The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-07-17 00:00:00

THE AUSTRIAN .PROPO SA L.

TILE diplomatic papers laid on Thursday evening( on the
fable of the House of Commons, refer almost exclusively tathe
solution of the third point formally proposed by Austria (after
Russia had rejected the solution proposed by the Allies, and
consented to by Austria). Lord John Russell's letter to the
Earl of Clarendon, recommending the Austrian proposal, is,
of course, a leading feature of the co: respondence. The letter
in question is dated Vienna, April lsith, and his Lordship
says :

Yesterday,. after the Conference, the- Plenipotentiaries of
France, Great Britain, and Turkey, met lit Count Buol's apart
ment. There-had been an anxious feeling at the result of our
former meeting: The position on both sides appeared to be
uneasy, though• much more on the side of Austri'► than on
ours. The war wouldOndeed, in all probability continue to
be a glorious struggle'to•England and to France,-and calculated
to maintain the reputation of those two great; Powers. But
the waste of life anctruoney would be enormous: On the other
hand, the fact of Austria's, declining to join in the• war would
have roused a very _ angry feeling in France rind in Great
Britain. With the Western:Powers alienated, Prussia triumph-
ing over her in Germany,:and Russia bent on her humiliation,
hersituatiOn would have'been: almost intolerable.. These con-
siderations on both sides.led-to the prevalence of a conciliatory
spirit in the meeting of yesterday.
- -

After much discussionshiAordship'proceeds to state, Count
Buol proposed a genera' understanding, with the terius of
which the public are acquainted.- Lord John Russell, having
stated the propositions of Count Bitol, says : •
Freserved my opinion forfutther•consideration. Such_ was
the general result of this important meeting. M. Dranyn
deLlmys-called upon me in the evening, and we drew up
together a-rough outline of the-preposals to be made. It will
be seen,
.that supposing the imposition to be rejected as well
as the Erst,• the• value of the third ,depends on three things
1. Guarantee by all the contracting. Powers of the territory-
of Turkey.
2. A,syatem of counterpoise in the Black Sea.
3. The limitation of the Russian: force in the Black Sea to
the number•of ships maintained befOre-the war, under pain of
war with the Allies.

The value of this last article congits.in the maintenance of
the alliance- directed against Russia.- confess it appears to
me, that ifthis-third system can be made an ultimatum by
Austria, ft-04..1A to be accepted by the Western Powers. In,
saying this, I may appear to contradict' my former opinions.
But in fact Ido not retract those opinions,. The Systein of
limitation lr believe to be far better than that of coufiterpOise-
But the questionis between an imperfect security for Turkey
and for Europe,-and the continuance of the war. Should the
Government of her Majesty, in concert with that of France,
be of opinion that such a peace can be -accepted, they will
instruct Lord Westmoreland accordingly. - If not, I hope to
be allowed to be-heard personally before-- the final decision is
made.

In the Earl (4-Clarendon's despatches tO the Earl of West-
moreland, on this question, the absence of- any practical in-
ducement, on Austria's part, for the Allies- to concur in the
proposal, is dwelt upon. Lord Clarendon says- :---
If we had brought oar minds to despain•of• success in war,
and were ready therefore to make peace on any terms which
will at once put an end to hostilities, then. he proposal which
Austria offers t& make on our behalf to Massie, would be in-
expedient, because it contains the principle of limitation to
which Russia has already objected, and her objections to which
she has now publiclyunnounced in her circular of May 10 ;
and, if such were the,hopeless state of our affairs-, it would be
necessary to make some proposal that Russia would be likely
to accept, instead of one which, in the opinion.of Count Buol,
Russia is almost certain to reject.
That if, on the other hand, we still think thefuture prospects
of the war sufficiently favourable to entitle-us to persevere in
demanding the conditions which we have patforward as afford-
ing a foundation for future security, then the proposal of
Austria is open to serious• objections, because, though it con-
tains the principle of a limitation of the naval forces of Russia
in the Black Sea, the.principle is not applied in a manner that
would be effectual for its-purpose ; and it does not contain the
principle of consular.uppotntments and supervision which is
the beat security that the: limit which may be agreed upon.
might- not be exceeded without the knowledge. of the Sultan.
and his Allies.