The Press.
London, England, 1854-03-04 00:00:00

THE MASSACRE OF SINOPE.

The motion for committee of supply on Monday
night was prefaced by a discussion upon the catas-
trophe of Sinope, which involved various criticisms
upon the behaviour of the British admiral and fleet
in the Black Sea. The debate was opened by Sir H.
WILLOUGHBY, who compared dates for the purpose of
urging inquiry upon the First Lord of the Admiralty
touching the want of vigour of decision which had
been displayed. The Sinope tragedy, he remarked,
occurred on N0v.30. Admiral Dundas had a fleet at
his command quite sufficient for vigorous action : he
had instructions, transmitted from Lord Clarendon
on Oct. 8, warranting him to act vigorously. If the
fleet had entered the Black Sea the Sinope affair
would never have taken place. The omission of this
step, he argued, producing as it did such calamitous
results, required explanation and defence.
Sir S. GRAHAM explained the motives under which
Admiral Dundee had acted. The chief cause why

MARCH 4, 1854,

the fleets remained in the Bosphorus arose from the
inclemency of the season, November being the worst
month for a fleet to keep the sea in the Euxine. For
the catastrophe itself the Turkish officers of the flo-
tilla were chiefly liable. They had lingered in the
open undefended road at Sinope against orders and
in defiance of warnings. Since the destruction of
the fleet unequivocal instructions bad been sent to
their admirals both by the English and French Go-
vernments, enjoining them not to allow a single Rus-
sian flag of war to navigate the Black Sea. He
doubted not that those injunctions were being car-
ried out; and if, before war was formally declared,
any contingency should arise calling for the exercise
of vigour and decision, the call would not be made
in vain.

Some further questions were asked eliciting from
the First Lord of the Admiralty much information
upon matters of fact.
Admiral WALcorr denounced the cruelty of the
Russians at Sinope, and their grasping ambition
everywhere :
" He could not elicit from the English language words
capable of embodying the sense he entertained of the ig-
noble, nay, inhuman and cowardly, carnage perpetrated by
the Russian admiral and his squadron on an unresisting
enemy, nor the admiration of the heroic and almost super-
human defence made by the Turkish ships. (Hear.) The
battle of Sinope would reflect everlasting honour on the
arms of Turkey, and tarnish the escuteheonof Russia with
a disgrace which time would not obliterate. (Cheers.) In
fair justice, however, he must observe that for some time
past the Russians and the Turks bad been at active war
on land. Under those circumstances,to destroy an enemy's
squadron which had been employed in the convoy of arms
and ammunition was nothing more than an act of lawful
warfare, deadly as the attendant slaughter might be, and
deeply to be deplored. As a sailor he was of opinion that
the Russian admiral did no more than his duty by leading
into the port of Sinope an overwhelming force, so as to ob-
tain his object at the least possible risk to his own ships
and men. It was his subsequent conduct which clouded
his squadron and himself with condemnation and detesta-
tion. The fate of an empire which adjusted the equili-
brium of European power was now at stake—a State con
sidered to be so feeble and tottering by its northern enemy
as to be ready, at her shaking, to crumble into powder. It
was to be borne in mind that Russia had always gained
more by diplomacy than by arms. She began her career
by assuming to be the protector of Poland, the Crimea,
and Circassia ; she ended by being the tyrant. So, now,
would she claim the protectorate over 12,000,000 of Greek
Christians in Turkey. The Czar, under the specious mask
of sympathy with his coreligionists, aimed at a dominion
that would vanquish and enslave all Christendom. Russia
had already wrested from Sweden a domain larger than
the remains of her own ancient kingdom ; from Denmark,
Norway ; from Poland, as much as the Austrian empire ;
from Turkey in Europe, as much as the dominions of
Prussia Proper; from Turkey in Asia, as much as the
Rhenish provinces of Prussia, Belgium, and Holland; from
Persia, as much as England. In sixty-four years Russia
had advanced her frontier between 800 and 900 miles to-
wards Vienna, Berlin, and Paris ; between 400 and 500
miles nearer to Constantinople; within a few leagues of
Stockholm; and 1,000 miles nearer to Teheran and India.
She was now coiling round the south and east of Austria.
( Hear.) The safety and policy of Europe required a bar-
rier against Russia : she must not extend her jurisdiction
and supremacy over the East, or make the Baltic and the
Black Sea Russian lakes, or the Sound and the Bosphorus
the bases of her colossal stride. She must not be allowed
to threaten the Mediterranean and the high road to India.
A stand must be made, and the limits of Russia must not
be transgressed."
Mr. DRUMMOND briefly exhorted the house not to
allow the movements of the admiral on the station to
be embarrassed by the satirical remarks of ignorant
persons at home.
Mr. F. FRENCH believed that the movements in
question came fully within the scope of even un-
professional criticism.
Lord DUDLEY STUART retained a persuasion that
more vigour might have been evinced by the
admirals in obtaining and keeping maritime com-
mand of the Black Sea. He trusted that the
system of half measures would be now abandoned.
Captain SCOBELL defended Admiral Dundas, and
commented upon the rashness of unprofessional
men in hazarding opinions upon professional sub-
jects.
The debate was pursned for some time by various
speakers. At length Lord J. RUSSELL interfered
with a remonstrance against the further stoppage of
business by a discussion without ostensible object.
The noble lord added some details, in reply to a
question previously asked by Lord J. Manners, re-
garding recent operations in the Black Sea :
"He would have been very glad if he had been able to
answer correctly, at that moment, the question of the
noble lord opposite (Lord J. Manners). On a former even-
ing he (Lord J. Russell) had with him in the house the
papers relating to that subject ; but, as he had not those
papers with him now, he was not sure that he could give
the noble lord a correct description of what had occurred.
There had been rumours, which afterwards turned out to be
false, of an attack upon the Turkish coast ; but there was
an attack by land upon the fort of St. Nicholas, and an
attack was also made by three small steamers upon a fort
near Trebizond. Nothing, in short, of any serious kind had
occurred since the disaster at Sinope. On the other hand,