The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-04 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, MARCH 4.

THE Titnes—breathing the hopes, and animated
by the very spirit, of Austria--says the time has
come when the maintenance of the Ottoman Empire in
its present form is " impracticable and undesirable."
At the very moment when our powerful Absolutist
contemporary is talking in this temper, we hear of
armies, Austrian and Russian, moving towards the
Turkish frontier—whispers are circulated of a eon-
geese of the great powers to consider some vital ques-
tions of European policy,—and envoys hurry to and
from Constantinople. At first blush all this seems
very positive and very alarming, but despite what
the friends of Austria and Russia may say to the
contrary, a little inquiry will show that it is " both
practicable and desirable "to preserve the national
position of our ancient Eastern ally, and far more
easy to keep out of war by preserving the honourable
faith of treaties than by entering into any disgraceful
compact to share iu spoils obtainable only by the
betrayal and partition of an ancient Empire. This
hint of an intended repetition of the plan adopted to-
wards Poland, has stimulated national curiosity to a
high degree. People want to know whether it be
possible that the Absolutist Courts are really bent on
a new crusade against a nation's independ-
ence; and in this temper they will own another
debt of gratitude towards Lord DUDLEY STUART
—the chivalric friend of the oppressed for
the question he put to the Government last
night in the House of Commons. His statement
throws a new light on the Montenegrin quarrel. It
is already known that the Vladika took up arms
,on his return from St. Petersburg, and in the interest
of Russia—it now comes out that whilst Prince
DANIEL was leading his followers against the SUL-
TAN, the CZAR was advising the SULTAN to attack
the Vladika! " Divide, and conquer," is still a fa-
vourite motto with the Muscovite. Pointing out the
relations of the Porte to Montenegro, Lord DUDLEY
STiTster last night indicated the way in which Austria
took advantage of the embroilment to urge some
demands on the Divan, selecting for their agent the
Military Governor of Cracow. The heel of Count
LEININOEN has been taken for awhile from the neck of
the Poles in Cracow that it might tread the bazaars
and palaces of Constantinople, under the plea of de-
manding for Austria the protectorate of the Christians
in Turkey. Heaven save all men from Austrian pro-
tection—Austria, who turned out the English
missionaries, and erects the gallows en per-
manence. " The fact was," the honourable
member for Marylebone most truly went on to
say :—" The fact was that the Turkish Govern-
ment was the most tolerant in the world, and had
permitted the installation of a Protestant Bishop in
Jerusalem. He wished that Protestants, Catholics,
and Greeks could be brought to act towards one
another as the Turks had acted towards all Christians.
It might be said they were tolerant now because
they were weak ; but not so. When they took Con-
stantinople they did not expel the conquered race as
Catholics did in Spain ; and when they took Jerusalem
their first act was to irotect the Holy Sepulchre
roand which the most disgraceful battles took place
constantly between different sects of Christians.
Now the Turks were harassed by the most intolerant
people in Europe—Austria, who had put thousands
to death on religious grounds in the different coun-
tries subject to her rule. History told how she
acted in the Low Countries and Bohemia. That
Protestantism was not exterminated in Hungary
they might thank the Turks, who, during the 150
years they ruled in that oountry, allowed Protes-
tants the tree exercise of their religion. But no one
supposed that these pretences had any 'sincerity in
them. Some hidden motive was urging Austria
onward in her tyrannical and impolitic career."
Doubtless. Despotic rulers do not move armies
and send envoys without motives, and strong ones,
too, and what the motive is in this case was ex-
plained to us by the Times. The "maintenance of
the Ottoman Empire is no longer desirable," and
Austria and Russia wish to carve it up between them
—throwing, it may be, a stray morsel of their booty
—as burglars throw a sop to a house dog to tjuiet him—
to France and England, if the two most intelligent,
wealthy, and civilised States in the world can consent
to stand quiescently by. But wo are now reminded
that we have not only honourable reasons for not
aiding and abetting any such national spoliation—
not only pledgee, and treaties, and reasons of Euro-
pean policy, to induce us to support our ancient ally
—but that commercial arguments also come into the
question. We were told the other day by the organ
of Baron BRUNNOW that free trade required the
upset of the Turkish rule in favour of Austria and
Russia. But how can this be, when during the last
twenty you* our trade with Turkey has quadrupled,
"whilst that with Russia has only doubled, and that
with Austria has positively diminished P In trade
Turkey is liberal—Russia and Austria exclusive."
With these facts put plainly before them by Lord
DUDLEY STUART list night, the House of Commons
could not do other than listen most anxiously to Lord
ions Russi.u.'s reply to the question whether the
English Government held the same opinion as for-
merly on the necessity for upholding Turkish inde-
pendence. The reply brought down hearty cheers :
" In my opinion," said the present Leader of the Eng-
lish House of Commons, " you could not attempt the
dismemberment of Turkey, by force or by diplomacy,
without committing a great crime, and a violation dell
the laws which bind nations ; and I trust there is no
Englishman who wishes to be a party to any such
transactions in regard to Turkey as those 'which ac-
companied the partitioning of Poland."
As for the threat indirectly thrown out, that Aus-
tria may close her frontiers against English travel-
lers, we reply, "As soon as she pleases." Fortunately
Austria does not hold possession of the most pic-
turesque, or the most pleasurable, or the most his-
' tonically, or commercially interesting portions
of Europe. She has no power over the Alps of
Switzerland or Savoy, over picturesque and delightful
Paris, over the historic streets of Rome, the ruins
of Athens, or the bazaars of Constantinople. All these
fields for holiday excursions do not belong to the
EMPEROR. Shut out from the vicious pleasure. of
Vienna and debarred from witnessing the sufferings
of the Magyars or being shocked by the groans of
the Mantuaus and the Milanese, the English tourists
—if France, and Switzerland, and Greece are not
enough—may well extend their summer rambles to
those Christian provinces across the Adriatic now
held by the SULTAN, though coveted by the Cult.
These same English travellers may there be able from
personal experience to contrast the role of Vienna over
Hungary, with that of Constantinople over
Bosnia and Streik Wallachia and Roumelia.
They may see in the one Romanist intole-
rance, and in the other Moslem toleration ;
in the one, English commerce almost a stranger; in
the other, English commerce grown to four times its
former amount within twenty years; in the one,
constant public executions, whippings, and imprison-
ments, cities in a state of siege, and maddened emus
sins attempting the life even of an Emperor—in the
other, no capital punishments for political offences,
no intestine broils, and religious reverence for the
CALIPH. Returning from such a summer tour, we
may perhaps have English travellers advising all sorts
of ne w specula t ions requiring un limited capital : —Great
Eastern and Western Junctions of Turkey Railways,
Bosphorus General Steam Navigation Companies, the
Stamboul, Mossoul and Bengal Electric Telegraph
Associations, Great Wheal 'Turkish Mining and
Smelting Adventures, and Heaven knows how many
other go-a-head propositions for locating vigour and
wealth once more in the now somnolent East. Bat
one thing, the Englishman who takes such a trip
will never bring home with him—a wish to see the
modern iron despotism of Russo-Austrian growth
supplant the tolerant and manageable rule of the
Ottoman EMPEROR.

ADMIRALTY AGENTS.— Lieutenants Hemmans and
Boyce, ILN., hare been appointed Admiralty agents on this
Southampton mail packet station.