The Express.
London, England, 1853-09-22 00:00:00

its acceptance, I added, in a despatch which you, M.
le Baron, were charged to communicate to the
Austrian cabinet, the following observations and re-
serves:

" I consider it superfluous to observe to your ex-
cellency that in accepting the conciliatory expedient
agreed to at Vienna, and the mission of a Turkish
Ambassador, we wish it to be understood that we
are not to be asked to examine and discuss new pro-
positions and new modifications, which may possibly
be prepared at Vienna under the prompting of the
warlike inspirations which at this moment appear to
animate the Sultan and the majority of his ministers,
and that in case the Ottoman government should
reject this last scheme of arrangement, we shall not
consider ourselves in any wise bound by the acqui-
escence which we give to-day.
" After expressions so positive, the Austrian Cabi-
net cannot have felt a moment's uncertainty respect-
ing our resolutions in the case which presented
itself.

" I will not here examine in detail the changes
which have been made in the note at Constantinople.
In another despatch I have discussed them in detail.
I confine myself now to asking whether the Em-
peror, after having renounced the right to change a
single word in the draft of a note drawn np with-
out his participation, can consent that the Ottoman
Porte should reserve such a right to itself —if he can
permit Russia thus to occupy a position of inferiority
with reference to the Porte ? 'We consider that this
would be contrary to the dignity of the Emperor. Let
me recapitulate what has taken place. In stead of the note
of the adoption of which, without modification, we
had made a condition of the re-establishment of our
friendship with the Porte, a different note was pro-
posed to us. We might, for that reason alone, have
refused to look at it : or, taking it into considera-
tion, we might find occasion to raise more than ono
objection, to propose more than one change in the
expressions employed. You know, M. le Baron, that
from the moment when we cemented to renounce
our ultimatum, the form of a note ceased to bo satis-
factory to us; we should have preferred greatly
another mode of action, another form of convention.

"We did not, however, insist upon this wish : we
renounced it altogether. And why ? Because as
soon as we began to make counter-propositions, we
should have been accused of protracting the settle-
ment of the difference, and of deliberately pro'onging
the crisis which was holding Europe in suspense.
Instead of doing so, and because we were anxious to
terminate the crisis as speedily as possible, we sacri-
ficed our objections whether they concerned sub-
stance or form.

"On the reception of the first draft of note, before
even we knew that it had been approved at London
and Paris, we announced our acceptance of it by
electric telegraph. Subsequently, the draft, as
finally arranged, was transmitted to us, and although
it had been modified, in a sense which could
not be misunderstood, we neither withdrew
our assent, nor raised the least difficulty.
Was it possible to show ourselves more conciliating?
It was well understood that in thus acting we made
it a condition that the draft which the Emperor had
accepted without discussion should also be accepted
by the Porte in a similar manner. We did so under
the conviction that Austria looked on it as an ulti-
matum, in which nothing was to be changed, as the
last effort of her friendly mediation, which, should it
fail in consequence of the pertinacity of the Porte,
would thereby of itself come to an end. We regret
that it was not so. But the Vienna Cabinet will ad-
mit, that if we had not to do with an ultimatum, but
with a new draft of a note, in which either of the
parties concerned was at liberty to make changes, we
should thereby recover the right of which we had of
our own accord deprived ourselves, of proposing
variations on our past. of taking the proposal of ar-
rangement into oessrlderation, and not only changing
the expressions, but also the form.
" Could such a result be intended by Austria?
Could it be agreeable to the Powers, who, by alter-
ing and accepting her drafts, have made it their com-
mon work? It is their affair to consider the delays
which will result from this, or to inquire if it is for
the interest of Europe to cut them short. We set
only one single means of putting an end to them.
It is for Austria and the Powers to declare to the
Porte, frankly and firmly, that they, after having in
vain opened up to it the only road that could lead to
an immediate restoration of its relations with us,
henceforth leave the task to itself alone. We be-
lieve, that as soon as the Powers unanimously
hold this language to the Porte, the Turks will
yield to the advice of Europe, and, instead of
reckoning on her assistance in a struggle with
Russia, will accept the note in its present form, and
coup to compromise their position so seriously for
the childish satisfaction of having altered a few ex-
pressions in a document which we had accepted
without discussion. For of these two positions only
one is possible ; either the alterations which the
Porte requires are important, in which case it is very
simple that we refuse to accede to them ; or they are
unimportant, and then the question arises, why should
the Porte unnecessarily make its acceptance dependent
on them ?

"To stun up snocinctly what we have said ; the
ultimatum drawn up at Vienna is not ours. It is
the work of Austria and the Powers, who,
after having first of all agreed to it, then discussed
it, and altered its original text, have recognised it
as such as the Porte could accept, without its in-
tercets or its honour being oompromised. We on our
part have done everything that depended upon us to
shorten unnecessary delays, inumuch as when the
arrangements were laid before us we renounced all
counter propositions. No one will refuse to bear this
testimony to the loyaute of the Emperor. After our
having long exhausted the measure of concessions,
without the Porte's having as yet made a single one,
his Majesty can go no further without compromising
his own standing, and without exposing himself to a
resumption of his relations with Turkey under unfa-
vourable auspices, which would deprive them for the
future of all stability, and must inevitably pro-
duce a fresh and signal breach. Even now, fur-
ther concessions with regard to the expressions of
the note would be of no use, for we see by
your despatch that the Ottoman government is only
waiting for our consent to the alterations made in
the Vienna note to make its signature, as well as its
sending off an ambassador to convey the latter
hither, dependent on fresh conditions, and that it has
already made inadmissible proposals with respect to
the evacuation of the Principalities. As regards
the latter point we can only refer to the assurances
and declarations contained in oar despatch of the
10th of August, and repeat that the arrival of the
Turkish ambassador bearing the Austrian note with-
out alterations will suffice at Sr. Petersburg for the
orders to be issued to.our troops to retire over the
frontier."