The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-07 00:00:00

ViSPApER

influence of Parliament, and oven, to c'Aggrefecit j\,_,
• ~._. 4.1-- .carrj'en ~'--,.:•,'-_,
tent, the influence and authority of
the course of public policy beyond t clpeS:e4e'of the. So- -7e,;" 1,
ifurs
vereign. They prevent a sudden hreai =iii --the candrint .: :-:1-
of public affairs, and produce a continuity in the system '
of government. Nothing of this kind exists in the:semi-
Oriental empire of Russia. We know frOm experience
how much depends upon the character, upOn the opi- _
nions; and upon the conduct of the reigning Sovereign.
A remarkable instance of that fact I will take the liberty
of mentioning to jou. Near the end of the long ministry
of Pitt, in the year 1801,.We had been for some time at
peace. with Russia • we were on friendly terms with
Paul, who was then Emperor. Some disputes about
neutra) trade involved-Us in difficulties with the Northern
Powers: The Emperor Paul organised, with other na-
tions of the North, what was then called the armed neu-
trality. He entered into amicable negotiations with
Napoleon, with whom we were then at war. He laid
an embargo on English merchant vessels in his.harbours,
and declared himself hostile -to England.. The result
-was that Mr. Pitt lost no time in-declaring War -lapinst
the members of the armed neutraiity. He sent Nelson
to bombard Copenhagen. The bombardment was hardly
over, and the place taken, and he was-ahout to proceed
to attack Russia, when the Emperor Paul was murdered
one night in his palace. That event waS" as-sudden as
the death of the Emperor Nicholas. 1 hill: read to you
what Sir Archibald Alison gays mhi " Hiet ry of Eu-
rope " on this subject.:—"But while everything .ehus
announced the commencement of a desperate an bloody
war between England and the Northern Paevere, an event
took place within the palace of St. Peter4burg which at
once dissolved the Northern confederacy, defeated the
sanguine hopes of Napoleon, and changed the face of the
world. This Was the death of the Emperor Paul, which
took place on the night of the 23d March, 1801, and led
immediately to the accession of Lis San Alexander, and a
total changeot policy on the part cf the Cabinet of St.
Peterbburg." Alison then proceeds to describe the mea-
sures of the young Emperor. The eldest eon of the late
Emperor has succeeded peaceably to the throne, and it
is believed that his views are pacific. Fai be it from
me to attempt to penetrate into the interior of the
Russian palace. I know not what policy the new Em-
peror of Russia may adopt ; but I may venture tolope
that the fact to which I haVe called.your attention may
form a prognostic of what we have now to expect from
the new Emperor. If, however, it should please that
mighty potentate to continue in the course of aggression
upon which his father had entered, and if our reasonable
hopes of a more pacific policy should be disappointed,
then let him know that in England. he will find a coun-
try prepared to maintain its owneights and the rights of
other nations—a country which, although its array has
been placed in a perilous position, and has had to undergo
the rigours of a Russian winter, has its resources un-
impaired, has its revenue flourishing, has its trade sub-
stantially, undiminished, has its spirit unbroken; and
will be prepared, in case of necessity, to vindicate its
own-honour, and to maintain the rights and liberties of
Europe. (Applause.) -

STIR LING.
The election of a member to. serve in Parliatnent in
the room of the late Mr. FoFbes, of Callender, took
place at Stirling, on Monday.
JonN MURRAY,' Esq., of Poi:talks, proposed Peter
Blackburn, E4q., of Killearn, as a fit and
.proper persoa
to represent the county in Parliament.
The nomination was seconded in a few sentences by J.
G. ADAM, Esq., of Denovan.
No other nomination having been made, the Sheriff
-declared Mr. Blackburn, of Killearn, duly elected as
member for Stirlingshire.
Mr. Blackburn returned thanks to the electors for the
honour they had done hrm in electing him their repre-
sentative, more especially as ho had not been able to
make a personal canvas, but had been proposed by his
friends in his absence on a long voyage.