The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-12 00:00:00

Zitt eyan4eos.

TO COItItESI'ONDENTS.
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..Gyr•q,' u pultialtnt ea•ry 1.4...1.1 and Frltlay nape, in tin e
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oblong ode 4 for " The Ez;too Lolotor I:ten.no p iper,
mot to at the 0:11w, 10, po.atenow.rett, by T to oVook oa toe
Ay of poblisitisa.

MOB WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Ter. MT—Somali, Mt. lota Aterneup, lot. Vat.
To-sox:um —Morning, 111. Um Aftenws, OIL O.

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12.

YE,TERDAY morning the propounded its in-
fallilde mare fur the trcubles of the East. "If, in-
deed, the rights of aa Christians living under the
Ottoman Government could be placed under the
common guarantee of all the Great. Christian Powers,
it appears to us that the true requirements of the
present difficulty would be satisfied at mice." The
Tim,: is determined that there shall be no mistake
as to the lengths it is disposed to go in the policy
here recommended : " We bare a case and a strong
one .4.tinst Russia; but, as we have repeatedly
explained, we can he under no possible obligation
to maintain the dominion of infidels over Chris-
tians, or to limit the extent of protection
which these Christians may unit:ire." The
Tim.', in short, only disapproves of the inter-
ference of Russia in the domestic affairs of the Otto-
man Empire because Russia wishes to interfere alone ;
it wotdd be all right if Russia weed allow England
and the other Powers to hare • tiiigtr in the pie.
The Timm aims at the formation of a new " Holy
Alliance" of the Five Christian Powers to keep the
" infidels" in order.

How would this Holy Alliance work? Austria
would be for promoting by all means the interests of
the Roman Csthofie Church. Russia would be
ego idy eager to institute a Greek Propaganda.
Prussia would aim at expanding the Bishopric of Je-
rusalem into a mcdi;eral quasi-Protestant Church.
France would concur with Auntie as long as
the Ldtramontane ltomanists supported the ENIPE-
ZOE ; would wheel round and seek the extension of
the Gallic= Church in the East if they turned
against him. England would probably be disposed
to promote the labours of Protestant missionaries.
Harmonious councils would they be, those of the
new Holy Alliance ! " Too many masters," the
Porte would be apt to cry, as the toad did when a
harrow passed over it, every pin inflicting a wound
on it. The luckless Ottoman Government would
wish itself under the rule of Russia or any one
Power, rather than remai■ subject to tho contradic-
tory orders and requirements of five.
Let us look at the proposal in another point of
view. One great object of the Western l'uwers, in
wishing to bring the Eastern question to a permanent
settlement, is to ensure from disturbance the general
peace of Europe. But could there be a more fertile
source of quarrels among the Five Powers than their
eeoflizting pretensions to the guardianship of the
sects patronised by them respectively in Turkey ? '
The question originally- mooted by Russia, in the
present dispute, was raised by the alleged concession
of certain preferences to the Latin Christians over
the Greeks. The " Holy Alliance," for the protec-
tion of Christians in partibus infidelium would occa-
sion a most extravagant and expensive amount of
ink-shed, if not the shedding of a more precious
fluid.

The Powers themselves, to avoid quarrelling,
would each restrain its activity to a certain district;
the partition of the Ottoman Empire would be begun.
But what right have Five Christian Powers, any
more than one, to take upon them to demand from
the SULTAN the extension of privileges granted to
his Christian subjects? That is the true meaning
of the phrase, " we can be under no possible obliga-
tion to limit the extent of protection which those
Christians may acquire." If the SULTAN should
consent to recognise the Christian Powers u
arbiters between him and his Christian subjecte—ei
armed with authority to give the law to both—might
he not turn round and claim for himself the sense
right to protect Muuulmans subject to any Chris.
tian Power ? Would it be conducive to the
peace and prosperity of our Indian Empire, if
the SULTAN, or the SULTAN and the SHAII, had the
right conceded to them of sitting in judgment upon
the complaints of our Mohammedan subjects in
Hindostan, and deciding how we were to treat them?
There is something so glaringly incompatible with
justice and the rights of Independent Btatee—eo out-
rageously impracticable and absurd—in the proposal
of the Times, that it might be peened over with silent
contempt but for the pertinacity with which that
journal, in all its recent shiftings and tergi-
versations upon the Eastern question, has ob-
stinately clang to the policy which lies at
the bottom of it. The TlOsee bee alternately
defended sad attacked the conduct of the Emperor
of Rtssm—it has alternately praised and blamed
the policy of Austria. But even while affecting to
bold lam/sage antagonistic to these Powers, it has
allowed no opportunity to escape it of bespattering
Turkey. And whenever it has on one day come out
as advising resistance to Rusin aggression, or as
denouncing Austrian complicity, it has been sure the
But day (sometiesse without waiting so long) to bark
back and insinuate some compromise, in virtue of
which England, Austria, sad Russia, might still con-
tinue to act is soseert. In all thimitnerre and equi-
vocation something more is aimed at than the grati-
fication of Ruda and Austria on the Turkish
question. Us These sPeaki the sentiments of those
who would entangle England in a participation in
the schemes of the Absolute Powers—array England
on the side of despotism, spiritual and temporal,
against liberal principles and the propene of consti-
tutional Government. The Times, in fact, is the
organ of the sentiments and opinions alleged to
be entertained bye minority in the Cabinet.

We have reason to believe that if there be any
abettors of despotism in the Cabinet they are a
minority. We are promised prompt and firm action
now on the part of the English Government.
We will believe these promises when we
in their performance. At present we remain
unmoved and profoundly sceptical as to the truth of
the thousand and one rumours which fly before the
coming events like crowds of stormy petrels before a
ship when the wind is riming. That the Porte has
set up its rest, and will no longer endure the mis.
chierons delays of a shuffling diplomacy, we believe.
That the Governments of France and England are
deeply pledged to see justice done to Turkey, all the
world knows. As to the rumours about the entrance
of the Turkish and Egyptian fleets into the Euzine,
the survey of Candice am preparatory to naval and
military operations on the part of France and Eng-
land, or preparations to despatch troops to the
Levant, time will show what there is of truth and
what of falsehood in them. One thing alone is certain
—that the autonomy of independent states is now
trembling in the balance, and that upon its sunaufnl
Desertion depends the natural and peaceable program
of free institutions.

TIIE KING op ti BELGIANS.—King Leopold does
act receive his English pension. Bra return just issued it
appears that the saga repaid to the Exchequer wee 36,0001.