The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-11-26 00:00:00

LORD RUSSELL ON THE EASTERN QUESTION.

On the preset t important cr:sia Lord Russell has
sent the following letter to The Times, for publication :
Whatever measures our Government may take to support
and maidtain the spirit of Lord Granville's firm and tu -
answerable despatch. it appears to me that there is one area.
sure which is indispensable. 1 urged last year that the
Crown ught to be armed with more authnri'y to call out
and amhddy the Militia. The Ministry cavilled about the
term, cf my hill, but ttey consented to take power to em-
body the =Ma in case of an emergency.

-
I do not well know the legal meaning attached to the word
emergency, but It seem. to me that when the SlMister of a
Wiwi Power assumes on Whiff of hi. Sovereign the right to

art aside snd abrogate • "Verity Which binds seven of the
chief States of E trope, an emergency oasts.
It is said at St. Petersburg that Rousts has 500,000 men
In arms, sod at Cologne the noniler Is talked of as 400,000.
It is notorious that troops have for some moths been
nun ring from the north of Russia towards the fronthr of
lackey.

NS Indher our VACS be f n. peace, am 1 bops, or for war,
%hick may become inevitable, I &ID of opinion that 101,00
MO/ of tne Militia, in addition to the Militia Reserve, should
1,. embodied. and that we should thus obtain the means of
filling with flesh and blood the skeletono of our attenuated
regiments.

The following ocrreetion of a alight errol in the f are-
gob. g letter, hiw bcett bent by Lead Russell :
bore la a ndap; iot la one cord of my letter to day. NVilat
Is petotel"Cologne'! a-rote " 0 lessa." I bad good author-
ity lor ret log that at Olessa It hal been aft mod thrt the
peace establishment of the Russian army couslata of .JOO,OOO
men.

A "Cynic" t.oints out In The Tilael that Rad Russell, In
advocating the Immediate embodiment of the militia, ap.
pears to have overlooked the not unimportant fact that at
the present moment we have no militia to embody. It Is
true that by the Militia Amendment Act of this year the
Crown is empoivered to call nut the militia in Cada of great
emergency," Without having to salt, as forincrly, for a
formal declaration of war. but the pro .1 this Act
would not be binding oil men enrolled nil vi, to It, date
(the nth of August); Indeed, It Is expressly stet 41 II at It
"shlll not apply" to tbem ; so the ft, a Judi time eultsted
ore, under present circurnotances, the gely milltbon.o Ittb e
to continuous eervire. The °then may be called LA,
p'ete thy-sin days' annual traltilbit nf lit, y lv
alit isly done twority.seven ; but at their r .
would demand their release, though a pail
dune-I, by the offer of a second bailie. , -
the new terme. A vory similar • Y
dirorgmixod the militia ia 1855, but , '
experience. It le suggested thatwe vi, r • vi
by immediately declaring war agalbrt t r • r. • ~ma
or Theodore's snecessor, or some ott.., , .e and very
distant potentate.

THE DUKE OF CLEVELANI, , 'UI NOTE

The Duke of Cleveland, • .rita }ma, Leahy Cattle,
the 21st inatant, hue also sent tue following letter to
The Times, for publieatio -
am fax from whblug to defend the tone ,r ,abitance
of the despatch of Prince Gartschakoff. It is impossible to
resist the conviction that Russia has chosen this oppor-
tunity for declaring herself no longer bound by the Treaty.
ettpciation with regard to her armaments In the Black Sea,
from a conviction, well or 111 founded, that she has no re-
sistance to fear.. . . . . .

A Treaty restrtctive of her na'ural rights anch as that she
vr compelled to elgo In her ‘ll.l.res. will never be held by •
great Power to bind her When. will tincture of circumstances
entOles her to free herself from the obligation.

We must recollect that 1105.10 does nut menace at this
moment the independence of Turkey, but, ou the contrary,
professes to respect It.
It would be better, as a principle, for the peace of the
world, that Truths should be of perpetual obligation. But
a question of this kind must be considered with reference
to all which has occurred and Is occurring around us.
France hu engage I in an unfortunate war, and her power
is prostrate. Prussia has received by these events an inn
manse accession of influence. she Is now the first military
Power in Europe. We were told by Count Bernstoref thet
Prussia was neutral in the Crimean war, benevolently in-
clined towards Russia. She was a cceelgoatary party
to the Treaty of 15.7.11, but there can be no dqubt that
she would consent to relieve Russia from what is
humiliating in it I thought at the time that the
Crimean war mleht have been availed, and was, therefore, •
mistake. Mr. Bright made against it one of the ablest and
most convincln; speeches I ever heard him deliver without
reference to his peculiar tenets on war. As 1 share the
opinions he then expressed, I now warn and earns shy adjure
my countrymen not to commit • similar mistake. Wno
would be our Allies in the present war if we should unhappily
drift into It? Au Aria and Turkey, both of (hellion the verge
of bankruptcy. We possess no army for a foreign war.

Would it be worth while to enter on • war of indefinite
magnitude on ace 'tint of the tone of a despatch?
We are quite strong enough to defend ourselvos if our
honour la walled or oar material Interests attacked. We
are only one of the co-signatarle. of the Testy of 1.56, and
our immediate Interesta are not engaged. I have not such a
poor opinion of the wlrlom of my countrymen ar to believe
that • war with Russia would be popular. I deprecate, how.
ever, the possibility of tier Majesty's Government acting on
such a belle?.
I beg to apologise for the length of this letter, and my only
excuse is that, while It input time. I feel it a duty to express
an sanest opinion.