The Press.
London, England, 1854-04-01 00:00:00

DECLARATION.

It is with deep regret that her Majesty announces the
failure of her anxious and protracted endeavours to preserve
for her people and for Europe the blessings of peace.
The unprovoked aggression of the Emperor of Russia
against the Sublime Porte has been persisted in with such
disregard of consequences, that after the rejection by the
Emperor of Russia of terms which the Emperor of Austria,
the Emperor of the French, and the King of Prussia, as
well as her Majesty, considered just and equitable, her
Majesty is compelled by a sense of what is due to the
honour of her crown, to the interests of her people, and to
the independence of the States of Europe, to come forward
in defence of an ally whose territory is invaded, and whose
dignity and independence are assailed.
Her Majesty, in justification of the course she is about to
pursue, refers to the transactions in which her Majesty has
been engaged.
The Emperor of Russia had some cause of complaint
against the Sultan with reference to the settlement, which
his Highness had sanctioned, of the conflicting claims of the
Greek and Latin Churches to a portion of the Holy Places
of Jerusalem and its neighbourhood. To the complaint of
the Emperor of Russia on this head justice was done ; and
her Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople had the satis-
faction of promoting an arrangement to which no exception
was taken by the Russian Government.
But while the Russian Government repeatedly assured
the Government of her Majesty that the mission of Prince
Menschikoff to Constanstinople was exclusively directed
to the settlement of the question of the Holy Places at
Jerusalem, Prince Menschikoff himself pressed upon the
Porte other demands of a far more serious and important
character, the nature of which be in the first instance en-
deavoured, as far as possible, to conceal from her Majesty's
Ambassador. And these demands, thus studiously con-
cealed, affected not the privileges of the Greek Church at
Jerusalem, but the position of many millions of Turkish
subjects in their relations to their Sovereign the Sultan.
These demands were rejected by the spontaneous decision
of the Sublime Porte.
Two assurances had been given to her Majesty—one,
that the mission of Prince Menschikoff only regarded the
Holy Places : the other, that his mission would be of a
conciliatory character.
In both respects her Majesty's just expectations were
disappointed.
Demands were made which, in the opinion of the
Sultan, extended to the substitution of the Emperor
of Russia's authority for his own over a large portion of
hisisubjecta ; and those demands were enforced by a threat ;
and when her Majesty learned that, on announcing the
termination of his mission, Prince Menschikoff declared
that the refusal of his demands would inpose upon the
Imperial Government the necessity of seeking a guarantee
by its own power, her Majesty thought proper that her
fleet should leave Malta. and, in co operation with that
of his Majesty the Emperor of the French, take up its
station in the neighbourhood of the Dardanelles.
So long as the negotiation bore an amicable character
her Majesty refrained from any demonstration of force.
But when, in addition to the assemblage of large military
forces on the frontier of Turkey, the. Ambassador of
Russia intimated that serious consequences would ensue
from the refusal of the Sultan to comply with unwarrant-
able demands, her Majesty deemed it right, in conjunc-
tion with the Emperor of the French, to give an unquestion
able proof of her determination to support the sovereign
rights of the Sultan.
The Russian Government has maintained that the deter.
urination of the Emperor to occupy the principalities was
taken in consequence of the advance of the fleets of
England and France. But the menace of invasion of the
Turkish territory was conveyed in Count Neaselrode's
note to Redschid Pacha, of the 19th (31st) May, and
restated in his despatch to Baron Brunow, of the 20th May
( Ist June), which announced the determination of the
Emperor of Russia to order his troops to occupy the prin-
cipalities, if the Porte did not within a week comply with
the demands of Russia.
The despatch to her Majesty's Ambassador at Constim-
tinople, authorising him in certain specified contingencies
to send for the British fleet, was dated the 81st May, and
the order sent direct from England to her Majesty's
admiral to proceed to the neighbourhood of the Dardanelles
was dated the 2nd of June.
The determination to occupy the principalities was,
therefore, taken before the orders for the advance of the
combined squadrons were given.
The Sultan's Minister was informed that unless he
signed within a week, and without the change of a word,
the note proposed to the Porte by Prince Menschikoff,
on
the eve o his depature fron Constantinople, the principali-
ties of Moldavia and Wallachia would be occupied by
Russian troops. The Sultan could not secede to so insult-
ing a demand ; but, when the actual. occupation of the
principalities took place, the Sultan did not, as he might
have done in the exercise of his undoubted right, declare
war, but addressed a protest to his allies.
Her Majesty, in conjunction with the Sovereigns of
Austria, France, and Prussia, has made Tenons attempts
to meet any just demands of the Emperor of Russia with-
out affecting the dignity and independence of the Sultan;