The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-07 00:00:00

_LQZ.ZDON, SATURDAY;. APhIL , 7, -1855!,

The -:Conferencei at Vienna have been sus-
pended during holy meek The arrival of ?L.
DROTTYN' DE i'HITYS was, almost -as a matter of
course, the signal for farther procrastination.
Prince GORTSCHATC6PF requiratfresh instructions
from his Imperial Master, which could -not arrive
before the 10th inst., and accordingly the meet-
ing of Diplomatists has been adjourned until that
day, when it is to be hoped that something decisive
may., take place. It indeed; time that the
solemn -farce.should be brought to -a conclusion-
that, the Russian Plenipotentiary should be in-
vested with ample powers to arrange the terms on
which gar dpfinite, treaty ,Ixiay ,14e c.ncluded, and
that without further equivocation he will explain
4iSreal,intentions. We believe that, if possible,
s the distinguished representative' of France will
bring dim to point-7-but nothing. save
the most energetic course, -• cats do. so.
There must , be". an,, couched in
language so elear -and: unmistakeable, • that
raw qni iblTng disputes, or *ained' iiiterpre-
tatiouccan he put .forward . at any future time.
The arriiver to that demand must- be a simple
or No.- No explanatiolwrqualifications can
be admitted, and the abgenCe of such- an4wez
within a limited—period must lie'
regarded as-a breaking'oft of the negotiation, land
the sigija,l7- for the return of 1.1141 k representatives
-of -France and England to -their respective 'court.
triet;

Such summary .proceedings may be by no means
-delonsles regles. They may be altogether opposed
to diplomatic humbug; and may cause pert officials
to
-stand aghast with real horror. But it is time
-to discard conventional rules, when they are opposed
to the national interests. Too many sacrifices
have already been offered up. on, the altar of "red
tapism." We may learn from the example af-
forded by Prince MrscniKoiry at Constantinople,
-in 1853, how Russian diplomatists would act
under circumstances similar to those in which
-Lord JORN RUSSELL and M. DEOUYV DE L'HUYS
are now 'placed ; and on such a point we may
condescend to receive a salutary lesson from the
adversary. Russia will not give away a single
point. She will make no concession so long as
there is the slightest chance of obtaining better
terms. She will cavil and dispute about "the
ninth part ,of a hair's-breadth," if, by doing so,
she can reap any profit, however trivial ; and, as
we have repeatedly pointed out, she is troubled
with no scruples respecting her character for
honesty or consistency. She possesses an im-
mense advantage in the wordy strife, being ready
at any moment to shift her position and to take
advantage of any contingencies arising during the

negotiations.
From the male fides already displayed, we may
learn how vain would be the hope, how futile the
reliance placed on the strict observance of any
verbal pledges on her part. We have seen the
many shiftiug3 and evasions already resorted to
on every possible occasion, and how can we hope
. tint the leopard will suddenly become immacu-
14te--that the negro will cast his skin ? The
late AUTOCRAT . , showed how indispensable he con-
• amered ~,Material guarantees," and we may re-
speet his
what
he
wameamory for teaching us the word ; but
fused to ~ s° ready to demand he totally re-
. our Islam. Sea F
---' , , c-nPede,• " Leave us Sebastopol and
lea," sa the Russians, and II
eyeryt,hing. else that can y .
will be granted. .ve reasonably be required
other things ' why ? Because 17 likely, indeed ! And
all
fiords are wind,.. .u.- l are valiwiess!
4Romises
o
and Russia will . ,may be broken,
not to troubled with
scruples when the fittinc, ortunit
undue
pp ' '
Already. she speculates •on the • Y. arises.
. period when (1*
sensions may arise between the -Western powersS
and she will be quite satisfied to b' ;1
"le her time
provided she retains the power in her ila,„d
ready to make a deadly attack on the
arrival of.
the auspicious moment.
. . :We may also perceive from passing events how
completely the German Powers are under the
.. .
eePtlol, we had almost said the vassalage, of the
. CZAL . Austria, solemnly pledged to the Western
Powers, still pays compliments to the adversary
against whom; if the slightest credence be attached
to ber professions, she iP speedily about to assume
arms. She also moves heaven and earth
to alllow him to retain the means of
offebee to preserve intact " the standing
menace to Europe," under which she herself quails, 1
and in cOnsequence whereof she dares not speak to

her dangerous neighbour, save " with bated
breadth and deep humility." Would Austria
thus degrade herself if Sebastopol were razed to
the earth t Most decidedly not. She would no
longer be the fawning and obedient lacquey, the
ready instrument to carry out the behests of the
Northern Despot. Then she would exhibit some
degree of independence, and woull dare to speak
' and act for herself.
Prussia, too; is testifying her unbounded devo-
tion. to Jill new Autocrat. Her ingenuity is
taxed to the utmost to do him honour. Chosen
regiments are named after hie deceased father_ to
preserve-his 'memory to 'all" future generations.'
The minor powers of Germany are follow
ing - ,the example. - Even Belgium herself,
not -contented with the ominous ' neu-
trality she has so long observed, is despatch-
ing new emissaries to the Court of. ::St. ,
. _
Petersburg: We learn 'by !It letter from St*
1
Petersburg, of the. 24th run., that " Count de
„
Blum-, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Pleni,
potentiary of the King of the Belgiana, hail, on
,the'PreviOus dat, presented his new credentials to
the' Emperor kr.EvA.Nunn." This is the unkindest
cut of ilf.'"' Well may England . exclaim ‘.‘,e,!-tit
Brute,"! when she sees , the* Sovereign who owes
_,
everything.- to 'her—who *as taken from petty
lodgings4a espouse the presuniptive, heiress' to the
British :ThAthewho has so, long been the well-
paid pensi;ar-4
_the United Kingdom, and...NOlo3e
' nephew is therermsort of our dearly-love‘,sovi-
r nzi`o--',z, thiailiOincli marked compliments- to
Russiaii senxiingdinn: Envoy, ~ Extraordinary an.44_
141,44 .:.,,t4Potent-lai4yr, Possibly -to ' nego
, tiate .i!cigpointitige "the 4 iiiingdoin of Thuriu-
. -i.4 7- Is 004. lie ihatio'!Euglatid to : waive
,-- her just' demi/A:lt These are matters that should
;44 ite*ardedf,ligiatly. .Ak.. such a crisis every-
,-
thing is important., A stra4'thrown up,
,shows,
the quaik!rOnf,..which the Wind' blowS, and the
mission of the.dnlnt de BRIFIishoill&only in. duCe
the pcdples of France arid England to insist" with
more: intlexae.xesolution on. that,Which alone can
leaci.t&:a. PeiMNfient- and honourable peace—to
44 (4n,
repeat with unanimity throughout both countries,
" DELExpA, EtSEBASTOPOL," as an indispentable
condition of anitreati that J?3.ay be coneliNd iy
'their rtpteseittAtities.
7;

. J ~~

Important ' eyebts of a warlike character have
already been mentioned in these columns' as hdv-
Ing transpired within the last twelve months eise-
where: thaii 'before Sebastopol. The retrospective
-glance ' recently. taken by us at these remarkable
occurrences of' 1854-5 was preceded, it will be
remembered; Eby. a rapid summary of the -relative
situations in regard to eaclynther of the different
States of the' European Continent. In this par-
ticular it should be especially recollected that,
while Russia. .laas been strenuously opposed by
Tarlfs,j,.ancl while Turkey has been no less stren-
uously supported, is this opposition to Russia by
France and England, the remaining great Powers
•
have occupied very contrasting positions indeed--
some maintaining' a timorous neutrality, while
some,. again, on the contrary, have evinced, more
or less crpenly; a sympathy for the cause of one or
.other o 4 the belligerents, Greece, for example,
betrayed her complicity with the CZAR by a

rebellions nein, only to be repressed by
the appearance of certain squadrons' Off the
Piraeus, and the marching of certain troops from
the Piraeus td the Acropolis. Sardinia has since
then nianifeSteA a totally different feeling in re-
ference to the course pursued by the AUTOCRAT, .
by valiantly placing at the disposal of the Allies a
very powerful and opportunely-contributed con-
tingent 4ititiia, instead of chivalrously enter-
ing upon any decided path like thatichosen for
themseliii'v the lesser States of Genoa and Sar-
l-diniai has, by playing fast, and :loose, to the very
end of the chapter, been consistent even in the
midst of her apparent inconsistencies.. Prussia all
the white Snecesiftilly 'carrying out her own paltry
.designs by the seemingly impracticable means of
nototieusly unsuccessful negotiations. , it has
throughai}t, moreover, been. anxiously :expected
by every -More sanguine observer of these 'proceed-
ing that Naples .and,. Tuscany might imitate the
deeisioMattelyarriyed at by the Court
.of Turin;
and so far emulate the policy of the- Piedmontese
-Cabinet, as to-avow. their sympathy for the cause
-of the Western Allies in ,the, tardy, indirect po-
sition presumed to 'have been very recently' re-
solved npori for adiiptiOn by Spain and 'Portugal.
Whereai,, • strange to tell,-neither Belgium nor
Pranoyei-; , bciund—tto an active co-operation
with :this country—we might not unreasonably
have -e'cinjectured, if only because of -the generally
effectual bonds of dynastic association, 'have ex-
tricated thernselVesfrom, the paralysing influence
exercised by tte.insinceriti of Austria, and to the
obstinacy of Pruisia over the whole political con-
geries of the Ger Manic ASsociation. Considerably
greater probabilities of an ultimate rupture with
the autocracy :of St. Petersburg being manifested,
in truth, :by Sweden and Denmark, if any degree
of reliance can ;be placed in the information de-
rived at-intervals-in:intStockholm and Copenhagen.
Such,. we here take occasion to repeat, has been
the actual situation in regard to each other,
_dur-
ing the past year of warfare on the .banks of
the Danube,' and along' the coast of the Crimea,
of the principal aaiong the great'European nation-
alities.

Meantime, as already observed, there have
been events of enormous importance taking place
contemporaneously in various remote parts both of
the eastern and western hemispheres.
Recently we have particularised several among
the more remarkable of these political occurrences
in the last mentioned, namely, in the western
hemisphere. We have enumerated in this manner
—the continuance of the civil war in Mexico ; the
outbreak of revolution in Peru; the agitation of
new and sinister designs in California, With a view-
to its organisation as an independent democracy ;
the revival at Washington of divers nefarious
schemes in the way of territorial spoliation, to the
end that the United Stites might absorb Cuba, for
example, as well as Senora and the Sandwich
Islands, among the rest of its gigantic annexations.
Added to all which, a recollection has riot been
lost of yet more distant incidents of a scarcely less
arresting significance, incidents such as that sudden
outbreak at Ballarat, from which some notion may
be gleaned as to the nature of our imperial tenure
upon the loyalty of our far-off colonists in
itu4ratasia.,

A reference may subsequently be adventured
npfni, we cannot but think not altogether injudi-
ciously, as.to the political- events of more than
ordinary magnitude which have been simulta-
neauslytaking place elsewhere than on the shores
Of the Euxine, or even within the ample 'bounda-
rie‘Pf t' .., ' e
iro
, in numerous scattered quarters of
trtnd, sitle.
the
eRCI World,
theosira, it
clads 'of
cb:Lumbueuens, distinctively
this :eastern
Ile'llisPl*o- :it
, will therefore be perceived,! rapidly
(.311ou
l''' 136'1d. ;(I°"t, tit occurrences of im-
porta,nce 'have not been restricted to the resolute
defenders of, Sebastopol 'o
, r . the heroi;c assail-1
i ants of that great fortress from- the dir4ction of
1 Kamiesh or of Balaklava. It will
!3b rtognised
that we have bad reasons enow for insist
b in
ag upon
the advisability of popular attention` a
t,
'''