The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-12 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, J.1.117:4/2Y 12.

BLFORE one Turkish question has been well dis-
posed of, we find another taking prominent place in
the discassions of Europe—the war of the loan still
vexes the Mune, when, lo ! up comes the small WU
of Montenegro, to worry the diplomatists and occupy
the journals. From the heat outbreak of this quarrel
we have reported all the obtainable facts upon the
subject, but it now becomes needful tor us to
append a word of comment, for a contemporary
yesterday plactil before the English public a 'state-
ment calculated to give the Austrian and Russian
view of this for..ign struggle—leaving the other and
—as many will think—the best halt of the matter
carefully out of sight. To tell Cho history of the
Montenegro strife as it is told in Vienna—and there
leave it—is to lean to the bide of despotism, and give
weight to that party who desire to disturb the inte-
grity, and to shako still further the independence of
Turkey. It is asserted by tho Tinos that the SULTAN
has "no rights in Montenegro at all." A reference
to the Treaty of Sistow, signed on the 4th of August,
1791, by England as a mediator between Austria
and the l'orto, shows one grouud upon which the
SLLT.tN bases his claims to dominion over the Mon-
tenegrin chief now waging war against him.
It is true that Montenegro was no party to this
treaty; but Montenegrin independence has never
been ackuowleclged, and if it has really ex-
isted, de/into, it has been very similar in character
to the independence of the Highlanda, when the
Romans held tho rest of 131 itaiu. Other
pouers have always acknowledged Moutenegro as
belonging to Turkey. So far as the truth seems at
present discoverable, it may be stated thus—that
since 1791 the Porte.bas possessed an adinitted, though
in fact only nominal, sovereignty over the native
tribes of Montenegro. These mountaineers have
always been a warlike race, and, such is the character
of the country in which they dwell, that the SULTAN
has never been able to levy any kind of tax upon them
so long as they remained in their native fastnesses,
contenting himself with subjecting them to the usual
impost paid by the rajahs, when any individuals of
the tribe visited, or settled in, Constantinople. 'file
Montenegrin ruler may be likened to an Albanian
Ron BOY, living amongst mountains where he and
his men are invincible ; the mountains, ;however,
being very barren, and the people, consequently,
very poor. Many a foray into a neigh-
bouring country has enriched the Yladika at the
cost of the neighbourhood. In fact, the Montenegrins
have for generations been half shepherds, half free-
booters, as Sir GARDINER WILKINSON and other I
travellers bear witness. Though regarded as sub-1
jests of the SULTAN, they have always entertained!
the most deadly hatred to the Turks. Sir Gaanix ea'
11":LICISSON explains, in his book about these people, I
how fiercely their hatred to the Moslems has always
burned, ana tells, moreover, how it has for genera-
tions been certain death for any Turk on any
pretence whatever to cross the Montenegrin fron-
tier. When a Moslem came within the boundary of
Vl.ulika's rule, off at once went the intruder's
head. The skull of a Turkish Pacha of Albania is
described as nailed for years on a gibbet at Tsetiuje,
in token of Montenegrin ability to carry out their
avowed hatred to those who claim sovereignty over
them, ant dares to pass over their border.
Such were the feelings existing between the Albanian
mountaineers and the Turks to whom treaties, had
allotted soy ereignty over them, when DANIEL, the
present ruler of Montenegro, came into power by the
death of his uncle and predecessor. It must be
remembered that the Montenegrins arc followers of
the Greek Church—deriving thus from their belief '
an additional reason for bating the Mussulmen.
The temporal Prince of Montenegro combines in his
own person the spiritual as well as temporal chieftain-
ship of his territory—being in other words the Bishop
as well as the Prince over his subjects—and the CZAR
in the same manner being practically chief of the
Greek Church as well as Emperor of Russia—Rua-
sian influence is more acceptable in Montenegro than
that of the Porte. Indeed the Montenegrin chiefs,
in their spiritual half, have been Bishops of the
Spiritual Establishment of which the Emperor
Ivitcnohari is the Pope. Soon after the accession of
the present Montenegrin Prince DxNIEL to power,
he went to St. Petersbargh, if not to pay
spiritual homage to the Head of the Greek
Church, at least to receive from his spi-
ritual superior that sanction which the head of
a church is able to confer upon a man entitled to the
rank of Bishop in the same communion. In that
Land which forbids newspapers, and where every-
body is knouted who ventures to talk politics, it is
impossible to say how far the fraternisation of the
wealthy Emperor of all the Russiss was extended
towards the poverty-stricken but brave, warlike, and
discontented vassal of the Ottoman Porte. Certain
it is that no sooner had Prince DANIEL returned
some six months ago from the luxurious capital of
tho Cz.ut to his barren native mountains on
the Adriatic, than he began a system of attack
upon those very Turks whose aggressions he,
and his tribe, had before been content to with-
stand. Whether he obtained money or arms, or
any solid rountonance for this, his new mode of pro-
cedure, does not yet appear. Whether he fancied,
like other powers and princes, that the Turkish
Empire is breaking up, and that now was his
time to push his territorial border across the
land extending between his own mountain
fastnesses and the shores of the neighbouring
Adriatic, is not yet discoverable. Certain it is
that he and his countrymen are brave mountaineers
—that they are practically free—that though treaties
have declared them to be subjects of the Porte, they
have themselves only admitted their subjection
when settling within other portions of the Turkish
dominions. Most true, also, is it that the Montene-
grins are kept in a savage state of semi-barbarism
and of half starvation in their barren mountains for
want of some level land like the valley of Scutari
with its port on the neighbouring sea. Certain it is
that on his return from St. Petersburgh, I) %Nish
dressed himself like a Russian, moved his forces in
the direction of the sea, and took by surprise the
Turkish fortress of Zablink ; from which, however,
he has since seen lit to withdraw. Thus stands the
strife at present.
Prince DANIEL may be and doubtless is a patriot
anxious only to aggrandise the people he rules, but
whether he is not also a cat's-paw of the CzAn has
yet to be seen. When he commenced hostile opera-
tions, Russia offered the Porte her services as
mediator—just as Russia offered the same disinte-
rested help in the affair of the Turkish loan.
Russia is determined to have a finger in every
Turkish pie. The more Tialsey is embroiled, the
sooner comes the day of her national dissolution—
the more Russia is mixed up with her affairs, the
greater the claim for a largo dividend, if Turkey
should ever pass into utter bankruptcy and dismem-
berment. Great was the outcry amongst the Turks
when Lord MALMESDURY abetted the arrangement
by which the successors of Ring Onto, of Greece,
are bound to attach themselves to the Church which
has the Emperor of RUeSIA for its chief. That act
was looked upon as a concession of new power to the
Cz tit. So also when another body of Greek church-
men, the Montenegrins, show themselves in revolt
more distinctly than before, and Russia proffers her
mediation, the Turks are indignant. Tho imme-
diate conscioiences of this war are doubtful. If
supplied with arms and ammunition, the Montene-
grins Amy possibly hold their own, despite all the
forces the Porte has sent against them. What they
wish for 's the concession of an extended territory,
with a port on of coast, and independent national
existence; but the probabilities are all against any
such result. If they could escape from the Otto-
man rule, it would only be to fall under that
of Russia. Many will think,—better to be Rob
goys under the SULTAN than serfs under the
Char.

Is the Ministetial re-clestions, the brunt of oppo-
sition has been almost exclusively berme by the
Peelites. The opposition to Admiral BERKELEY
and the ATIORNEI-GENEKAL arose from the spleen
of individuals or local coteries; but the opposition
to Mr. GLADiTONE, Lord DRUSILANRIG, end Mr.
SIDNEY HERBERT bears the character of organised
party rancour. Nor is the source of this opposition
far to seek. Lord DRUSILANRIG, when addressing
the Nithsdale farmers at Dumfries, on Wednes-
day last, laid it bare to public view. '6 Ile
would ask," said his lordship, 4' when they had
first heard of this opposition ? [A voice from
the crowd, Last Saturday.'] Well, on Thurs-
day last he was in London ; ho called in at the
Carlton Ciub—they all knew he supposed what that
was—it was a piece where Tory elections were
managed under tue superintendence of Major BLUES-
ror.D. They had heard of Mr. nun., and others
like him. It was a place where a rod in pickle was
kept for naughty boys who would not support men
like Lord DERRY. When he went in, he met there
a Dumfriesshire gentleman. He would make no
secret of the matter, but give his name. It was
Mr. BVTLER JOIINSToNE. Mr. JOHNsTONE was a
good friend of his :he said, Come here, DRCIII.AN-
RIG, I want to talk with you. Do you expect to
be opposed in Dumfriesshire ?' He (Lord Dm; aILaN-
Rte) said he did not think so; he did not
see any reason why he should be opposed now.
' Well; said Mr. JOUNSToNE, I can tell you, you
will be opposed. It was all talked over here last
night ; several names were mentioned, but it was not
settled who the man was to be.' He (Lord DRT:St-
LANRIG) could have mentioned all their names, but he
thought it better not to do so. So then the inde-
pendence of the county was to be kept up by the
Carlton Club."
The story of the opposition in Dumfriesshire is
the story of the opposition in Wiltshire and the
University of Oxford. It is no local independent
opposition ; it is not even the opposition of the Der-
byite (much less of the Conservative) party; it is
'simply and solely the opposition of W. B. and his
organised allies and agents in the Carlton and else-
where. It is a continuance of the splenetic attack
upon Mr. GLADsToNE and Lord Maws in the
Carlton Club; an attempt to give the Pcelites who
voted against the DEr.ev Budget as much annoyance
as possible, since there is no prospect of being able to
realise the humane suggestion of strapping them up
to as many gibbets in Pall-mall.
'I he despondency of the DERBY-DISRAELI party is
placed in a strorg light by this fact. All of its
members who have any character to lose have re-
signed themselves, for the time at least, to inaction.
Only the electioneering agency bestirs itself, and
that to revenge itself upon quondam friends, to
whom it attributes the melancholy fact that
" (and a much blacker than Othelle's) occu-
pation's gone." These worthies find it hopeless to
hoist the DERBY flag. Sir WILLIAM JARDINE, their
candidate in Humfriesshire, declares that he does
not intend to ofqe:se Lord ABERDEEN ; Mr. BAILLIE
COCHRANE, their ally at Southampton, repudiates
Mr. DtenALLl's Budget.
W. B. and his colleagues are noways particular in
their choice of candidates. The proverb says any
stick will do to beat a dog with; and any stick that
comes to their hand they use against these odious
Peelites. In Dumfriesshire it is a great ornitho-
logist, who has not, it is true, much distinguished
himself by his writings, but who is allowed to
be ono of the handiest staffers of birds in the
Idngdotn. In Wiltshire it is that last survivor
GI " the Fancy " GRA.NTLEY BERKELEY, of
°punch-in-the-head" celebrity; at Oxford, it is
a gentleman who is alleged to resemble Sir Toby
'Belch, in having " a most weak pia mister." One
and all of these notables take the field under false
pretences. GRANTLEY BERKELEY has the effron-
tery to invite the Wiltshire farmers to rally round
the standard of Protection, as if it 'acre anywhere to
be found. The anonymous committee, who act
for Mr. PERCEVAL, declaim against Mr. GLADSTONE'S
itomanising tendencies, and are supported by the
vote of Mr. BENNETT, of Frome (formerly of St. Bar-
nabas). Sir Wat. JARDINE, too, is horrified by the
lax Protestantism of the Peelites, although when
Lord DRUKLANRIG, about the time when the Eccle-
siastical Titles Bill was introduced, called a meeting
of the county of Dumfries to protest against
Romanist encroachment, both Sir W. JARDINE,
and his bottle-holder, Mr. IAcALDINE PENNINO, re-
fused to countenance the movement.
Verily, Derby-Dieraelism is on its last legs. While
the moody chief sits brooding over the thought,
"The Thanes fly from me, his jaunty and
delrotiaair colleague is meditating what " combi-
nation " he shall try next—what party he shall
attempt to tack himself on to. And the poor
snakes, W. B. and Co., already half-frozen in " the
winter of their discontent," arc wriggling about,
vainly attempting to bite.
It only remains to offer a remark upon the strange
Lamination which the Carlton Club appears to possess
for the Peelites. All the uncivil treatment they there
experience cannot prevent Mr. GeADsToNE, Lord
DRUMLANRIO, and others of their party, from sneak-
ing into it on all occasions. Ono could fancy they
liked it the better for the contumelies they arc there
subjected to. They resemble a bevy of Feria,
whom there is no driving from the gates
of Paradise. They are like broken-spirited lovers,
who doat the more on some haughty mistress the
worse she uses them. It is no doubt hard to be
driven from an old-accustomed house of call. We
remember a tradition of our boyhood illustrative of
this. In a Scotch royal burgh there was a tavern
in a poor alley, much frequented even by the
wealthier class of residents. One good lady was
much annoyed by this low taste in her husband, who
spent two or three hours every evening in "Moss.
PATEN'S." One day she ventured on a voyage of dis-
coverv,and insisted upon examining theroom in which
her liege lord and his cronies " picked the sweet of the
night." It was a mean little apartment, with a
sanded floor, some cumbrous chairs, and a dark un-
seemly table, richly garnished with spittoons. She
was at the trouble of having a fac-simile fitted up in
her own house—as Sir JosErU PAXTON is fitting up a
fac-simileof SENACIIERIB's palace in the Crystal Palace.
She prevailed upon her husband to bring his friends
thither instead of going to " Mom, PATEN'S." For
two evenings they tried it ; but it was " slow work,"
not the genuine article, and on the third they stole
away again to the old accustomed hostelry in the
Boat Vennel. Even so is it with the Peelites and
the Carlton Club. But "MOLL PATEN'S" was a
quiet, well-ordered house ; there were never any
brawls there that required the interference of the
police. As much can scarcely be said of late in be-
half of the Carlton.

HUMBOLDT ON ENGLISH AMBASSADORS.