New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-04-25
CONQUERED TURKEY.
PTTICAL TIMES AT COYSTAYTJNoPLE.

| fTR0M REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRIBUSE.I
| CoNsTANTINOPLE, April 5.--If Europe was really
honest in the wish for the welfare of the subject
| races of Turkey, a stable and final arrangement
might soon be made. The insincerty OF the Euro
mean Powers is now thrown into relief since the
question of the amelioratiOn Of the condition OF the
Eastern Christians is shelved before the more
mighty question Of the balance Of power. Every
body knows that the Eastern question has survived
only because the European Governments could not
agree about this balance of power. Yet once more
Europe has accepted disc0rd for purely selfish rea-
SONS, and ii has done this knowing that TINS
course will ruin the wretched Christians of Euro
pcan Turkey and once more prevent any permanent
settlement of the question The Turks are quite
passive and for the first time are unable to reap any
benefit from the quarrels Of their neghbors All
eyes are directed to the West watching for the next
turn of the dice Every hint of that which is to be-
throws the city into a fever, TO Judge from
the terrible leaps made by the price of gold.
Ten OF twenty plastrcs per day up or down Is a
common rcgponsr 10 the news from the West. bring
ing dis1Day to all traders, who suffer pangs every
day until they learn the closing price of gold AL
though we watch the Western skies for Our storms
there is a certain sense Of insecurity here as well
Who knows but we shall yet find our houses IN the
line Of fire between two armies, for neither of which
we care in the least The streets are full OF Rus
sian officers in full uniform, and perfectly at home
The Livada, the yacht Oft Grand Duke Nicholas,
is established in the harbor, and the Grand Duke
himself finds the Russian Palace in Pcra a most
comfortable residence, that although III theory
he lives on the Yacht the headquarters OF the Russian
army have been transferred practically from san
Stefano to Constantinoplc itself At san stefano
and vicinity are the great camps of the
waiting army; all precautions are used as
If in the presence of the enemy, not the
least Of the duties Of The scntres being to re-
port every steamer seen coming from the Gun OF
Nicomedia On the other hand there are the great
English ironclads lying at Nicomedia. They, too
observe the vigilance common in war time Every
night the Gulf is dotted with steam launches on
guard full of men armed to the teeth and the eau
ton used against torpedo attacks Is az If one was
| hourly expected. But this is not all. The fleet
does NOT content itself with a campaign on the sea
Nicomcdia Is patroled by English marines This
state Of affairs raises fearful visions in the minds Of
| the tlnid. Russia has Constantnop.e and the Eu-
ropcan shore of the Bo,phorus, in case Of a war
Bu. England will send Houclads to keep the Rus
slams from crossing while Nicomedia, held by Eng
lish marines will be the landIngplace for the Eng
! lsh troops who will seize the Asiatic shore oi the
! Bosphorus. Then the war may have 10 be fought
ont by artillery ducls across our beautiful strait.
| Verify the twd have fair field 10 make hair-rais-
inc pictures of the result Of tins terrible AngO-ltus
sian war. The path OF Russia il not all smooth,
even if England leaves her alone, and Austria con
cludrs TO say nothing. The Russians are cyeIywhcr
hut everywhere the people are doing great deal
Of thinking about one central poiut--how 90 be rid
of Russian influence. Scryia, Montenegro, Rouma-
uia-ln owe their freedom TO the Gar, aud yet al
are irctting more and more under the burden Of
tie Cars requests. Bulgaria has no sooner got
the promise OF a Prince, who shall bc elected bg
the people, than all the leading men are putting
.,elr heads toghethcr 10 defeat tho Russian caudi
date and TO elect one who shall not ICE amcnable o.
Russian Influence. Even in the Doirudia, newly
acquired by Russa-thc fat and OF the ta.-iaced
Tartlrs-theTc is more or less fcrment There are
in the cities OF that region Greeks BulganaHs,
Turks Jews and immigrated Russians. Every on,
Of these various races hate the Russian adminstTa-
ton and Russian officials only less than they hate
each other Many Englishmcn have gricyed be-
cause their Government did not acquire some in
iueuce among the peoples of the Balkan PENN
sula From all appearances it is not too late for
il TO do 20.
After a parley which has lasted for weeks,
and whose sole purpose was the settlement OF the
foT7nalites Of the visit, the Grand DIXIE Nicholas
made bis cali on the Sultan last week. His Maicstys
neuralgia departed by the time the difficulties of
the parley had been solved. The first proposal Of
the Russians was that the Grand Duke attended by
200 of ms officers should ride in state through the
city 10 the Palace, and that the sultan should, in
return, VISIT the Grand Duke at San Stcfauo. The
actual occurrence, after the parlcy, was that the
Grand Duke went by sea to the Sultans Palace, and
after the audience crossed the Bosphorus 20 the
Sultan, Beylerhcy palace, which had been placed at
ms dsposal Half-au-hour later the sultan APP
pearcd there 10 return the visit of the Grand
Duke. Immediately after the Saltau's departure.
the Grand Duke luCOnhncnty abandoned l,
gorgeous quarter, at Bcylcrhcy, and slept on his
Yacht. As a coda 10 this farce Of Interchange of
cIvilites the Sultan has decorated Generals
GhourkO, Skobelcn and others who contributed III
the humiliation Of his own armIc- in Roumclia.
Two days before tins audience Of the Grand Duke.
Osman Pasha, Of Plcvna, arrived 1t is difficult for
foreigner to realize the enthusiasm Of the common
people for Osnan Pasba. Besides their admiration
for the man whose fame rang through Europe for
weeks, they have a holy veueration for the great
soldier who caused the death of many thousands OF
infdels and this view of the Is often expressed.
Even in print 1t has been limited at as the eminent
service rendered the faith" The ovation gwen by
the people 20 the returned prisoner was immense.
All day Sunday crowds of men, women and children
waited on the streets through which he might be-
expected TO pass in the city. But the steamer did
not arrive until o'clock in the evening and OSman
did not go to STEAMBOAT at all until the next day,
that the multitudes were disappointed. Royal
caques took Osman Pasha and Reouf Pasha, Minis
ter of War; from the Odessa steamer 10 the palace
steps, and there crowd fell upon the hero kissing
his hands, the skirt Of ms coat aud his feet.
The Sultan in the upper Palace OF Gldiz and the
road was throngcd so that as the Ba,iret expressed
it, seed pearl could not have fallen TO the ground
for the people. | was not present at the interview
between Osman Pasha and the Sultan, nor have |
been able to verify the account of the interview
gwen by the Turkish papers BdSirC and TGlit from
which derive my narrative. ! should add that |