The Press. — London, England, 1854-07-01 00:00:00

Tht,63 I , ,`) • 1! t•• 4 ' .4 No. 61.—VoL. 11. Vrtss. LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 1, 1831. LORD ABERDEEN," with one foot in the grave," to adopt his own self-description, has recently thought fit in his place in Parliament to vindi cate some passages of his busy though not memorable career. The necessity for such " explanation " in one filling the most eminent post in the kingdom alone proves how un worthily it is occupied. The conduct and opinion of a Prime Minister should be of that evident and signal character that, though they may be opposed, they should not need to be explained. It is only when high places have been illegitimately obtained, not by fair par liamentary influence, but by backstairs in trigue, that there can be a necessity for such a humiliating performance as took place on Monday last. A young member of Parliament, without following, and we should think without con cert with any individual, gave notice of a motion condemnatory of Lord ABERDEEN, which both in its form and spirit was so irre gular and unconstitutional that its sanction by the Opposition was out of the question. Yet no sooner is he menaced by this Bashi- Bazouk than the Prime Minister of England, in a panic, hurries to the House of Lords to anticipate his House of Commons' assailantby an exposition, which was received with invec tive and derision by some of the friends of Lord JOHN RessEtt, but by his opponents with the contemptuous silence which it merited. Notwithstanding the controversial obscurity with which the subject has got involved, the relations between Lord ABERDEEN and Russia are simple. Early in life the present Minister of England imbibed the idea that Russian power was the conservative element of Euro pean society. It is, in fact, the destructive element. In 1828-0, not*ithetanding all the efforts of Prince METTERNICH, then' in his zenith, and who had formed a correct•estimate of the military means of Russia, Lom'd ABER DEEN refused to resist the efforts. of the Czar, then engaged in the same operation an Turkish integrity and independence Which we are now witnessing. More 'than 'this; •he en. deavoured to assist those efforts. He con sented to the blockade of the Mediterranean forts of Turkey by the Russians without the cognisance of his colleagues, and was forced to retract his assent. He succeeded in prevent ing the entrance of the English fleet into the Black Sea, which would not only have hindered the success of the Russians, but would have secured the triumph of the Turks. In one of the secret despatches of this period, which, at the sack of Warsaw, were rifled from the portfolio of CONSTANTINE, is a despatch from Count MATUSCHEWITZ,. the Russian Envoy ,at the Court of St. James's (1829). informing his Court that Lord ABERDEEN, while he dwelton the difficulties with which he had to con tend, had acknowledged his wish that the Russians should be successful in their cam paign against the Turks. No doubt, if MibMom LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 1, 1854. any other person than Lord ABERDEEN had been Secretary of State at this period, the treaty of Adrianople would, never have been concluded, and, in that sense, he may be said to be the author of that disastrous document. Many weeks after it was signed he produced that despatch or its contents,'for a copy of which he has recently moved in Par liament. It is a comment on the past, con ceived in the spirit of the traditionary policy of our Cabinet, very just and unanswerable, but quite useless. It was of this despatch that Prince Menem-um observed, " Appa rently Lord Aberdeen has commenced his career as an historian." This State paper was a very convenient record to have at hand in case there had been any stir of indignation in Parliament; but in 1830 Parliament was in another cue, and' events, very soon after, swept Lord ABERDEEN from that scene where he has reappeared, in his old age, to plunge Europe in confusion, and to burden his own country with taxes, from the same causes that previously influenced his impolitic career, namely, an exaggerated estimate of Russian power, and a most mils-, taken and morbid assumption of Turkish, weakness. But in the interval, also, Lord Anrauisas has been a Minister, and no sooner did he seem rooted in power than in 1844 the Emperor of RUSSIA personally visited Obi country to con fer with Lord ABERDEEN on the possible parti tion of Turkey. It is somewhat strange that such propositions should be made to the author of such an " acrimonious despatch" ! We hold that the proposals for partition were not only made, but were accepted, as proved by the " secret memorandum." But then it is urged that the secret memorandum was not an agreement. If it were not an agreement it was an overture. What ;Rawer was made to it? Let Lord ABERDEEN move for a cony 'of that answer in the House of Loids, and.pro dnoe it, and we will acqUit him of complicity. He may rest assured that such a document would do much more to clear his reputation than'the production of a dusty despatch more than a quarter of a century'old. Well, in 1853, Lord ABERDEEN is once more in office, .and we find him at the same work again. n 1820 assisting Russia against Turkey; in 1844 conspiring with Russia against Turkey ; in 1853, with the same confidence in Russian force, and the same despair of Otto man strength, deprecating. aU resistance, and instructing his Secretary of State to write to our Ambassador at Constantinople, that, though " the Western Potyers might succeed " in crippling Russia in the struggle, Turkey " would, in all probability; disappear in the " course of the contest." The honesty of Lord ABERDEEN can only be established at the cost of his powers of dis crimination, his judgment, and his knowledge of affairs. The Minister selected to champion the integrity and independence of Turkey has looked upon that country for half a century as a corpse, and has never concealed that opinion from Russia. But can his honesty be estab lished even at this expense? In February he vindicated his course by a conviction through out of the good faith of Russia ; in June he attempts to clear himself by the production of an ancient despatch, which records his per suasion of the inveterateness of Russian du plicity. But, whatever may be the motives of Lord ABERDEEN, the result to the ; country is the same. He has involved us in a costly, a PRICE SIXPENCE. perilous, and an unnecessary war. Had he acted with frankness and firmness towards Russia at the commencement, Europe would not have been disturbed, and, had peace been maintained for a few more years, it is evident that even the Czar would have discovered that the Porte was a sufficient barrier to his ambition. Lord ABERDEEN COlRCillh4d the Melancholy display of Monday by one of his habitual notices of this journal. It seems that WO stated iu our last number that Prince MET TERNICH had been consulted by his imperial master, and we added that we had reason to believe that the fruits of his counsel had been communicated, though not officially, to Lord ABERDEEN. We alluded also to previous com munications which had taken place between the two statesmen. Lord ABERDEEN declared on Monday that he had, had no communication with his Highness for a ,year and a hail, and insinuated that the whole paragraph in the PRESS had been suggested by a casual allusion to Prince Merrensreu in his speech of the 19th June. A little while ago Lord ABERDEEN traced the Cabinet secrets revealed in the leading articles of the Times to a youth who had been for a .few months a clerk tit the Foreign-office. Now, it is from hints furnished by his own speeches that the PRESS bat farm enabled to announce to the public the eitist once of the " Secret and Confidential Corre spondence" a year before it was discloeed ; that, throughout last autumn, it furnished important information—sometimes even weeks before it otherwise transpired; that, on the 27th of May last, it announced the secret negotiations which were to lead, in the first instance, to the evacuation of the principalities by the Russians. We really. should have thou lit, after the. acripe of the " clerk id the } oreign-offfeer drat Lord ABERDEEN would scarcely again have had recourse to such desperate rignia roles. Lord ABERDEEN at present affects sin cerity, plainness, and a, habit of rough truth. "Honest lago !" It may be that ho has changed since he gave his friendly and confi dential counsels to his predecessors. 'Tis a charitable conclusion. Time, his ." ditel foot " in the grave," 'the intrigues of some of his colleagues, the insolence of others, the sense of the mischief he has accomplished, terror and remorse, may have combined to render him less master of his memory and of a tongue never very skilful. He declares, with uncouth raillery, that he has had " no communication, " direct .or indirtet, whit Prince :METTERNICH " since he has been in office." We aver, on the contrary, that within this year an indivi dual who' fur long years has possessed the confidence of Prince Mierrensten and Lord APPIDEEN, and has been frequently employed by the Austrian statesman on special arrived in .this country, saw Lord ABERDEEN instantly and without the interposition of any third person, remained here privately, for three or four days, had repeated interviews with the English Minister, and returned. We have the best. reasons for believing that the object of this mission was that concerted action with Austria which is to extricate both Russia and Lord ABERDEEN from their terrible embar rassments. Wo have more to say upon this head, it it will keep. Lord ABERDEEN not only reads the PRESS very regularly, but is in s Y.- the hagit of replying to itB A9 f es. ,; e matter, f , t4refore, may rest till his speech. . 4 - ~~ ~ .‘, l