The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-11 00:00:00

enable him to meet the impending crisis, by rous-
ing the defenders of Sebastopol from that state of
despondency to which the same feeling on their
part has very naturally given rise.

However this may be, the order in question is
a remarkable one, and well calculated to produce
such an impression. Commanders-in-Chief have
not in general been distinguished for the sound-
ness of their theological attainments, and Russian
generals have by no means proved themselves an
exception to the rule ; on the contrary, they have
done most to establish it, for of all others they
have dealt most with the religious element. This
may possibly have arisen from the little effect any
other moral influences have on the peasantry,
who constitute in the main the armies of Russia,
national pride and honour doubtless being mere
words with them apart from their religion. And
of the debased character of that religion, and the
imbruted state of the soldiery, the order of
PrinceG°
auTsSCuHwAAKROLFwer
gives seunffigy, ;,'gent proof. By
Igo means
the Prince,
unable to emulate 'ale laconic and vigorous blas-
phemyof that successful General, follows a fashion
of his ow;, in harmony with his character, and the
cirer-imStances with which he is surrounded. In-
stead of being clear and energetic, he is muddy
and confused, and his blasphemy is without re-
demption, unless it be attributed to his fear. In
the earliest times the hierarchy of the Greek Church
—he tells the troops within Sebastopol—have given
their benediction to the troops armed for the de-
fence of the country ; and this benediction, which
called for the presence of certain sacred images in
their midst, was the source of all their suc-
cesses. The images, or the benediction ? Or
the images and the benediction ? Or was
the presence of the images part of the bene-
diction ? From what follows, it would appear
the images, and not the benediction, are
the source of success. Owing a good deal,
as we always thought, to General Frost,
the Duke of WELLINGTON, and the forces
under their command a Russian army once found
its way into Paris. This appears to have been a
mistake on our part, for the Prince goes on to
say, by way of illustration, it was the presence of
" the sacred and miraculous image of the Holy
Virgin, the mother of GOD, from Smoleuski,"
that gave them victory and led them there.
What that Holy Image is now about, in allowing
her faithful Russians to be cooped up in Sebasto-
pol, and have their walls and dwellings battered
about their ears, he does not say, nor why their
celestial intercessor don't take a merciful view of
the subject, and set to work and use her influence
to soften and convert their warlike enemies to
peace. What he aims at is to raise the spirits of
the depressed soldiery, by reminding or inform-
ing them that they have got both a benediction
and an image of the first class upon and among
them, and the prayer of their countrymen to
boot, suro auguries of success that no
less a personage than his Eminence the
metropolitan PHILARETE DE KIJEFF, after the
example of ancient times, has blessed them, and
" the sacred and miraculous image which repre-
sents the ascension of the Mother of GoD" has
been brought out of the catacombs of Kijeff to
lift them up—that miraculous image that was
conferred in bygone times (the Prince is not
specific as to dates, though anything within a cen-
tury would have done) by " the Mother of GOD on
that temple, as a pledge of the eternal protection
which is_ granted to orthodox Russia." Under
such auspices, and with such a protector and in-
tercessor, he might be fancied adding, " fight
like devils." The simultaneous appearance of the
Archbishop of Kherson and the miraculous image
was doubtless a happy coincidence. At all events,
it is gratifying to learn that the prelates of the
Russian Established Church are not deterred by
the roaring of cannon from comforting the
faithful under their charge (fancy an English
bishop visiting his besieged and battered flock).
But how it came to pass that the prelate gave the
sacred image the go-by, and blessed them with
the image (we get at the use of the image at last)
of St. MITOPIIAN, we are unable to discover, any
more than we can make out how the present made
to the city of Sebastopol " reproduces the sacred
and miraculous picture of the ascension of the
Mother of GoD." This, however, we can do :
we can assure ourselves " doubly sure " that the
miraculously-reproduced picture, and the benedic-
tions and promises of victory of the Russian Arch
Priests, are worthy of the career of robbery in
which Russia has been arrested, and that a people
that can be so imposed upon and need such stimu-
lants are so sunk in brutality and superstition as
to be dangerous, if unrestrained, to the civilisa-
tion of Europe,