The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-09-28 00:00:00

The affairs of the East contirrue more and MOTC (0 per-
plex the councils of statesmen. The new accident of the
rupture between Persia and Russia seems not less alarming
than the state in which some accounts represent the nego-
tiations atlAkermann. Tutkev and Persia arc the outposts
of our Indian empire ; and it may be well that Russia
should have an opportunity of knowing that we possess
the means of supporting these outposts against all its
power. We shall not rest satisfied on this occasion in
flying from the question of danger to be apprehended from
Russia. It must be met boldly. She must be given to
understand that we possess weapons of offence which we
can use against her, and that these weapons are ready pro-
vided for es by the jealousy of all her neighbours.
Against Sweden, against Prussia, against Germany, against
Austria, backed by the support of France and England in
the rear, against Turkey, against Persia, against the In-
dependent Tartars and China, supported by British India,
as well as against the enmity of bar own subjects, the em-
pire of Russia possesses resources more than sufficient to
maintain itself when each of these Powers acts separately
'and without union; but, with concert among the natural
enemies of this overgrown empire, it is clear that the
greatness of its means of offence and defence arc by no
means proportionate to the number of points on which it
may be assailed. It is, like the whale, capable of astonish-
ing efforts both of strength and rapidity, but invariably
the prey of the sword-fish, the shark, or of man-
The Russian nation has not yet produced a single
great tactician ; and, though she might supply her
want of funds for distant expeditions by making the
war support itself in the countries invaded, if she
were once reduced to a defensive war, to which it
must always be easy to reduce a nation like this, that re-
source could not, of course, he made we of, and she would
be compelled to keep on foot bodies of men sufficient to
meet all possible exigencies, on a frontier which places her in
immediate contact withalmost every great State in the world,
including even the United States cf North America. The
true policy of our empire at this moment must be to draw
close the connexion between this country and the States inter-
vening between our Indian dominions and the Russian
frontier. The introduction of military discipline into
Persia and Turkey, though it must at first cause a degree of
weakness in these States, inconsequence oftheir inexperience
in its use, must, in the end, increase their strength, and
facilitate their improvement in other respects; it must be
remembered that the Russian greatness was based on the
destruction of the Strclitzes. To bring things to this
consunnnation is the evident interest of the English Cie-
vernment ; and it is equally the interest of that Govern-
ment to prevent any imprudent step which may be taken
by Persia with regard to Russia. It is true that in her
case, as in that of Turkey, a slight diminution of territory
might promote the real strength of the empire ; but the
experiment of a Persico-Russian war is too hazardous to
allow us to suppose that England w:11 look on uncon-
cernedly. His Majesty's Government has, no doubt, al-
ready made those representations to the Persian Authorities
which will be advisable on the occasion: for our Oasts,
we are not yet by any means satisfied as to the real objects
of the Persian movements; we still entertain hopes that the
excesses of the soldiers have arisen from an ignorance, on
the part of the subordinate officers, respecting the real
oljects of the expedition. The establishment of a sanitary
cordon by a Maliometan nation wool.' be ridiculous, and
consequently that modern invention for covering a warlike
(!enionstmtion must tiecsssarily in their case he supplied by
some other expetlit tit. In this way we should certainly
reason in talking of the projects of an enlightened Go-
vernment ; buttes Asiatic Governments are in most instances
regulated more by caprice than reason, those arguments
which might be considered almost demonstrative in the
former case, may be of no weight whatever on the subject
of Persia. In any case, we are convinced that the
influence of England till prevent a war betvieen Persia
and Russia from being carried to any cansiderable length.

We omitted, in noticing Sir J0!!\ SINCLAIR'S argument
in favour of continued restriction on the Corn Trade,

remark upon the false idea which was given by him of
the relative importance of the landed and commercial in-
terests, by his quotation of the schedules of the Income
Tax for 1811. The proceeds of agricultural produce ex-
ported belong at least as much to commerce as to agri-
culture; for, since the produce of this country is greater
than is needed for its own supply, all the surplus would be
useless for want of a market. Sir Jon N also forgets that great
part of what he assigns to the agricultural interest alone
would be of no use to them but from the internal com-
merce of the State. In fact, a landlord could have no re-
venue without commerce. The farmer is himself in many
cases a merchant, and it is only by his mercantile trans-
actions that he can acquire the means of paying his rents.
What is the value of the greatest agricultural luxuries of
poultry, &c. raised in the intLrior of Ireland, where there
are no means of transportation? Extremely trifling, it
will be allowed, as compared with places where commerce
brings every thing to a ready market. In fact, it is quite
unphiloaophical to separate agriculture from commerce, as
Sir dons: has done: their interests are one, and they can.
not flourish separately. Not a single item of the income
assigned to agriculture could possibly be raised without the
intervention of commerce; and we might just as well assign
the rents of land to the head of commerce as to that of
agriculture, if we adopt the principle of Sir JOHN
Stx-
C LAIN'S classification.

CITY, WEDNESDAY
EVENING.
The British Funds have maintained an hostile disposi-
tion to any thing like depression to-day. At the opening
of the Market Consols were done at SO! ; the next quota-
tion was sot sellers, and they were variously acted upon,
at the rise and fall of 1, as buyers or sellers appeared,
finally closing at their opening quotation of So!, for money,
and sot fur the Account. There was nothing particular
in the state of the Market beyond its firmness, and a ge-
neral appearance of confidence that they will retain their
price, which, indeed, may be inferred from the circum-
stance that large asks—that is, en the scale of the day's
business—have been made without any sensible alteration
having taken place in the market.
Advice, have been received from India, by the Asia, to
the 17th of June; but it does not appear that any event
of particular importance had occurred since the ratification
of the Treaty with the Burmese. The Asia left St.
Helena the 19th of August, at which date his Majesty's
ship Alligator was there, on her way to England with
despatches; she, of course, may be shortly looked for.
The second instalment, payable by the Burmese Govern-
ment, was considered certain, which created great con-
Hence that the Power in question was sincere—this time,
at least—in her wish for peace.
India Bonds felt the effects of this state of things, and
were done as high as 30s. premium, though at the close of
' the Mlrket they did not realize more than 2ss.
Exchequer Bills are at 15 16.
In consequence of a letter received from Jamaica, of