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

THE COMING CONFERENCES.

Le Nord this week publishes an article explaining
the position of Russia in relation to the Western
powers, with reference to the Bolgrad dispute :
In the beginning of the difficulty France, which was
impartial, leaned to the Russian interpretation ; but, for
the purpose of conciliation, sought fur a compromise in
combination which appeared to her ought to satisfy all
these angry rivals. Sardinia used the same language as
France. Prussia never admitted the interpretation of
Austria and England, which she even severely condemned.
Opinions, therefore, were thus divided ; on the one side
Turkey, sustained violence and the most absolute tone
by Austria and England, and on the other side Russia,
supported with firmness by Prussia, and with more reserve
by France and Sardinia.
Russia then proposed to appeal back to the Congress
itself, and formally requested its re assembly. The pro-
position was equally agreeable to France. Austria, Eng-
land, and Turkey hastened to decline the offer of Russia ;
Turkey, in guarded and equivocal language ; Austria, by
wrapping its refusal in honied forms ; and England, with
disdainful and insolent arrogance. The attitude of Eng-
land covered the weakness of Turkey and the hypocrisy of
Austria. England placed herself at the head of the re-
sistance, and at the same time addressed severe reprimands
to the Cabinet of Berlin and the Cabinet of Turin. The
latter, however, could not do much. We have already
mentioned the tone of these representations of England,
couched in a style humiliating, and filled with menace for
the two Courts. Prussia was firm ; and England, by way
of punishing her, has taken upon herself to support Switzer-
land in the Neufchatel question. Everything, therefore,
depended upon France and Sardinia. Under these cir-
cumstances the question is insoluble. The following is
the mode of extrication that has been adopted, the honour
of which is due to the Cabinet of the Tuileries :

That Cabinet explained itself frankly at the Court of St.
Petenburg,and the consequence of those explanations was,
that Russia was far mote concerned in the point of honour
than in a material or political interest. The Cabinet of the
Tuileries, interpreting this language and attitude of Russia,
perceived that a decision of the majority of the pleoipo-
tentiaries would relieve the Russian Government of its

embarrassment; and that, while it would only occasion to
Russia an unimportant sacrifice, and the necessity of an
honourable retreat, it would entail upon Austria and
upon England the obligation of withdrawing the armies
which occupy the Principalities and the fleets which
occupy the Black Sea. In this point of view, the
French Cabinet, in lending itself to the formation of a
majority against Russia, remained faithful to its policy,
because, without doing any essential damage to Russia,
it put an end to causes which might threaten the peace of
Europe.

But how to form beforehand that majority demanded
by England as the conditions without which neither she,
nor Austria, nor Turkey, would consent to take part in the
new Conferences ? If lam well informed, this has been
the subject of an understanding between the Cabinets of
Paris and Turin. A little negotiation has taken place
between these Cabinets. Its object was to determine the
Cabinet of Turin to follow that of the Tuileries, to hold the
same language as that of the Tuileries in the future Con-
ference, and to maintain the same attitude. The Cabinet
of Turin yielded.

Those, then, who persuade themselves that the plenipo•
tentiaries of the seven powers will assist at the Conference,
with liberty of judgment and independence of mind, to
pronounce judicially on the interpretation of one or two
articles of the treaty of Paris, indulge in strange illusions.
Ten points :vhich have been the subject of debate are now
decided, and decided against Russia by a majority of live
♦otes to two. Russia knows it, and rightly persists in her
design of bringing the question before the Conference, and
of accepting the resolutions which shall be adopted by the
majority of the plenipotentiaries. On some future day,
Russia will have her turn ; to•day it is England's. Jn its
last stages the discussion presented for decision a question
of form and a question of substance. England obtains
the substance and willingly abandons the form--that is
what she often does, and she finds it answer well.

THE PRESS.

S'mien dorrrsponbtnte.

PARIS, Dec. 11th.
I AM sufficiently recovered from my indisposition
to take up my pen and congratulate you upon the
extraordinary accuracy of your announcement in
THE PREss, of the reopening of the new Con-
ference. It occasioned much excitement here;
and not a little merriment was created when, on
the Tuesday following, appeared the pompous and
evidently forced admission of that which you had
announced four days before. Despite all the bluster
and bullying of the Ministerial prints, it cannot be
concealed that the obtaining of a new Congress was
a decided check to the English Premier; it was a
hint to him that, after all, England was only one of
the five powers which signed the treaty of Paris.
The meeting of the new Congress is further a
check to the Premier, in this way,—Russia has
always been understood to say, with regard to the
disputed points, not that she is in the right, and that
the Serpents' Isle, Yalpuck, and Bolgrad do belong
to Russia, but that she thinks they do, and that
there is, at any rate, a prima-facie casa for inquiry
and arbitration. To this, as we have seen, the Eng-
lish Government replied in their organs by the most
insulting taunts, and the declaration that there was
no ease for arbitration, that England would decide
the question, and no congress should meet. Eng-
land has not decided the question ; the Congress
does meet, and Russia will, at the bidding of a
numerical majority of the powers, cheerfully resign
her claims upon the points in dispute.
In the meeting of the second Congiess, the French
Emi:eror has given us an additional instance of the
calm and determined manner in which he carries
out a point which he deems essential to justice. It
also shows to the powers of Europe that he is willing
and able to act as a drag upon the impetuosity of our
Foreign•otfice. Paris is in a state of perfect trap•
quillity, anal, notwithstanding the croaks of " Our
own Correspondent," was never, to all appearance,
further from a revolution.

The Emperor and Empress appear continually in
public, and are everywhere received with respect and
affection. The other day the Empress,attended by one
of her Dames du Palais, drove in her open carriage,
but unattended by escort, through Paris to the
Faubourg St. Antoine, where her Majesty inspected
an asylum of which she is the patroness. The day
was wet ; but it was the hour when the ouvriers were
at home for dinner; they flocked out of their houses
and gave the most cordial reception to the young
Empress as she went on her mission of charity.

Since I wrote last there has been much gossip
about the affairs of Neufchatel, in which it is sup-
posed that the views of France and England are
again at variance. Rumour, as you know, has a
thousand tongues, but it is whispered that the sing
of Prussia will ere long take a more decisive step in
the matter.

The expected arrival this week of Prince Frederick
William of Prussia is naturally a theme of general
discussion; it is looked upon as the occasion when
a further step will be taken in the Neufchatel
affair.

The insurrection in Sicily is effectually quelled ;
whether it was of threatening aspect is not known,
for the accounts received from Naples are scanty and
unsatisfactory. The interest on the matter was
dying away, when the news of the attempted assas-
sination of the King has again directed public atten-
tion to the Italian peninsula. The intelligence has
startled Paris, and has been so lately received, that
I can give you no further particulars than those
already known to you.
The exact day for the meeting of the Congress is
not yet known, but it will be about the end of the
month. It is, as the Morning Post has it, not to
consist of plenipotentiaries, but of judges to define an
existing law. The position of Turkey at the present
moment seems, to say the least of it, not exactly
such as to fit it best for the office of an unbiassed
judge on a question which most nearly affects the
interests of England and Austria. With Lord Lyons
in the Turkish waters and Austrian troops in the
Principalities, it could noi, be a matter of much spe•
culation which way the Ottoman Porte will exercise
the function of judge.
I said before that Russia will cheerfully accede to
the adverse majority in the Congress, but she will
not consider that her position is an ignominious one.
In a European struggle France, Russia, and Prussia
do not appear to disadvantage on ono side against
Lord Palmerston and Austria with Turkey and Sar-
dinia on the other. Lord Palmerston and Austria!
What a strange combination, or complicity, if you
will; at any rate, it will be an unfortunate one in the
long run for the interests of England. It forcibly
reminds one of the admirable remarks which ap-
peared in one of your numbers last year. You then

SATURDAY,

maintained that war had been carried on by Russia,
England, France, Turkey, and Sardinia, and that
peace bad been made with but one result, that of
giving to Austria the marrons tirr du jeu of the
bloody and expensive wer by the above powers.
The result of the Congress will be a gain to no one
but Austria. Yes, to Austria. She is mistress of the
situation, and that situation brought about without
her having ever spent a shilling or spilt a drop of her
blood. Truly, the Clarendons, Cowleys, the Nessel-
rodes, the Palmerstons, Cavours, and Wales skis
must hide their diminished heads before the cunning
and skill of Austrian diplomacy.

- .
Talking of Russia reminds me of a paragraph in
Le Nord which has caused much diversion here; it
is to the effect that the great Tory leader, Mr.
Disraeli, had dined at the Tuileries, seated opposite
to Count Walewski and next to Count Kisseleff.
Now this sounds very terrible ; it is a very good story,
and very well told, and, indeed, there is only one
thing against it, that is, that, unless I have been
strangely misinformed, neither of those distinguished
diplomatists were invited to meet Mr. Disraeli at the
Tuileries.

But really I am becoming too prolix, and finish.

Ifortign and Qt Will 'lnteWpm

FRANCE.

THE Moniteur of last Sunday published the follow-
ing note upon the renewal of ',he Conferences :

The treaty of Paris has met, in its application, with
difficulties which have given rise to a difference of opinion
between the contracting Courts, and has rendered neces-
sary a meeting of their respective representatives to hasten
the complete execution of the conditions of peace. The
majority of the powers that signed the treaty have already
agreed, with this object iu view, to the convocation of the
Conference at Paris. It is, therefore, to be presumed that
it will be able to meet before the end of the present month,
and everything authorises the hope that it will succeed in
promptly re-establishing a perfect understanding on the
points under dispute.
The Debats says upon the question

We believe we are able to state with some certainty, that
England, in entering the Conference, distinctly declares
that she will contorm to the decision of the majority,
whatever that decision may be. The relative position of
the disputants is no secret; on one side, France, Russia,
and Prussia; on the other, England, Austria, and Turkey;
in the middle, Sardinia, which, coinciding originally with
the opinion expressed by France, is now, it is said, oscil-
lating between the two.
A letter from Vienna of the 6th, in the Dhbats

says :
It is known at Vienna that Count Buol urges in all his
official correspondence the necessity of obtaining from
Count Walewaki a positive declaration, stating the identity
of opinion of France with Austria and England on the.
Bolgrad question—that is to say, that the three powers
should engage by a fresh diplomatic document, and not.
lwithstanding whatever turn the Conferences might take
to vote together against Russia on this question. It is
said that Baron de Bourqueney has made a kind of verbal
declaration to that effect; but, as I have befote remarked,
a positive and absolute guarantee is wished tor.
The Moniteur also announced that on the 2nd
inst. a treat) was signed at Bayonne between the
plenipotentiaries of his Majesty the Emperor and of
her Majesty th• Queen of Spain, settling the fron-
tier line between France and Spain.

The Nord of Brussels says that the intention to
convoke the Corps Legislatif in the month of January
has been abandoned in consequence of its having
been decided that Count de Morny is to remain at,
St. Petersburg until March.

The Prince Frederick William of Prussia arrived in
Paris on Thursday, at two p.m.
Lord Cowley has returned to Paris from his
country seat, near Chantilly.
Count de Hatzfeldt, the Prussian Ambassador, has
returned from his visit to the Court at Berlin.

ITALY.