From Constantinople we hear of nothing, except the slow death
of the Sultan, and the difficulty in proclaiming his successor. Murad is either already dead, or so prostrated as to be unable to give any orders whatever, or even to understand his Ministers. The latter, however, hesitate to proclaim his successor—the notion of a Regent-Khalif being purely European—till they can come to some terms with Abdul limned, who intends, if he is to be Sultan, to be absolute master. As we understand the few facts visible under the haze, he has positively refused all terms, and the Ministers are negotiating with a younger brother, who, however, cannot obtain the throne while the eldest male of the House of Othman lives, and keeps his reason and his sight. Either, therefore, the Ministers mus'4M--, in which case the "Reformers" will be banished, and a Sultan of the old type commence his reign, or there must be a new tragedy in Constantinople. The present tension cannot last long, as candidates and Pashas are playing with their lives, and the mob will soon demand a personal ruler. Un- less Alidhat has secured the Fleet—which is improbable, or it would not have been sent on a cruise—the chances are heavily against him. Every Asiatic who arrives in Constantinople is a new follower for the legitimate heir, whose claim is as irrefragable as that of the Prince of Wales.
