New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-17


therefore resigned. The Sultan was not willing to
have the difficulty of the situation increased by a
Ministerial crisis. and begged him to withdraw his
resignation. This Ahmed yefik Pasha would not do
for some days, remaining at his house as indls-
posed" At last he was induced to resume the SEALS
But there are always men who are scheming for the
downfall of Prime Minister, and the week OF I'M
certainty had given rise to a new plot. which only
waited for the Sultan's adhesion, until some one
could be found willing to be Prime Minister
with the risk of political decapitation after
two or three months. The man was found, how
ever, and last Tuesday the very innOcent-looking
announcement was made that the Sultan wished to
profit at this troubled time by the wisdom or
Mehmed Rushdi Pasha, and had therefore APP
pointed him to the Cabinet as Minister without
portfolio. Those who knew that Mehmed Rushdi is
an enemy of Ahmed Vcfk saw that a change was
impending with which the old gentleman was to be
connected. On Wednesday, the 18th inst,
Ahmed Vefk Pasha went to the Palace
as usual and conversed with the Sultan and
afterward presided at the Cabinet Council at the
Porte. On Thursday morning the papers contained
paragraphs saying that the rumors of an impending
change of the Ministry were false. But at 2
o'clock that same afternoon regiment of troops
formed Inc at the foot of the great street
appeared with q new official in the uni
form of an aide of the Sultan, accompanied by
Sadik Pasha and Ahmed Mukhtar Bey, of the
wmte-turbaned gentry. procession was quickly
formed. which proceeded 10 the Porte, and there
the new Chief Secretary of the Sultan read the I'm
perial decree, which makes no mention of the
fallen Minister, but appoints Sadik Pasha Prime
Minister and Ahmed Mukhtar Bey Sheikh ul
Islam
The change Of Ministry almost amounts to a revo-
lnton, for il embraces an entire change of the
Sultan's own household. All the unwhOlcsome
group which have been associated in the ring"
with Damad Mahmoud, and which has been a
part of every backstairs Palace intrigue of Abdul
IIamid's reign, swept away. Whether
the new men any better is doubtful, but it is
comfort to see the old ones brought to account.
When the Turks overthrow the Byzantine
Empire, il was the only exponent to them
of Christian morals and Christian civlliza-
ton. They themselves were rude nOmads,
shepherds and the sons of shepherds. They wished
to set up court in due conformity to the usages of
the rest of the world and could not do better than
20 copy the Byzantine customs. Turks have
Chinese faculty for copying, and the seeds of By
zantine corruption have produced abundant fruit,
since there Is nothing in their system calculated to
apt to be changes of men but not of the corrupt ma
teral. They all are built on the same model.
As to the original cause of the break in the Minis
try-the question of Russian alance-it is impos-
sible at this moment to know certainly what the
bearing of the new Ministry will be. AM inclined
10 regard it on the whole pro-Russian Ministry,
but several of the Ministers new men whose pol
ics are unknown II my conjecture correct the APP
pointment of Sadik Pasha as Prime Minister is
merely temporary and preparatory to the return to
power of the great MahmOud Nedlm Pasha, who was
Abdul ANS Vizer and who has been in Danish
ment for two years. In support Of the
belief that al alliance with Russia is immi-
nent ~ the fact that many P0shas are IN
favor of it, There has always been Russian
party at the Porte. and men like Server Pasha are
not wanting. But on the. other hand, such an
alliance would be only half hearted at best. The
people Will never support it,, Among the soldiers
aud the common people there Is no whit OF
of the Russians is bred IN the bone, and the
results of the have not been such as to weaken
the passion. The term applied to the Russians is
dog, and when you overhear people talking about
the great increase the number of the dogs" you
must translate the phrase accordingly. Osman
Pasha, Mukhtar Pasha, and other prominent military
men are strongly ant-Rnssian. The alliance
may be possible but in case of war be-
tween Russia and England the nam ad-
vantage, which Russia wonld gain by ut
Straits The Turkish Army would rally to an Eng
sh call for Turkish contingent under English
officers. Even the territorial advantages acquired
by Russia cannot be used by her, unless by making
an agreement to withdraw her army from Constan-
tnople, she can persuade England to recall the IRON
clads from the Marmora to point below the OAR
danelles.
But meantime the Russians are cautious. They
evidently desire to avoid new complications with
England. The left wing of their army has been
swung forward until it occupies hills above Buyuk-
dcre which look down upon the Bosphorus. But
aside from this movement there is little to excite
remark in their policy. large number Of Bulgari-
ans have come to San Stefano. elected by the
various towns to make a national address
of thanks to the Grand Duke, and per-
haps TO engage i'll serious business as the repre-
sentatives Of the Bulgarian people. For it is
rnmored that they instructed to elect Prince.
They have all been ordered by the Russians to say
nothing Of the object Of their coming together, and
the Grand Duke. evidently afraid of I'M
favorable criticism in Europe, has avoided
them. Day after day they have applied for
an audience, and day after day the Grand
Duke has been sick, or busy; or summoned to some
other part of the country. The Russians have sent
one or two steamers loaded with troops through the
Bosphorus bound from San StefanO to Odessa.
This keeps up the impression that they are prepar-
ing to withdraw the army SO far, however,
tho troops thus sent home have either been
men on sick leave or they have been
regiments on special duty, which it was necessary
to restore to their normal positions The health of
the Russian troops is miserable. Heavy losses from
fever have already occurred a very malignant form
of typhus prevailing almost as an epidemic This
is not surprising If the Russian camps are 10 better
kept than when | was In them some weeks ago. Al
though there was abundance of land available, the
infantry tents were huddled together closely that
when the guns were stacked in the military
streets there was barely room for the to pass into
their tents The cavalry were lying in the sand al
most under the horses heels. Men and horses were
buddled together, and each man had bis saddle and
mixed up with chunks of raw beef which were pres
emily to be eaten. | saw men getting water too,
from the foul pools which bordered the railway
bankment and in the vicinity Of carcasses Of ancient
cattle and horses which everywhere adorned the
4 \. Il. ,.,An .i.....r