GENERAL HISTORY. 



lii'S 



" HALTI-SHERIF. 



" There have been many and 

 long deliberations already held 

 upon the note which the Russian 

 Ambassador has delivered ; yet no 

 journal of your sittings has yet 

 been laid before us. It is now 

 above 40 days since this business 

 was laid before you for discussion. 

 Why have you not come to any 

 resolution upon it ? From this de- 

 lay we must believe that you em- 

 ploy yourselves in your sittings only 

 in things of no consequence. Will 

 you then wait till the Russian Am- 

 bassador is angry, and proceeds to 

 threats ? If you believe that war 

 is unavoidable, think on the means 

 of defence : show us minutely the 

 necessary causes of war, and the 

 extent of the resources which you 

 will employ. But on the other 

 hand, if time and circumstance do 

 not allow us to undertake a war, 

 prevent the discontent of the Rus- 

 sian Ambassador as soon as possi- 

 ble by a suitable answer." 



The impression which this re- 

 script made on the Divan was 

 easily to be foreseen. It gave oc- 



casion to a second, which was in 

 the following terms : — 



" As my Ministers, after mature 

 consideration of all the circum- 

 stances, have considered it neces- 

 sary to give up all thoughts of war, 

 and to embrace the wise part of 

 reconciliation, it is absolutely ne- 

 cessary that the conferences should 

 be immediately opened, and that 

 the note in question should be de- 

 livered without delay by the Reis 

 Effendi to the Russian Ambassa- 

 dor ; but the greatest care must 

 be taken that this note be well and 

 clearly drawn upj and not like 

 the first, in which there was no 

 sense at all, in order to give 

 Russia to understand that it is 

 our iulenticn to arrange matters 

 amicahli/." 



The inclination of the Grand 

 Seignor to peace, and this decisive 

 language, were sufficient to cause 

 the fall of the opposite party. The 

 Grand Vizier received a severe 

 reprimand ; but his instrument, 

 the Reis Eflendi, was disgraced, 

 and his office given to tlie Djanil 

 Effendi, a man who has already 

 frequently filled that place. 



tllAl'- 



