, 1877-12-19

IN mlnu me fuOlUDel Ia!y character Oh Cuo PnH-
tical life of the Turks. We can form no trust
worthy fore cast of what would happen in that
capital 10 the event of a considerable change
in the situation, either in Bulgaria or Arm enia,
unless we have some accurate knowledge of
the distribution of power in Stamboul. A
Sultan who is the child Of Revelation may
become the sport Of Revolution. Even when
q man by dint of native energy of character
and the force Of his own right hand has seized
upon power in a moment Of anarchy his tenure
Of it depends upon continual watchfulness and
the maintenance of tie resolute will that raia
ed him up. Have th9 men who called the
present Sultan from s~cclusion learnt anything
in the months that have passed since Lord
Salisbury spoke ? They must know something
more now Of tie circumstances and prospects
of their country than in February last but it
is to be feared that their ignorance of Europe
and of ''all that craftsmanship implies" is now,
as 'hen, "aheo,ute ard complete"
What is the state Of STEAMBOAT at present
1t is d place where, according to popular re-
port, a Sultan sees visions, aud his aStrUlogerS
dream dreaniS where placards are posted on
the walls denouncing the Porte for having
sold tha faithful to Russia, and calling upon
true believers to fight to the last gasp where,
when a powerful f|ayoutite is i'll, the story runs
through the bazaars and c0ffee-h0uSes that ne
has been poisoned where the ex.SuItan. still
living and, according 70 many, vel! and in his
right mind, is |fofcibIy removed from one strong
place to another. Plots and The accusations
of plots, i~ntrigues a0d cUunter-intrignes, FL
the air, and the single point on which all
factiors are agreed Is that these disorders are
insliga.ed, promoted, and sustained by Russia.
Everybody detects the agency of the great
enemy in the conduct of his neighbour. The
conviction is universal that untathOmable
duplicity is at work on every side. The per.
suaSio1 is as general and as sincere az that
which prevailed at Paris in The most troubl0us
period f he fist Eeyoi3tj0n-tha! Piit's
gold vas tie sacr-t cause # 4yefy disturbance
il Itanoa. Tba Esaoeans were, of course, in
the paw of PIT, L s. could the succession Of
tie GirouAios be eG 'a,aed, if they were not in
the pay OF Pil2 The maligGity Of Pitt in
spired him io take the very Jac0bins into his
pay to make the Revolution IOa'hSOme. 1t il
80 at C0nstantinnple now and 50 saturated
is the air of the Golden Horn with suspicion
that English visitors who spend a week or ten
days in it are sometimes found coming away
firmly convinced that foreign agents were the
reSpon sible advisers and authors OF the, Bulga.
rian atrocities Of eighteen months since.
The superficial aspect of affairs at C0nstan
tinople is that Of a struggle for power between
Mahmoud Damad, who is now the right hand
of the Sultan, and Sefvet Pasha, who would
be placed at the head of the discontinued
factions to diSplace him but the essential
point to he considered is, How il tho struggle
carried on : Does it in any degree partake
of The nature of a Constitutional contest, or is
it a thing of drnunciatious, plots, conspiracies
violence, arreSts2 1t is, perhaps, not much
that Con$tantinople should be- declared in a
state ofsiege, for Midhat Pasha can tell how
feeble are The s. curities his Constitution pro-
vides aeaiust arbitrary arrest but the official
communnquS sent to the Press this week
practically brings home the penalties OF being
tried by courimartial to any one whom the
authorities of he hour may choose to suspect.
The document in question ia a denuneiation of
plots and ilfamimatory placards.. The plots
are, of course, attributed tc Russ an origin,
and the ~plotters and the authors OF the pla-
cards appear to be considered the same, as the
. ~plotters ave ordered to come forward and
make their C tmplaiuts openly, on penalty of
being tried by a court martial, But the plot
ters Of to day are the v%ictors of tomorrow. The
most infammatory Of the ~placards. that de-
claring The Porte sold to Russia may be the
fruit OF Russian cunning, though it would be
difficult to devise any RATIONAL explanation of
it's motive az Russian devies (; bnt In truth
g. annaays tn ha an ofsnrin0 of the same