The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-18 00:00:00

NOW OR NEVER.

So bursts the Austrian bubble—ending as we have all
along foretold. And very fitly does it end with the dis-
persion of the other bubble it sprang from—the persua-
sion that England and France of themselves were not
strong enough to bring Russia to reason. On this the
Aberdeen policy entirely turned. A belief that German
co-operation was indispensable to success, a• d not any
faith in the justice of the war, sustained it ; and its
principal representatives have signalised their continued
belief in the necessity of such help by declaring, as soon
as it became hopeless, for an abandonment of the war.
Now there is nothing so certain as that the present
war should not only not be prosecuted, but should never
have been entered upon, if that reasoning were correct.
If England and France were so weak against Russia
that the only
,hope of humbling the Czar lay in alliance
with Austria, the existing condition of the latter empire
should also have male it plain that Russia had but to
concede those points that immediately interested her in
any material sense, to withdraw her at once from such a
league. And this is what with perfect success the Czar.
has done. He gave up the Danube and the Principali
ties, and forthwith Austria sheathed the sword. Worse
dangers lie at a little distance, but what is nearest touches
us most. Little does it matter to Austria, neighboured
by Hungary and Italy, that the Czar should still menace
Constantinople and A-ia Minor, the eastern portion of
the Mediterranean, or the whole East itself. •

But the result of such a war policy on the part of
Fiance and England, carried so far and then abandoned,
would have been a practical guarantee to Russia against
future hostile demonstration. After such an effort to re-
cede with all the objects of the war unaceomplished
would have confessed them simply unattainable. The
Black Sea from that hour might be treated as a Russian
pond, and Turkey and Persia as mere annexes to be
swallowed up as Russia advanced.
No truth can be plainer than that if Russia is ever to
be resisted, ever to be enclosed within normal limits, it
is to he done now. Concluding the war as Count Boul
and Mr. Gladstone proposed to conclude it at Vienna,
would have barred all reasonable chance of any future
effort as great (however great the necessity) as that in
which France and England are now engaged. The
zto have been
com-
bination of circumstances, position of countries, pecu-
liar character of sovereigns, which have brought about
the Anglo-French alliance, may not again occur for con-
t the great r!
es.
If
so rare
providentially designed, then England will have lost her
opportunity and abdicated her supremacy. She will
purpose
fo a
r result
whiehb
ite notd and applied to
mights seized
seem
hereafter have to conteed for Asia, and for her exist-
ence in Asia against Russia, and the very gravity of
that struggle will leave her powerless against other and
nearer d awe) s.
For En:.l nd it is a qt 4 tier, then, of now or never.
It is not less indispensable for our own security than for
the independence of Europe to convince Russia that she
is not invulnerable, and that on her own coasts she can
be overmatched and conquered. Already the work is
well in hand. Austria, it is true, that faithful ally-to-a-
certam-extent, by kindly reducing its army and pro-
claiming its neutrality, allows our enemy to send every
disposable man against us. But we are masters of her
old communication by the Sea of Azoff ; we shall soon
be able to disturb, if not entirely cut off, her communi-
cation by Perekop ; and with 200,000 of the allied forces
in the Crimea, she will be utterly unable to feed (even
if she can get out of hospital) the numbers ne-
cessary to oppose them, Already we have re-