New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-17
NEWS IN CONSTANTINOPLE.
,rs RESTRICTIONS AND TRIBULATIoNS-PO-
IITICAL AND PERSONAL.


;red the adoption of stringent measures as 10 tue
SS;s.cm;nation of news in this country. During
hole month no newspaper IN this CITY mas coii-
,a;rsd syllable about Egypt. The very name Is
forhidden our vocabulary. Not WORD ABOUT INV
uobdi not a hint of the Conference at LONDON mas
10, nermitted to reach the ears OF the people VINO
live under the protecting shadow oil inc oui'ah'
The other day in the bazaars, unexpectedly met
Tive friend and remarked, Why thought you
,,ere in Egypt" He grasped my arm with an ei-
,r.ssion of terror on his countenance and SAID
For pitv's sake don't speak that word aloud OF we
ba he arrestedw The strictcst police surveillance
;everosed over the coffee shops and the streets to
prevent conversation that might carry to natives
news gathered from The London Times lhe oeheIt
of such efforts at suppresSing news Is noV "r-
narent for the two mails which come from Europe
every week bring French and English papers 10
Thousands of subscribers in this city. The course
f events is closely followed although local papers
are deprived of the profit of such publication.
I;,uo bv little every new occurrence somehow
LIS ont and becomes the property of the threading
,,blic with all the e1aggeratous of hearsay evl-
dence.
4 movement is on foot to control even these chan
rels of communication. The Porte mas uotlheo 'he
foreign ambassadors here that after August 'old
style il intends TO close all the foreign post otces
IN the CITY and TO take the control OF the mas INTO
its own hands. This will give IT the privilege OF
srrnresSinp our reading matter whenever the
necessity arises At present it does not control the
mails from abroad and every one may import
tlronah the foreign post offices even such danger
ono matter rs Lord Byrons poems IN spite OF the
edict of the censors placing them forpoltcai rea-
SIMS on the Turkish Under Erpurgdior'as
Tho question of the post offices bids fair TO he
serious one In olden times there being no Inthlsh
posts worthy of the name. the Austrian anu INC
French consulates used to receive ana lorWho Ihe
.orronondence of the merchants under their protec-
ton The custom in time developed regular posi-
offices in connection with the consulatcs During the
Crmean War the English found it necessary to have
mn Office of their own and some fifteen years ago
regular German post-oflice was opened IN IeIa
All these offices now in existence, and DO
thriving business They exist because the Turks
have never had the ability or the facilities ioi
,rap.mittinp the important letters which the
foreign merchants in this country nave weekly 10
send to Europe. The Offices are protected 10y 'ne
,a,itulations-tbosc ancient treaties framed to pro-
tsct Foreigners from lawlrss aggression liall
d,,en wears ago the Turks also established post
oaice herr, for foreign correspondence. sehdng out
thrir mail bags hy Austrian. French or Russian
steamers. and paving nothing Tor freight i''N
have succeeded much better than any one etpe'teu'
and generally get letters through pretty welt hnt
tho fact that important cttufh do occasionally dl"
apprar especially If they ate addressed t" news
manor oniecA abroad has made tho phbAe
uttle shy of trusting their mails to the lufhH' lhe
propositinn to commit the whole business I" the
hands of tho venerable gentleman who sits at lhe
head of the Turkish Post Once Department Is TO
served with howl of terror On all sides lho tie
termined suppression of news and the vigorous
penalties recently enacted against any man VINO
shall send news from Constantinople to ioreigH
newspaper without permission has by no means
4I,a of he
the poltcaly serious part of the business ~ that
the proposal of the Porte Is to set aside the capltu
lations without the consent OF the CONTRACTING
PARTIES There is not sufficient amelIoraton or the
order of things which originally nccessitated the
,apitulatons and no evidence OF any intention 10
,meliorate them. Hence foreign consuls here are
entirely unwilling to allow the Ie"sV iiiii"so"'0"'
ii these old treaties.
Tho stanle news of the day is the number of peo-
,le who died of cholera IN France yesterday The
ole telegrams allowed n pass the censor are those
relating to this interesting subject The Board oil
Health here is formed, by agreement with the Porte
IN an international basis each foreign Nation
being represented by one member. IL established
-jpid quarantine against all arrivals from france
and quarantine of five DAYS at the Black sea emu
Of the BosphOrus all arrivals from Europe by the
.Orcntal Lightning Express" train. But IaSt
week the Marseilles mail steamer, arriving at the
nuorantIne station outside the Dardanees, was
fouud 10 have had case of cholera on board, ana
was ordered 10 perform forty days quarantine III
consequence Immediately afterward or 1ers from
high quarter were sent over the heads of the Board
of Health to the military commanders at the BLACK
Sea and at the Dardanelles. directing them to de
tain all ships coming TO COnstantnople, without re-
gard TO clean bills of health. and that even III CASE
:hey have already performed quarantine al the
regular station in the archipelago. This measure
bas oansed great CONSERVATION 1t is really use
less embargo on trade and must greatly increase
the distress of all who live from the commerce Of
the city.
The other constant topic of news IN CONSTANT
nople in these days the robbery OF the day.
Every day has its sudaciOus robbery by highway
men or by burglars Last week there was some
thing like this: zone merchant robbed, beaten
and thrown INTO the Bosphorus, an hour after sun
set N nopulous suburb; an official connected with
inc Russian Embassy, kpOcked down at noon in a
business street in Galata, and robbed of $500,
which he had Just drawn from the bank urkish
officer connected with the Treasury Department
stabbed and robbed while on his way home IN the
evening; a Greek merchant stabbed aud robbed III
the heart of Pera when returning from the theatre,
etc. One man was lately stopped in Pera by men IN
the uniform of the Turkish army, They sai9 they
had concealed weapons. When they began to feel
their victims person IN search OF arms II, assured
them that he had not even penknuo upon hilh
sOh yery we'll" was the reply, I" we have re-
yulverp Aud with that the revolver tCuched MS
temple to support a demand Tor ms watch anu ms
purse The hopeless fact about these robberies IL
That there Is hardly arrest of the guilty
persons Often the robbers are reported to be III
nn,forIn This gives confirmation to- the statement
of a Turkish soldier Ia a friend OF mine who asked
him how nc managed ~ live without hiS pay.
'Oh" said the Turk. " we get what we can oy lying
and stealing. and we trust IN God for the rest
Ia fe Iifin