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

"accepted" by the Porte. On the morning fol lowing, in the third number of the PRESS, we explained the enormous consequences of this presumed concession, and stated that we had reasons of our own for believing the announce ment to be untrue. Later intelligence proved our accuracy ; and before the ink of our iva• print was dry on the same day the Cabinet had met, and Lord ABERDEEN felt it necessary to avow his belief that " Prince MENSCHIKOFY had " exceeded his instructions." The French Government was at that instant pressing to know whether England would co-operate with France to resist the threatened pressure of Russia, and on that occasion, notwithstanding his belie was urged upon his colleagues, an important decision was taken, to accomplish which, as a preliminary, Lord ABERDEEN was outvoted. His organ was, nevertheless, still instructed to declare that the question was" a mere diplo " matic imbroglio." In opposition to this asser tion we stated on June the 4th, that " the pre " sent prospect was that war would break out ;" and on June the 18th, with au explicitness which left no room for subterfuge or retreat, " We are on the eve of great events,"*** and "Before us is the prospect of three or four months " of paralysis of our commerce and . finance, with " the probability of a general war in the autumn "or the spring." Our present object is not that of self-laudation, or we might take credit that events have proved the PRESS to have been " among the prophets." Subsequent to this the public was amused with rumours of conciliatory measures, and with the information that Austria had been en gaged to interfere effectually. On June the 24th we reiterated our conviction that " the " Emperor would proceed ;" and our announce ment of July the 2nd, that the Russian army was ordered to enter Moldavia, was subse quently corroborated by the intelligence that contemporaneously with this date, on the same 2nd of July, the first division of the Russian army had crossed the Pruth. On the following Thursday, the sth of July, the organ of Lord ABERDEEN proclaimed the complete unanimity of England and France, and that their united fleets were about to pass the Dardanelles. On July the 9th we retorted in denial that there was a disposition in our Government to temporise, and that " some " thing ignominious was impending." The Em peror, said the Times, must he mad or ill to enter into a struggle without allies. "He has," we replied on July the 16th, " the most power " fill of allies : he has time." No inconsiderable term of that time was procured for him—no inconsiderable portion of that ignominy was entailed upon Ministers by a solitary process — the negotiations for the Vienna note. The upshot of that note is too fresh and fa reiliar to require many words. On August the 6th we wore able to anticipate the revelation of that confidence, which Ministers felt in pri vate, that the affair was settled, and of which their subsequent participation with the public so fluttered the Stock Exchange. At the same time we stated that there was no material difference between the proposals of the four Powers and the demands of the Czar, which was verified in less than a month, when the resumption of measures of defence on the part of Turkey induced the threat that. "she must " abide by the consequences of her violence;" and that now our (government would be " entirely at liberty to deal as they might t hi n k " fit with this altered state of affairs." Even when the Vienna note was notoriously dishonoured the public were consoled by" fresh " intelligence favourable to peace," and by the reflection that " the dispute was reduced to a " question of form." On September 3rd we had said that "Peace or war was at the mercy " of accidents," and that. in the latter event Austria would incline to Russia. On Septem ber 24 we had to comment on the conferences at Olmiitz, and the Sultan's request of the presence of our fleet in the Sea of Mannora ; on October 1, on the preparations of OMER PACRA to cross the Danube, with the resolu tion o' Austria to remain neuter, which de prived deb.) , of its only compensation ; and on October 8 we were at length able to announce to our readers that a Cabinet Council had met, self-excused, perhaps, for its tardiness by its THE PRESS. having some months back reduced the dispute to a question of form. The immediate impulsion to a Cabinet con troversy here W 9.6 afforded by the Grand Council of the Porte, which united in recom mending the Sultan to declare war. Thus a climax had been attained by a strained anxiety for peace, suspicious sarcasms at our allies, and a general conduct of affairs which neither deterred the Czar from advancing, nor permitted him to recede with honour. This climax was realised by the public on Novem ber the Ist, when, in the morning, the Times proclaimed " a collision between the two " armies an unlikely event," and notified in its afternoon edition the passage of the Danube at Kalafat. It was realised by Lord ABERDEEN on the 9th of the same month when he was upon his legs at the Mansion-house dinner, but de frauded of the self-gratulatory opportunity he had anticipated. It was realised at Olte nitza on the 4th, and at Sinope on the 30th, by both Russians and Turks, neither of whom had occasion to be peculiarly grateful to the negotiators who had reduced the dispute to a question of form. On December the 3rd we ourselves realised it to the further extent of a formal and abso lute conclusion of negotiations by Russia, which, in so far as we assumed it had been communicated by note, the Times ostenta tiously denied on the Monday following. If the Organ was right as to the note (we " con " fees the cape "), we were so right as to the determination, that five days before it had been evinced by acts at Sinope. But before this could be known the funds were again buoyed up by another gratuitous assertion of the same week, that "positive and definite en " gagements" had been entered into by the four Powers " to maintain the existing territo " rial arrangements of Europe." No such en gagement, as we stated on December 17th, had taken place ; but the Conference of Vienna was revived for the benefit of Russia, to enhance the value of its ally—Time, in severing the cordial union between England and France, and developing the great conspiracy which is fomenting throughout Europe. A glimpse of that conspiracy was obtained through the opening made by the resignation of Lords PALMERSTON and LANSDOWNE, Which we recorded the following Saturday. A fort night later the " Palmerston Lost " was suc ceeded by the " Palmerston Regained." The " Firebrand" whom the Ministerial journals had begun to revile was again cherished for its convenient warmth. " That person" against whom Lord ABERDEEN had intrigued and sneered was also again treated as a necessary ally in the conflict. But the year had no sooner closed with a show of unanimity and resolu tion than the Organ had occasion to remark that probably by this time the Euxine had become as inaccessible as the Baltic. By these stages we have been conducted to the threshold of war in the name of peace. To this end the dispute was reduced to a question of form ; so that, come peace or war, Russia has gained its greatest ally—Time ; while we meet it, and any other allies it has gained in addition, with our hands tied, our chances weakened, our confidence shaken, and the conspiracy now on foot neither anticipated nor exploded. THE QUARTER'S REVENUE — COOKERY OF THE ACCOUNTS. Oun contemporary the Times was yesterday inflated for a moment with the spirit of true prophecy. it correctly anticipated that we should comment on the returns of the quarter's revenue. Certainly at this moment the interest felt in domestic affairs is not very profound. People are indeed aware that the clerks of Sir ROBERT PEEL undertaking to carry on their late master's business promised all sorts of comforts —the especial retail benefits for which the establishment to which they belong was always self-celebrated ; and people are also aware that after all their labours— eustoms repealed, taxes remitted, monopolies abolished, tariffs re-edited--only yesterday they had to put out the national quarterly account, showing a general falling off in the returns. Well, it was not entirely their fault : the clerks did their best, and they shown a clerkly talent in the it is said they have " cooked " sheet, to make their best appei bad as it is in reality. From collectors of revenue have hit the revenue cash through th, by bills payable at twenty-one i but about the 20th ult. an on directing that those bills elm drawn payable at seven days' si this quarter is unfairly credi which would not be included " sponding period " of last 371 we are glad to hear that the which poverty has driven to th is not mean. The bankers, receive interest for the usual pr one days, awl thus no one will defrauded by this arrangemei factory to know that the clerks desperadoes if they practise main for our Christmas consol MINISTERIAL DISCOUR. ENVOY OF PARA , THE readers of the PRESS are . the importance of the Paraguay mercantile world ; Liverpool ing for their ratification with had been accepted by the Cr procured by their predecessor HOTHAM, their negotiator, was the Governorship of Victor' afterwards General LOPEZ, dent of Paraguay, arrived in purpose of ratifying them. arrival the Government were was an English diplomatic America on board the steal came ; yet that courtesy wh, bestowed on the representati , European State was withhelt the ruler of the rich region o: baggage was searched at tlb which to one arriving here in a marked indignity. Beyon( a presentation to her Majef more than a bare recognition character, no notice was tak. Government of the country to which he was accredited : no Minister called upon him, nor was he invited to any of those banquets at which the presence of diplomatists is prescrip tive and conventional. Commerce is sensitive and vigilant, and from our Liberal con temporary the Liverpool Albion, from whose columns we have condensed the foregoing particulars, we take the following remarks: We should be sorry to believe that there has been any studied diaconrteay in the case, any intentional design to mark the insignificance attached by parties now in office to the South American commercial policy of which Lord Malmeshury is proud, and, to our thinking, as we said on a recent occasion, most justly proud, notwithstanding the shortcomings of his colleagues in so many other respects. Bnt at the same time the facts we have recorded are quite enough to warrant faction in imputing such motives; and on every account it is greatly to be regretted, first, that our treatment of general Lopez should have been so unbe coming towards him and towards the principle he repre sents, and so unworthy of ourselves; and, secondly, that such treatment should be practically so d rebuked by the conduct of France. For in France his treatment was in every respect exactly the reverse of that which he experienced in England. There he was re ceived with all the courtesy to which he was entitled as " Envoy Extraordinary and Mi " nister Plenipotentiary of the Republic of " Paraguay." Our contemporary adds that the impression produced on General LoeEz by this contrast iu his reception in the two countries is precisely what might be expected ; indeed, iu whatever cause the strange con duct of our Government originated, it bore the aspect of studied insult. Our contem porary the Edinburgh Advertiser assigns to this conduct a definite meaning. The pro ducts of Paraguay are the same as those of Russia—hides and tallow; were the resources of the former country to be fully developed, we could dispense with the latter, not only without inconvenience, but with advantage to our. J SATURDAY, y have at least mode in which " their balance- ear not quite so in Scotland the .itherto remitted he Scotch banks days after date ; rder was issued ould this year be might. Therefore cited with items in " the corre- year. However, Coalition Firm these expedients , it is said, will period of twenty- II be permanently ant. It is satis- aro by no means a little legerde- )lation. TESY TO THE AGUAY. ; already aware of lay treaties to the . has been watch- th anxiety ; they Coalition, though mrs ; and .Sir C. was promoted to )ria. Very soon son of the Presi- n England for the Of his intended e aware, for there agent from South Liner by which he Bich is studiously five of the meanest ld from the son of of Paraguay. His the Custom-house, .n his capacity was nd the formality of sty, which was no in of his diplomatic aken of him by the y to which he was lied upon him, nor those banquets at amatists is prescrip- amerce is sensitive our Liberal con- II