The Press.
London, England, 1856-05-10 00:00:00

believed the country would accept the peace ;with joy
and satisfaction.
Mr. H. HERBERT seconded the Address.

Lord J. MANNERS said he rose, not to oppose the
reception of the Address, but to say that he had
strong objections to some of its terms. lie objected
to the assertion that the conditions of the peace
" fully accomplished the great objects for which the
war was undertaken." Those objects were—first,
the present integrity of the Turkish empire; and,
secondly, the security of its independence and integ-
rity in future. The first object he believed to have
been most fully attained; but the second and all
important object had not been secured. That object
might be divided into two—the independenm3 tuid
integrity of Turkey in Europe, and in Asia ; and the
latter—the most important of the two—he contended,
had not been carried out in the treaty, there being
no security taken against the aggression of Russia
upon the Turkish Asiatic provinces, except the poor
and pitiful attempt of Lord Clarendon to prevent the
re-erection of the Russian forts on the Black Sea.
And for what purpose would those forts be re-erected
but for coercing, conquering, and possibly extermi-
nating that gallant people, the Circassians ?

These brave mountaineers were the men, who, as his
hon. and learned friend near him (Mr. Whiteside) had
shown, did for us in 1834 what we failed, disgracefully
failed, to do for ourselves in N. 55. These were the men
who, fighting under their gallant leaders. had for a quarter
of a century or more maintained a glorious and successful
contest against Russia, who raised the siege of Kars in
ISM, whom we had spared no means to excite to renewed
hostility against Russia, and whom (having succeeded in
our objects) the Government now basely abandoned to
their exasp Tided foe in the hour of our alleged triumph.
When the war broke out we sent Colonel Lloyd and
Mr. Longworth, accredited diplomatic agents, to enter
into relations with these people, to arrange the plan
of a campaign, and to promise them protection at
the close of the war. Even arms, money, and ammu-
nition were sent to the independent chiefs. And now,
when peace was concluded, the independence of Cir-
cassia was ignored by Lord Clarendon :

Did the noble lord regard Circassia as independent of
Russia, or did he not ? The first fruits of our successful
war was that Russia now obtained the sanction of England
to territories which she had hitherto regarded as indepen-
dent. Did the noble lord take the other ground, and still
say he did not now regard those territories as of right be-
longing to Russia? If he did, then all the observations
which he (Lord J. Manners) had ventured to make as to
the dishonour accruing to the Crown of England by our
treatment of those gallant people came to nought ; but the
dishonour was perfectly insignificant in comparison with
the baseness of our behaviour in that contingency. We
excited the insurgent subjects of the power with which we
were at war—we supplied them with arms, money, and
ammunition—we invited a deputation from them to meet
our ambassador at Constantinople—arranged with them
a plan of campaign—we spared no pains to excite them
against our common foe—and then, having successfully
araused them to activity, even those whom the compara-
tively moderate and mild rule of Prince Woronzoff had
reconciled to the Russian rule, when they had saved a fort-
ress which we ourselves were subsequently unable to pre-
serve, we then throw them away like a sucked orange, and
permit the released forces of Russia to proceed to their
final conquest and subjugation. (Hear.)
The noble lord then quoted passages from Mr. Danby
Seymour's work, proving that the opinion of that
gentleman at least was that, if the " barbarous Rus-
sian blockade" of the Circassian coast were removed,
as it was during the war, and the inhabitants per-
mitted to carry on a liberal commerce with Europe,
they would soon yield to civilising influences, develop
the resources of the country, and their energies be
quickly turned from war to peace. His lordship,
after showing how important it was to the security of
Asiatic Turkey to preserve the independence of Cir-
cassia, took note of what had been done on this sub-
ject at the conferences :
lie referred at once to the sole paragraph in which
allusion was made to this question in the protocols :

Count Walewski states that, as the second separate condition,
the allied powers require that the state of the territories si-
tuated to the east of the Black tiea should be specially inquired
into.

Baron Brunow explains the diplomatic transactions which
have placed Russia in possession of those territories, and their
present situation.

They could not know what was the explanation given of
these diplomatic transactions, but it would be curious to
know whether the representative of her Majesty assented
to the whole of the explanation given by Baron Brunow.
He found no answer whatever from Lord Clarendon, but
after a little amicable discussion as to the rearrangement
of the boundary between Turkey and Russia in Asia, Count
Walewski again brought before the conference the point
upon which England of all the powers was most deeply
affected by every sentiment of honour and good faith.
(Hear, hear.)

Count Walewski observes that BURRIS had erected forts on
the eastern coast of the Black Sea, which she had herself in part
blown up, and that it will ho necessary to come to an under-
standing in this respect.

Then came the solitary observation of the Earl of Claren•
don, the only proof throughout the whole of the protocols
that Asia was ever present to his mind, or that the gallant
people whom his Government had incited to wsr against
their powerftil and implacable neighbour were not alto-
gether overlooked by this great statesman. (Hear, hear.)