794 



TURKEY. 



position at Tuzla, a few miles east of Prince's 

 Islands. 



The Russians during this time had drawn 

 closer to the upper end of the Bosporus ; and 

 in the bay of Buyukdere, situated just above 

 Therapia on the European shore of the Bospo- 

 rus, a Russian imperial yacht, with two other 

 Russian vessels had been moored. The Rus- 

 sian Imperial Guards were to have been brought 

 there for embarkation and conveyance home 

 across the Black Sea. This, however, was 

 strongly objected to by the Porte ; and it was 

 also stated that the British squadron would have 

 immediate orders to move up the Bosporus if 

 the Russian troops came to Buyukdere. Several 

 of the British ships at Besika Bay were also 

 ordered, in that event, to join the squadron of 

 Admiral Commerell at Gallipoli to secure the 

 Dardanelles. The Russians had by this time 

 occupied all the principal bays and harbors in 

 the ^Egean Sea between Kavala and the Gulf 

 of Saros, and they practically held the north- 

 ern shore of the Sea of Marmora and the Bos- 

 porus from Tchaskoi to the Black Sea, thus 

 making a circle round' Constantinople. Their 

 position was considered a very strong one. 

 They could either land or embark troops on 

 the shores of the Black Sea, at Varna or Bur- 

 gas, or just outside the northern outlet of the 

 Bosporus. Among the places occupied by 

 them was Zekerekoi, which lies on the edge of 

 the most northerly plateau running down to- 

 ward the entrance of the Bosporus, on the 

 Black Sea side. The small forts at the en- 

 trance of the Bosporus lie directly at the feet 

 of this position ; so that, these works being 

 mostly strand batteries, open on the land side, 

 the Russians could march in at any time and 

 close the entrance to the Black Sea. In con- 

 sequence of the objections of the Porte, the 

 Russian vessels at Buyukdere in the middle of 

 March left the Bosporus and went to San Ste- 

 fano. 



On March 26th the Grand Duke Nicholas of 

 Russia paid a visit to the Sultan in his palace 

 of Dolma Baktche, but without entering Con- 

 stantinople. This matter had been the subject 

 of considerable negotiations, the Grand Duke 

 at first desiring to visit the Sultan in Constan- 

 tinople with an armed escort of 500 men. To 

 this the Sultan objected, and the question of 

 the visit was finally arranged satisfactorily to 

 all parties. The Grand Duke was accompa- 

 nied by a number of generals belonging to his 

 staff. A conversation of about half an hour 

 took place between the Sultan and the Grand 

 Duke, after which the Sultan paid the Grand 

 Duke a visit at the palace of Beglerbeg, which 

 had been placed at the latter's disposal. The 

 Grand Duke then went to Pera, where the 

 Russian embassy was again opened, with M. 

 'Nelidoff as Charge d' Affaires, and the Russian 

 eagle was replaced over the gates. 



In Constantinople a great conflict was going 

 on in the mean time between Russian and 

 British interests. At one time it was stated 



that the Russians had gained Rauf and Osman 

 Pashas over to their side, and it was generally 

 believed that an alliance between Russia and 

 Turkey was imminent. Soon afterward it was 

 announced that Mr. Layard had won these two 

 generals as well as a number of other gener- 

 als and statesmen for British interests. These 

 conflicts between Russian and British interests 

 led to a change of ministry. Ahmed Vefyk 

 offered his resignation several times, but it 

 was continually refused by the Sultan, until 

 on April 17th he dismissed Ahmed Vefyk, and 

 appointed Sadyk Pasha as his successor, with 

 Mollah Bey as Sheik-ul-Islam. The Cabinet, 

 as reconstructed, was as follows : Sadyk Pasha, 

 President of the Council and Minister of Pub- 

 lic Works ; Izzet Bey, Minister of War ; Ibra- 

 him Pasha, Minister of Marine ; Savfet Pasha, 

 Minister for Foreign Affairs ; Kiani Pasha, 

 Minister of Finance ; and Ali Fuad Pasha, Sec- 

 retary to the Sultan. The Sultan at the same 

 time issued an Imperial Jiatt recommending 

 Sadyk Pasha to observe the Constitution and 

 carry out reforms. 



While the rising among the Greeks in the 

 southern provinces of Turkey was gradually 

 dying out, anew revolt broke out farther north, 

 among the Mohammedans of Thrace, particu- 

 larly in the Rhodope Mountains. Here the 

 Mohammedan peasants and the Pomaks (Bul- 

 garians converted to Islamism), together, it is 

 claimed, with the missing soldiers of Suleiman 

 Pasha's army, rose against Russian and Bul- 

 garian oppression. The first encounter took 

 place near Tchirmen on April 14th. The re- 

 volt spread rapidly, extending all along the 

 eastern slopes and valleys of the Arda and its 

 affluents. Almost all this district is largely 

 inhabited by Pomaks, who extend likewise to 

 the northern slopes of the Rhodope Mountains, 

 south of Philippopoli and Tatar Bazarjik. They 

 had been ignored in the delimitation of Bul- 

 garia, but seemed determined to attest their 

 existence. Troops were sent against them 

 from Adrianople and Philippopoli. The Grand 

 Duke Nicholas proposed to the Turkish Gov- 

 ernment to send a mixed commission of Turk- 

 ish and Russian officers to the scene of the con- 

 flicts, with the object of pacifying the insur- 

 gents. This proposal was accepted by the Sul- 

 tan. Another insurrection of Mohammedans 

 broke out in Macedonia in the latter part of 

 April, in consequence of which the comman- 

 dant at Monastir sent for troops. The Rus- 

 sians did not attach much importance to this 

 movement, but dispatched forces from Philip- 

 popoli and Tatar Bazarjik against the insur- 

 gents, ordering the commanders to fight only 

 in case they were attacked. 



In the latter part of April, the Grand Duke 

 Nicholas returned to St. Petersburg and was 

 succeeded in the chief command by General 

 Todleben. 



The insurrection of the Greeks in Thessaly 

 and Macedonia virtually came to an end dur- 

 ing May. During April the insurgents had 



