112 ORIGIN OF THE WAR OF 1853 chap, schikoff's arrival at Constantinople ; but an extor- VIL tion attempted at the end of March was divided by a very sale interval from the 6th of the month when Colonel Hose, by requesting the English Admiral to come into the Levant, had been able to stop the panic. Rifaat Pasha, the Minister who had succeeded to Fuad Effendi in the De- partment of Foreign Affairs, was firm. 'I am not ' a child,' said he in his message to Colonel Eose; ' I am an old Minister, very well acquainted with ' the treaties which unite the Sublime Porte with ' the friendly Powers ; and I understand, God be ' praised ! too well the importance of our good re- ' lations with England and France, the full weight ' of the obligation to maintain treaties, the whole ' extent of the evil which would result to my ' Government if it departs from or infringes them, ' to hesitate a single instant to inform their respec- ' tive representatives of every demand or proposal ' which Russia might be desirous of enforcing ' upon us, and which might not be in accordance ' with the rights recorded in those treaties.' * Finding himself thus encountered, and being unskilled in negotiation, Prince Mentschikoff had already begun to draw to himself the support of an army. The English Vice -Consul at Galatz reported that preparations had been made in Bessarabia for the passage of 120,000 men, and that battalions were marching to the south from all directions. Though the time of mere panic was past, there was ' anxiety and alarm ' in the Divan. -f*
- 'Eastern PajierV part i. p. Ill, t Ibid. p. 124.
