The Press. — London, England, 1855-03-31 00:00:00

THE WEEK. THERE was never, to all appearance, a more critical moment in the history of Europe than the present. The question of peace or war is still under discussion at the Congress, and the Baltic fleet is to sail on Tuesday next. While one member of the Cabinet is negotiating at Vienna, another at home is securing 1,000,0001. to Sardinia, nominally for the expense of her contingent. The Budget is postponed till after Easter, that Sir C. Lxwis may ascertain whether a grand reduction of our expenses be not practicable, and the allied armies are preparing for a grand attack on Sebastopol. What conclusion should be drawn from these opposite facts? The third and only important " point " of the four was opened at the Vienna Congress on Monday, and after discussion of tho particular details to effect the limitation of the power of Russia in the Euxiue, the Russian Plenipotentiaries desired time to obtain instructions from their Government. Meanwhile the fourth point was proceeded with. But the assertion made in this Journal last week is now confirmed. The allies: will not insist on the reduction of Sebastopol. Those journals which up to this time have insisted that peace would not be possible except on condition of the dismantling of that fortress now change their tone. The Morning Post of Thursday says that the Government is determined to see the third point car ried out, "in material guarantees, such as the limitation of " the naval forces of Russia in the Black Sea to a squadron "of strength merely necessary for the purposes of police." Again, this organ of Lord PALMERSTON declares that " the interpretation and " details of this third point must be such as Russia can accept with " out dishonour," and that on the dismantling of Sebastopol " the " allies cannot insist." The Times of yesterday at last takes the same view : The tone of the Western Powers in these Conferences has been extremely tem perate, and they have been disposed to carry concessions to their furthest limits. This motive alone can have induced them to omit the reduction of the fortress of Sebastopol from the conditions they required, and to contemplate the possibility of an evacuation of the Russian territory. • • • In consenting to negotiate at all upon a basis which did not include the reduction of Sebastopol, the Western Powers have unques tionably given the strongest imaginable proof of their sincere desire for the restore Lion of peace. In these columns we have constantly held that the Congress would be a mere farce if the allies really intended to insist on the re duction of Sebastopol—though such reduction has been insisted on by the journals we have named as indispensable to preliminaries of peace up to the last few days. How recently the sentiments of the Emperor of the FRENCH have changed on this point may be gathered from the fact of the postponement of his departure for the Crimea. Notwithstanding) the pretended vigour of the Government, indi cations peep out that it does not contemplate hostilities of long duration. In the War Departments some arrangements are postponed, and others are provisionally made, and, really, we believe that a pacific settlement is considered as assured by the Premier and his Cabinet, though it may suit their purpose for a time to regard the result as uncertain, and to employ " prave 'ords, look you," to impose on the public mind. All question of the reduction of Sebastopol being put aside, Russia we may be sure will be glad to accept peace on the best terms she can obtain. She will make considerable concessions, but she will escape from an untenable position, and, as some comfort for what she yields, she will have the reputation of having held her own against the two greatest nations of the world. Her power is not yet impaired, though another campaign might go far to shake it. The Allied Powers have as yet been but preparing for the assault on Sebastopol, and from the magnitude of those preparations—the formation of a railway from the port to the camp, fin• the conveyance of guns and shot, shell and all munitions of war—the immense works raised against the town—the comfortable lodgment now effected for the troops—the continued ar• rival of reinforcements, in which the 15,000 men of the Sardinian con tingent would eount for something—the transport of OMER PACHA'S army to Eupatoria—the enormous force of the combined armies of the three Powers, together not less probably than 150,000 men—we may judge on how terrific a scale hostilities would be waged when the campaign was once opened. The battles fought as yet would be but skirmishes iu comparison with the engagements to be expected before the fortress and in the field. In the Baltic our fleet would assuredly not return as it did last year, with no better trophy than the garrison of Bomarsund, no other laurels than uninjured ships and sound crews. The defects of the last expedition would be repaired ; there would be gun-boats and floating batteries, and, no doubt, an adequate body of troops to operate by land. Some great trial of arms there would certainly be, and Russia from the shock might tremble for the safety of her Baltic provinces. Cronstadt conquered, and that dominion in the North secured by a century and a half of aggression would be shaken to its base. Again, if Austria took part in the contest, Russia would no longer be secure on the side of Poland. Assailed at once in the north, the could she long maintain the three pelled to wage ? Evidently peace is I may be sure she will embrace the not with undignified precipitancy, The question IS decided now that up. Lord PALMERSTON, who has up the measure of her obligations negotiation which Lord ABERDEEN In Parliament, the second reading of the Newspaper Stamp Bill has been carried by a majority of fifty-four. The brilliant speech of Sir BULWER LTrTON must have contributed to this result. His definition of the Conservative principle is by far the noblest yet given of it. What, he asked, is Conservative ? "It is not a stern and lifeless " system of restraint and terror, but a warm and generous love for the " free laws, the liberal altars, and the glorious people of the land in " which we live." The principle of the bill—the repeal of the penny stamp (so far as it is compulsory) is thus repealed, but how will the details be regulated ? Will a newspaper, with necessary registration and sureties against rival, be defined, only when it claims the privilege of transmission through the post. Surely it would be most unjust and illogical to exact security from the higher class of journals, while the lower class would be allowed to escape. There need be no difficulty in defining a newspaper with sufficient exactness for all practical purposes ; and as the registration would be simple and inexpensive, what cause would there be for attempting to evade it? Is it not as right on principle to demand registration from the pro prietor of a newspaper who has in his hands tremendouss power of libel and mischief, as from a cabman? It is the registration by which a journal can always be made answerable for any offences against the law it may commit which has mainly contributed to the high cha racter of our press; and this security, which can be justified as a prudent measure of police, which never could be felt as a grievance except by scamps and professed libellers, will, we hope, never be given up. A printer's name may be no security' His whole stock may not be five pounds' worth of type, and the vilest agitators may be encou raged to enter on a trade of libel and sedition, through knowing that their wretchedness and obscurity will screen them from punishment. One whimsical incident of the debate was Mr DRUMMOND'S denunciation of the libellous character of the press, in one of the most libellous speeches ever delivered in Parliament. On this occasion he certainly abused this privilege, not as a member of a privileged body only, but as the most favoured jester that body at resent possesses. Sir CHARLES WOOD "is coming out" in his new capacity. His in tellect is of the kind which rises with the greatness of the occasion. On Thursday he concluded his speech with six words of Latin. But more than that, last week, when defending the transport service, he " boldly asserted that not one specific charge which has been brought " forward was proved to be correct;" and on Thursday he laid the blame of our disasters in the Crimea—on what does the reader sup pose ?—why, on the electric telegraph. Had electric telegraphs and our own correspondents been employed during the Peninsular war, the Duke of WELLINGTON might never have known what success was. So there is no escaping the conclusion that electric telegraphs have done all the mischief. In the debate upon army promotion on Tuesday, Lord PALMERSTON gave another of his unlucky definitions. What is merit? he asked. And he replied " The opinion which one man forms of " another." This definition should be added to JOHNSON, in correction of the explanation there given :—" Desert—excellence deserving of Jor war,we may notice that thetone " honour or reward." Sir W. CLAY'S motion on Thursday for leave to past has been eminently pacific, and introduce a bill for the total repeal of Church•rates met with the 1, about to b 3 entered into by the sanction of the Premier, and was carried by a majority of 155 to 'H.- the present suspended. An elaborate a plain proof that if the friends of the Church do not exert themselves maims, has been published In the to settle this tiuestien, its enemies seen will, ..~ 010 4 :•_ uc _ south, and the centre of her empire, separate wars she would be oompe for her an inevitable necessity ; we opportunity now offered to her, indeed, but with real eagerness. the conquest of Sebastopol is given so often favoured Russia, will heap to him by compelling the pacific n originated. As affecting the question of peac4 of the French press for some days pi that some considerable contracts, rench Government, lutve been for tl snide on the Late limperor Nto THE PRESS. SATURDAY, Moniteur. It correctly describes his policy as tending to the seizure of Turkey, and, curiously enough, signalises those acts of aggression to which Lord PALM EASTON was an assenting party during his adminis tration of our foreign affairs, as the principal means to her end ; as, for example, the extension of her influence in Persia, the extinction of , Polish independence, and the treaty of Unkiar Skelessi. The article is conceived in a generous spirit, and in its conclusion points to the death of the CZAR as removing an obstacle to peace : A great nation like France does not rejoice when death strikes down her adversary, however powerful he may be ; but the world understands how Heaven removes from the scene of struggle the Sovereign who had commenced it, and who was en obstacle to the peace of the world. For the operations of the siege little can be said. Some gallant actions have occurred between the Zouaves and the Russian riflemen, in which the latter , were driven out of their pits and position at the point of the bayonet, while the latest official intelligence informs us that the French batteries were ready to open fire as soon as the English attack had completed its preparations. With regard to our batteries one material point has come to light this week. It appears that although we have throwu up detached works within 600 and 1,000 yards of the Russian line of defence, yet our actual " attacks," as they are called in engineering parlance, are precisely identical with those with which we opened fire on the 17th of October last. Now, although the armament of the " attacks" is very much heavier on this than on the former occasion, yet, on the other hand, that is balanced by the increased number of earthworks which the Russians have thrown up, the principal batteries that we were opposed to in October being stonoworks ; hence the advantage is manifestly upon the side of the Russians, who have pushed their works upon us, not we ours upon them. Of the movements of the Russians nothing is known, except that large bodies of troops are observed constantly marching to and fro near Sebastopol, and that, as far as can be judged from their bivouac fires on the heights, their numbers are vastly increasing. They have thrown up immense workti both to block up the Turks in Eupatoria and the allies in their camp. By despatches from the Black Sea fleet, we learn that some slight successes have been obtained upon the coast, but that an attack upon Soujak-Kale failed from want of the promised support of the Circas sians. However, we are willing to hail these attempts as proof of a more active principle regulating the fleet, though rather late in the campaign, Soujak-Kale being the ve r y s p ot that the Turkish expedition was fitted out in May last to attack, but which expedition Admiral . DIINDAS and his Government, being wise in their generation, thought roper to prevent. ~. \N