The Press. — London, England, 1853-07-16 00:00:00

/fr) ,ye/t b t rt No. 11.—VoL. I. g4t rtss. LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 10, MI THE present state of affairs in Europe very much resembles the gloomy period (1771-2) which preceded and which witnessed the par tition of Poland. None of the indications of that epoch of disgrace and disaster are want ing: plausible proclamations, declarations of philanthropy and disinterestedness ; war car ried on in the name of peace, and order vindi cated with all the arts of turbulence ; invading forces who only " occupy," and confederate spoliators who only " observe." The relations of the various Governments bear also a painful resemblance. The King of POLAND, harassed, outraged, and perplexed, appealed, like the Sultan of Tummy, to treaties of alliance and to treaties of guarantee. He invoked the aid of England and France. They gave him—sympathy ; an offering, perhaps, not less valuable than a combined fleet with orders of inaction. France was then exhausted and spiritless ; England was governed by a Minister timid and narrow minded, and who, like some others, owed his Irm/h post to Court favour and personal in trigue, and not to the confidence of a great party in the country. It is due to France to remember that, notwithstanding her difficul ties, she made in 1772 a cordial and unreserved proposal to England to join in an alliance offensive and defensive to prevent the parti tion of Poland, and that England, after some frigid hesitation, refused her offer. Lord SHKLBURSE subsequently said that he looked upon that rejection as one of the most unfor tunate circumstances of our modern history, and that all the (1111111,116 es which afterwards uccuiTed in Europe might be traced to the un resisted partition of Poland. The w•easure and energy of England, instead of vindientan *t the independence of nations, were immediately wasted in a colonial war of unparalleled 3116- lintune, in which France became the success ful ally of the insurgent subjects of our Sovereign ; while, as it were in retribution for that perfidious interposition, the French re turned from their transatlantic triumph, only to introduce into their own country the prin ciples which soon extirpated their warlike nobility, and subverted alike their altar and their throne. Then the lava of Jacobinisin was poured over a partitioned and emasculated Europe, without national character, energy, or faith. Europe has not yet recovered from these awful revolutions. A long, but a disturbed, peace has stancUed, but has far from entirely healed, these wounds, And yet the nations murumr that another great crime is about to be committed, not less heinous than the Polish partition. If it occur, and occur as easily, it will lead to consequences not less eventful, and not less full of terror. What hope have we that they will not occur? There are negotiations going on, according to Lord JOHN RUSSELL; that is to say, as it reaches us, there are certain propositions, as they are styled, not joint, but varying, and LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 16, 1853. made by various powers to Russia, who, it is hoped, will deign to seleet one of these sug gestions. and admit that it will servo her pur pose. We deny that negotiations are going On. To negotiate, there must be two parties, and Russia has already told UM that the door is closed. Even while our Cabinet deliberates over their own batch of propositions, or cer tainly before these can have ►eachied our Ambassador, there comes what is called a " circular despateh," which, in truth, was despatched to no one, but is really a brochure of mocking irony published to Europe by the Czar, and its whole tone is one of conte►nptuous defiance. But then the Emperor of RUSSIA must 110 mad or ill, or both, to encounter all Europe, and to enter into a struggle without allies. What struggle? There can be no struggle where there is no resistance. The Emperor's first. campaign is nearly closed, and lie has conquered two splendid provinees without firing a shot. His second campaign will emu menee in duo season, and he will conquer the rich Bulgaria with the same facility, and with as little injury, as he has appropriated the principalities. For a madman and an invalid there seem to be sufficient coherence and vigour in his movements. But then—un happy Prince !—he has no allies. Ho has the most powerful—he has Mix. Time is the ally which has gained fi►r him Wallachia and Moldavia. It was the 26th of February when Prince MENscanton , opened the campaign at Constantinople. It is getting on to the 26th of July. We have had in the interval stout decla rations by Ministers in both Houses of Parlia ment ; bold notices of motions given and withdrawn by docile members of the same ; we have had both the English and the French Cabinets nearly broken up, and the Turkish Cabinet quite changed : we have had endless despatches, protests, ultimatums, proclama tions ; notes, parting, explanatory, and cir cular ; orders for admirals to a►+t and to be inert ; combined fleets and contnelietory allies ;—and what have we done '? Why, we have recommended the Sultan not to consider the invasion of his dominions by a foreign anny as a emus Belli. A maim belli! Why, it if , no longer a question whether it is a ease for war; it is war ; and war the most triumphant and successful. The answer from St. Petersburg to the pro positions Of our ow•n Government is expected about the 24th inst. PRICE SIXPENCE. of 1.01%1 Aar RDEEN to lIRIIIII BRUNOW, When the 'Present. GOVel'ilinellt. Wits formed, that his Lordship tilt. that animus., or cordial and eon emineetion, between England and Franee was impossible. It may be truly said that this indiscreet and prejudicial declara tion led to the passage of the Truth. There is also another reason why we feel it. our duty to call particular attention to this doeument. It illustnttes a considerable por tion of the earner of a Minister who, when in office, was the systematic 010(4 of Mittel( and depreeintion by the journals under Russian tail ABERDEEN illthlence. Tune hits already materially vindicated the Ammeter and con duct of Lord Mm.mrsuritY, and has proved that, while the envious, the ignorant, and the intriguing were, too successfully, raising a pre judice against him on the most petty allega tions and the most paltry grounds, our affairs have been seldom entrusted to a Minister more vigorous, prudent, and indefatigable. His quick and sound perception of the dia meter of others, and the firmness of his own. eminently qualified hint for the important oilier which he tilled to rho advantage of his country. WO are eonvincod that, had he re. *maned there, the present datigemtut estate of utfitirs would never haw occurred. ENGLAND AND FRANCE. WE call public attention to a memorandum on the relations between England and France during the Government of Lord DERBY which appears in another part of our columns. It throws a clear and complete light on the prac tical working of a cordial understanding be tween the two eounnies, and its beneficial abet for the interests of civilisation and peace. We are mistaken if an impartial pent sal of this document will not r . c many Of the prejudiees of well-meaning persons as to the sineerity and good feeling towards this country of the present ruler of France. It will have a tendency also to eountentet the calamitous effects of the unhappy declaration TRANSPOMATION. TRANSPORTATION is all open lineation in the Cabinet—Lord ANERDERN desiring its perpe tuity, and the Duke of NEWCASTLR aiming at itK extinction—a dimerepimey of opinion mama iugly illustrated in the debate which took place HOMO time in the mouth of May last. But, though unable to agree, Government is compelled to legislate ; and accordingly we have a bill which is neither one thing nor the other, founded on compromise, framed in haste, submitted to the Legislature almost without• explanation, and the introduction of which has caused our Ministerial contempo rary to comment in no measured tempt on thin incapacity of the Minister who had it iu charge. The provisions of this measure, briefly stated, are these :—Transportation to Western Australia is to continue, but only in the ease of convicts sentenced fi n • life, or for periods exeeeding fourteen years. Transportation to all other colonies to .ease ; and, in place thereof; tenns of " penal servitude," or imprisonment accompanied with labour on public works, to be substituted in the ratio of four years to seven years of transportation, six years in lien of ten, eight in lien of fifteen, and ten as the maximum in any ease. It is caleulated that Western Australia can receive about. 8(H) e o n. victs annually ; and that number will in fitted(' not be execeded. No estimate of probable expense is furnished, nor are any detsds sup plied as to the natl•e of the works on which criminals are to be employed, trite el under 4 which 11111.:fy:m.ta.,,rot,(; ►e token to keep them the population . All the 7 1 .7.:. 1 !‘.% ) ,‘ " 5%1 1 ;1 4 ..L0n tells 11M is, that they " eau " be sent to separate confinement, and set to " work at any ylace her NIAJEBTY may think fit " to direct, either in or out of the United " Kingdom, "—a sentence which, if it accurately deseribes the provisions of the ennetmeut, places in the hands of the Executive a power• greater than Parliament has ever yet ecwented