The Government have, of course, been freely interrogated this week
on the Eastern Question. On Monday, Mr. Evelyn Ashley asked what steps had been taken by the Turkish Government in the way of complying with Lord Derby's demand for the punish- ment of Shefket Pasha and the other Turkish officials implicated in the atrocities in Bulgaria, which elicited from Mr. Bourke only the reading of Lord Derby's despatch of November 24, regretting that so little had been done,—and the further statement that eight persons had been sentenced,—Achmet Aga and another condemned to death, another to hard labour for life, another to eight years', another to four years', and another to three and a half years' hard labour, another to six months' and another to three months' imprisonment. Tossoun Bey, against whom Mr. Baring reported very strongly, had been acquitted. Shefket Pasha was under surveillance, and likely to be arrested, but had not been arrested ; and Achmet Aga's sentence had not, as far as was known, yet been executed (though he was condemned to death seven weeks ago, the Commission which condemned him having nevertheless showed the strongest desire, immediately after, to commute its own sentence on him). In a word, it seems likely that severe penalties will be inflicted on two or three persons on paper, and not carried out.
