AUSTRIA AND THE OTTOMAN PORTE

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 59, 21 February 1852, Page 3

AUSTRIA AND THE OTTOMAN PORTE

The Allgsmeine Zeitung of the 27th of September publishes three documents, which prove that, in liberating Kossuth, the Ottoman Porte boldly incurred the risk of a quarrel with Austria. The first of these documents is a despatch addressed by the Austrian Charge d'Affaires at Constantinople to Ali Pacha, the Turkish Minister of Foreign affairs. It is dated 29th July, 1851. In this Despatch the ambassador formally protests against the liberation of the Hungarian refugees, invoking the 18th article of the treaty of Belgrade, and more especially the following paragraph of a despatch of the Ottoman Porte, in reply to a note of Prince Schwarzenberg, dated 6th April, 1850, viz.:— " The sublime Porte engages itself, after the restoration of order in Hungary, to come to an amicable understanding with the Austrian Government before according freedom to the refugees, aud to consult its views and request its approval in the matter." " And what occurs now (continues the despatch of the ambassador) ? The Austrian Government declares that order has not been sufficiently re-established in Hungary to permit the liberation of Kossuth without danger to the peace of the empire. The Imperial Court regards itself as alone capable of forming an opinion upon the internal coudition of its provinces ; but it again gives the assurance that as soon as the favourable moment shall have arrived it will lose no time in informing the Ottoman Porte of the same, and that it will then no longer oppose the liberation of the refugees." The despatch then disclaims against the avowed intention of the Porte to liberate Kossuth, and adds : " For these reasons, and considering that the Sublime Porte had gone even so far as to take steps for the liberation of the refugees kept in the interior at Kintahia, the undersigned finds himself in the necessity of formally protesting against the liberation of Kossuth, anil others, confined in the above-named town. He repeats the declaration made on the 17th of February, of this year—that the departure of a single individual of the refugees, without the consent of the Austrian Government, will be regarded by the same as a breach of the convention agreed upon with regard to them, as an event which may lead to the most serious interruption of the existing good understanding between the two States." The reply of Ali Pachi is dated the 16th of August. The language is firm and mild. After stating the desire of the Sublime Porte to remain on friendly terms with Austria, the Turkish Minister says :— "Your Excellency has thought fit to invoke the clauses of old treaties, and to point out assurances made by the Sultan by letter to the Emperor. It would be superfluous to recapitulate these treaties, as full explanations were given to the Austrian Government some time since as regards how far they were applicable or not. As regards the letter of the Sultan, it simply contained the assurance to keep such a watch upon the refugees as to prevent them from causing any disturbance in the Austrian Dominions." It then maintains that, order having been reestablished in Hungary, it was perfectly justified in setting the refugees at liberty. To the above the Austrian ambassador replies in another note, heaving date ISth of August, 1851. It is as follows:— "The undersigned Charge" d'Affaires of the Emperor of Austria to the Sublime Ottoman

Porte, has seen with the deepest regret, from the official note of his Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs of his Majesty the Sultan, of the 16th of August, that the Government of the Porte persists in liberating, on the Ist of September, Kossuth and the other refugees detained at Kintahia without affording compliance to the just representations which induced the Government of the Emperor of Austria to demand a prolongation of their detention. The undersigned, whilst he undertakes to forward such despatch to his Government, finds himself called upon to repeat the protest he made in his note of the 29th of July, addressed to his Excellency Ali Pacha, and, in the name of the Imperial Austrian Government, must declare the Ottoman Porte responsible for all consequences which the liberation of the abovenamed refugees, without the previous consent of the Austrian Government, may lead to. "The undersigned has-the honour, &c. (Signed) " Ed. de Ki,ezi. "Bujukdere, 18th August, 1851."