Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-04-21

the territory of the old Greek en-
pire besides?
These questions and these appre-
tensions were all held in allegiance
during the French revolution and
the Napoleonic wars, all the powers,
Russia herself included, having
more pressing business to attend to,
but scarcely was the imperial eagle
of France Gagged in his island prison
at st. Helena when they became, as
they have been ever since, a leading
object of solicitude to all European
diplomatists-in fact, the Eastern
question from this time assumed
precisely the form it has presented
for the last sixty years, and in which
it is now threatening the peace of
Europe.
Allowing for hot and cold fits, for
periods of quiesence and exacerba-
ton, the position of the various
powers in reference to this chronic
ulcer of European politics has been
as follows:
Russia has claimed a constant in
reference in the internal affairs of
Turkey on the pretext of her self
constituted office as protector of the
Christian subjects of the Turkish
empire.
Turkey has furnished constant eX-
cuses for this intervention through
the ferocious zealotry of the Mo-
hammedan population, and when
the intervention has threatened the
independence or the integrity of the
empire, she has always fallen back
upon the support of the other Eu-
pean powers, viz. England, France,
Austria and Prussia which powers
have always interviewed when the
emergency has been pressing, lest
the final dissolution of the Ottoman
empire should contribute too largely
to Russian ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
The other four powers on the Other
hand persistently protested againsr
the exclusive protectorate of the
Turkish Christians, claimed by Rus
STA, and several treaties have beer
signed by all the parties concerned
by which it has been conceded by
both Turkey and Russia that a join
protectOrate of the four powers il
concert with Russia shall be exer
cised instead of the exclusive Rus
sian prOtectorate.
All such treaties however have {
tendency to become imperative fOl
two reasons.
First, Turkey herself is very
much averse to any Intervention a
all, whether eXerted by Russia
alone, or in concert with the othel
four powers, and she only become:
willing to submit to the joint protec
torate when that of Russia threat
ems her with imminent danger; anC
Second, The four powers, eXcepr
on special emergencies are occupied
with other matters, while Russia al
ways finds time to give the interna
affairs of Turkey her special atten
ton, whatever the other matter,
may bewhich for the time are claim
ing attention in the cabinets of Lon
don, Paris, Berlin and Vienna.
And this general statement of tht
question must suffice our readers fOl
the present week; our account vii
require two other articles upon the
same subject, as follows:
Our second paper (neXt week. viii
give a brief sketch Of the three great
occasions when the Eastern question
has become the leading idea in Eu
ropean politics, viz.
First, The revolt of the Greek
provinces.
Second, The revolt Of Egypt.
Third, The Crimean war.
Finally our third paper will bt
occupied with the transaction,
which have led to the present com
plications, so soon apparently to cul
inmate in war.