The Press.
London, England, 1856-04-26 00:00:00

THE EMPEROR OF RUSSIA UPON THE
PEACE.

AT the Emperor's late visit to Moscow, upon tl,e
reception of the governor of the city with deputa-
tions from the civil and military authorities, his
Imperial Majesty delivered the following speech up( n
the peace:

Gentlemen,----The war is over; far I ratified the treaty
of peace which had been signed at Paris before I left St.
Petersburg. I am happy to be able to announce the news
to you officially, and to repeat to the nobility of Moscow
the words which I addressed to my people inmv last mani-
festo. Russia was able to defend herself for many years to
come, and I believe that, no matter what forces were
brought against her, she was invulnerable on her own ter,
ritory. But I felt that it was my duty, in the real interests
of the country, to lend an ear to proposals compatible
with the national honour. War is an abnormal state, and
the greatest successes obtained by it scarcely compensate
for the evils it occasions. It had caused an interruption
of the commercial relations of the empire with most of the
States of Europe. I should certainly have carried it on
had not the voice of neighbouring States pronounced itself
against the policy of late years. My father, of imperish-
able memory, had his reasons for acting as he did. I knew
his views, arid 1 adhere to them from my very soul ; but the
treaty of Paris has obtained the object which it was his
ambition to obtain, and I prefer this means to war.
Many of you, I am aware, regret that I should have so
readily accepted the propositions made to me. It was my
duty as a man and as the head of a great empire, either to
reject or accept them frankly ; I have honourably and con-
scientiously fulfilled that duty; I am sure that allowances
will be made for the difficult position in which I was placed,
and that shortly every devoted friend of Russia will render
justice to my views and intentions for the welfare of the
country.
Supposing the fate of arms should have remained con-
stantly favorable to us, as it has been in Asia, the empire
would have exhausted its resources in keeping up large
armies on different points, the soldiers of which would in a
great measure be taken away from agriculture and labour.
In the government of Moscow itself many manufactories
have been compelled to close. I prefer the real prosperity
of the arts of peace to the vain glory of combats.
I have thrown open the ports of Russia to the commerce
of the world, the frontiers to the free circulation of foreign
produce. I wish, henceforth, that the greatest facility shall
be afforded in our markets for the exchange of wares of
every origin, and of the raw materials and manufactures
of our soils. Various projects will shortly be communi-
cated to you, the object of which will be to give an impulse
to home indusry, and in which, I trust, every nobleman
will take a share.

SEVERAL GOSSIPPINO ANECDOTES are told of the
plenipotentiaries during their stay in Paris. Count
Buol and Count Orloff, it is said, were standing
together one evening in the salons of the President
of the Senate in the Luxembourg, when Count
Orloff drew the attention of his Austrian colleague
to some battle-pictures of the empire, with which
the room was hung, in which the Austrians figured,
but not to their glory. " Look here, count," said
Orloff, "these ought to interest you more than me."
Count Buol looked and smiled grimly. " Never
mind, never mind," Count Orloff continued, "I am
sure these pictures were not left here expressly to
awaken any unpleasant reminiscences in your mind
or to vex you. Our hosts are too delicate to pain
you. The servants no doubt forgot to remove these
pictures, though they knew you were coming, but
don't mind—don't mind." On another occasion,
Count Buol, putting forward some extravagant pre-
tensions relative to the principalities, while proceed-
ing with his argument, Count Orloff whispered,
not sotto voce, but lout enough to be heard, "Ma
foi, pas mal, M. le Comte ; pas si mal. On dirait
que c'est les Autriohiens qui ont pris Sebastopol."
It is certain (adds a Paris correspondent) that
when the Russian plenipotentiary asked one day of
Count Cavour, in a good-humouredly expostulating
manner, " What could have induced Sardinia to make
war on Russia ?" Count Cavour replied that Russia
had never recognised the constitutional Government
of Piedmont, and that she was obliged to declare
war if it were only to prove that she was still alive
and moving. "My dear count," said the Russian,
" if we did not recognise you, it was those Jesuits o
Austrians (clenching his hand) who prevented us."

THE APPOINTMENT OF PRINCE GORTSCHAKOFF to
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at St. Petersburg has
created the liveliest apprehension in certain circles
at. Vienna. " The Prince," says a correspondent
from that city, " during his sojourn here, was obliged
to eat more dirt than generally falls to the lot of any
one man ; and it is foreseen that he will do all in his
power to deprive his successful opponent, Count
Buol, of the confidence of his Imperial master." As
there is a powerful Russian party in Vienna Count
Buol's position is generally considered unsafe.

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