The Press. — London, England, 1854-04-01 00:00:00

APRIL 1, 1854. DECLARATION OF WAR. FOLLOWING up the message sent on Monday to their respective Houses of Legislature, the Sovereigns of England and France on the succeeding day issued formal proclamations declaring war with Russia. The English notification contains a concise resume of the causes of rupture and of the diplomatic interchanges which preluded that consummation. It appeared in a supplement to the Gazette of Tuesday : DECLARATION. It is with deep regret that her Majesty announces the failure of her anxious and protracted endeavours to preserve for her people and for Europe the blessings of peace. The unprovoked aggression of the Emperor of Russia against the Sublime Porte has been persisted in with such disregard of consequences, that after the rejection by the Emperor of Russia of terms which the Emperor of Austria, the Emperor of the French, and the King of Prussia, as well as her Majesty, considered just and equitable, her Majesty is compelled by a sense of what is due to the honour of her crown, to the interests of her people, and to the independence of the States of Europe, to come forward in defence of an ally whose territory is invaded, and whose dignity and independence are assailed. Her Majesty, in justification of the course she is about to pursue, refers to the transactions in which her Majesty has been engaged. The Emperor of Russia had some cause of complaint against the Sultan with reference to the settlement, which his Highness had sanctioned, of the conflicting claims of the Greek and Latin Churches to a portion of the Holy Places of Jerusalem and its neighbourhood. To the complaint of the Emperor of Russia on this head justice was done ; and her Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople had the satis faction of promoting an arrangement to which no exception was taken by the Russian Government. But while the Russian Government repeatedly assured the Government of her Majesty that the mission of Prince Menschikoff to Constanstinople was exclusively directed to the settlement of the question of the Holy Places at Jerusalem, Prince Menschikoff himself pressed upon the Porte other demands of a far more serious and important character, the nature of which be in the first instance en deavoured, as far as possible, to conceal from her Majesty's Ambassador. And these demands, thus studiously con cealed, affected not the privileges of the Greek Church at Jerusalem, but the position of many millions of Turkish subjects in their relations to their Sovereign the Sultan. These demands were rejected by the spontaneous decision of the Sublime Porte. Two assurances had been given to her Majesty—one, that the mission of Prince Menschikoff only regarded the Holy Places : the other, that his mission would be of a conciliatory character. In both respects her Majesty's just expectations were disappointed. Demands were made which, in the opinion of the Sultan, extended to the substitution of the Emperor of Russia's authority for his own over a large portion of hisisubjecta ; and those demands were enforced by a threat ; and when her Majesty learned that, on announcing the termination of his mission, Prince Menschikoff declared that the refusal of his demands would inpose upon the Imperial Government the necessity of seeking a guarantee by its own power, her Majesty thought proper that her fleet should leave Malta. and, in co operation with that of his Majesty the Emperor of the French, take up its station in the neighbourhood of the Dardanelles. So long as the negotiation bore an amicable character her Majesty refrained from any demonstration of force. But when, in addition to the assemblage of large military forces on the frontier of Turkey, the. Ambassador of Russia intimated that serious consequences would ensue from the refusal of the Sultan to comply with unwarrant able demands, her Majesty deemed it right, in conjunc tion with the Emperor of the French, to give an unquestion able proof of her determination to support the sovereign rights of the Sultan. The Russian Government has maintained that the deter. urination of the Emperor to occupy the principalities was taken in consequence of the advance of the fleets of England and France. But the menace of invasion of the Turkish territory was conveyed in Count Neaselrode's note to Redschid Pacha, of the 19 th (31st) May, and restated in his despatch to Baron Brunow, of the 20th May ( Ist June), which announced the determination of the Emperor of Russia to order his troops to occupy the prin cipalities, if the Porte did not within a week comply with the demands of Russia. The despatch to her Majesty's Ambassador at Constim tinople, authorising him in certain speci fi ed contingencies to send for the British fleet, was dated the 81st May, and the order sent direct from England to her Majesty's admiral to proceed to the neighbourhood of the Dardanelles was dated the 2nd of June. The determination to occupy the principalities was, therefore, taken before the orders for the advance of the combined squadrons were given. The Sultan's Minister was informed that unless he signed within a week, and without the change of a word, the note proposed to the Porte by Prince M enschikoff, on the eve o his depature fron Constantinople, the principali ties of Moldavia and Wallachia would be occupied by Russian troops. The Sultan could not secede to so insult ing a demand ; but, when the actual . occupation of the p rin cipalities took place, the Su ltan did not, as he might have done in the exercise of his undoubted right, declare war, but addressed a protest to his allies. Her Majesty, in conjunction with the So vereigns of Austria, France, and Prussia , has made Tenons attempts to meet any just demands of the Emperor of Russia with out affecting the dignity and independence of the Sultan; THE PRESS. and, had it been the sole object of Russia to obtain secu rity for the enjoyment by the Christian subjects of the Porte of their privileges and immunities, she would have found it in the offers that hove been made by the Sultan. But, as that security was not offered in the shape of a spe cial and separate stipulation with Russia, it was rejected. Twice has this offer been made by the Sultan, and recom mended by the four powers, once by a note originally pre pared at Vienna, and subsequently modified by the Porte, once by the proposal of bases of negotiation agreed upon at Constantinople on the Slat of December, and approved at Vienna on the 13th of January, as offering to the two parties the means of arriving at an understanding in a becoming and honourable manner. It is thus manifest that a right for Russia to interfere in the ordinary relations of Turkish subjects to their Sove reign, and not the happiness of Christian communities in Turkey, was the object sought for by the Russian tiovein ment. To such a demand the Sultan would not submit, and his Highness, in self-defence, declared war upon Rus sia; but her Majesty nevertheless, in conjunction with her allies, has not ceased her endeavours to restore peace be tween the contending parties. The time has, however, now arrived when, the advice and remonstrances of the four powers having proved wholly ineffectual, and the military preparations of Russia becoming daily more extended, it is but too obvious that the Emperor of Russia has entered upon a course of policy which, if unchecked, must lead to the destruction of the Ottoman empire. In this conjuncture her Majesty feels called upon by re gard for an ally, the integrity and independence of whose empire have been recognised as essential to the peace of Europe, by the sympathies of her people with right against wrong, by a desire to avert from her dominions most inju rious consequences, and to save Europe from the prepon derance of a power which has violated the faith of treaties, and defies the opinion of the civilised world, to take up arms, in conjunction with the Emperor of the French, for the defence of the Sultan. Her Majesty is persuaded that in so acting she will have the cordial support of her people ; and that the pretext of zeal for the Christian religion will be used in vain to cover an aggression undertaken in disregard of its holy precepts, and of its pure and beneficent spirit. Her Majesty humbly trusts that her efforts may be suc cessful, and that, by the blessing of Providence, peace may be re established on safe and solid foundations. Westminster, March 28, 1864. - - • The French declaration is couched iu much briefer terms, and was published in the Moniteur on the same day : Article I.—Six weeks from the present date are granted to Russian ships of commerce to quit the ports of France. Those Russian ships which are not actually in our ports, or which may have left the ports of Russia previously to the declaration of war, may enter into the French ports, and remain there for the completion of their cargoes until the 9th of May inclusive. Article 2.—Those vessels which shall be captured by French cruisers, after having left the Russian ports, shall be released, if the/ can establish, by the ship's papers, that they were proceeding direct to the place of destination, and had not yet arrived there. DILOUYS DE L'HUTS. Paris, March 27, 1854. The Moniteur also declares that the subjects of Russia may continue their residence in France, nuder the protection which the law provides for foreigners, the only condition being that they respect those laws. The treatment of property on board neutral ships, respecting which so much anxiety has been felt and so many queries urged in Parliament, is finally announced in another declaration issued in Tues day's Gazette: — Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, having been compelled to take up arms in support of an ally, is desirous of rendering the war as little onerous as possible to the powers with whom she remains at peace. To preserve the commerce of neutrals from all unne cessary obstruction, her Majesty is willing for the present to waive a part of the belligerent rights appertaining to her by the law of nations. It is impossible for her Majesty to forego the exercise of her right of seizing articles contraband of war, and of pre venting neutrals from bearing the enemy's despatches ; and she must maintain the right of a belligerent to prevent neutrals from breaking any effective blockade which may be established with an adequate force against the enemy's forts, harbours, or coasts. But her Majesty will waive the right of seizing enemy's property laden on board of neutral vessels unless it be con traband of war. It is not her Majesty's intention to claim the confiscation of neutral property, not being contraband of war, found on board enemy's ships ; and her Majesty further declares, that being anxious to lessen as much as possible the evils of war, and to restrict its operations to the regularly or ganised forces of the country, it is not her present inten tion to issue letters of marque for the commissioning of privateers. Westminster, March 2k, 1854. • Proclamations respecting embargoes, reprisals, and prizes, were drawn up at a Privy Council held on Wednesday, and published in a Gazette extra ordinary in the evening. In the first of these documents "it is ordered by her Majesty, by and with the advice of her Privy Council, that no ships or vessels belonging to 295 any of her Majesty's subjects be permitted to enter and clear out for any of the ports of Russia until further order; and her Majesty is further pleased to order that a general embargo or stop be made of all Russian ships and vessels whatsoever, now within, or which shall hereafter come into, any of the ports, harbours, or roads, within any of her Majesty's dominions, together with all persons and effects on board the said ships or vessels, provided idwa3s that nothing herein contained shall extend to any ships or vessels specified or comprised in a certain order of her Majesty in Council, dated this 29th day of Mareh, for exempting from capture or detention Russian vessels under special circumstances." The special circumstances here alluded to are thus set forth in the following order:— "Her Majesty, being compelled to declare war against his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of all the Russian, and being desirous to lessen as much as possible the evils thereof, is pleased, by and with the advice of her Privy Council, to order, and it is hereby ordered, that Russian merchant vessels, in any ports or places within her Ma jesty's doniinious, shall bu allowed until the tenth day of May next, six weeks from the date hereof, fur loading their cargoes and departing from tueli ports or places ; and that such Russian merchant vessels, if met at sea by any of her Majesty's ships, shall be permitted to continue their voyage, if on examination of their papers it shall appear that their cargoes were taken on board before the expira tion of the above term. Provided that nothing herein con tained shall extend to Russian vessels having on board any officer in the military or naval service of the enemy, or any article prohibited or contraband of war, or any des patch of or to the Russian Government. And it is hereby further ordered that any Russian merchant vessel which prior to the date of this order shall have sailed from any foreign port bound for any port or place in her Majesty's dominions shall be per mitted to enter such port or place and to discharge her cargo, and afterwards forthwith to depart without molesta tion, and that any such vessel, if met at sea by any of her Majesty's ships, shall be permitted to continue her voyage to any port not blockaded." A third order contains a proclamation concerning prizes and prize-money, and gives a variety of direc tions and instructions to the Courts of Admiralty how to proceed with regard to all questions that may arise on those subjects. THE EASTERN QUESTION. FURTHER documents relating to the Russian con troversy were issued on Wednesday. This new series comprises 137 papers, dated between the 10th of last January and 19th ult., and contains a mass of correspondence detailing the last steps of the diplomatic intercourse which took place before the final rupture at St. Petersburg, with a variety of despatches from, or to, Lord Stratford at Constanti nople, respecting the rights and privileges to be accorded by the Sultan to his Christian subjects. Among these documents is a copy of the last terms which the Czar professed his willingness to accept from Turkey under the guarantee of the four powers, offering in return an immediate evacuation of the principalities. The proposals were for a treaty on the following bases :- 1. The full and entire confirmation of former treaties concluded between Russia and the Porte, dating from that of Kainardji, and of the special conventions of Adrianople relative to the Danubian principalities and to Servia. 2. Explanations, to be recorded by the respective pleni potentiaries charged with the negotiation of peace in a separate act in the form of a protocol or of an additional article, the draught of which is hereunto annexed, concern ing the signification and practical application of the former and latter firmans of the Sultans relative to religious liberty, and to the immunities according to the churches of the orthodox Eastern rite. 3. The evacuation, with the least possible delay, of the Danubian provinces, and of the other territories and towns forming part of the Sultan's dominions which may, in con sequence of the events of the war, be occupied by the Russian armies, so soon as the arrangements shall be con cluded. 4. The re-establishment of the order of things, and of the Governments of the principalities, such as they were settled by the stipulations of Adrianople. b. The regulation of the right of asylum, and of the con• ditions on which it should for the future be accorded in the respective countries to agitators and revolutionists, who, under the guise of political refugees, might foment dissen sions and create misunderstandings between friendly and neighbouring Governments. As concerns the treaty of July 13, 141, Russia considers it as never having ceased to be in force, since it was con• cluded both for the time of peace as well as for that of war; consequently, there would be no occasion for its re newal or completion by a guarantee. . _ The last despatch is from Mr. Michele, the English Consul at SL Petersburg, dated on the 19th, and announcing Count Nesselrode's declaration that the Emperor did not think it " convenable " to return any reply to the message brought by Sir H. Black wood. The despatch concludes " In the course of our subsequent conversation, I asked Count Nesselrode what the intentions of his Government were with reference to the consular arrangements between the two countries in the event of a declarsition of war ? His excellency replied—' That will entirely depend upon the course her Britannic Majesty'sUoverntinnt may adopt; we shall not declare war.' " ■