The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-17 00:00:00

rable :

"In the natural course of things, in a few years Tur-
key must fall to Russia. The Powers it would injure,
and who would oppose it, are England, France, Prussia,
and Austria. Now as to Austria, it will be very easy
for Russia to engage her assistance by giving her Servia.
and other provinces bordering upon the Austrian do-
minions, reaching near to Constantinople.
"The only hypothesis that England and France may
ever be allied in sincerity will beim order to prevent this."
Is not the man who could thus far foresee so ex-
actly the course of events entitled to some cre-
dence for predictions not yet fulfilled ? The
sentence following that above is the most impor-
tant of all :

" But even this alliance would not avail. France,
England, and Prussia united cannot prevent it. Russia
AND AUSTRIA., CAN AT ANY TIME EFFECT IT."

This is the conjuncture we have to dread.
Events are fast hastening to the consummation.
NAPOLEON foresaw. Austria and Russia are
drawing together. They calculate on the effect
which a War void of decisive results, and waged
on no principle, except it be to support the old
status quo, and to maintain despotism unimpaired
—must have in wearying the popular spirit of
France and England. When this has been ac-
complished, then will be the time to strike the
world with terror by an Austrian and Russian
alliance for the partition of Turkey. The first
step has been taken by Austria's military occu-
pation of the Principalities.
Who, looking fairly at the facts, can doubt the
imminence of the danger ? How is the full com.
pletion of NAPOLEON'S prophecy to be averted ?
We answer unhesitatingly by the immediate pre-
sence of the Allied flags in the harbours of Venice
and Trieste, and by Austria receiving a peremp-
tory summons to evacuate the territories she has
too long usurped.

The complete and speedy demolition of " the
Gibraltar of the Nortil,,,
arrogantly designated as Sweaborg has been
by
Muscovite and pro-
Muscovite writers—.the overthrow of its quasi
impregnable fortifications, without the loss of a
single life or a single vessel to the assailants, must
prove how completely
the Russian strongholds in
the Gulf of Finland
and the Baltic are at the
mercy of the Allied squadrons.
Our Government
has only to will it, and the " standing
menaces"
to the Scandinavian nations, the sources of Rm.
sian influence with the Northern Powers, will be
numbered with the past. Let the orders be given,
and the proper means supplied, and Helsingfors
and Hango, Revel, and even Cronstadt itself, will
share the fate of Sweaborg ; and the Great
Northern Bear will learn that with kingdoms
as with individuals, ". honesty is ever the
best policy." IL is now, in the language
of the P. B. " Lombard-street to a
China orange," on wood versus granite ; and
although much valuable time has been wasted,
sufficient still remains to enable us to
profit largely
from the results of the tardy but decisive eK-
Pelimeut.

There are still six weeks during which the ope-
rations of the Baltic Fleet may be continued,
and as Sweaborg .cost only two days, we may easily
calculate' hovf
during that much may be accomplished
period if the parties are really in
earnest, and " work with a will " in the good
cause. Let thorn only go at it earnestly
and zealously, while the enthusiasm of the men is
excited to the high*: pitch by the brilliant results
of their first great triumph of the season, and

the enemy are depressed and panic stricken
by their easy conquest, and more will be ,
achieved than even the most sanguine
can venture to anticipate. But there must be.no
delay nor procrastination. The time for nego-
tiation has gone by, that for action—incessant,
indefatigable action—has arrived. The success
must be not only steadily but rapidly followed
up ; and the Governments of England and
France must show their unflinching determina-
tion to spare no efforts to support the operations
of the Fleet, and to render their achievements com-
pletely decisive as to the War. It may not be
pleasing to Prussia that we should do so. Austria
may be astonished at our proceeding so rapidly
while she is willing to mediate. But it is the
course that will induce them really to strive to
bring about a permanent and honourable settle-
ment of the disputed questions, however distaste-
ful to Russia, and diametrically opposed by the
traditional policy inaugurated by PETER, and fol-
lowed by CATHERINE, and ALEXANDER, and
NICHOLAS !

From the situation of Sweaborg it was manifest
that it could only be attacked from the sea—that
no land forces could possibly co-operate in the on-
slaught. It consisted of a number of small rocky
islands, strongly fortified, and communicating
by bridges or galleries the one with the other.
The Russian Fleet lay in the heart of this series
of forts protected on every side. That fleet was,
however, transferred to Cronstadt, where it re-
mains as a portion of the prize for the additional
work of the fleet. Sweaborg was also the defence
of Helsingfors. The only channel by which the
capital of Finland, the emporium of the trade of
Northern Russia, could be approached, lay
directly within the range of its 800 guns of heavy
calibre. So that, in fact, until Sweaborg was dis-
mantled, and its fire silenced, nothing could be
even attempted against Helsingfors. The protec-
tion, however, is withdrawn. It now lies at the
mercy of our Fleet. It is for the Admiral to de-
cide whether to strike •r to spare, and we cannot
for a moment •doubt his determination. The
policy that spared Odessa to be the scourge of our
troops in the Crimea, to endanger their existence
and the whole objects of the War, cannot be so
perversely pursued, as to act as a protection to
Helsingfors, now that Sweaborg has been demo-
lished. The course adopted towards Helsingfors
will probably decide the policy of the Scandi-
navian Powers, and render the Swedes, Norwe-
gians, and Danes either firm friends and faithful
allies, or worse than doubtful neutrals. It is an
important element in the calculation that must
decide our course of action in the Gulf of Finland.

It is more than probable that Helsingfors has al-
ready been bombarded ; and if so, that it has been
demolished. Day by day we may look for this
cheering and satisfactory intelligence, which will
prove the earnestness of our Government. But
when that has been accomplished—what next ?
There is still more to be done. The Russian fleet
still skulks securely under Cronstadt. It must
be destroyed in its fancied shelter. And it can
be so. Sweaborg and Helsingfors will then no
longer exist to threaten the Allied Fleets, in the
event of any unanticipated reverse. They will
be completely our own, to act as places for refit-
ting any casualties—a source of strength instead
of weakness, a cause for confidence instead of
terror. The mortar-vessels and gun-boats may,
as we have already said, run down the coast of
Finland, and take Cronstadt in the rear. That
is the vulnerable point—the heel of the Northern
ACHILLES. Thence can the fleet be destroyed,
while the men-of-war watch in front to deal with
any sortie on which they may venture. Nor need
the bombardment be restricted to a single point.
The iron shower may be hurled from every side
and on every position, perplexing and terrifying
the panic-stricken foe. It is there that the co-
operation of land troops would be peculiarly valu-
able. They could land in the rear, at the " vul-
nerable spot," where an onslaught has never been
thought of. We have seen the vast importance of
such aid at Bomarsund, but it would lead to even
more astonishing results at Cronstadt—the proper
point of attack being selected. A land force, with•
every facility for transit from place to place,
would be of immense value. Twenty or thirty
thousand men, who could be landed at any point,
would create work for five times their number of
Russians, who
.could not tell where the impend-
ing blow might fall. The men could easily be
found. If England could not spare them they
could be obtained from France. Our faithful
ally would rejoice to participate in that which
would, indeed, be a " heavy blow and
great discouragement to Russia." A single
word to the Emperor NAPOLEON, and any num-
ber of trained soldiers will he• forthcoming. Let
that word be spoken. A golden opportunity is at
hand. Our dearly-beloved SOVEREIGN will soon
be accepting his hospitalities ; she will be at-
tended by many of her Ministers ; and the deci-
sion may be arrived at within a few hours which
will crush the aggressive propensities of Russia,
and produce a glorious and permanent peace,
which it will be beyond the power of the auto-
cratic brigand to disturb or endanger.

Whatever may be thought of the leadership of
such individuals as Messrs. COLLETT, HART,
GEORGE THOMPSON, late of Tower Hamlets, DAVID
URQUHART, PA SSMORE EDWARDS, WASHINGTON
Wllas, and others, most of whose names are un-
bnown beyond the precincts of the Peace Society's
committee room, their tactics are worthy of atten-
tion. In one point they are agreed—" Down with
Lord PALMERSTON ;" in another the men whO chiefly
pull the wires are also agreed, to put a wet blanket
over the War, and to extinguish it as soon as they
can. The truth, which gives plausibility to their
language, is that which Mr. PuNon has pictured
for us this week ; and if these gentlemen want a
flag to hang from their committee-room window,
the best device will be the "Ministerial White-
bait Dinner," and the best motto that which
appears beneath it, " I shay, ole Fellah—
what a jolly lot of humbugs we are."
We have ourselves never concealed our belief
that Lord PALRMESTON is too much of an
aristocrat himself, and too much at the mercy of
secret, but overbearing German influence, to carry
•n the War with real vigour. We have never
failed to demand definition in the place of that
wearisome cant phrase ; but catch Lord PALMER-
STON in a definition ! He sold Poland, to our pre-
sent cost, twenty years ago;. he quietly acquiesced
in the Russian conquest of Hungary, only the
other day, after having teased Austria a little,
without meaning the least harm to the sacred
cause of despotism; to both of which delinquencies
we owe the burdens and los;es 'of this War. This
inconvenient truth is now brought to the surface.
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