The Express.
London, England, 1862-12-20 00:00:00

BRITANNIL

Tun Symms% SOUR &MLR THAT RANG AN OW TEAR
OUT AND ♦ NEW ONE IN.—Singing by the Neapolitan
Minstrels and Mr. Randall.—Danclog by Male. Stephan—CAST
ON THE MERCY Ol THE WORLD.—And DAVID HUNT.

DIOR WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Till DIT Molllllll{, Oh. Rim.. —Afternoon. M. Om
To-HOLLOW—lforntoo. ld 2orn.....Afteruoon. 65ea.

LONDON, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20.

M. Ductal.; DI Limits, in the circular which
was published in yesterday's Daily News, gives
a very odd reason for deprecating the elec-
tion of Prince ALFRED to the throne of
Greece. It would render Great Britain, he
fears, the enemy of the Ottoman Empire.
It must necessarily, he thinks, encourage
the Greeks in ideas of aggression, and would thus
necessitate the interference of other Powers, and
beget schemes for re-opening the Eastern ques-
tion—that is, for disrfiembering Turkey. Ten-
derness, therefore, for the Turks, and an extreme
concern lest the SULTAN should be conspired
against by a new enemy, induce the French Go-
vernment to deprecate the instalment at Athena
of a Prince at all connected with England. The
nomination of the Duke of LEUCHT'ENRERG would
not, it seems, excite any such misgivings in the
French mind. A Russian Prince wearing the
crown of Greece would, it is pretended, be nowise
inimical to the Ottomans ; England alone is dan-
gerous !
We can conceive nothing so out of the world,
so beyond the limits of all truth, all reason,
all likelihood, and all purpose, as this same de-
spatch of the French Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Is this the new wisdom that presides over
French policy f We will undertake that France
has not an envoy in any part of the world who,
upon perusing this circular of his chief, must not
laugh at its preposterous incongruity. As to M.
DROUYN DE LHUYS' fear of England's becoming
an enemy to the Ottoman empire, the charge
is too ludicrous to need contradiction. For
the present, indeed, Turkey has no enemies.
It is only when the Ottomans are consi-
dered to be moribund that birds of prey are
attracted to what is expected soon to be a carcase.
But Turkey, like other despotic empires, partakes
of the nature and character of the Sovereign who
happens to rule it. " Sick " under ABDUL-MEDJID,
it starts up in robust health under his successor.
The rebellious provinces which provoke it get the
worst in the encounter. And even Chtist'an
Princes who, in the confines or under the suzera;nty
of Turkey, felt formerly strong enough to brave
the SULTAN, are now content to capitulate with
him, their former backers allowing them to
do so with prudent equanimity. Russia has
allowed Montenegro to fall. France sees Syria
and its mountains reduced almost for the first
time in obedience to the SULTAN'S officers. Aud
not a voice is raised against it, save, perhaps, that
of M. ST. MARC GIRARDIN.

None more fully perceive this new turn of
Turkish affairs than the Greeks themselves.
They are quite aware that the Turks are
once more upon at least their military legs, and
there is not one amongst them that dreams of
aggression, or perseveres in the old policy of con-
spiracy with Russia, in the hope of a general in-
surrection of the Christians against the SULTAN.
Russia is no longer in a position to command, and
has no more the spirit or the means to suborn
this so long-pending insurrection. Russia has for
some time desisted from such schemes, however
determined to resuscitate them when they may be
profitable or feasible. And the French EMPEROR
was not prepared to prosecute them alone. It is
in these circumstances that the Greeks have
turned to England as the great example of pro-
gress by peaceful ways.
Enlightened Greeks of this school well know
that their ancient struggle with the Mussulman
is not even suspended by such a policy as this.
The race between them is not to be run merely
on the battle-field, but in that of commerce,
wealth, population, instruction, resources. If

Turks will not trade, will not multiply, if they
cannot emancipate woman and exchange the Harem
for the active domestic life of Europe, they will
never be able to keep their hold of Euro-
pean soil, Their military strength may be re-
vived, and e'en their military superiority shown,
under a young agd spirited SULTAN. The capital
of Western Europe may be elide to Bow into