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

THE PRESS.

powers, to negotiate in favour of commerce, and
make the peace permanent."
Lord PALMERSTON contended that the objects of
the war—viz., rescuing Turkey from assaults,
diplomatic, military, and naval, and securing the in-
dependence of the Sultan—had been fully accom-
plished, and in two short years. The arrangement
regarding the Principalities he considered to be the
best that could be made for their ultimate interests,
and as to the navigation of the Danube, the settle-
ment come to was preferable to any proposed at a
former period of the war; it gave Turkey an infi
nitely better frontier on the north. The neutralisa-
tion of the Black Sea had been said to be only the
old proposal of limitation; but it was limitation with-
out counterpoise and within narrow bounds. As to
Nicolaieff, we bad the assurance of Count Orloff that
the Emperor of Russia would not build there or in
the Sea of Azoff any other vessels than those which
by the convention with Turkey he was allowed to
keep in the Black Sea, and this assurance ought, he
thought, to be satisfactory if any reliance were to be
placed upon treaties. To the charge that the Cir-
cassians had been abandoned and handed over to the
Russians, he replied that we could not hand over
what was never in our possession. No arrangements
had been entered into with Schamyl, who resided in
Daghestan, on the shores, not of the Black Sea, but
the Caspian ; and there bad been no communication
with the Cireassians Proper, south of the Kuban ; so
that there was no ground upon which we could im-
pose ur on Russia any stipulation regarding them.
It was a misrepresentation to say that anything im
portant for the defence of Turkey turned one way or
the other upon the rebuilding by Russia of forts upon
an unhealthy shore. Nothing had altered the con-
dition of Russia with relation to the eastern coast of
the Black Sea. With regard to the Christian sub-
jects of the Porte, every one, he observed, had ad-
mitted that the firman of the Sultan was perfectly
satisfactory in its terms and conditions; the only
doubt was whether it would be adhered to. But if
it were revoked (a thing highly improbable), or
violated, the allied powers, parties to the treaty,
would have a moral right to remonstrate. On the
other hand, the treaty entered into between France,
England, and Norway, provided against the creation
of a Russian arsenal in the north of Norway ; while
the stipulations with respect to the Aland Isles
secured Sweden, and placed a material barrier
between Russia and the north of Europe. The
noble lord then alluded to the change in the mari-
time law, and maintained that in time of war Eng
land would be :Ale nation to benefit by this alteration
of the law if it should become general, though he
admitted that the smaller neutral powers would ne-
cessarily benefit most. With respect to the sitting
of the Bth of April, the representatives of England
and France were justified in calling attention to the
►misgovernment of Rome and Naples, and said that
the continued foreign military occupation of Italy
was a question demanding grave consideration. On
the question of the " Belgian Press," he justified the
line of conduct adopted by Lord Clarendon, and as •
sured the house that the British Government would
be " no party to any interference with an independent
nation with the view of dictating the steps she
should take to gag the press." In conclusion, the
noble lord declared his belief that this war had
settled division in every part of Europe that
north, south, east, or west, he saw nothing but hope
and consolation.
The amendment was then withdrawn, and the
Address agreed to without a division.
Mr. E. DENISON, on Wednesday, brought up the
report on the Address, which it was resolved should
be presented to the queen on a day appointed by her
Majesty.