The Express.
London, England, 1856-05-05 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, MAY IL

AN impression appears to have goes abroad that
the debate on the Treaty of Peso, will not be very
ballasted or protracted in either Hones. It sometimes
happens, indeed, that the moat experienced find
themselves deceived in such anticipations; that an
eager discussion arises where nobody looked for
one, and that a debate expected to be eager goes off
like after& in the pan. But the result of the Bars de-
bate has made Ministers confident ; and everybody
bele that the national opinion of the Poses is too de-
cidedly formed to be materially influenced by Par-
liamentary division&
When hostilities were first declared, the ima-
ginations of men were filled, not only with
the sufficiently momentous interests at stake
in the war itself, but with all the wider
issues to which it might ultimately lead.
The immediate objects of the war were em-
braced in a tempera, ively moderate compass, and were
clearly defined. The CZAR had, through his envoy
MENTCHIROII, urged demands upon the Porto, com-
pliance with which wee incompatible with the inde-
pendence and integrity of the Ottoman Empire.
These demands not being complied with, a Russian
army occupied the Danubian Prineipallties,avowedly
for the purpose of compelling the Bovrew to yield.
Such proceedings were of themselves sufficiently
unequivocal; but the convenatioce of the late Ex-
PZZOR of Mesta with Sir HAMILTON ISITMOUR
respecting " the dying mu," left not the pos-
sibility of a doubt that the object of the
Russian Government was to reduce Turkey to
the condition of a vassal Etats ; sr, failing
in that, to
Turkish provinces as possible. It wee to repel this
audacious and lawless aggression of the Cult that
France and England entered the field es the allies of
the Porte. The first object of the Allied Powers wee
to expel the invaders from the Ottoman territory;
the next wee to extort from Ramis material guaran-
tees that each aggressions should not be persisted in
sr repeated.
_ __ _ __

Thies were the direct, immediate, avowed objects
of the war. Bet all experiecos has shown that when-
ever so many great European POINT. have been in-
volved in hostilities the coolest has rarely termi-
nated without extending to other assn of
quarrel, and involving other combatants In the
fray. And the state of Re ape in 1864 rendered
such an extension of the straggle extremely pro-
bable. The embers of the essfiagradee el 1848 con-
tinued to burn smosideringly over the whole Coati-
neat. The victors feared, and the vanquished
hoped, that the belligerents is their meare.h for allies
might afford oppoetneitise for renewing a contest
which had so recently terminated. The Liberals of
England and Europe contemplated this possibility,
not only without apprehension,but rather with a hope.
fal expectation. The more thoughtful and farsighted
smog them had, indeed, little faith in the possi-
bility of establisbiag the caves of popular liberties
and independent nationalities throughout Europe by a
general war; but they believed that is the coarse
of protracted hostilities acesething might occur to
amble the trampled nations to sesset their rights
with better chasers of season. The Polish patriots
foresaw the possibility of an attempt to weaken
Eris by an appeal to the aspirations of the Poles
after indepeedenee ; the Hungarians were as the
watch for some opportunity of renewing their efforts
for emancipation that might arise oat of the waver-
lag, tortarms coarse of policy puma by Austria;
the Italians flattered themselves that, while the
attention of their foreign oppresses was concentrated
on other regions, an occasion might offer to break
their chains. Had the power of Resets suf-
ficed to prolong its resistance to the jest
demands el the Allies, there as be no doubt
that some, if sot all, of these visions would have
been realised; and all the earnest Meads of liberty
throughout the world were on the outlook to embrace,
and turn to good assent every opportunity of pro-
moting the great came of freedom that might present
itself. As usual, the sanguine and inisginadve re-
garded these contingencies as esetainties.
In seeking to form a jest estimate of the chario-
t*: and value of the Peace that has jest been coo-
chided, it will be necessary to bear oonstaatly in
mind the distinction between the Weal objects of the
war, and what might have beams its objects had it
bees ssfaciently prolonged. If satisfactory 'se-
venties for the independence and integrity of the
Ottoman Empire have been obtained, and if the poli-
ties sad prospects of the Liberals of Europe have
:wired no detriment--still more if they have In any
respects bees improved—we shall have every piens
to be satisfied with the results of the Coaforoacos at
Paris.

In so far u Turkey is eceesnied, the condition of
the Peace appear to be perfestly satisfactory. The
Turkish territory has bees cleared of invaders, sad
will soon be left free from the premise eves of
friendly foreign armaments. The Ruda' Seat in
the Black See has been redwood to a few guards
eosgas, maintained solely for pupates of miaridme
polio.; and the military and naval arsenals of Russia
on that sea are to be suppressed. The SULTAN is
enabled to keep on fo3t a squadron for the main-
tenance of a maritime polio* equal to that of Rae-
sia and all the great commercial powers will
have cumuli in every port of any cousequates in the
Eaxine, who—in concert with the vessels of war
which England, France, Sardinia, and Autria are
entitled to maintain there—will keep a vigilant
watch over every demonstration of Russia. The
Cult has expressly renounced the iniquitous claims
onis predecessors to exercise ads facto sesersinty
over Turkey ; and three great Powers by an =pram
Treaty have recognised the Ottoman Empire as a
member of the European system of States, and declared
that any fat ure encroachments on its in &penance and
integrity by Russia will be regarded by them as a
easus beili. In so fu as mere conventions can give
security to Turkey, it is pieced by the Treaties of
the Paris Con femurs in as immeaserably
better position than it ever occupied before. Is
so far as its capabilities for self-defence are
unearned, an opportunity is afforded it of dove-
lepieg its moral and material resources; whilst
Russia will require many years of pesos to repair the
exhaustion of its finances and resources entailed upon
it by the war. With referee°, to the immediate
objeets for which hostilities were coommesesd, we
may, therefore, without hesitation se reserve, declare
that they have bees folly attained.

With regard to the position and poppets of
the Liberals of Europe, the duration of the war bee
been too Mkt to admit of eeptbiet beteg tinted for
this by warlika MOM; go log, howffer, fees being

deteriorated by the results of the war and the Begot's-
aces at Paris, both the one and the other an palpably
improved. The necessity of making as effort to
establish the independence and liberty of Italy ban
been ',leanly recognised by the English, Preece,
and Sardinian Governments. Three great principles
have been proclaimed—that Italy ought to be
liberated from the presence of foreign troops; that
coccessions ought to be made by all the despotic
Governments of the Peninsula to the aspirations of
their subjects after a regulated liberty; and that the
Government of the Roman States ought to be
secularised. As for Hungary, the free navigation of
the Danube will give an impetus to the progress of
the nation in wealth and intelligence, whiles perma-
nent, though as yet unavowed, fend is established
between Russia and Austria. We place little re-
liance on the very tardy lip-homage to the
wrongs of Poland ; but we have faith in
the effects that will be produced within the
territories subject to the Cult by the growth of indus-
trial enterprise, and we hail with satisfaction the per-
manent organization of a Polish wipe in the service
of the SULTAN. Even what is about to happen in some
minor Eastern States is full of good augury. The
wretched government of Greece will be compelled to
give pledges for an improved administration ; the
civil liberties of the Wallachians will be confirmed ;
and it will be impassible for any English government
to turn a deaf ear to the demands of the Cimme rian.
for a recognition of their independence both of the
CZAR and the SULTAN. As for the muttered threats
easiest the liberty of the Belgian press, we regard
them as a mere bream" felines: it is not by
suppressing the liberty of the press in
other countries, but by restoring it in his
own, that the Emperor of the PRINCE moat seek to
make his dynasty permanent. Then can be no
doubt that the termination of the war finds some of
the European despotisms with exhausted exchequers,
and some with diminished prostige, while the deter-
mination of their subjects to persevere in the struggle
for extended liberties has been in no way abated, and
the cultivation of the arts of peace will necessarily
lacrosse their power to exact compliance with their
wishes. The European straggle between despotism
and liberty—between rational government and the
monstrous usurpation of dynasties and arietocracies--
.

goes on as before; only the Liberals of Europe
must now seek for the accomplishment of,
their alms by other means than a general war.
After the experience of the wan of the French
revelation, every rational Liberal must admit that
armies, though sometimes unavoidable, are extremely
apt to be equivocal, instruments for the establishment
of free sad rational governments, and most, there-
for*, be well pleased to resort to other agencies for
advancing the emancipation of mankind.
On these grounds we confidently expect that the
sober sad rausered approbation of the Pesos, already
expressed by the British public, will be ratified by
both Housed Parliament.

FINE ARTS. •