The Press.
London, England, 1856-12-13 00:00:00

THE WEEK.

Evarrrs are at last converging towards a solution of those disputed
questions which have heretofore prevented the execution of the
Treaty of Paris. That Treaty was signed on the 30th of March ; its
stipulations were to be carried into effect in six months from that date.
Nearly nine months have elapsed, and still the terms of the Treaty
remain unexecuted. What Power is justly chargeable with the delay ?
It is this question which the Russian note, now published,
attempts to solve.

Two of the parties engaged in the war are clearly blameless.
Franco and Sardinia have fulfilled the Treaty to the letter. In de-
fining the new Russian frontier, and in determining the exact extent
of territory to be ceded to Moldavia, certain difficulties arose, as it was
almost inevitable that difficulties would arise. The Commissioners
were unable to agree. Russia proposed a reference to a second Con-
ference. Lord PALMERSTON'S Administration, and Austria, with the
sanction of Turkey, took the law into their own hands Hence the
English occupation of the Black Sea, and the refusal of Austria to
move from the Principalities.
Was there any attempt on the part of Russia to interpose unne-
efessary delays to what the result has proved to be the only possible
mode of settlement ? The question is best met by dates. The contro-
versy as to the Isle of Serpents arose towards the close of July Cr'
the 4th of August the Emperor ALEXANDER sent instructions to Baron
Bausow at Paris to propose the meeting of a Conference to decide the
question. There was no delay here. The representatives of the
respective Courts at Paris might have met at once, the question been
decided, and all pretence for violating the terms, or delaying the exe-
cution of the Treaty, have been avoided.
The difficulty as to the new frontier line, and the right to Bolgrad,
occurred later. But no sooner was it made known, than Russi
renewed her demand for a Conference to settle all the questions in
dispute. Her second proposal for a Conference was made on the 19th
September last. These facts establish that Russia sought an authori-
tative solution of all difficulties as to the construction of the Treaty
as quickly as they arose.
The only remaining consideration is, were those difficulties on
the part of Russia frivolous and vexatious ? That a Conference has at.
last been granted to resolve them, goes far to decide this question in
the negative. With regard to Bolgrad, the Russian note distinctly
states that at the Conferences the Russian Plenipotentiaries most
expressly said that Russia desired to preserve Bolgrad, the capital of
the Bulgarian colonies. It is this Bolgrad which she now contends
for. The map used at the Conferences was not a Russian map. It was
a French map, supplied by the French Foreign-Office.
That there has been misapprehension, is clear ; but there is no
reason to assurr • that, on one side or the other, was this misappre-
hension due to bad faith. Nor does it fairly appear that the difficulties
were of a nature to justify the delays which have been interposed to
the meeting of a Conference, or the measures which have been
resorted to for counteracting what have been termed the pretensions
of Russia.

The Russian note announces that the Conference is to assemble,
and that Russia will submit to the vote of the majority, whatever that
vote mty be. So far so good. The pointthen to be determined is,
whether Austria will immediately and unconditionally evacuate the
Principalities, which she has unquestionably occupied too long? Till
her troops are removed, the people of those provinces cannot freely
express their sentiments. There is no just reason why Austria should
not have withdrawn her forces months ago. The Russian note meals
the declaration of the Austrian Plenipotentiary at the Conference
(Count Boot), that as the operation would not meet with the same
difficulties that attended the embarkation of the armies in the Crimea
with their stores, it might be done more promptly; and that " the
" Austrian troops would have evacuated the Principalities before the
"belligerent armies could have completely evacuated the Ottoman
" empire." That was the promise ; we see what the performance has
been. The Austrians have never budged from the ground on which
they set their foot.
Hence it will be seen that the Conference will have to deal with
grave matters. It cannot assemble too soon.

Two items of intelligence are brought us by the last mail from
Constantinople. Herat has fallen to the Persian general, and the
British expedition to Bushire has begun hostile operations. We have
commenced war against Persia at the moment that Persia has obtained
a great success against her hereditary enemy, the Affghans. Else-
where will be found the opinions of the most sagacious Indian poli-
tician of the last age on the policy of supporting the Persian kingdom.
Sir Jons MsLcotm concluded his treaty expressly to support Persia
against those hordes of barbarous robbers the Affghan tribes,
and Persia was encouraged, by promises of British aid,
to undertake the reconquest of Khorassau. An opposite
policy twenty years ago led us to support the Affghans

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