The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-28 00:00:00

Indifference, brainless Routine, and shameless Im-

becility.
" Our system of Constitutional Government is
on its trial" cry some who ought to know bet-
ter, and others who do. Of what is it accused ?
or what conceivable strain has it not borne ? Ts

_ .
it the fault of our Constitution that a cold-
blooded clique of grasping aristocrats have held
the reins of Government and filled up every im-
portant post with their creatures during a forty
years' peace ; and now that we have War, these
creatures turn out to be incapables—and every
operation of the War and in connection with it
has been bungled, and thousands on thousands of
gallant men have perished miserably through
their incompetency and neglect ? Is this the
fault of the Constitution ? No—we say it is
not. Such a state of things is very bad, but it is
not the Constitution. It is the crime of
a clique and the fault of the people, who,
though in possession of a Representative form
of Government, have not prized and exercised
as they ought their rights and privileges

Omnipotent, humanly speaking, if*hey please, it
is the People, and not the Constitution, who are
on their trial. Having suffered so much by

unwarranted confidence in others, it is to be see n

how far they are capable of righting themselves.
It may be the Constitution is the worthier of the
two. As for the governing clique, its reign .ef
misrule is doomed.

"We are not a military nation"—meanie g
essentially military—say some, quite in earnest, we
believe, though by way of apology for the griev-
ous blunders that have been committed. The
assertion is like truth, but it is not true. As
though a people confessedly brave and fonder of
adventure than any people in the world ware
essentially unmilitary ! A people that actually
make the best soldiers in Europe. A militar y
nation, in a limited sense, we certainly are not ;
but the fault is not immediately with the people.
Essentially the nation is so. In no people do ea
the faw material need less manufacturing to :in-
sure like results. The fact is, the Horse Guari is
have weighed like lead on the military spirit of
the people. The ruling caste have had the col e-
mand of the army so much in their own hands
that hardly any man of intelligent spirit, save
from dire necessity, would enter the ranks. T tie
system of selling commissions, instead of ma.kilg
them the reward of merit, has been an impastalole
barrier and a stumbling-block to talent ; and the
result has been that the ranks having, until of
late, been mainly filled with recruits from Vie
lowest and most ignorant classes, have presents ;d
fewer temptations still to those who were incline d
to enter them.
Let there but be a fair prospect of merit being
rewarded, and it will be seen whether the descen-
dants of the bowmen of Agincourt and Cressy, and
of the victors of many a hard-fought field since,
are a military people or not. It is said also that
the love of economy, natural to an industrious
commercial people with representative institutions,
and which undoubtedly has been indulged in to a
dangerous extent, must ever prevent us from
being at all times the formidable military power
our resources and the risk we incur warrant. We
doubt it. There may have been indiscretion in
carrying economy to a dangerous extent, but that,
we contend, has only been the result of a natural
reaction after a period of profligate expenditure.
The nation, or we are deceived, is too proud wed
too prudent, with all its faults of omission, to
grudge any expenditure needful for its safety arid
the maintenance of its rank among nations.
The cold shade of aristocracy has been on ;
and injustice, as we have shown, is being done it,
to account for the deplorable results.

DETENTION OF THE AMERICAN STEAM.

SHll' HERmANN.

SOUTHAMPTON, WEDNESDAY_MORNINGtv

The mail steam-ship Hermann, which was to
have sailed this day for New York, is detained in
consequence of the great density of the fog. Should
the weather be more favourable she will leave -to-
morrow morning.

LATE ;ST NEWS.

TU E CRIMEA.

RUSSIAN VEI :SION OF THE ATTACK
UPI )N EUPATORIA.

BERLIN, TUESDAY, FEB. 27.

Advices from. St. Petersburg of this day's date
state that the ' following despatch had been re-
ceived from Pr. ince Menschikoff, dated the 19th

of February :

On the 17th a, Portion of the troops encamped
in the neighbou rhood of Eupatoria made a recon-
naissance again, at the town to within a distance of
250 yards (toise s).
They opened. a cross fire of artillery, and in a
short time sue( :eeded in dismounting a portion of
the enemy's gi tans and in blowing up fire caissons
of ammunitio, a.

Haying as sured himself that Eupatoria was
defended by 40,000 men and 100 guns, General
Chruleff, wh• o commanded the detachment, gave
orders to rd tire out of range, which was done in
perfect order r.

At Seban topol the siege does not make progress.
The A.Ti Allery and sharpshooters continue to

annoy the enemy.

On the 13th we blew up a powder magazine in
the French trendies.

BERLIN, FEB. 27.

Lord John Russell had an audience of the King
of the Belgians on Sunday. He sleeps at Magde-
burg to-night, and is expected here to-morrow.
Privy Councillor Titoff, the Russian Plenipo-
tentiary to the Vienna Conferences, has arrived
here.

Baron Prokesch von Osten has been appointed
second Austrian Plenipotentiary to the Vienna

Conferences.

A Russian Imperial ukase declares the Govern-
ments of Woronesch, Kursck-, and Tchernigoff un-
der martial law, and places them under the com-
mand of Prince Gortschakoff.

VIENNA, FEB. 27.

The local papers publish the following intelli-
gence, from a Russian source, dated Sebastopol,

Feb. 18 :

A thaw has begun in the Crimea.
Omer Pasha has his head-quarters ox board a

steamer off Eupatoria.
The garrison of Sebastopol made a sortie
towards the coast, but was repulsed.
Numerous desertions had taken place from the
French Foreign Legion. English deserters desire
to enter the Russian service, and demanded to be

treated as prisoners of war.
The Fremden Blatt publishes advices from
Balaklava, of the 12th of February.
It says that an order of the day had been
issued by General Canrobert demanding 10,000

volunteers for an assault upon a portion of the

'ortress. The whole siege corps reported itself

ready and willing.

MARSEILLES, FEB. 27.
The packet Eau just arrived with news from
Constantinople of the 20th.
Lord Lucan has arrived here from the Crimea,

Ana zat thla Luoi.u.;mg h a. .rooicti groin for

London.

He will demand a court-martial.
General Niel has returned front the Crimea,
and expresses great confidence as to the success of

the siege.
Some deserters affirm that the Emperor Nicho-
las is expected at Sebastopol.
The sorties of the Russians are less frequent
since the Allies have established an improved and

effeetive system of signals.
The health of the troops has improved.
General Vivian is appointed a general of divi-
sion of the Turks, with full powers to organise the
army of Asia.

Circassian volunteers to the number of 40,000
have submitted themselves to regular discipline.
Omer Pacha has lost his son-in-law at Eupa-
toria, by an attack of typhus fever.
M. Koller, the Austrian Ambassador, has ar-
rived, and been received in a very flattering