The Press. — London, England, 1854-09-30 00:00:00

~:. THE PRESS. SEPTEMBER 30, 1854. " THE LAST DAYS OF A CONDEMNED." (AFTER VICTOR Hato.) " THEY have sailed for the Crimea! The blow can be withheld no longer. My friend of forty years, I may not serve you further. They have sailed. They have sailed. "It is something to have no self-reproach. That consolation is at least mine. I have done all for Russia that Ministers can do, and be unimpeached. The Baltic armament was to achieve wonders, and the Baltic armament will return—as soon, ha! ha !—as guard has been re lieved by the ice. The Crimean expedition has sailed ; but when ? Here is autumn. " I find defenders yet, for the newspapers must be filled, and a pa ragraph for me helps the gigantic gooseberries and the discovered bones to make up a column. But the defence is a sad one. I cannot be a philo• Russian, for Russell and Palmerston are in the same Ca binet with me. Ha ! ha! What is a Coalition but a combination whose first condition is the sacrifice of independent principles? Have the public not yet found that out ? The thought makes me laugh even in my grief. But there is more. I cannot have promoted the interests of Russia, because Russell and Palmerston would not permit it, and I was powerless—powerless, with the power of resigning, and the cer tainty of thereby smashing the Ministry. My best advocate claims no more for me than this, that I keep out Lord Derby. But this has given me a fatal power over my colleagues. Have I not used it? Friend of forty years, answer for your friend. _ _ " But they have sailed for the Crimea. I wander from my great grief to console myself with memories. It is idle. The ferocious soldiery of England and of France, eager to spring upon the Italy of Russia, have embarked in overwhelming force. Is there yet a chance ? " I would not that a man should be lost. But how cheaply pur- chased were the safety of the Crimea at the cost of ships, guns, stores! An almanac. Bah! Not this calendar of British victories but a Russian almanac. 'Tis here—'tis well—and now to see what winds are frequent, now, on the shores of the Euxine. Gales from the N.E."Twere well. That would sweep them back upon their place of embarkation. Murphy of Russia, be thou a true prophet ! " Hark ! what savage cries proclaim fresh news ! Under my very window they shout, and the popular voice answers with cheering— ' The troops have landed r " Landed ! It may be so. But the armed array of Russia, drawn along that shore in stern phalanx, has confronted them. May no blood have boen shed. But if the sight of those terrible legions have sent the invaders back to their ships— Here! Silence thy brutal bawling ! Whom dost call rascally Russians, knave ? Give in thy paper, take thy penny fee, and begone, and at least thank Russia that thou earned a guerdon. Let us read. " Landed without opposition, and without an accident.' There is no struggling with fate—yet—yet—things may begin too favourably. Can it be that the professed, the inscrutable military wisdom of Menschikoff has laid a trap for the invaders? Will they march on in fancied security, until suddenly myriads of warriors start up around them, and render resistance hopeless ? Th4uk Heaven lam a humane man, and I would not willingly hurt a limb even of my friend's ene mies. If such a trap have been laid, may the stern St. Arnaud and the haughty Raglan have discretion enough not to imperil life by their ob stinacy. But I will repose in the wisdom of Menschikoff: he will bring millions of soldiers. The invaders dare not resist. Some mortifica tion, some repining, no doubt will follow the capture, but this is the fortune of war. Then for peace, and the release of the prisoners. Ah! lam dreaming again. Mensehikoff has no millions. He has but 35,000 men, and must give battle. And to this strait have we —no, I have neither part nor lot in the matter—but to this strait have Eng land and France reduced that noble soldier, the friend of my friend. " Gives battle !' I begin to despair. Doubtless the gallant war rior, fighting on and for his native laud, will acquit himself gloriously But what can he and his handful of heroes do against the overwhelm ing weight of the enormous ho s t, advancing in the cowardly security of resistless strength ? Why should he give battle? Let him shelter him self behind the fortifications of Sebastopol. There would be no dis grace in a small army imitating the wise precautions of two mighty fleets. What is done in the harbour may be done in the citadel. Be. hind those stones, brave Menschikoff, and there await the invader. " More news, more news ! Battle has been given, and the Bus ' mans, utterly routed, are in full flight upon Sebastopol. hotly pursued by the cavalry.' Yes, I have a right to despair. What hope was there? Utterly routed by three times their number. Silence, again, bawling knaves! Why do you cry' glorious victory,' when three to one were the odds? Go from under my window—or is this torment part of my penance? " Ha! the Home-office window is open, and I see the vindictive Palmerston dancing a war•dance of triumph. He is waving a despatch around his head, and the clerks are cheering. This might have been spared me. The Christian martyrs of old had their luxurious supper 925 on the night before death, but they heard below them the roaring of the beasts who were to he their tomb. I had my doubts whether I were a Christian martyr, but now lam sure of it. Also I am sure that those roaring parties are beasts. " More news yet ! Sebastopol has fallen ! Ha ! The guns are opening at the Tower, and in the Park. The bells from all the churches begin their jangling chorus of triumph. The roar of the shouting multitude is terrible. Friend of forty years, one voice mingles not in the insane clamour ! " Aught yet again. The fleet, attempting to escape, has been totally destroyed, or captured.' "It is enough ! Fire your guns ! Ring your bells ! Shout your cries ! Wave your banners ! Toast the victors ! Let off your rockets ! Sing your hymns ! Strike up your music ! lam helpless now. My work is done. I can aid him no longer, why should 1 aid those who love him not ? Paper—pen—ink. So. I resign. There—there— there! Palmerston, am I powerless? Russell, ant I ridiculous—ha! ha! Down goes the Coalition—and now —now, Derby! now, Disraeli! " They come—they come!" End of the Last Words of a Condemned. THE LAST AUSTRIAN CIRCULAR. [The text of this important document having been very incorrectly given in our journals, we supply a genuine and authentic version of it.] Ar the time when we explained to Count Esterhazy that wo thought we could discern a little light through the cloudy atmosphere of German Confederative policy, a repulsive puff of wind from the north blew the smoke in our eyes again, and left us in the same state of darkness as before. Nevertheless, out of the great respect and love we bear to the Diet, which we hope will nourish us in return, we have not ceased to grope about to find some means of advancing German interests, and conceive that we have at last been successful in getting hold of the right end of the stick. His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Russia has been so good as to march his troops out of the Principalities, and they have marched in double-quick time, to show that they made a military not a political movement. Yet, very strangely, his Imperial Majesty insists that double-quick time should have a diplomatic signification, though it is notorious that diplomacy is regulated only by the slowest of move ments. We decide, therefore, in the interests of Germany, that double-quick time is strategical not political, and that it means run ning away from Omer Pasha, and not deference to the wishes of his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Austria. By this act Russia has got out of our way ; and, as we are firmly resolved never to go after her, we should not refuse to cast our hope— whatever that may weigh—into the balance of peace, if we had not other German interests to attend to. Russia says not a word about giving all the guarantees we require for German interests, and there fore, though we are not at war with her, we are not particularly anxious for the promotion of peace —as, hitherto, the war has done German interests much good, and no harm, that we can discover. When the Russian troops marched out of the Principalities our troops marched in. The allied Powers have candidly told us that they would not allow us to exclude their forces from entering the Principalities to act against Russia; and therefore we magnanimously allow them to do as they please in that respect ; but, to preserve the integrity of the Turkish empire, we mean to keep these provinces as long as we can, and we are not without expectation that in the end some good will result therefrom to German interests. As we have not the slightest intention of attacking Russia, and Russia has quite enough work on her hands to perform without attacking us, we do not anticipate that we shall be forced into a coercive state ; but, nevertheless, we have resolved to remain armed, and we trust that our generosity in keeping up this attitude for the sake of German interests will not be lost on the Diet. Should we be attacked, however, we must immediately call on Lichtenstein to raise her army to its full war complement of fifty-five men, and we shall ex pect the other States to make preparations of proportionate magnitude for the promotion of German interests. We expect that the Diet will fully approve the four bases of peace we have proposed, for, though not at war, it is proper for German in terests that we should have the settlement of terms of peace. We aro willing that these bases should be called points, if deemed desirable, as it is clear that points may be base when German interests are con cerned. If the Diet should conceive that it need only attend to those points which concern German interests we shall make no objection. The points relating to the Danube are German points, and we must look very sharp after them, and make it a point of honour to obtain them ; but the points which concern European interests we have no particular concern with. Every possible latitude and longitude must be allowed in negotiations in which we are concerned, and, as the allied Powers have taken up arms against Russia, we ought by no means to allow them to make a peace which does not keep Russia at a respectful distance from the Danube, and is not perfectly satisfactory to German interests. You will be so good as to impress on the Court to which you are accredited the necessity of giving an unconditional support to these and all other propositions emanating from the Government of his Im perial Majesty, as without this support there can be no security for German interests. _..