, 1880-08-07

20 suppose tnaC IuCure 1Oe1tlCal VI NottcC-
tive Notes will have a diff fate OF
course. the country is passing through a
serious crisis; but we shall survive ii as
we have survived so many previous crises
which foreigners expected would prove
fatal" Other influential persouages take
3 more gloomy view OF the situation, but
are not less decided in their opinion that
the Government should resist to the ut
most. ''The Empire" say these ''may be
dismembered by force, but we shall never
be induced by. diplomatic recommendations,
menaces, or u~ltimata, to commit political
suicide. Let the Powers do their worst.
and they will find, as Russia found during
the late war, that our capacity of resis-
lance is not nearly exhausted. II we
must die, let US at least die with honour"
The Sultan, on whom the final decision
depends, appears 10 share these views,
in SO far as they can be shared by a man
OF a timid and Facilitating disposition, The
dismissal of the stolid, fRnatical Ghazi
Osman Pasha from his post of War Minis
ter was ut first supposed to indicate that
His Majesty was inclined to make conces-
sions to Europe, but this first impression
has been since removed by fuller ginforma-
ton. The Ghazi's fall was occasioned, not
by any change of policy, but simply by
one of those little accidents which play
such an important part in the career OF
Turkish statesmen. For sometime a spirit
of characterization had been observed
among the troops at Tchatatdja, the chief
point in the famous lines Which are sup
posed to render ConstantinOple impregna-
BILE from the land side. Having been
repeatedly deceived by false promises of
receiving some arrears of pay, 200 OF them
at last threw down their arms and marched
off to the capital. OSman Pasha and Der
wish Pasha, the commander of the Imperial
Guard, endeavoured to conceal the incident
from the Sultan. but His Majesty dis
covered it through Izzet Efendi, the
Director of the Telegraphs; aud was SO
inceused that he at once dismissed the two
officers who had tried to keep bin in the
dark. The Ghazi remains, however,
Grand Marshal of the Palace, and continues
to enjoy at least the external marks Of
Imperial favour. A few hours after his
dismissal he was present with the Sultan
at a small garden party in the park OF
Yildiz Kiosk. and on meeting a foreigner
of his acquaintance, remarked, with y
significant gesture, in his own peculiar
French, Moi tombe,,' in a way that show
ed he did not take bis fall very much to
heart. BY his dismissal from the WA
Office and the Cabinet, one of the chief
obstacles to the introduction of administra-
tive reform and the organization of the
ge~ndarmerie has been removed, but it is
quite possible that his successor, Husseil
Havni. will prove equally obstructive to
reform and more dangerous as an active
agitator in the Albanian difficulties. He
has already distinguished himself, it will
be remembered, in that field. When: the
Austrian troops were advancing towards
Now Bazaar. it was lie who organized the
popular resistance. and he took 80 little
pains to conceal his action that the Govern.
meut was compelled to recall him from
his post, We have thus in the Cabinet
in the important posts of Minister for For
eign Affairs and Minister of War, two
men who have had intimate relations with
the Albanian League and make no secret
of their sympathy with Albanian natiopsli,
ty. II. we take this fact in ccnnexiop.
with the recent appointment of Albauiansl, to
the posts of Governor of 1VofO,2 Governor
of Tricala, Governor of Larissa, and COM.
mander of the troops in Prevssa;s we CAD
hardly resist the conclusion that the Porte
has no intention OF quietly accepting She
decision omnoonda tim ar uhn fovor IL