The Press.
London, England, 1855-01-06 00:00:00

en. The result of the negotiations has been
despatched to St. Petersburg, but not to Con-
stantinople.
This conduct of the Conference appears the
more strange, as it was through a like neglect
that the negotiations at Vienna in the spring
of last year proved fruitless at the moment
when it was confidently announced that the
dispute had been settled. The terms proposed
were made known to the Czar, but not to the
Sultan. At the last moment it was found that
the Government of the Porte insisted on having
a voice in what concerned itself so nearly, and
the terms of accommodation between Russia
and Turkey were blown to the winds through
the small oversight of the Conference that
there was such a Power as Turkey in existence.
For aught that at present appears, the same
forms may now be gone through that the same
blunder may be re-enacted.
But whatever consequence the Conference
at Vienna may have—and we have spoken of
probable results from conjecture alone—it is
singular that we should at the same moment
be waiting for intelligence of a desperate battle
before Sebastopol, and of the reception given
to pacific proposals at St. Petersburg. Our
Government has faith neither in negotiations
nor in arms alone, and they therefore try both
together. The course of Austria is intelligible ;
she has not yet drawn the sword. But if the
negotiation on our part be not a mockery, if it
be really entered on with an expectation that
it will end in a pacific treaty, what is to be
thought of the needless sacrifice of our sol-
diers in the meantime? An armistice should
be the first preliminary to honest negotiation.
But it suits the tortuous nature of the Coali
tion to pursue the work of peace and war
together, and to be earnest in neither ; nor
should we be surprised to find that the assault
against Sebastopol is urged on, regardless of
the waste of blood, that a victory of our army
may enable Lord AssainEEN's Ministry to con-
clude what would in reality be a hollow truce
with Russia, though dignified by ,the name
of peace, with a flourish of drums and trum-
pets.

ERRORS OF THE WAR.
AT this stage of the war, and at the commence-
ment of a new year, we presume to offer some
criticisms on the Crimean campaign which
we believe will be found in acordance with the
judgment of the highest military authorities.
IV our argument be sound, it will he seen that
!the mortifying results which have taken
!civilians by surprise are merely such as a cool-
headed and competent strategist might from
the very commencement have predicted, and
as in fact the majority of scientific officers
did predict, when not withheld from the free
utterance of their opinions by the fear of
creating despondency among their less in-
formed comrades.
The first error committed was that of going
to war on a peace establishment—sending out
an army unprovided with the means necessary
to enable it to take and keep the field. The
artillery, engineering, and oommissariat de-
partments were especially deficient. The
troops were despatched on the instant,
the materiel followed as it could be got toge-
ther. Thus a season was lost. The troops
remained immovable at Varna, where they
were of no more use than if they had stayed
behind in England, while it cost infinitely
more to feed them, and they were decimated
by disease. By the time that sores, siege guns,
and other indispensables of a cainpaigu bad
reached the East, the period for active opera-
tions had almost gone by. The army, wearied
with months of inactivity, enfeebled by death
and suffering, desponding, though not de
moralised, almost destitute of cavalry, and
scantily supplied with the means of moving,
was sent forth, late in autumn, to capture
of the strongest fortresses in the world,
lumerous garrison, inexhaus-
accessible reinforcements, and an

Sebastopol is peculiar. It
a harbour which serves the
respect of defensive faoili-

one of the strong(
defended by a nu
tible stores, access
inclement climate.
The position of
is cut in two by a
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