordingly scrt Prince Men
clIikof to Constantinople to make parade
of The following points. Look you! oh Sui
tan Medul Abjid 'illustrious Padi5ha of all
the MohamIncdan faithful-my august
master Nicholas, the transparent protector
of al the true believers of Grnco Christcn-
dom, not wishing that France or England
should take the wind out of his sails, s,,icmads
these things. lst, common possession with
the Latin believers of the key of the gate
Mt Bethlehem, of the silver star OH the subtcr-
ranean alter, and of the rites of worship
with supremacy over all intcrlopers; I'd,
the immediate repair of the cupola of the Sc
pulchre, which let's the rain iu on the bare
heads of the dcvout, and the walling up or
destruction ofcertain har,' ms which overlook
tilat sepulchrc, sometimes to the scandal of
the monks and pilgrims; and 3dly, and finally
Scned or convention for the guaranty of
the privileges of AL The Catholic Greek
worshipers and their priests and their sane
'uari.s, both in Turkey and in tho East"
"But," added the good McnchickoF, "since
You have been considerably remiss in this
part of your duties hitherto, my august mas
ter proposes to take most of this trouble off
your hands and see 20 it himsclf!' TO
which The Padisha, the mighty and the illus
trious' through his chief Vizcr for Foreign
affairS--may he always be blessed . replied,
t. that there was nobody in the world for
whom lie, the Father of the Faithful, had
m intenser admiration and respect than fer
his amiabie friend the most pious Autocrat,
Guardian and Protector Of all the Russians,
but that he could hardly consent to his de-
mands. As for the Holy Shrines and Holy
Places lie had attended to them as well as
he coald, considering the several classes of
vag:ibonds lay and clerical, with whom he
hnd to deal, and, rs to the Christians, he had
always taken the best care Of them, even |
10 cutting their heads off when thy " ere |
refractory, and he always meant to, being very
much obliged meanwhile to his ilustrious
Brother, for his kind intentions and offers
of assis ance,--but he had rather not, if it
were ali the same to him. Besides, the in
tcrnal affairs of Tur ey were in his keeping,
and he would thank his illustrious Brother
with the profcundest Difference, if he would
just mind his own business" Menchikolf
then, in the blandest way,requcsted precisely
the same things, only in ditferen: terms, and
tbs Siltan made precisely the same answer,
only in different terms. Menchikoff got
huffy, and threatened to 60 hoIfie.--the am
bassadUr of Austria though he had better
not; Coaut Ncsselrode wrote plaintive,
yet furious, despatch to all the foreign gov
ernments calling the Sultan names and
threatening to trounce him if he did not
CONS to reason in eight days; France re-
piled spunkily that there were two who
could play ut trouncing, and that the good
Sultan was his friend England remarked;
" Gentlemen, do not let us tread upon each |
other, there is enough of Turkey for all Of |
Us, and let us have an amicable talk over |
the whole matter. They accordingly went |
to work at Vienna, and talked,--and then |
they talked againA-talked for a whole year |
and first AbJul Mejid would'nt-and |
finally neither Of them would--and so they |
al ordered ont th ir gun-boats for free
and general fight. France and England |
that had never before done any thing but
void their superauous rheum in each Others |
tices, shook hands like brothers, fell upon |