The Press.
London, England, 1856-01-12 00:00:00

THE ALLIED PROPOSITIONS.

Independance Beige publisites the following
as the telt of the proposition, submitted to Russia
by Count Esterhazy

I.—Trig DANWRIAN PiuNcsrat.russ.
Complete abolition of the Russian protectorate. The
Danubian principalities shall receive au organisation con-
formed to their w;.shes, their necessities, and their in-
terests; and this new organisation. respecting which the
population itself shall be consulted. shall be recognised lc
the contracting powers and sanctioned by the Sultan as
ctuatiating from Ins Sovereign initiative. No State shall
have power under any prete whatsoever, under any form
of protectorate, to intermeddle in questions of the internal
administration of the principalities. The latter will adopt
a definite permanent system called fin by their geographi-
cal position, and no obstacle shall be interposed to prevent
;hew from fortifying their territory for their own security
as they see fit against all foreign aggression.
In erchange for the fortified positions and territory oc-
cupied the allied armies. Russia consents to a rectifica-
tion of her frontier with European Turkey. The Opontier
will leave the environs of Cliotyn [in Bessarabia]. follow
the line of the heights stretching in a south-east direction,
and terminate at Lake Salyzk. The line of this rectitica-
tion shall be definitively regulated hr general treaty. and
the conceded territory shidi return to the principalities
and the suzerainty of the Porte.

I I —TRX DAstan.
The freedom of the Danube and of the months of the
river shall be efficaciously assured by the institutions of
European international law, in which the contracting
towers shall be equally represented excepting the par-
icular poKitiona of owners of the soil on the banks, which
*Jibe regulated upon the principles established respecting
river navigation by the treat.' cf the Congress of Vienna.
Each of the contracting powers shall have the right to
station one or two light vessels at the mouths of the river,
in order to insure the observance of the regulations relit.
tire to the freedom of the Danube.

11L—SsurasrtsarioN OF THZ BLACK SzA.
This sea shall be opened to merchant vessels; closed to
ships of war. Consequently naval arsenals will neither be
created nor preserved. The protection of the commercial
and artrittme interests of all nations shall be assured in
the respective ports in the Black Sea by the establishment
of institutions conformed to international law and ancient
usages iu this matter. The two coast-bordered powers
mutualli engage to keep up only, the number of light
vessels, of a stipulated strength, necessary for the coasting
service. This convention, concluded separately between
the two powers. shall form a part of the general treaty as
an annex after having been approved of by the contracting
parties. This separate convention shall neither be
annulled nor modified without the assent of the sub-
scribers to the general treaty. The closing of the straits
shall admit an exception in &your of the stationary vessels
mentioned in the preceding article.

-I.7II,IILCTS OF THZ PORTS.

The immtunues of the Ilayah subjects of the Porte will
be established without injury to the independence or the
digoity of the Sultan's crown. As deliberations are taking
}lace between Austria, France, °rest Britain, and the
Sublime Pone, in order to assure to the Christian subjects
of the Sultan their religious and political rights. Ittostia
ttflabo invited, on the conclnalon of pekoe, to oefociaso
with them.

THE PRESS.

Y.—The belligerent powers reserve the right which
belongs to them to pmshice, in the interest of Europe,
some special conditions besides the four guarantees.

1. PRrsorAurEs DANUIIIENNES.
Abolition complete du protectorat Busse. Lea Princi-
pautes Danubiennes recerrout une organisation coufonne
leurs Vtlelll, a leurs besoins, a lens interets, et cette
nouvelle organisation, pour laquelle la population sera elle-
meme consultee, sera reconnue par les puissanoes contrite-
tames et sanctionee par le Sultan, comme inpatient de son
initiative souvennue : Aucun Etat ne pourra, sous un pre-
texte queloonque, sous anemic forute de protectorat,
s'itige roc dims les questions d'administ nit ion interienre des
Principautes. Elles aaoptcront un systeme definitif, pea
maneut, recleme par leur position geographique, et aucune
entrave ne pourra etre mice a ce que, dans Pinteret de leer
securite, elks fortitient, comma elles l'eutenarout, leur
territoire contra toute aggression itrangere.
En ,Ichange des places fortes et territoires occupes par
lea armees &Mies, la Russie consent a une rectification de
sa frontiere avec la Turquie Etimpeenne. Elle partirait
des environs de Cbotyn, suivrait la ligne des montagnes
qui s'etena dans la direction Sud Eat et aboutirait au Lae
Salyak. Le trace sera definitivemeut regle par le Waite
general et le territoire concede retournerait aux Princi-
pantes et a la anzerainete de la Porte.
DANUIRT..
La liberte du Danube et de sea embouchures, sera
ealcaceineut assuree par des iustitutious Europeennee,
dana lesquelles lea puissauces contractautes seront egade-
ment represeLtees, sant' lea positions particulieres des
riveraios qui sermit reglees sur les principes etablis par
l'acte du Congres de Vienne, en metiers de HAvigation
Amide. Chacuno des puissance% coutractantes aura le
droit de faire stationner un ou deux betiruents lagers aux
embouchures du flcuve ,destines a assurer l'execution des
reglements relatifs a la liberte an Danube.

3. MEtt NOIRE NECTRALISEE.
Cette mer sera ottverte aux bailments marckands for.
mee anx marines militairea. Par consequent, ii a'y sera
cree ni conserve des useuaus militaires maritia►es.
La protection des inttirets commerciaux et marinates de
Mutes les nations sera assure dans les ports respectifs de
la Mer Noire, par l'establissement dinstitutions confornies
an droit international et aux usages eonsacres dans la
metiers Lee deux pnissance riveraines s'engagent
tuelktuent it n'y entretenir que le nombre de Inanimate
legeTS, &use force determines neoeas►ir'es au service de
leurs cotes. Cette convention conclue separement par
ces deux puissances, fera psrtie comme annexe du traits
general, apres avoir et° appronvee par les parties con-
tractantes. Cette convention xepe►ee ne pourra etre ni
annulie ni modititie sans l'assentialeut ties signataires
du nano general. La clUture du detroit &tinware l'excep-
tion applicable aux statiounaires mentionnes dans l'artiek
precedent.
4. Porti.ArtoNs CIIRETIENNFS SIJETTES DE LA PORTE.
Les immtmites des sujets rajas de la Porte seront cols-
secrets sans atteinte u l'indepenciance et it la diguite tie la
couronoe du Susan. Pea deliberations avant lieu entre
l'Autricbe, la Fiance, la Ornate Bretagne et la Sublime-
Porte, &fin d'assurer aux sojets chretiens du Sultan lows
droits religieux et politiques, la Bussie sera invitee, I Is
pais. I s'y associer.
3, Les puissances belligerantes se reservent le davit qui
leur appartient, de produire dans un interets Europeen,
des conditions particulieres en sus des quatre prunes.

Ctartslottbeittt.
MIL SERVICE SUPERANNUATION.
TO TUE EDITOR OF "TIE PRESS."

Sir,—Vull a year has, I believe, elapsed since I
was indebted to you foe the adwission into your
pages of a letter on the subject of the superannuation
grievance. I now venture to request a similar favour
at your bands, not for a repetition of what, your
courtesy then permitted me to lay before your
readers in evidence of the great initstice we suffer
in having this enormous tax laid on our shoulders,
which are othen‘ise as heavily laden as those of any
other class of her Majesty's subjects—for it is now
universally admitted that our complaint is a most
reasonable one, and the wrong so real and pressing
as to call for the application of an immediate remedy.
It is to endeavour to indicate this remedy that I
venture to again throw myself on your indulgence.
It may not be amiss to premise, in a few words, of
what our grievance consists. It, may be thus ex.-
pressed : The Civil servants of the Crown who
joined subsequently to the year 1829, numbering
about 11,000, are subject, over and beyond the
ordinary taxation of the country. to a direct tax of
five per cent. if their salaries exceed 10(11. per
annum, and, two and a half per cent. if under that
amount. This tax is levied for the ostensible pur
pose of providing a fund for the maintenance of such
tew of us (about one in ten) as may chance to sur-
vive a few years after that period when by old age
we shall be incapacitated. or by physical or mental
infirmity unfitted, for the discharge of the duties of our
respective offices. That this scale of deductions is so
much in excess of the requirements of that abject that
a sum of about 750.000/. has already passed to the
Consolidated Fund from this source beyond what has
sufficed to defray the amount granted in superannua-
tion ‘llowances to the contributors. And that the
stela of pensions allowed to the contributors is cm-
anierably less than that granted to their fellow-
officers Nho entered the service prior to the year
18291 and who receive their salaries in full--gentle-

SATURDAY,

men occupying the same social position, performing
like duties, and frequently seated at the same desk
with ourselves.

This is the head and front of our complaint.
Now for the remedy, which iu my opinion may be
easily discovered. Three words will express it.
Repeat the act by virtue of which the injury is in-
flicted, and place us on the same footing in this
respect as our brother-offiers who entered the service
prior to l 8 9. Let the country pension its worn
servants gratuitously, as do the Bank of England
and the East India Company. This, sir, is, I appre-
hend, the course that sound and natural justice
dictates, that that master whom we have faithfully
served during the days of our youth and manhood
shall, when the vigour of youth is passed and the
energy of manhood expended, support us during the
few short years that may yet remain for us to coat
plete our earthly pilgrimage—a principle which
already obtains in the case of Ministers of State,
diplomatic officers, judges, &c., who receive also those
" more s?iritual rewards " referred to by one who has
always a kind word for the permanent servants of the
Crown, in his beautiful speech of last session.

But perhaps there may be still some few indi-
viduals who suppose the Crown rewards its servants
so liberally when on duty as to enable them, with
the exercise of common prudence, to provide for the
necessities of old age—that., their summer being a
season of wiinterrupted sunshine, it must be easy
for them to make hay enough to meet the require-
ments of their short winter. To such 1 would com-
mend this one fact :—The Civil servants of the
Crown number about 16,000, the average salary of
whom is 1411. per annum, whilst that of the " under
ten thousand" of these does not exceed 861. per
annum ! This is no "srm-picture." Is it not diffi-
cult, even with the higher of these amounts, to
provide for the daily wants of a family ! I can, trom
practical experience, answer yes. My present salary
is 1501., nominally, or about six per cent. above the
average; but of this sum only 134 Ss. reach my
pocket, the remainder being deducted for income tax,
superannuation fund, &c. My house-stet, taxes,
and rates amount to the odd 321., leaving just 1001 a
year, or ss. Od. per day, for the support of a wife and
six children—not sufficient to provide us in food
alone ; and as regards education, clothing, .te., if I
were not in a position to defray those necessary
expenses from a private source, the former most have
been procured, with a thousand evil habits, at the
national school, and the latter have been so scanty
as to have reduced my children's outward appearance
to a level with those wham they would they have had
for schoolfellows. What an enviable condition must
be that of the great hulk of her Mwiesty's Civil
servants, whose salaries average only 8411. a year!
And still the writers in the leading journal and
others are quite shocked to find that some of the
candidates for public employment cannot pass an
examination—(a subject about which a great deal of
misconception exists in the minds of many people,
and on which I should much like to say a few words.
but must forbear, lest the length of my letter should
exclude it from your columns). Let the service be
dealt justly with, and this complaint will no longer
be heard, To permit the great bulk of those who
are intrusted with the collection of millions of public
money to have a just cause of complaint—to let their
representations to the higher powers produce no
mitigation of the evil, but be met with empty pro-
mis-N, and when the time for action arrives, and their
expectations are raised to the highest pitch, to see
the consideration of their cases put off again and
again by the Minister, as was the case last session of
Parliament, until it was too late for any other
member to attempt to legislate upon the subject—
is to act a dangerous part. I would entreat public
men to bear in mind that a growing discontent has
already been produced by this, treatment. The
leader of the party that sits opposite the Ministry
stated, the last time this question was referred to in
the House of Commons, that hat not Sir G. C. Lewis
promised to introduce a bill on the subject, one
would have been brought in by one of his friends.
I hope next session he will act on that announce-
ment, and produce s measure conceived in as
generous a spirit as bps always distinguished Mr.
Disraeli's observations on the permanent servants of
the Crown. and thus remove that discontented feel-
ing which. if allowed much longer to exist, may n. t
unnaturally ripen into something near akin to dis-
loyalty in those who are intrusted with the collection
of that revenue on which so much, of this couutry's
greatness depends, and who, notwithstanding the
sneers of a portion of the newspapers and some of
the public men of the day. are possessed of as much
information and integrity, are as loyal, intelligent,
and efficient as any body f men with whom they are
ever brought into contact. An'l are they not as " true
and just in all their dealings " as the conductors of
the great railway and other joint_stock companies,
the banking and mercantile establishments of ttis
country am, air, your much obliged and very
humble servant,
Aft OFITCXII Of U.M. CUSToIiS.
New Year's-day, 1850.

JANuART 12, 1856.