The Press.
London, England, 1856-02-23 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

des Affaires Etrangers. M. Walewski will preside at
the table, M. tie Bourqueney sitting at the opposite
bottom end. On each side the plrnipotentiaries will
be arranged, according to the alphabetical order of
the countries they represent—the Austrian Pleni •
potentiaries on each side supporting M. Walewski,
the English Plenipotentiaries next in order, then the
Russian, the Sardinian, and the Turkish on each side
of M. de Bourqueney.
Thp arrival of Count Orloff has been delayed by
the breaking down of his carriage some distance
from Berlin. He reached that capital on the 18th,
had an audience of the King at Charlottenberg on
the 19th, and on the morning of the 20th started
for Cologne, where he slept, en route for Brussels
and Paris.

The diplomatic gossip of the capital received a
vigorous impetus on Wednesday, from the republica-
tion entire by the lifoniteur of an article from tile
Siicle, refuting the arguments of the Nbats that the
dismantling of Nicolaiett was not a sine qua non in
the neutralisation of the Black Sea. '1 he &ids,
after a fling at the self-importance of the Debats and
its easy solution of the most complicated diplomatic
difficulties, proceeds to point out that the words of
the third article of the Vienna propositions will not
permit the existence of Nicolaieff :
It is not only the shores of the Black Sea that are to be
liberated, but the Black Sea itself is to be emancipated,
and, above all, the Ottoman empire is to be placed beyond
attack. Now, to close the Entine to armed navies, it is
evident that the Bug must be closed. if that river re-
mains open there will be no closing the Euxine. Let us
admit that it is closed by a treaty; who in the world will
guarantee that fact, if Nicolaieff remains erect with its
menacing arsenals and dockyards? No large vessels will
be constructed there, but smaller ones will make up by
their number for their want of size. Sinope expeditions
will leave the Bug and Nicolaieff instead of leaving Sebas-
topol ; that alone is the difference. With respect to
Bomarsund, the Debuts, which has studied the treaty of
Frederickshamm, asserts that the Russians possess the
right of fortifying the Aland Isles. But it thinks that, out
of consideration for Sweden—not England—Russia will
not be intractable on that point. If she does act thus, she
will, whatever may be her reasons, act with good sense; for
the question of the possession and fortifying of the Aland
Isles interests not alone Sweden and England, but also all
Europe. Mistress of these islands, Russia not only domi-
notes Sweden and the passage of the Sound, but she also
menaces the commerce of Europe in the Baltic, and could
at any time impose her law on it. Finally, within reach of
the passage of the Sound, she has fleets which might throw
themselves on any given point of England, Holland, or
even France. All Europe is, therefore, much interested
in the question of the Aland 121 es.
The Siècle concludes by asserting that in the
fifth point lie all the virtual difficulties. The war, it
concludes, has not been alone undertaken to save
the Ottoman empire—it is a question of the re
establishment of European equilibrium, and the pre-
vention of any future invasion on the part of Russia;
and demands that the conditions of peace shall
strictly coincide with the programme of the war. The
Constitutionnel next day attributed the admission of
this article into the columns of the llloniteur to "an
error."

- •
The Daily News Paris corregmdent, visaing on
Friday morning, says:—
It is offs ially stated that the Constitulionnel is in error
in attributing the appearance of the article from the Siecle
in the columns of the Afoul:cur to a mistake. The Moni.
teur, it is observed, is the only Government journal, and if
it commits a mistake will not leave others to correct it.
AUSTRIA.

Count Buoy, previous to his departure for Paris, is
reported to have had a lengthened private interview
with the Emperor. The Vienna correspondent of the
Indipendance Beige asserts that at the moment of
leaving the Emperor was heard to conclude his
address as fellows :

My dear Count (he said) you know better than any one
else the policy which I have followed in the present ques-
tion, and tne intentions by which I have all through been
actuated. In replying then to one and to all, do not adhere
to the strict letter of your instructions • all that you do will
be well done if you contribute, as I hope, to re-establish
peace upon a solid basis, and which will therefore be
honourable to all parties.

It is believed in official circles that as soon as the
preliminaries of peace are signed, Austria will de-
mand the admission of Prussia to the conferences.

The report of M. Prokesch upon the late con-
ferences at Constantinople with regard to the princi-
palities, has given satistaction in Government circles.
The Austrian Internuncio speaks with great praise
of the readiness shown by the Divan and the Sultan
in accepting the projects of reform drawn up by the
representatives of the Western powers; and men-
tions particularly the zeal evinced by the Grand
Vizier, Aali Pacha, in preparing a report on the
necessity of carrying those reforms into execution as
promptly as possible.
PRUSSIA.

The continued stay of Colonel Manteuffel at
Vienna, and the despatch of a new circular of the
9th from Berlin to Count Ainim at Vienna, leads to
the belief that the negotiations for Pru.sia's admis-
sion to the conferences are not yet concluded.
The Berlin Chamber of Deputies has passed a

177

bill restoring the old feudal right of the nobles to
exercise independent and hereditary magistracies in
the rural districts.

The Wartembuxg Diet was opened on Wednesday

A Credit Mobilier was about to be established in
Berlin.