New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-09-24

soveTeign Sultan Add vi Medpd, upon the tnrCne.
II was a struggle for existence between the two
rival elements, the reform party well knowing that
if it failed, every member Of it would be sacrlhced
by the JaDissaries, who were held together oY ,ne
secret vows of the religious order of the Bek laS'e
Dervshes--thus creating those formidable troops
into a religo-pOlitlcal order, as firmly welded
TO each other as were the members OF the knign'S
of Malta or the Crusaders. III
Sultan Mohammed OF Mahmoud H., though
still youth when be was placed uPoa ~, Sno
throne. warmly espoused the cause OF tnoSe
friends of his fanily who saVed nun h Ma
death. and raised him 10 be tne neno vi .uo
greatest Moflem nation then existing ne was ,1e
last of his racethe only living m amber OF the FANNY
&c Gilman and consequently was clothed with
prestige and position sacred IN the eyes even OF MS
norSt foes, With the successful disbanding OF the
Tan;ssaries and the prohibition of the Order OF the
p,L Tosb, Won are familiar aud it need not be here
dweN upon. Various reforms were lmmediatey
entered upon by this Sultan, and during MS event
ful life. were carried out with more or less hdehey
10 thus reyoutonize whole government and
nsonIe reouired men of firmness and ability, and
General cooperation between the various iuncuona-
Iies of the State. The Sultan thought to deprive
his subjects of much of their religious fanaticlsm
by changing their external appearance, ana asslinl-
lating them to the people of other countries. lie
therefore commanded all of his officers to wear
dress, almost European and set the example by
assuming it himself. Having deprived all of his
officers of the power of trying his subjects and con-
demnipg them TO death, without his own sanction
being first obtained, and forbid the barbarous Gus
tom of manning cuprits for their crimes, as well as
the inficton of the bdstinado, he instituted local
councils, called Medelisses, for their trial. Those
of the Provinces were tribunals OF premier an
stance, and their decisions required to be
referred for confirmation to the Supreme Council OF
the Capital Here were very important measures
adopted excellent in the abstract, but which
required competent men to carry them out.
The old Mussulmans accustomed to have
every question decided by the Holy Law of the Ko'
ran, naturally felt q repugnance to be governed by
any other code of Justice. The Sultan was accused
of being an infide and of desire to asslnnlate bis
people to the GiaOurs of Franciscan, while nothing
was further from his mind. Such reforms called
also for firm sovereign, of an iron will and pur-
pose to lead them and compel others TO carry them
out During this phase Of the reforms of the Otto
man Government, the Sultan was involved IN war
with Russia, which, in the view of promoting the
Od designs of Catherine H., has always attacked
the Porte wherever it seemed weakest Greece
revOlted against him, and the able Governor of
Egypt, MObammed Ali made a bold stand for
hereditary independence The mind of the Sultan
gave way before these difficulties. Great-hearted
as was Sultan Mohammed, and fired with the am
bitiOn to become the relOrmer and Regeneration OF
his Government and nation he found relief from his
distress in excitement, and died ia 1889 of delirum
tremens, on one of the hills behind Scutsri called
Bulgaria., where he had been taken by his physi-
clans advice in the hope of saving his life by
withdrawal from all participation in the troubles
which surrounded his Government leaviIE OnIy
two sons and several daughters, to inherit his
th: CsiS, and endeayOr 10 renovate and amelio.
rate his sinking Empire. These sons were
the present Sultan, Abdul. Medjid and his
brother, by another mother, Abd-ul-Azlz.
The former was only some Is years Of age,
of a feeble form and constitution, caused by
bis having had the smallpox when only 10 years
old The brother resembled more the father-of
loltier stature, strong constitution, and excellent
health.
Great occasions in nation usually raise up great
men. Events make men; while men seldom can
produce events of a beneficial character to their
country no s.ara any nAse, o, ana
large, demoralizing them, and result 10 disunion
among those who would otherwise live in peaceful
harmony as brethren The iron will of yunerSor
genius may avert such consequence and had Sul.
tan MOhammed lived, and tL,s Ottoman Emnira
been spared tIe causes of trouble already alluded
70, II nlsn q. n".,e continued prosperous and ad
.aIceu ~ me reforms which he had 80 commend
LIZ ~ commenced. During his shOrt-iyed career
for he died in the prime of msnhood-hls assistants
were mostly the older untOnaries OF hlS father and
uncle The morale of the whole Ottoman people,
Christian as well as Mussulman, experienced a
shock, from which it has never recovered. The
Sultan did not live to carry it through the stages OF
transition, go dangerous TO new people, or an old
one, undergoing a severe change. The religious
fanatcism of large portion of the Mussuman pop
ulaiOn, and the apathy of the Christians, remained
in q great measure unchanged, and recent occur
-. 4 IL. = 10 fra1
tonal antipathies of men against each other. Such
a change required half century at least. POliti-
cal as well as civil reforms may be peacefully effect
ed in q long course of time, or by violent reyOld
ton. Out of the latter much good may result, and
il is hoped that the cruel atrocities committed
in Syria between the rival factions, Druse and
Maronite, will result in lasting benefit.
Among the various na,'onaites-so to call the
nOn-Mussulman part Of the population of the Otto
man Empire-there has always existed an antagO.
nistic feeling, difficult for the governing race TO
keep in order. 1t would be supposed that these
would sympathize with each other, and endeavor to
promote and advance common civil ghts This isiar
from being the case here. The Greek is not only the
natural foe of the Mussulman, but he Is constantly
warning against the Armenian, and the same may
be said of each Of the religious political communal
ties of the Empire rendering it impossible for
either ever to become the governing one, until edu
cation and liberality assume the ascendant over
fanaticsm. The Mussulman is, therefore, the only
proper race to retain the direction of the whole
1t is perfectly impossible for the Greeks to repos
sess themselves Of the Empire, and to reign over
the Mussulman. There would be q struggle in
which humanity would be terribly the sufferer.
The present Sultan has always been noted for his
benevOence, hberaiity, aud desire to continue the
reforms of his late father In this he was ably sup
ported by the late celebrated statesman Redshd Pa
sba, whose urtmely death was a serious loss TO the
Empire The feebleness of the SultaDs health-and
it may be said, also, Of his mind-has produced
riOus evils to grow up in the Government. The