The Express.
London, England, 1860-06-12 00:00:00

12, 1880.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

RUSSIAN POLICY IN THE EAST.

The Nord of to-day publishes the following cir-
oular, which has been addressed by Prince Gort-
chakoff to the Russian Legations abroad :

St Petersburg, May 26_1860.

The attention which the discussions upon the condition of
the East have excited throughout Europe makes us desirous
of freeing from all error and false or exaggerated interpre•
tation the part which the imperial cabinet has taken, and
the object which it proposes to itself in this matter.
For more than a year the official reports of our agents in
Turkey have made us acquainted with the increasingly
serious condition of the Christian provinces under the rul
of the Porte, and especially of Bosnia,Merzgovina, and Bul-
pria. This condition does not date from to-day ; but far
from getting better, as was hoped, it has become worse
during the last few years. The Christian subjects of his
Majesty the Sultan received with confidence and gratitude
the positive promises of reforms, but they are yet wait-
ing
the practical realisation of • hope which the solemn
action of the Sovereign and the adhesion of Europe had
doubly consecrated. Popular passions and hatreds, far
from becoming appeased, have acquired new animosity ;
acts of violence, the sufferings of the populations, and
finally the events which have occurred in the west of
Europe, and which have resounded throughout the east as
an encouragement and • hope, have ended in producing
agitation. It is clear that such a state of things cannot be
prolonged without peril to the Ottoman empire and to
the general peace.
In this conviction, after having on the tone hand vainly
sought to enlighten the Turkish government on the gravity
of the circumetances, by communicating to it successively
all ,the accounts which have made known to us the abuses
committed by local authorities, and after having on the
other hand exhausted all means of persuasion that we could
use among the Christians in order to induce them to
patience, we have frankly and loyally addressed ourselves
to the cabinets of the great powers of Europe. We have
explained to them the circumstances, as described in the
reports of our agents ; the imminence of a crisis ; our con-
viction that isolated representations, sterile or palliative
promises, will no longer suffice as a preventive ; and also
the necessity of an understanding of the great powers
amongst themselves and with the Porte, that they
will consult together as to the measures which
can alone put an end to this dangerous state
of things. We have not made absolute propositions as to
the course to be adopted. We have confined ourselves to
showing the urgency and indicating the object. As to the
lint, we have not concealed the fact that it appears to us
to admit of no doubt and to allow of no delay. As to the
second, it seems to us to present two distinct phases.
First of all, an immediate local inquiry, with the partici-
pation of imperial delegates, in order to verify the reality
of the facts ; next, an understanding which it is reserved
for the great powers to establish with each other and with
the Porte, in order to engage it tosdopt the neoessaryorgiunc
measures for bringing about, in its relations with the Chris-
tian populations of the empire, a real, serious, and dura-
ble amelioration. . .

There is nothing here, then, in the shape of an inter-
ference, wounding to the dignity of the Porte. We do not
suspect its intentions ; it is the power moat interested in a
departure from the present situation. Be it the result of
blindness, tolerance, or feebleness, the concurrence of
Europe cannot but be useful to the Porte, whether to en-
lighten its judgment or to fortify its action. There
can no loner be a question of an attack on its
rights, which we desire to see respected, or of
creating complications which it is our wish to prevent. The
understanding which we wish to see established between
the great powers and the Turkish government must be to
the Christians a proof that their fate is taken into conside-
ration. and that we are seriously occupied in ameliorating
it. At the same time it will be to the Porte
a certain pledge of the friendly intentions of the'
powers which have placed the conservation of the
Ottoman empire amongst the essential conditions of the
European equilibrium. Thus both sides ought to see ie it
a motive, the Turkish government for confidence and
security, the Christians for patience and hope. Europe,
on its part, rafter past experience, w:11 not, in our
opinion, find elsewhere than in this moral action
the guarantees which a question of first rank de-
' Mande, with which its tranquillity is indissolubly con-
nected, and in which the interests of humanity mingle with
those of policy. Our august master has never disavowed
the strong sympathy with which the former inspire him.
His Majesty desires not to burden his conscience with the
reproach of having remained silent in the face of such
sufferings, when so many voices are raised elsewhere,
under circumstances much leas imperious. We are, more-
over, profoundly convinced that this order of ideas i►inse-
parable from the political interest which Russia, like all
the other powers, has in the maintenance of the Ottoman
empire.
We trust that these views are shared by all the cabinet..
But we are al sr convinced that the time for illusions is
pest ; that any hesitation--any adjournment—will have
grave consequences. In combining, with all our efforts, to
place the Ottoman government in a course which may avert
these eventualities, we believe that we are giving it a proof
of our solicitude, while at the same time we fulfil a duty
to humanity.
By inviting the great powers to associate themselves with
us for this object, we are, we believe, removing all peal-
hility of exclusive views or exclusive interference. Such
is the nature of the overtures which we have addrelhed to the
courts of Berlin, London, Paris, and Vienna. Whatever
may be the result, we are desirous that the motives which
have actuated WI in this matter should be thoroughly
understood. You are, therefore, authorised by the order of
his Majesty the Emperor to read this despatch to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs.—Receive, ice.,

(Wined)

GORTCHANOIT.

SICILY AND NAPLES.
(REPTEJeI Tumours.)
TURIN, Jul' 12.

By ratifying an armistioe between General Lanza
and Garibaldi, the King of Naples has removed
the principal obstacle which prevented foreign
mediation. _ _

From the moment that the King of Naples treats
with the Sicilian revolutionary party as one power
with another, mediation becomes possible without
infringing upon diplomatic formalities. This ex-
plains the sending of the Commander de Martino to
Paris, who is charged, ou the part of Francis 11.,
to submit the bases and the guarantees for the per-
sonal mediation repeatedly invoked by his Majesty
from Napoleon 111. Although authorising the
Commander de Martino to come to Paris, the
Emperor of the French reserves to himself the
liberty of not coming to a decision until after
having received positive overtures from the Neapo-
litan envoy. At all eventa,the court of the Tuileries
does not wish to undertake any mediation unless iu
concert with England and with the other great
powers.
NAPLES, Jose 9 (vIA IWAIIIIIILLEs).
The promulgation of a constitution framed
according to that of France is expected shortly.