New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-11-17
HOW THE RECENT ALARM BEGAN.


sIA-TIIE ADMINISTRATIONS HATS.
IFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRrBgNE.l
LONDON, Nov. G.-To the anxiety about dssolu-
ton which has disturbed the public mind for some
weeks past is now added fresh solictude about
Turkey and the attitude Of this Government toward
its interesting client. OmnOus rumors went abroad
at the beginning of the week. Sir Henry Layard
had returned to Constantnoplc from his Syrian
jaunt, and had addressed communication or
otGer 10 the Porte Upon that one fact thousand
couieciures were based. / need not repeat
them ELL but IT is worth while to notice the peculiar
tactics adopted by this Government when 1t takes
a new departure, or-which happens more fire.
quently-whcn II wishes to divert attention from
fresh failure or fresh complication in foreign affairs.
the result of its own incapacy AMI to turn atten-
ton TO some other quarter. 1t was on Monday that
the news of the intended movement of the British
fleet to VOurIa became known. without attract
ing much notice at first. On Tuesday morning the
four Ministerial organs IN London all at once
opened fire on Turkey. Their news columns bristcd
with dispatches from Constanlimopc. Their leading
articles were filed with menacing hints about the
condition ci Asia Minor. and urgent comments upon
the suddenly discovered necessity of dong some
thing to improve the internal condition Of the Otto
man Empire. The Anglo-Turkish Convention,
winch for fifteen months has been dead
I
spa.modc vitality. Hitherto its existence
las served 10 more useful purpose than
TO supply Opposition orators with an incXhaustbc
stock of taunts lcvcllcd at tn" Government which
gave BIRTH At last, it 10 b" put IN force. The
Government 1t was gravcy said, had never wa
vercd in ITS purpose to insist on the reforms pro-
viled for by that instrument. When it was sup
posed to be inactive it was merely patient When
it appeared supInc il making ready fora spring.
Turkish obs;nacy bad, lii tie end, worn out Lord
Bcaconslcds good nature and the warning
had gone forth that something must be
done. And it was to convince the Porte that Eng
land this time was in earnest that SIR Henry Lay
ard had sent in an ultmatum, aud that Admiral
Iiornby ronclads had more steamed toward
the Bosphorus.
Such, in q condensed FORM is the substance Of the
sermons that were preached to he cOniidlng British
public on this memorable Tuesday morning and re-
pehted on Wednesday. l will not pretend to say
how il happened that dispatches from Constantine
pie TO Vienna which must have been made up
days beforc-sInce they could not be telegraphed
direct on account of Turkish ccnsorship-bcgan TO
arrive simultaneously with these threatenngs.
IL does not much matter whether the ball
was set in motion from STEAMBOAT from
Downing Street In either case the impclling hand
WAS the same and the same object was attained.
England woke up from its dream of peace with
honor to find that the Eastern question. which was
settled at Berlin year ago last June, in pro-
cess of being settled again.
When the last Ministerial crisis occurred in Con-
stantinople, the return of Mahmoud TO power,
though not as Grand Nzier. the visible sign OF
the asccndancv which Russia had regaincd in the
councils of the Porte. Ii may be assumed that tins
aud not any sudden access of sentimental concern
for the sufcrines of Armenia reused Lord Salisbury
a.. 4. .
appeared 10 D. sunk. Nobody who remembers the
SCOTS of these statesmen at the Bulgarian atrocities
will suppose that their present action is tracable to
mere tenderness for distressed Mahometans in
Asia Minor. albeit they are to great extent. Ma
homet ans and no; Christians. But it had become
necessary to do something for the two reasons al
ready suggested. TO wit the fragrant contempt
winch had come upon their policy with their con-
situents in England and the manifest disposition
of the Sultan to throw himself once more into the
arms of Russia To this may be added tie natural
modification of men not without pride. who
themselves daily challenged 10 submit their policy
to the country Tor approval or dIsapprova and
who do not find it convenient to accept this
challenge Russia, may stop 10 remark, in addi-
ton to many other reasons for pressing matters
with the Porte had fresh one in the arrogance and
wilful oflcnsvcness OF that speech which Lord Sal
IsbuIy delivered at Manchester last month, 10
which an anecdotc related TO Yesterday is in
strlctIve. Before its delivery Liberal leader told
| Count Schouvalof that Lord Salisbury about
| to throw down the gauntlet once more to Russia.
The Count replied that, the contrary, he had the
best reason to believe that tine speech of the Foreign
Minister would be pacific III policy and friendly in
tone. When it turncd out To be neither one nor the
other, Count Schouvaloff wrote to his Liberal friend
that his prediction had indeed been yeri-
4 Al.
my belief in The matter was one | had
a right to entcraa-nay, could have had no
right to doubt it without doubling the good faith
Ol great Parsonage, or distrusting the assurance
| he lad volunteered TO givc.'
Numerous as were the Ministerial dcliveranccs
through their Journals it nevertheless became plain
| on Wednesday that it was not their .ntcuiion 10
make definite announcement o. any definite plans.
But tie fact that n Cabinet council held every
day kept no the eXcitcmcn: until THIS afternoon.
| Prince Lobanofi, moreover. had had a three honis
interview with the Sultan. ard at the end OF II had
taken ship to Livadia 10 consult his master. Then
| came a story that the Austrian fleet, IN ITS
| turn, was to make demonstration ut Salonica.
| People almost began to listen for the thunder Of
| cannon though certainly without any very clear
| idea at whom they would be fired, or how the aG-
ninistration OF Justice in Asia Minor could be i'm
proved by the bombaTdmenl OF Consantinople. III
they turned to the text of the Anglo Turkish Con-
vention they were not less puzzled 10 discover there
any stipulation on which England cuald base a
| claim of forciblc interference. That convention
| proceeds, no doubt uDon an acknow led gment by
Turkey of the dosrability of reforms, but il
is nowhere laid down that England may take
| the execution Of them into her own hands
| still less may extOIt them by force.
| Ii the reforms are carried out by Tur-
| key. England then becomes bound to protect
| her against Russia if not, not