New-York tribune., 1878-01-05


LONDON Dec 21.-If the news of the last day or
two from the Continent may be trusted, neither the
circular of the Porte nor the Parliamentary sum
mons of Lord Beaconsield have much improved the
position of the Turk. With respect to med alton,
there is substantial agreement between the reports
from different sources. England excepted, no Euro
pean Power gave any kind Of welcome TO the Turk
ish appeal. Germany refused plumply to take any
step; not. as has been alleged, after referring
to Russia to know whether it would suit her
or not, but the plain ground that
the Circular offered no basis for negotiation. Aus
tra seems TO have gone even furthcr-repying to
the Porte that such document seemed drawn up
with view TO exclude all hope of successful ar
rangement Italy and France waited to know what
the other Powers thought and their answers were
then framed in similar sense. though, perhaps in
less positive language. England alone stroye TO
seize upon this overture a means for staying the
hand of Russia. Bat England herself was at last
forced admit that mediation If il were to he un-
derakcn at all, must begin i'll some different
fashion,
Putting diplomatic language aside. | should say
that what would most strike plain people in the
Turkish note is its impudencc 1t is a rechdGg5 of
the prctcxts and pretences with which Safvet Pasha
H. cgalcd the Conference of unhappy memory. 1t is
fresh appeal to Europe to dispense with guarantees
and take the invariably broken word of Turkey for
the execution of reforms in the oppressed provinces
believe the Turk must really and sincerely dcspisc
the European. His European admirers and p&rti-
have certainly given him cause to. How other
Wise wonld he venture TO say, as he now does: II
any doubt is still felt as to the rigorous iulhlment
Of the pledges Of the Constitution, and of the re-
forms rs promised in the Conference, that doubt
must disappear before the formal and solemn de-
clarl;on of the sincerity of resolution which we
now ollcr! That is the "guarantec' offered to
Europc-one lie more III the mouth of a government
unabashcd by the scores Of fraudulent assurances
and broken oaths on record against 1t in this same
matter of reform. If anything can go beyond this, 1t
is the appeal "n the name of humanity to "stOp
the eiiusiOn of blood" The Imperial Government of
Turkey can see no reason why the war should be
prolonged. Russia having dsavowed all idea OF CON
quest and there being no longer any question OF
REFORM by reason Of the guarantee above men,
toned. The dispatch is an insult. do not know
what is permissible by the peculiar code winch gov
ems diplomatic intercourse, but in private life the
receiver of such document would naturally return
It 10 the sender by the first post
Yet il was upon the strength of the Circular that
the Government Of Lord Bcaconscld made a serious
effort to mediate in behalf of its unrcpentant pro-
t6gG II was 80 far as one can judge after the fail
lament was taken. This does not diminish the
gravity Of the situation Ii affords new scope for
conjecture as to the ultimate views Of the successful
adventurer who IL entitled To speak in the name of
England The Continental press takes the mat
ter up graycly enough; yet with a certain
half-coDtemptu0us sceptlcism rs 10 tho possl-
bility OF English interference by any stronger
means than TcmonstrLncc. Tho Bonrscs are
disturbed, no doubt, but the creduity of the
spcculators who control the Bourscs is without limit
Lord Bcaconsicld thought he had reaescrted tie
position of England Continental power BY
that dissent from the Berlin memorandum which
brought on the war; Yet every fresh act of energy
occasions languid surprise in Berlin. Cnhapplly
il gives rise also 10 fresh hope Of English support
IN Constantnoplc, and protracts the conylctlon
never yet cradcatcI from the minds OF the PaslaS,
that England must sooner or later come TO their
lief What else could they infer from the eagerness
with which Lord Derby backs up their cynical
suggestion 10 Europe that the Russian successes
should count for nothing, and that Europe should
intervene 10 restore Turkey to the position she oc-
cupicd before the war; and hand over the Bugarans
10 the unchecked ferocity of their former masters
Some Of those tircsome people who want TO know
all about things asking who invented the story
of Osman Pasha5 suicide, and why 1t was
invented. Was 1t part of the elaborate plan
by which the British heart was TO be ffed
like the hearts Of our Southern friends IN days
gone byf Ii came from Bucharest, town which
shares with Constantnople the honor OF giving
birth TO more sheer lies and absolutely groundiess
rnInors than any other place known to mc-Nicnna
not excepted. The matter was 80 cleycry managed
that The report was transmitted To London by the
Constantinoplc correspondent OF The Ddiiy Ncr',
undoubtedly in good faith in his case, and WAS pdb-
lished in The Daily Telegraph as from Bucharest
with some two columns of details and conf
| ments; the good faith of which must not he qucs-
toned but can only he vindicacd by an admission
Of hardly less astonishing simplicity. The ran
| Mall Ga:efic which stoops to tricks, accepted Il
second telegram from COnstantlnoplc as "con-
frmatonv of the first. and bitterly imputed Osman $
suicide to a sense of humiliation at being an object
| of "magnanimous courtesy" from the russians.
| 'To be fed paradcd (he WAS not p.nadci) and
| pattcd on the back by Russian and k0uhahian
Generals must have been torture TO Il man III his
situation and with his spirit. IL ought to surprise
nobody if he died Of it, or through its operation
| II certainly has surprised Osman to find that he
ought to have committed suicide for such reason.
| Two DAYS before he was tclegraphing TO Constan-
tinopc an account Of his pleasure ut the reception
| hc met with from the Emperor and TIE Grand
Duke Nicholas. Stung by the ludcrousncsS OF thS'
The PdU ndH turns oh IFS conIidc HtIccif t'e hcA'
day, demanding 10 know what explanation can be
given of the elaborate details Of completely false
account such as that published by The Tlc0Gph,
and adds, with much severity Of tone: " That the
| uimor should have been caught up by correSpon-
| dents at Constaninoplc is not diiiicnlt To under
stand But that ut bucharest, within moderate
| distance of the place where Osnan Pasha was II
prisoner il should have been possible to concort an
elaborate tale of a box Of opium and threatened
| amputation which the recipients took no pains to