The Express.
London, England, 1853-06-22 00:00:00

THE TURKISH QUESTION,

The Journal de St. .Petersburg of June 12 publishes
the Circular Note on the Turkish question which
Russian diplomatic agents were at about that date
bringing to the knowledge of the courts and cabinets
of Europe (see Explear, June 13). The text of
the note itself will be found in another column. The
public will scan its language in vain for any indica-
tion of a moderate, accommodating, or peaceful spirit.
On the contrary, its language is highly charged with
all the fierce passions which generate war. Blinded
by pride, the Czar declares that he cannot and will
not renounce the exactions which all Europe have
condemned, and that violence must compel the sur-
render which has been denied to negotiations.

It is to be noticed that whatever 'assurances or ex-
planations the foreign ministers of the Czar may have
given to the courts to which they arc accredited, the
note says not a word which would limit the threat-
ened violence to the Principalities.
Direct despatches from Vienna state that the
Journal de C•nstantinople received there contains the
promised firmans, assuring and extending the pri-
vileges of all the Christian communities. Surely the
Czar, if sincere, can desire no more. .

The question returns with increasing gravity : How
will France and England regard the occupation of
the principalities? Of all the organs of Russia in
the press not one has come forward to show that
Russia has the least treaty right to cross the Pruth
under present circumstances. Their only argument
is an appeal to the Czar's sword. " The Emperor of
Russia," they say, "declares thnt he does not make
war, he only exerts a pressure." At the same time
they proclaim that he will see a declaration of war
in the passage of the Dardanelles by the vessels of
France and England.
The treaty of 1841 is binding on the Western
Powers, but the Russians may come across the
Turkish frontier, if they come repudiating war.
."the Czar wills it," is the only argument of the
Russian press. The Pay.•, Journal de I. Empire, has
an article stating that 'turkey will be left to decide
whether a routs Belli has or has not arisen in the oc-
cupation, but as Turkey will be guided by the advice
of Frapee and England, this does not say much.
Diplomacy (says the Pays) has not yet withdrawn from
the question, and it will only cease to act on the day when
moderation and justice shall ne longer be attended to in
the councils of the Emperor of Russia. Europe will
be as invincible in her force as she is in her right. The
great powers, who represent the interests which bind them
and the treaties which pledge them, will be judge of what
their duty and their honour command. They will decide
where aggression commences, and where the patience of
negotiation ought to stop ; they will not act either too soon
or too late ; they will not compromise tither peace by a pre-
cipitation which would be equivalent to reshot so, or war by
a tardiness which would be weakness. Such is our answer
to these interpellations, which are at least inopportune,
though certainly quite excusable, of the public impa-
tience, which asks, •• What will France and England do if
Russia crosses the Pruth ? Where it the eases &lli to be—

on this or on that of the Danube ?" We maintain that
the occupation of the Danubian provinces by Rum* in
contempt of the treaties of Aiirianoplc and of Balta-Liman,
would clearly constitute a formal violation with respect to
Turkey. That is our opinion ; but we admit also that the
appreciation of that fact, the declaration of the casus
belong., with respect to the occupation of these provinces,
to the Turkish government alone, and we do not desire to
transfer that privilege from Constantinople to London or
to Paris. We have nothing to prejudge on the official in-
terpretations of the special treaties existing between Russia
and Turkey ; but we can affirm, without any fear of
being found in error, that European right, superior to these
treaties, will not be violated ; for the day on which that
violation should be effected not one of the states interested
would fail in the duties of energy end decision which
would be imposed on them, and the accomplishment of
which would be the inevitable defeat of unjust pretensions
and of immoderate ambition.

Admiral Prince Nlenchikoff, the ci-devant negotia-
tor, is at Sebastopol with the fleet awaitingthe orders
of the Czar.

A telegraphic despatch from Toulon announces
that the Friedland line-of-battle ship, 120 guns, left
that port on Saturday for the Island of Tenedos, to
join the squadron under the command of Admiral
de la Susse. The Friedland is to take the place in
the squadron of the Montebello, which is to return
immediately to Toulon to continue ire experiments
respecting its screw machinery. The division of
the Levant, under the command of Rear-Admiral
Lebarbier de Tinan, who replaces Admiral Romain-
Desfossi•s, promoted to the grade of Vice-Admiral,
will continue under the orders of Admiral de la
Susse.
A letter from Smyrna, of June 7, in the Semaphore,
of Marseilles, says :
Generals Klapka and Liebnig have offered to Reschid
Pasha to form a corps of 30,000 Hungarian and Polish emi-
grants; the offer has not yet been accepted, neither has it
been refused. Although hostilities have not yet been de-
clared, they have in reality commenced. A Turkish vessel,
with slaves on board, and another laden with corn, have
been captured in the Block Sea. At the departure of the
French packet from Constantinople, a report was current
that a steamer belonging to an Armenian company having
been summoned to surrender by a Russian brig of war,
which had even fired several shots at her, ran into the
Russian and sank her.
There is nothing in any other journal or letter to
confirm the intelligence thus given in the .sjrnaphore.
The same journal contains the following:
It appears that the war in the Caucasus has of late shown
extreontosary vigour. If we are to believe our correspon-
dents, in spite of the tone of the bulletins of St. Petersburg,
which as usual speak of victory, the Russians have been
completely routed by Schiamil. The Russian army, com-
manded by General Baron Wrevsky, 40,000 strong, and
having 36 pieces of artillery, has met with a severe check
, near Argille. A great number of men remained on the
field of battle, and 23 pieces of cannon fell into the hands of
Schiamil, who never gained a more complete victory. Such
is the intelligence which letters from Trebisond give us.