NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL,

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2326, 31 August 1880, Page 2

NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL,

A CAPTIVE TURKISH FEMALE SLAVE. A curious incident has occurred which, in the present extreme tension of the relations between Turkey and the foreign Powers, and with the sensitiveness of the Moslems in all matters connected with female domesticity and harem arrangements, may seriously complicate matters. A few days ago a female attendant escaped from ex-Sultan Murad’s palace at Tchcragan and fled to Pera. According to her own statement, her first impulse was to take refuge in the Russian Embassy, but, mindful of the kindness shown by the English to the Moslem refugees, she changed her mind, and fled to the Embassy. She has been an inmate of the harem for twenty .years, since she was brought to Constantinople from Circassia as a child, and is now about twenty-five or thirty years old. There arc two versions of the reasons which induced her to leave the palace. The one is that she had a love intrigue with a Ghiaour, the discovery of which had placed her life in danger. The other is more sensational, but is nevertheless, or rather perhaps on that account, credited in Turkish circles. The woman is supposed to have been possessed of some Stale secrets which rendered her presence at Constantinople undesirable; she was therefore ordered to marry a certain Turkish officer and proceed with him to Mecca, and it was intimated to her that obedience was expected of her under the extreme penalty. Anyhow, her declaration appears to have been sufficiently important for the steam launch of Her Majesty’s ship Antelope to be sent down to Constantinople. A later account concerning this fugitive slave states that the Sultan was particularly anxious that the woman should return to the Mussulman world, and he charged Artin Pasha, the Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, with (he duty of negotiating with our Ambassador for her to bo given up to the Turkish authorities, and at length, after a satisfactory assurance was given on the part of the Sultan and his Government that no harm should happen to the woman, Mr Goschen consented to her being placed under the care of the Under-Sccrctary. She was accordingly conducted to his private residence, where she will remain for a few days, in company with the sister of the first interpreter attached to our Embassy. She will then be removed to a Turkish house, where she is- to be married to “ one of the faithful”; and will then bo at liberty to choose her own place of residence. This lady was the favourite wife of the ex-Sultan Murad, and as such had fallen under suspicion of intriguing to reinstate him. It is said that she had really been put to torture by a palace official with a view to extort a confession. The amicable termination of this affair is regard as a matter of congratulation for all parties ; for Mussulman feeling was beginning to be and the Sultan himself informed Artin Pasha that his own personal honour was at stake. Onr ambassador must be glad to be rid of such an embarrassing guest. TURKEY AND GREECE. The Constantinople correspondent of the “ Daily News” from Syra that the excitement during the past week as to the result of the conference of Berlin has been very great, and that the Government are undoubtedly making warlike preparations. Several of the leading pashas openly express their opinion that it would be madness to offer any resistance whatever to the decision of the Berlin Conference, and it is highly improbable that any such will be offered. In another despatch the same correspondent says that it is announced that the Minister of War lias decided on forming a camp at Adrianoplc of 24,000 men. He adds :—“Hobart Pasha wrote an exceedingly mischievous letter to a local paper, calculated to do serious harm and servo no useful object whatever. lie says if the report be true that Jamina, Larissa, and Prevcssa arc to be given to the Greeks, all be can say is that a more iniquitous thing lias never been done since civilisation dv.wncd in Europe. Russia behaved much better be thinks, than Europe will be doing. He says Turkey may well ask, ‘ Why did I ever listen to the counsel of England ? Why did I ever stop my troops when Servia was at my feet? Why did I not wipe out Greece when I could have done it with a word ? Why did I not accept the hand offered me by Russia when, having defeated mo in a fair fight she was willing to be my friend ?’ For the future the Turks will declare they arc sold, thrice sold. He concludes after more abuse of bis country, by hoping the news is not true. The letter is the more mischievous because it is just possible the Turks may imagine Hobart Pasha may represent in some way the English Government, a d that in this crisis, as in a former one, England may be speaking with two contrary voices.” The Constantinople correspondent of the “ Standard” says that Mr Goschen’s experience there lias pretty well convinced him that without the employment of armed force, no action that the united Powers of Europe make take will be of any avail against the passive resistance of Turkey. A Pera telegram mentions a rumour which comes from Athens, that the King of the Hellenes received, when in London, -‘410,000 to aid in the mobilisation of the Greek army.

The entry of Russian soldiers into Bulgaria has convinced the Sultan that the destruction of Turkey is contemplated, and therefore war and defence to the death arc becoming the motto of the seraglio. The Albanians arc straining every nerve to resist the cession of every portion of their territory; and eighty thousand fierce warriors arc preparing to defend their mountain fastnesses.

Turkey and Greece arc, according to Vienna reports, both understood to bo actively preparing for war; and it is alleged that the Sultan has declared positively he will not accept the decisions of the Berlin Conference. It is understood, however, that Greece will be warned by the powers to avoid any step which might lead to a conflict. It seems extremely probable, however, as reported in Berlin, that, in the event of the Porte raising difficulties, Greece will ask the advice of the Powers, and be greatly guided by their counsel. There is a rumour, though not well authenticated, that Pussia has promised assistance to Greece, in the event of Turkey opposing the demands of Europe. ADVENTURE WITH AN ICEBERG. Now York papers of <luuo 23 publish.

some letters received from Her Majesty’s ship Flamingo, at Newfoundland, as to her narrow escape from destruction by an iceberg. The Flamingo left St. John’s Newfoundland, on June 12. bound for her cruise on fishery protection service on the coast of Newfound land, intending to anchor at Trepassy, eight miles from St. John’s. That night a dense fog was experienced, requiring an extra look-out. Men were accordingly placed on the fore yard-arm and jibboom. The ship was making six or seven knots an hour, so as to make her anchorage before dark the same evening. Suddenly an iceberg, computed to be 200 ft. high by 609 ft. broad, was sighted right ahead. The engines were ordered to bo put full speed astern, and the watertight compartments to be dosed. The size of the berg was such as to prevent any turn of the helm to port or starboard being of no use to prevent a collision. The engines had just begun to move astern wlieb the bowsprit struck the mass. Little or no effect was felt by those on board. The ship rebounded from the icy mass, and backed out. The fore part being cleared away, she was found to have received no damage. A FRIGHTFUL FATE. The Odessa “ Vcstnik ” contains intelligence from the Rapids of the Dnciper, stating that one night early last week a raft of timber, with forty men on board got swept into the Votehc Gorlo (literally the “Suck-in Gullet”), near Kitchkas, and was dashed to pieces among the rocks. None of the crew were saved. Two versions were given of the cause of the accident. One is that the raft left its moorings at midnight with the object of running the gullet in advance of another anchored alongside it. The second is that the crews of the two rafts quarrelled, and at midnight, when the men on the raft destroyed were asleep, the other men nnslipped the moorings, and the raft drifted too far towards the rapids to be brought up by the crew when roused from slumber. Government officials are on their wav to the rapids to inquire into the affair.