A curious account of the meeting of the Grand Council
called to reject the proposals of Conference has also been published. In it the members, including the heads of the Christian Churches, who are appointed by the Porte, and as Sir R. Blennerhasset has shown, buy their places, are represented as having been unanimous, the only marked exception being the Representative of the Protest- ants, who proposed to leave the whole matter in the hands of the Ministers. The Grand Vizier plainly intimated that he was in favour of rejecting the proposals, and asserted that Turkey possessed "an available force of from 500,000 to 600,000 men," but stated also that there was an immi- nent probability of war with Russia, hinted that Austria, with 17,000,000 Slays, might also be an enemy, and admitted that opinion throughout the world was against them. The tone of all the speeches was resolved, but only one speaker, Abedin Bey, exulted in the honour which would redound to Turkey from "the whole lot" of Ambassadors going away. The corre- spondent of the Daily News intimates that the Council was in- fluenced by an idea that the Plenipotentiaries would give way, but of this there is no other evidence. The best argument employed was, as usual in the East, an illustration, one speaker, Khodsha Nassuhi, affirming that the acceptance of the proposals would throw the Empire "into a galloping consumption."
