The Press.
London, England, 1853-08-13 00:00:00

Vritubings in V atliamtnt.

THE EASTERN QUESTION.

The Marquis of CLANRWARDE, resuming on Mon-
day his interpellations on this subject, regretted to
he forced to repeat, almost in the same words, the
very questions he had addressed to the Foreign Se-
cretary last week. What intelligence had the Go-
vernment received respecting the conduct of ltussia
in the Danubian principalities, and what had
Ministers done or determined to do in the matter?
The noble marquis then recapitulated the intelli-
gence received through the usual, hut non-official,
ehluinell of information from the countries he al-
luded to :

It appears that the 4 ;overnment of Moldavia has been
entirely superseded, and a new Government has been es-
tablished by the authority of the Russian Emperor. It
appears that the Hospodar is allowed to form part of the
new Government, but three assistants are named with
him, and this new council has the entire legislative and
administrative government of those provinces. 1 believe
the same eonrse has been pursued in Wallachia as in Mot-
davia, and those provinces are now under a new adminis-
trative and legislative Government, appointed by the Em-
peror of Russia. It appears that oontribntions for the
support of the Russian forces are levied directly in those
provinces, and that certain Berard% have been forcibly
compelled to enlist in the service of the Russian Emperor.
We have then these provinces, if these accounts be correct,
in every respect under the rule and government of the
Czar; the administrative and legislative functions are car-
ried on under Russian authority; the taxation and re-
sources of the country are managed under Russian autho-
rity ; and, more than that, the Russian armies are recruited
from the inhabitants of the country."
Expressing a hope that the liritish representatives
abroad had at once arid already ordered our fleet to
pass the Dardanelles, and placed it at the disposal of
the Sultan, and that the Ministry at home had trans-
mitted to St. Petersburg, not a mere request for ex-
planation, but a categorical demand that the pro-
vinces should be evacuated, Lord Clanricarde pro-
ceeded to denounce in indignant terms the acts
which, if the statements were accurate, the Emperor
of Russia had committed towards the dominions of a
friendly power :
- -

" If it be true that Russia has assumed the government
of those principalities, has taken possession of the terri-
tory, and committed this aggression upon Turkey, it is an
entire contradiction to the circular voluntarily issued to
the Courts of Europe, as well as the manifesto issued by
the Russian general upon entering the principalities.
When the Russian forces moved into those provinces the
Crldeclared that it was not war with Turkey. What I
described is of the character of war, and, if you do
not say it is war, then I say it is piracy. (Hear, hear,
hoar.) It is war or piracy; and I want to know whether
we are in a condition to duffer war upon such a pretext
as is put forward, or to stand by and see an act of piracy
committed upon Turkey ? (Hear, hear.) I say, if we are
told it hi a question of treaties whether the fleet shall go
inside or outside the Dardanelles, a state of war has abo-
lished all treaties between Russia and Turkey as far as
Russia is concerned. (Hoar, hear.) There does not ex-
ist one treaty binding Turkey to Russia after such an ag-
gression as I have described."
flood news had, it was said, been received from St.
Petersburg that very morning. Trusting that there
was some foundation to that report, he was anxious
to know its tenor, especially as a computation of
dates showed that the intelligence 4.0u1d not corn_
prise any acceptance of the formal proposals which
were despatched from Vienna only on the Ist inst.
He was sure also that after what had passed nothing
would be deemed good news by the British Parlia-
ment and public that did not include the immediate
reed of the Russian troops from the Turkish territo-
ries. Intelligence of a different complexion had
also been received from Ismail, stating that a Rus-
sian fleet had taken possession of the inner bank of
the Danube, so that Bulgaria was now added to the
invaded provinces, and the whole river, so vist in
its importance to European commerce, was left in
the hands of Russia.
The Earl of CLARENDON urged that the Govern-
ment had received no authentic information re
garding many of the reports referred to by Lord
Clanricarde, and doubted the truth of some of them.
The dates of despatches which had arrived, and
which the noble earl recited, afforded in particular
negative evidence in disproof of the alleged invasion
of Bulgaria. Stating, as a general proposition, that
it would be the height of rashness for a Ministry to
act upon reports as they arose, he again appealed to
the forbearance of the house not to insist on discus-
sing so delicate a question while the negotiations
were still unfinished :
" My noble friend cannot exceed me in his abhorrence
of war and in his anxiety and desire for peace, provided
that peace is an honourable peace. lam sure DO other
pew would ever be for the interests of this country, or re-
eldVe the support of this great nation. (Hear,hear.) But
I mut say that, at the point at which we are aimed in
these negotiations, when 1 do see reason to hope they are
tending to a satisfactory and peaceful solution, exciting de-
bates in either house of rudiment are nut likely to pro-