The Press.
London, England, 1854-01-07 00:00:00

"accepted" by the Porte. On the morning fol-
lowing, in the third number of the PRESS, we
explained the enormous consequences of this
presumed concession, and stated that we had
reasons of our own for believing the announce-
ment to be untrue. Later intelligence proved
our accuracy ; and before the ink of our iva•
print was dry on the same day the Cabinet had
met, and Lord ABERDEEN felt it necessary to
avow his belief that " Prince MENSCHIKOFY had
" exceeded his instructions." The French
Government was at that instant pressing to
know whether England would co-operate with
France to resist the threatened pressure of
Russia, and on that occasion, notwithstanding
his belie was urged upon his colleagues, an
important decision was taken, to accomplish
which, as a preliminary, Lord ABERDEEN was
outvoted.
His organ was, nevertheless, still instructed
to declare that the question was" a mere diplo
" matic imbroglio." In opposition to this asser-
tion we stated on June the 4th, that " the pre-
" sent prospect was that war would break out ;"
and on June the 18th, with au explicitness
which left no room for subterfuge or retreat,
" We are on the eve of great events,"*** and
"Before us is the prospect of three or four months
" of paralysis of our commerce and
.finance, with
" the probability of a general war in the autumn
"or the spring." Our present object is not that
of self-laudation, or we might take credit that
events have proved the PRESS to have been
" among the prophets."
Subsequent to this the public was amused
with rumours of conciliatory measures, and with
the information that Austria had been en-
gaged to interfere effectually. On June the
24th we reiterated our conviction that " the
" Emperor would proceed ;" and our announce-
ment of July the 2nd, that the Russian army
was ordered to enter Moldavia, was subse-
quently corroborated by the intelligence that
contemporaneously with this date, on the same
2nd of July, the first division of the Russian
army had crossed the Pruth.
On the following Thursday, the sth of July,
the organ of Lord ABERDEEN proclaimed the
complete unanimity of England and France,
and that their united fleets were about to pass
the Dardanelles. On July the 9th we retorted
in denial that there was a disposition in our
Government to temporise, and that " some-
" thing ignominious was impending." The Em-
peror, said the Times, must he mad or ill to
enter into a struggle without allies. "He has,"
we replied on July the 16th, " the most power-
" fill of allies : he has time." No inconsiderable
term of that time was procured for him—no
inconsiderable portion of that ignominy was
entailed upon Ministers by a solitary process—
the negotiations for the Vienna note.
The upshot of that note is too fresh and fa
reiliar to require many words. On August the
6th we wore able to anticipate the revelation of
that confidence, which Ministers felt in pri-
vate, that the affair was settled, and of which
their subsequent participation with the public
so fluttered the Stock Exchange. At the same
time we stated that there was no material
difference between the proposals of the four
Powers and the demands of the Czar, which
was verified in less than a month, when the
resumption of measures of defence on the part
of Turkey induced the threat that. "she must
" abide by the consequences of her violence;"
and that now our (government would be
" entirely at liberty to deal as they might think
" fit with this altered state of affairs."
Even when the Vienna note was notoriously
dishonoured the public were consoled by" fresh
" intelligence favourable to peace," and by the
reflection that " the dispute was reduced to a
" question of form." On September 3rd we
had said that "Peace or war was at the mercy
" of accidents," and that. in the latter event
Austria would incline to Russia. On Septem-
ber 24 we had to comment on the conferences
at Olmiitz, and the Sultan's request of the
presence of our fleet in the Sea of Mannora ;
on October 1, on the preparations of OMER
PACRA to cross the Danube, with the resolu-
tion o' Austria to remain neuter, which de-
prived deb.), of its only compensation ; and on
October 8 we were at length able to announce
to our readers that a Cabinet Council had met,
self-excused, perhaps, for its tardiness by its