The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-05-15 00:00:00

SATURDAY M Y 15th, 1880.

FOREIGN POLICY.

For nearly four years the attention of the
people of this c,inutry has been occupied by
; questions of foreign poicy—at one time in the
south-cast of Europe, then in Asia, and next in
Africa. With our writle-apreading possessions
extending crier every sea, and with the British
flag floating in tvery clime. it is inevitable that
the mind of Qin public shouki be directed to the
uff,irs of distant lands, whose interests may not
tit all draw; bear an affinity to our own. No
more striking proof of this Ci 3711,1 l” elven than
by a glance at the position taken by tho Foreign
Secretary in .any Cabinet, of whatever politica!
complexion. As a matter of precedence he ranks
next; after the Howe Secretary ; really he is
second only to the Prime Minister hims.e:f. the
Home Secretary is virtuaAy the rifler of the
thirty millions of pt °We in our (:wn island ; hut
it'is the head of the Foreign Office who riTre-
sents•to other Powers the views of Great Batain
upon questions of S:ate policy ; and stands forth
as the embodiment of the might and strength
of England to distant clitnes'and far-off nations.
. .

It impossible, .under any circumstances,
that England can abandon the prominent ,
position which she has attained amongst the
empires of the earth, and which it has taken
centuries to consolidate. Sone days have yet
to elapse before the business of
.the new Par-
liament gill begin in earnest ; theantiele the 1
Government has decided upon addressing a
circular note to the European Powers, inviting
them to co-operate in obteining the execution
of the unfulfilled agreements of the Treaty of
Berlin. The Austrien Government professes
every readiness to essist in promoting the corn-
plete fuifilment of that famous instrument,
which is now nearly two years old, and disclaims
any intentien of trying to extend the influence
of. Austria son, hward. It repudiates any desire ,
to impede the development of the small states of
the Balkan peeinsula, and only stipulates that
zo on 3 Great Power shall be allowed to domi-
nate in that territory. The various questions
remeining unsettled under tee Berlin Treaty are
familiar enough ; and it is possible that Mr.
Gosehen, in his Ppecial embassy to Constanti-
nople, has teaa empowered to deal with others
of even closer interest to this conetry in virtue
of our separate engagements Nita the Porte.
The Greek and Mot e riu iliffietiiies, and
1110 re eibecially the letaee, are serious enough in
themselves ; but the state of affairs in Asiatic
Turkey is such as to cal' even mere urgently
for prompt intervention. The anarchy in
Armenia, aggravated by the famine which pre-
vails there, is deepening into at-selute revolt,
and this the- Ottotutte au;herities seem power-
!: es to deal eith. Ir. dea•ing with such a mass
of trouble and cenfeeion as prevails. through-
out the who:e_of Tarkee, , M. Uoscaen will have
'1(.4 of ad the resoerces of skill, Of energy, and
ef resolution (hat tie ooseess. Waat th
Turks can and what they cannot dce the people
of other countries wil, ne in a fair position to
ascertain, bnt, the operatien of finding it out is le
decidedly delicate one, and its progress witl be
watched with some curiosity. The Turk has
been for generations the "sick man" of Europe
and although so long, regarded as being .at
deeth's dour, nes not 3et en, ered its portals.
The condition of - the dying man is being
jeaeusiy watched by the rival expec;ents of his
succes-don, and any action whieh tney tend to
accelerate his death, alight proauee an instant
change in the attitude of his powerful neigh-
bours. Many is the ambition which the final
collapse of the Ottoman Empire would let loose.
Witere the carcase is, there s-tati the eagles be
gethered togetner. the Turkish Etn_Wre is
surroutided by nationalides which beer thVbagle
as their stanctard—Auettle, Ressia, and
Gerwary—ail apparently prepared to swoop
down upon their prey wht,n au shall have be-
come extinct.
It is not improbable that the establishment of
a stable, self-governing contederatien of little
states in the Beikau peniusula wood bring tue
weary struggle in South-e.stern Europe to a
settle ant as reasonable as can be expected,
iookin at the conditiene eurrounding its for-
iLation. Many of our leading statesmen
believe that the small communities made up at
vatieus times from among the liberated sub
jeets of EL...Porte woo:o he able to ho:d their
ewe, to jus weir right to a real independence
and to obtain recognition and respect for it at
the hands of their powerful neighbours. None
of the great Continental States venture to object
to it, at ail events openly. it is possible that
they do not recognise to the fail extent its
practieetbili'y ; bat the issue of the circner note
of the Britisu Government- wiii have the gouu
effect of 'bringing the vestiou directfty nnth.r
their attention, add of enitiavouriug to piece
upon a satisfactory basis a c.atiue..tai
which has teo long been a eource of denger
the European system.