SAN FRANCISCO MAIL NEWS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 180, 21 July 1876, Page 2

SAN FRANCISCO MAIL NEWS.

The following are extracts from the monthly letter of the Auckland Star's London correspondent :— THE DEPOSITION OP THB BDLTAK. v> Startling news reached us yesterday morning from Constantinople, 'lhe poor weakheaded Sultan Abdul Aziz has been deprsed by an insurrection of the Sottas (a kind of lociety of theological students), and bis nephew Mohammed Mnrad Fffendi, a youn? man of some 30 years, h*s been proclaimed Sultan of Turkey. The effect of ths news on tbe Turkish bonds, and indeed on funis generally, was surprising. Bonds went up at once 3 per cent , although I fail to see myself what extra chance of payment they can po aibly have acquired by tbe change. One thing is of course certain, the nephew cannot be a greater fool than his uncle, and he may possibly possess a trifle more sense. The deposed Sultan was hardly removed above a lunatic as far as money matters were concerned, and of course the young man may manage to work things a trifle more economically. Ihe rnnnrkable point about the insurrection (which by the way was remarkably quiet) is that such a movement could have been possible in Turkey, and the fact of its transpiring, proves that things are not as they used to be in toat land of misrule. At the same time it must be borne in mind that the movement has neither originated nor been carried out by the hoi polloi. The Sottas are an educated class, students, indeed, of divinity and law, who are to a large extent under the thumb of the divinity doctors or Ulemas, who reduce everything to the rn'e of the Koran. These doctors form a species of aristocracy, enjoying ceetain immunities and great influence, and the? have been at the bottom of pretty nearly everything of importance in tho political world of Turkey for years back. It was these Ulemas who procured the dismissal, of the Grand Vizier (Moscow Pasha as they called him) a short while ago, and then they deposed the Sheik-ul-Isiain, and compelled the Sultan to appoint one of th. frown nominees in his placj. For some time the movements of the Softas have caused much jealousy amongst the European residents of Constantinople; and from ihe threitening asptc:s of occasional mobs of Turks, and more especial'y from the Salonica asasinations, it was seriously anticipated that an attempt might be made to perpetrate a general massacre of Christians. It would seem, however, that the object in view has been much more innocuous, and that even the great patience, so proverbial, of a Turk, has its limit, and that the late Sultan had overstep ped it. For some time past it has been kcown that the private coffers of the Sultan have contained vast sums of money, which were for purposes of expenditure of the Imperial household, for the purchase of pretty fac.s and the luxuries of the harem ; and it wbb even said that £8,000,000 was in possession of the Sultan for such purposes. And this at a time when the country was in a state of complete bankruptcy, when the troops were without pay or provisions, and the people ground down to the dust by taxes. * * * I can see no hope from Turkey even from this latent change ; — but one thing I can see very well, and that is, whatever scruples we might have felt in dealing summarily with our o'd friend and guest, Abdul Aziz, we shall have no such delicate squeamishness as regards his nephew. Tv -key now is, as youwoud say in tbe bush, " fiyb'own, 1 ' and no mortal power can save her as a nation. The only question to be decided is, What is to be done with her? Is she to be divided to every nation apart, or is she to be east lots fbr ? THE SALONICA AFFAIR. _ I have referred to the Salonica assassinations, and as I dare say you have only heard a bare outline of the case, I wiil give you the authentic details thereof, and the causes which led thereto It was nothing more nor less than a quaml arising out of the rascally doings of a wretched old Turk, who could not be satisfied with what he could buy in the open market. On May 3rd, a Bulgarian girl, named Stephani, living in a distant village, who had at'racied the notice of one of the most influential Beys of Sa'onica,an immoral old cues, rejoicing in the name of Emm Effendi, was collared by some creatures of his whilst drawing water at the public fountain. She was taken to a Turkish house an 1 kept there three days, and then t^ken to the rnilway station en route for Salonica. During the three day* she was in the Turkish hous?, it was said that she had been converted to MohammeJanisra, and she assumed the Turkish dress there in order that she might be supposed to be going to Salonica to make a formal profession of faith. It seems that she was rather a giddy girl, and did not bear ti-.e best of characters, but her old mother came \o the train when she was starting and told the story, and urged the young men of her acquainaoce to interfere. Oa the way to Salonica the old Bey, who wag at the bottom of the affair, joiued the girl, and on arrival at the station there was at onca material for a row. The old mofherc tiled on the Christians to rescue her daughter from infamy, whilst the eunuchs who had her in charge claimed protection from the "Faithful." The Christians happening to be the strongest at the time obtained possession of the girl, and forcod her into the Ameri am Consul's carriage, he being absent at the time, and the carriage having come to the station to meet him. That night the girl slept with her mother in the American Consul's hov e, and next day she left the house for her own pace. Meantime the Musslemen got up a meeting, and a party of fanatics took an oath to recover the girl. A call to arms was made amongst tbe Mahoramedans, and the result waa a tremendous row, and a frantic mob. The German and French Consuls went into the crowd towards the mosque, as it is supposed, from curiosity, and they were soon seised as hostages. The Turkish authorities behaved characteristically, and after pottering about some time actually permitted the excited mob to murder the two consuls under their noses. They were mutilated beyond sll recognition. In tbe meantime the English Consul heard that his colleagues were detained' in tha mosque, and started off to their rescue, but he was unable to penetrate the crowd and was only save 1 by being forcibly dragged away by some friendly Turks. Ships of war were telegraphed for, and s demonstration has been made; a number of tho ringleaders have been caught and executed ; others have been sentenced to various terms cf imprisonment; and the funeral obsequieß of the two murdered men have been performei with great pomp, their national fl tgs beiug saluted by the forts, the Turkish troops pres nting arms, and iudeed the utmost .'outward rf paradon having been bestowed. Tlie significance of the massacre, however, is not thereby altered, and is still held to be important, as s'owwg the frame of mind in whi h the Musslemen are indulging. England's decisive actios. The doubts of those who for years back have been endeavoring to cast s urs on the credit cf England as a European Power of the first magnitude have received a severe check during the psst few days. For memhs the Three Great Powers as they are called, have been coquetting with England on the subject of the floal dispos tion of Turkey, and many were the doleful prophesies that England would not be considered, and that the Russians and Prussians were having it all their own way. When, however it came to the point, and England point blank refused to have anything to do with the conference, and what was more, refused her consent to the friendly arrangements made, great was the surprise of the naesainits, and when with-

outvoice or ostentation, arrangements were made and orr'ere given, and it was suddenly announced one morning that at the beginning of the month of June there would be twenty sail of available Britfsu fighting ships assemble 1 in the Mediterranean, it was felt that alter all England was a Power still, and a rather awkward one to have a quarrel with, if the worst came to the worst. The nival array represented by the Devastation, Monarch, Iron Duke, Triumph, Hercules, Sultan, Invincible, Huptrt, SwPtsure, and ftakig l ;, would be far stronger thin any fljet ever yet mustered for service within the range of history, and the whole combined fle ts of the Med.terranean Powers wouln not m itch it if we exclude Turkey. The Dentation, is a fleet in herself so long cs she neither gits ashoie or foul of a torpedo, and we could easily increase the fore to thirty ships and 10 000 men. Depend upon it Kng'and is still mistress of the seas, and the late action of the combined powers his tacitly admitted as much.

(For continuation of New» see fourth page.}