the river, addressed the following proclamation to the inhabitants of Moldavia and Wallachia :—

"His Majesty the Emperor, my august lord and master, has ordered me to occupy your country with the armies the command of which he has deigned to confide to me.

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We come among you neither with projects of conquest, nor with the intention to modify the institutions under which you live, or the political position which solemn treaties have guaranteed to you.

"The provisional occupation of the Principalities which I am ordered to effect is for no other purpose than that of an immediate and efficacious protection in grave and unforeseen circumstances, when the Ottoman Government, distrusting the numerous proofs of a sincere alliance which the Imperial Court has never ceased to give it since the conclusion of the treaty of Adrianople, replies to our most equitable proposals with refusals, and opposes the most offensive suspicions to our disinterested advice.

"In his magnanimity, in his constant desire to maintain peace in the East as well as in Europe, the Emperor will avoid an aggressive war against Turkey, so long as his dignity and the interests of his empire shall permit him to do

So.

"On the day on which he obtains the reparation which is due to him, and the guarantees which he has a right to claim for the future, his troops shall return within the frontiers of Russia.

"Inhabitants of Moldavia and Wallachia! I also execute an order of His Imperial Majesty in declaring to you that the presence of His Majesty's troops in your country shall not impose on you

any fresh charges or contributions; that the forage and rations for the troops shall in due time, and at a rate appointed and agreed on in advance by your Governments, be paid for from our military treasury.

"Look tranquilly to the future! Engage with security in your agricultural labours and commercial speculations! Be obedient to the laws under which you live, and to the established authorities. It is by the faithful discharge of these duties that you will acquire the best claim to the generous solicitude and the powerful protection of His Majesty the Emperor."

Here, then, was a clear and unequivocal act of aggression on the part of Russia. Disguise it as she might, the crossing of the Pruth was nothing less than an invasion of territory, which, although in an anomalous relation in many respects to the Turkish Government, was indisputably under the sovereignty of the Sultan. There was nothing in previous treaties between Russia and the Porte to justify this step. The most recent one that regulated the relations of the two Powers to the Danubian Principalities, was that of Balta Liman, dated May 1, 1849, the duration of which was fixed at seven years, and of which the following are the material provisions as bearing upon the right of Russia to send troops into the territory:

"Art. 1. In consideration of the exceptional circumstances which have been produced by late events, the two Imperial Courts have agreed that, instead of following the mode established by the regu lation of 1831 for the election of the Hospodars of Moldavia and Wallachia, those high functionaries shall be named by His Majesty

the Sultan according to a special mode concerted for this occasion between the two Courts, in order to confide the administration of these provinces to the most worthy candidates, and those who enjoy the highest renown among their fellow countrymen. For this time also, the two Hospodars shall only be named for seven years, the two Courts reserving to themselves, one year before the expiration of the term fixed by the present arrangement, to take into consideration the internal state of the Principalities, and the services which may have been rendered by the two Hospodars, in order to consult together on ulterior mea

sures.

"Art. 4. The disturbances which have recently agitated the Principalities having shown the necessity of furnishing to their Governments the support of a military force capable of promptly repressing any insurrectional movement, and of insuring respect for the established authorities, the two Imperial Courts have agreed to prolong the presence of a certain part of the Ottoman and Russian troops who now occupy the country: and more particularly to preserve the frontier of Wallachia and Moldavia from aggression from without, and it has been decided that there shall be left there for the present from 25,000 to 35,000 men of each of the two Powers. After the re-establishment of tranquillity on the said frontiers there shall remain 10,000 men of each until the completion of the work of organic improvement, and the consolidation of the internal tranquillity of the two provinces. The troops of the two Powers shall afterwards completely evacuate the Principalities, but

shall remain within such a distance that they can immediately re-enter them in the event of serious circumstances arising in the Principalities again calling for the adoption of that measure. Independently of this, care shall be taken to complete without delay the re-organisation of the native militia, in such a manner that it may by its discipline and effective strength offer a sufficient guarantee for the maintenance of legal order."

The Principalities had been after this treaty entirely evacuated by the forces of the Emperor and the Sultan, and the only case in which either were to be permitted to enter them again, was "in the event of serious circumstances arising in the Principalities "that is, to repress internal disturbances. Of course this did not give Russia the shadow of a pretext to occupy the provinces as a measure of coercion to compel the Sultan to accede to her demand of a convention. It was an act of violence which threw infinite difficulty in the way of further negotiation, for it roused the national feeling of Turkey, and evoked a spirit of resistance and patriotic ardour on which neither the Emperor nor the rest of Europe had calculated.

When the news reached Constantinople that the Russian forces had crossed the Pruth, the population there became much excited, and at the instance of the Seraskier (Commander-in-Chief) Mehemet Ali, who was at the head of what may be called the war party in the Turkish Councils, the Sultan dismissed from the Ministry Reshid Pasha and Mustapha Pasha who were strongly opposed to any precipitate measures

which might effectually compromise the interests of peace. Owing, however, to the active interference of Lord Stratford, the Sultan was induced to reconsider the step he had taken, and the two displaced Ministers were recalled and reinstated in their posts.

The Ottoman Porte now drew up a formal protest against the invasion of the Moldo-Wallachian provinces, and issued it from the Foreign office on the 14th of July. The following are the most important passages of the document:

"It is seen by the official communications which the Sublime Porte has made to the Great Powers, that she does not hesitate to give sufficient assurances, capable to dispel the doubts which have led to the discussions relative to the rights, to the spiritual privileges, and to the other immunities which thereunto belong, and in the possession of which the Greek churches and the Greek priests are placed by His Majesty the Sultan. Far from thinking of withdrawing any part whatever of these privileges, or even of restricting their enjoyment consecrated by use, His Imperial Majesty glorifies himself in confirming them publicly; and, faithful to the maxims of justice and clemency, places them in a position of safety from all prejudice, by means of a solemn act confirmed by his hattischeriff, and which has been communicated to all friendly Governments. Such being the case, it would be useless to encumber the question with a mass of details. It will suffice here to state, that, on one side, the demand of the Russian Ambassador, notwithstanding certain modifications, whether as to terms or whether as to form, remained at the end

inadmissible, for the reasons just now explained; while, on the other side, it became without any real object, on account of the solemn guarantees spontaneously given by the Sovereign himself in the face of the whole world. These incontestible facts suffice to absolve the Sublime Porte from all obligation to explain further on the subject of the religious privileges. It is incontestibly evident that the independence of a sovereign State is null if among its attributions is not preserved that of refusing, without offence, a demand which is unauthorised by treaties, and whose acceptance would be at the same time superfluous as to the ostensible object, and not less humiliating than injurious to the high party which declines it.

"Nevertheless, the Sublime Porte does not in any way retire from its friendly and profoundlysincere desire not only to fulfil all its engagements towards Russia with the most scrupulous exactitude, but further, to give it such entirely new proof of its cordial dispositions as is compatible with the sacred rights of its sovereignty, and with the honour and the fundamental interests of its empire.

"The Sublime Porte is even prepared to reiterate the assurances promised in the letter of the 4th (16th) of June, written in reply to that of his Excellency Count Nesselrode, bearing date the 19th of May (0.S.); and it is still disposed, if an arrangement of a nature to satisfy Russia can be arrived at without prejudice to the sacred rights of the Sultan, to send an ambassador extraordinary to St. Petersburg, to seek, in concert with the Russian Cabinet, the means of arriving at that end.

"As regards the passage in the

which might effectually compromise the interests of peace. Owing, however, to the active interference of Lord Stratford, the Sultan was induced to reconsider the step he had taken, and the two displaced Ministers were recalled and reinstated in their posts.

The Ottoman Porte now drew up a formal protest against the invasion of the Moldo-Wallachian provinces, and issued it from the Foreign office on the 14th of July. The following are the most important passages of the document:

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It is seen by the official communications which the Sublime Porte has made to the Great Powers, that she does not hesitate to give sufficient assurances, capable to dispel the doubts which have led to the discussions relative to the rights, to the spiritual privileges, and to the other immunities which thereunto belong, and in the possession of which the Greek churches and the Greek priests are placed by His Majesty the Sultan. Far from thinking of withdrawing any part whatever of these privileges, or even of restricting their enjoyment consecrated by use, His Imperial Majesty glorifies himself in confirming them publicly; and, faithful to the maxims of justice and clemency, places them in a position of safety from all prejudice, by means of a solemn act confirmed by his hattischeriff, and which has been communicated to all friendly Governments. Such being the case, it would be useless to encumber the question with a mass of details. It will suffice here to state, that, on one side, the demand of the Russian Ambassador, notwithstanding certain modifications, whether as to terms or whether as to form, remained at the end

inadmissible, for the reasons just now explained; while, on the other side, it became without any real object, on account of the solemn guarantees spontaneously given by the Sovereign himself in the face of the whole world. These incontestible facts suffice to absolve the Sublime Porte from all obligation to explain further on the subject of the religious privileges. It is incontestibly evident that the independence of a sovereign State is null if among its attributions is not preserved that of refusing, without offence, a demand which is unauthorised by treaties, and whose acceptance would be at the same time superfluous as to the ostensible object, and not less humiliating than injurious to the high party which declines it.

Nevertheless, the Sublime Porte does not in any way retire from its friendly and profoundlysincere desire not only to fulfil all its engagements towards Russia with the most scrupulous exactitude, but further, to give it such entirely new proof of its cordial dispositions as is compatible with the sacred rights of its sovereignty, and with the honour and the fundamental interests of its empire.

"The Sublime Porte is even prepared to reiterate the assurances promised in the letter of the 4th (16th) of June, written in reply to that of his Excellency Count Nesselrode, bearing date the 19th of May (O.S.); and it is still disposed, if an arrangement of a nature to satisfy Russia can be arrived at without prejudice to the sacred rights of the Sultan, to send an ambassador extraordinary to St. Petersburg, to seek, in concert with the Russian Cabinet, the means of arriving at that end.