The Press. — London, England, 1857-08-08 00:00:00

762 lity to Austria, and support of "oppressed nationalities." The Rouman population of these provinces demanded that their nationality should be recognised; the people are Christians, the provinces have just been rescued from the protectorate of Russia, and the desires of the two provinces are identical ; but the Liberal Government of Lord PALMERSTON, lightly for getting every opinion and every principle upon which their conduct has been founded, decided in opposition tq its solemg prOcaisps, and in opposition to the Treaty of Paris, but in accordance with the views of Austria, that the independence of these Christian provinces should no longer be entertained, and the pro vinces themselves be permanently subjected to the domination of a foreign, and in race and religion a hostile, Government. In order, however, to keep up the farce of hold. jug to their original views, Lord PALMERSTON'S Government sent out a distinguished diploma tist, ostensibly to carry out the objects of the Treaty of Paris, but in reality to oppose them. It would be tedious to follow in detail the circumstances of the last few months. Suffice it to say that Austria, supported by England, has put in force every engine of corruption and intrigue to defeat the views of the people of these provinces, to prevent their union and destroy their independence. We have broken our pledges not only to the Principalities, but to Europe and the world; we have made British honour a byword among the Rouman people ; we have adopted a line of policy worthy only of an Asiatic, and all for what? In order to truckle to Austria, so chat our soi-disant Liberalism should not offend its ally by the sight of a second Pied mont upon her eastern flank ! It is for this that Lord PALMERSTON'S Liberal Government has endangered the entente cordiale with France, and has placed England in a humilia ting and contemptible position. A few short months ago, and Austria was the stalking horse of our Liberals, or the butt against which their superfluous arrows were dis charged. To-day they are bound to her hand and foot, and Lord PALMERSTON fastens the bandage. We are assured that the alliance with France is safe, but there can be no doubt that the Government of France and the Go vernment of England disagree upon most essential points with reference to the Danu bian principalities, that the policy of the two countries is distinct and dissevered, and that should we persist in our present line of action, the recent movement at Constanti nople must result either in reaction at Paris, or retraction at London. The Ministerial organs, seeing the di lemma :of the Government, rushing blindly into the self aggrandising schemes of Austria, endeavour to assert that Britain alone of the seven Powers represented in Moldo-Wallachia by the Treaty of Paris has preserved her due reticence and decorum. It so happens that we are in a position to examine what some competent authorities say on this subject. The distinguished brother-in-law of the notorious VOGORIDES thus addressed his relative from London, 23rd April, 1857 : I tell you confidentially that Lord Clarendon has proved of your reply to the Cctspuls of France and Prussia concerning the press. [That was, its total suppression.] Re found it proper, just, and legal You will save this beautiful country They wish to reduce Moldavia and the Moldavions to the state of Ireland and the Irish, little caring for the maledictions of generations present and to come. The English Government is opposed to the Union. Bare no doubt on this point. I tell you confidentially that instructions in consequence hare been recently sent to the English Commissioner at Bucharest (who is my friend), and your Ereelleney will shortly sec the results of those instructions The Secretary to the Turkish Embassy at London also addresses his namesake at the same time and on the same subject:— I hasten to tell you that your brotherinlaw, the Ambas• sador, has just seen Lord Palmerston. He brings brilliant news from him concerning his lordship's anti•unionist sentiments. Lord Palmerston is pettedly opposed to the Union, and com•equelitly analogous instructions are to be sent to Sir Henry Bultoer, Commissioner for Great Britain in the Principalities. Thus, as I wrote to you lately, there is gr •at necessity for your employing all your efforts to prevent the Moldavians from expressing any wishes in favour of the Union. Thus you will become worthy of the favour of the Porte. and of the assistance of England and Austria. Since am three powers are determined to prevent the Union, you THE PRESS, AUGUST 8, 1857. need scarcely disquiet yourself with what the French say, whose journals treat you as a Greek. The Turkish Secretary to the London Em bassy, writes again to his namesake, 15 (27) April, 1557 : I advise you to follow blindly in everything the Austrian representative, despite all his faults. Austria, the Sublime Porte, and Britain are agreed ; and it comes to this, that when Austria iN cdnicnt, Turkey and England are so likewise. As to gngland, abe will Rnt permit the Union to takb place, eTen shaurd 'the DiVans pronounce in its favour', but that must never 1.,1te . . You werequ'lid right illat to grant libeftl‘ftbe press to these brainless Moldavians, who would o ly have employed it as a means of promoting the Union. . M. PHOTIADES, the Chargé d'Affaires of Moldavia, writes to Kaimakan VOGORIDES, inter alia : I could have wished that the second letter had been sent to the Metropolitan ; but the Grand Vizier having repeated to me what M. Thouvenel hail told him, viz., that your Excellency was obliged to deviate from the line of impartiality in consequence of the secret instructions of the Porte, and because your family were here as hostages in the hands of the superior Government, we think it better to postpone the transmission of said letter for the moment. I have taken care to employ every means to invalidate the words of M. Thouvenel, and I am assured by Baron Prokesch and Lord Redcliffe that I have suc ceeded ; hut, meantime, in the name of Heaven let your Excellency beware of your conversations with the French Consul, and pay attention to every word that can compro. mice you with the Porte. Preserve appearances ! Here in a few words you have the policy of the Porte:— Act energetically against the Union, but without noise, and especially without divulging that you receive such instructions from him. The Porte must have some con sideration for foreign powers, but your Excellency, having no such engagements, has full authority from the Porte to act wisely, and do all that may tend to advance his views. The instructions sent by his Government to Lord Red cliffe are clear and precise. The Sublime Porte is well satisfied with them. To-day Baron Prokesch and Lord Redcliffe arranged measures to be taken against the Union. ETIENNE VOGORIDES, ex-Bey of Lamos, and father of Kaimakan VOGORIDES, thus addresses his son : CONSTANTINOPLE, April 13, 1837. I hear that Sir Henry Bulwer and the Austrian repro sentative understand each other perfectly. Seffet Eft'endi is much approved of. Basin is the most dangerous of the commissioners ; here we cultivate his superiors. The En 'lish Ambassador begins to have a good opinion of you. The future of Moldavia does not depend on the Molda vians, but on the Sublime Porte and some influential ambassadors, whom we don't fail to cultivate. Follow the advice that I so often gave you. Be firm, patient, and, above all, conceal your thougths; be silent, and—Allah Kerim. Whilst invoking the aid of God, we watch here. In a letter today from Kostaki Musnrus, of London, he mentions hearing regularly from you; anti that according to your letters so are his communisations with Lords Palmerston and Clarendon. Both he and the English Ministers are satisfied with your administration. You ought to write often to Kostaki, and come to a perfect and secret understanding with the Austrian Consul, for Baron Prokesch proposed your nomination to the Kaima kanship, giving as reason and gua 7antee that you were your father's son. From the same to the same : Aran. 24. I will only draw your attention to the elections, which you ought to hasten as much as possible, for everything depends on their result. APRIL 27. Baron Prokesch has contributed much to the nomina tion of Caleb Pacha. Let your Excellency endeavour to cultivate still further the good will of the Austrian, and, above all, of Baron Prokesch, for you must know that I serve here as the secret instrument of the relations of his Excellency with the Grand Vizier. Everything goes well, and I hope in God that we shall attain our aim. For the present we limit ourselves with the foregoing extracts from this amusing and instructive correspondence, every line of which corroborates our assertion of the subser viency of England to the views of Aus tria. Nay, the Secretary to the Turkish Embassay at London blurts out the actual truth, and says, " Pour cela, when Austria is " satisfied so are Turkey and England." It is hardly credible that this hand-in-glove alliance (rapprochement, according to the Palmerstonian code), this utter sacrifice of all principles of honour and of honesty, can have taken place by and under the same Govern ment that could formerly find no language too strong for the conduct of Austria. Lord PALMERSTON seems determined to try the extent of his tether, to see how far his Liberal suppor ters will aid him in contradicting himself and stultifying them. The object for which all these sacrifices have been made, all these discredit able intrigues employed, is nothing more than for the purpose of nullifying our own policy and negativing our own protestations at the Congress of Paris. What is it these poor Roumans demand? " The free ex " presssion of their wishes." And those wishes are, as we know whenever they have been allowed to speak—" Permission " to pay their tribute to, and preserve treaties " and amicable relations with, Turkey ; per " mission to unite Moldavia and Wallachia, " and pay one governor and Government a " instead of two ; p ermission to choose th e i r " own prqice, as t . hatp always done up to " thTroty of P'' s, iii‘d to select him, or, " rat er an qtutrai, ret the Congress o f " Pa i select him - , from where they will, so " long as he is not from Moldo-Wallachia; " and lastly, permission to make and enjoy " their own laws, without the interposition of " a firman to override them as often as the " Grand Vizier at Constantinople takes the " whim into his head." It was worthy of England, in order to crush such audacious aspirations on the part of five millions of tihristians writhing under the tyranny of foreign rule, to have employed her influence in rivetting their fetters. It is clear that if the conduct of Lord PALM E RSTON's Government is to be supported, that every one of those great and honourable efforts by which in the course of two years we secured the independence and exalted the position of Turkey, which enabled her to withstand the dangers and vicissitudes of that arduous con- test which afforded the means of security to Europe at the same time that they saved Turkey from the calamities of conquest—if the conduct of Lord PALMERSTON be politic, be just or honourable, then the whole of these efforts were made in vain, for our tortuous Eastern policy, since the conclusion of peace, has had no other result than the sacrifice of the true interests of Turkey by playing into and up to the hand of Austria—the very Power that not so long since offered to reoccupy the Princi palities, or divide them conjointly with Russia, guaranteeing Russia from the inter ference of England ! It is to be hoped the British nation will not allow itself to be hoodwinked on the present occasion, but will be up and stirring will require an account of these transactions will demand why the action of England and France is so distinct and disunited on the banks of the Danube, and will not allow an alliance — cemented by so much bloodshed—an alliance beneficial to England and securing the peace of the world—to be dissolved, or even threatened, because Lord PALMERSTON end his Liberal Government choose to play fast and loose with principles, to violate sacred promises and solemn treaties, and, by involving us in compli cations most delicate in their nature and dan gerous in their consequences, threaten to plunge us into difficulties of prodigious extent, and excite such a flame in Europe as neither France nor England shall have it in their power to extinguish. MR. MACAULAY AND THE EAST INDIA COMPANY. AT the present time, when everybody can think or talk of nothing else but India, it might seem desirable to obtain the cool and philosophical opinion of some accurate ob server and deep thinker on Indian questions. Mr. MACAULAY has had Oriental experiences, and he has also held office under the Com pany. He was also Secretary to the "Board of Control," and he has written essays on CLIvE and WARREN HASTINGS. Mr. MACAULAY is agreat po popular author; his style rivets and fascinates numerous readers, and he has as great a com mand of knowledge as of language. For many years, also, he aspired to the name of a states man, and his speeches on India were amongst his most careful performances. In quoting Mr. MACAULAY on this subject we are made to feel what all his critics have observed, that his speeches are like essays, while his essays often read like speeches. With the pen in his hand Mr. MACAULAY is as vehement in words as an orator r oused by an applauding audience ; and when upon his legs in the House of Commons he often spoke dis sertations of as much depth as if he were reciting a history. We meet with these pecu liarities iu his speeches on India.