The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-09 00:00:00

RUSSIAN CIRCULAR.

The following circular note has been issued by the
Russian Government to its diplomatic agents abroad.
It is dated the 12th (24th) July :
"The circular of the 28th of April (May 10) informed
the Imperial missions and consulates in what terms the
blockade of the Russian ports in the Gulf of Finland had
been notified at Port Baltic. Its object was to warn
the traders of friendly States of the change which, ac-
cording to the declaration of the English Parliament,
appeared to have taken place in the resolutions of the
British Government relative to enemy's property on
board neutral vessels. The English thought fit on the
occasion to address on the 6th of June a circular to its
agents abroad. It does not confine itself to rectifying
an interpretation which we would have been the first to
acknowledge if there had been a misapprehension ; but
it attaches suppositions thereto little worthy of a Go-
vernment, especially in time of war.
" The circular of the 6th of June was published in
the public journals. We should have passed it over in
silence, like many other official and semi-official declara-
tions directed against Russia with intentions more or
less hostile ; but the British agents received instructions
to communicate it officially to the Governments to which
they are accredited, and this makes it obligatory upon
us to explain ourselves towards friendly Governments
who do not refuse to grant some confidence to our words,
and to the intentions of the Imperial Cabinet.
" The English Government dwells upon two points in
our circular of the 28th of April. We therein said :
" Ist. An English envoy with a flag of truce has
notified at Port Baltic that foreign vessels—that is to
say, neutral vessels—which were there might leave the
port, but only in ballast or with cargoes not Russian
property.

" 2d. Being asked whether the vessels which might
leave on the faith of that notification would be allowed
to depart freely without the risk of being stopped by
cruisers they might meet at sea, the English Envoy de-
clared that he could not answer for it, as it might be
very possible that the English Admiral should make
other arrangements later.'
"In replying to the first point the English Ministry
changes, perhaps inadvertently, the word Russian pro-
perty into Russian produce, and it quotes a passage from
the report made by Captain Watson to his superior. It
Ss therein said

" ' Neutral vessels being in port laden with Russian
produce (rye and gin.) have received permission to leave
for their respective destinations, which they have done.'
Now, a superficial knowledge of jurisprudence relative
to the rights of neutrality is sufficient to discern the es-
sential difference presented by the-e two versions. That
of the English officer does not exclude the supposition
that Russian property on board neutral vessels will not
be respected. It does not contradict the declaration re-
ceived by the local authorities from the mouth of that
officer—namely, that neutral vessels might leave the
port, but only with cargoes not Russian property. It
must, however, be observed that Captain Watson has
not re-produced in his report the terms of his notifica-
tion to the authorities of Port Baltic, in like manner as
the British Government has not thought fit to make
public the order in virtue of which that officer fulfilled his
mission.

" We have no reason to grant less confidence to the
veracity of our authorities than the British Government
grants to that of the officers of the English navy. The
prohibition declared for neutral vessels to export mer-
chandise, Russian property, was understood by the
foreign captains at Port Baltic, as well as by the local
authorities. Moreover, we had no reason to be sur-
prised at it. The declaration published by the London
Gazette, on the 28th of March of last year, says, among
things :

"To preserve the trade of neutrals from any useless
impediment. her Majesty is disposed, for the present,
to relinquish a portion of the rights of war conferred
by the law of nations. . . Her Majesty renounces
the right of seizing enemy's merchandise on board neu-
tral vessels, unless it be contraband of war.'

" The French declaration of the 29th of March, con-
certed with the British Government, is no less explicit.
It say s

" 2 His Majesty the Emperor of the French consents
for the present to relinquish a portion of the rights, &c.
The vessels of his Majesty will not seize enemy's pro-
perty on board a neutral vessel, unless,' &c., &c.
"These dispositions adopted for the present were there-
fore only temporary, the British Government reserving
to itself the right of having again recourse whenever it
might think fit to the exercise of what it considered a
right emanating from public law. It was allowable,
therefore, to infer from the notification of Captain Wat
son, such as it was made, that the British Government
had the intention of returning to the doctrine that ' the
flag does not cover the cargo.' And, as we were the first
to receive that information, it was our duty to inform
thereof the Governments who are on terms of peace and
amity with Russia. This we did by our circular of the
28th of April (10th May) simply, without bitterness,
without comment.

" If there was an error or a misapprehension, it would
have been worthy of the British Government to disavow
simply and without any gratuitous suppositions, the in-
tention attributed to it. The neutral States and we our-
selves would have taken note of such disavowal.

"As regards the Second Point, that which concerns
the ulterior pourparlers with the English Envoy (parle•
mentaire) at Port Baltic refers also to the text of Cap-
tain Watson. That officer explains himself as follows
to his commanding officer :
" 'The governor asked me,' he says, whether I could
promise that they (the neutral vessels which had re-
ceived permission to leave with Russian produce) would
not be molested or stopped. I replied that the procla-
mation of her Majesty was clear and precise, that he
must be guided by it, and that, in case of their being
captured, the affair would be decided by the Admiralty
Court."

"Captain Watson adds :
" The Governor asked me to allow four 'fishing-
smacks, undecked, to proceed to Riga ; and, having in-
formed you of that request, as well as of the names of
the neutral, vessels at anchor in the port and of their re-
spective cargoes, I communicated to him your permis-
sion for them to sail, informing him at the same time
that you had no intention of molesting the town or any
fishing-smack, but that you could not guarantee that those
boats would not be molested, as the Commander-in-Chief
teas expected, and he might issue other orders.'
"This report serves in some measure to complete and
confirms in every point what we say in our circular of
the 28th of April. We have not therein made any
allusion to the fishing•smacks, as that did not concern
the trade of neutrals. But Captain Watson bears out
what we annonnced,—namely, that be was not able to
reply in a positive manner to the question put to him.
As regards the fishing-smacks, he wao obliged to refer
to other orders which the Commander-in-Chief might
have occasion to issue ; and, as regards neutral vessels
which might have sailed on the faith of his notification,
be mints out to them without disguise the possibility of
their being captured despite of it, and of their being
brought before the English Admiralty Court.
" We abstain from any ulterior reflection, trusting to
the impartial judgment of friendly Governments ; and,
as the circular of the British Government has been offi
cially communicated to them, the Imperial missions are
authorised to do the same with this present."

THE MURDER OF A POLICE INSPECTOR
AND RIOTS AT HASLEMER,E.

ADJOURNED INQUEST, AND APPREHENSION
OF ANOTHER MAN.

HASLEMERE, WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

This morning Mr. C. J. Woods, the coroner for West
Surrey, resumed, at the White Horse Inn, in this town,
the adjourned inquest respecting the death of Mr. Wm.
Donaldson, the unfortunate inspector of the Surrey con-
stabulary who was brutally murdered during the riot
that took place on Saturday week.
The greatest excitement still prevails in the town, '
and no event that has taken place for many years in this
part of the county has caused such a painful sensation
amongst all classes here.
The Learned Coroner, upon resuming the proceedings,
remarked upon the fact that the magistrates had refused
to allow the men who had been taken into custody on
suspicion of causing the death of' the poor fellow Donald-
son to be brought before the jury. He knew of no court
except his own where such obstacles existed. His opin-
ion was that the gentlemen of the jury could not be act-
ing in conformity with the oath they had taken, by
returning a verdict of wilful murder, or even of man-
slaughter, against persons with whom, perhaps they had
never seen, only having heard of them by name. He had
made up his_ mind that he would not be stultified him-
self by the prisoners being kept away, and he hoped the
jury would not. If his officer was not to be respected
when he applied for the prisoners to be brought before
his court, the sooner the office was at an end the better.
He bad, however, two courses open—viz., to apply to
the Secretary of State, or to the Court of Queen's
Bench for a mandamus to show cause why the pri-
soners should not be produced in court to hear
the evidence against them. As the parties implicated
were not in attendance,, he proposed to take the evi-
dence of Freestone, the injured police-officer, and he
would then adjourn the case pine die.
The jury perfectly concurred in the remarks of the
coroner ; and they proceeded to the residence of the un-
fortunate police-officer, who is not yet considered out of
danger. The evidence of the man having been taken
(which is only a repetition of what has previously been
given this paper), the jury returned to the inquest-
room, arid the witnesses signed the depositions taken on
the previous occasion, with the exception of Mr. Biss-
hopp, whose head was severely injured from:the effects of
the blows he had veceived.
The Jury said that they could not separate without
expressing their-thanks to Mr. Bisshopp for the manner
he had'aeted on the occasion, and the great risk he ran
of losingliis own life whilst assisting the deceased.
The Inquest was then adjourned sine die.
Another man named Smith, sworn to by some of the
witnesses, has been apprehended at Andover by some of
the Hampshire police, in consequence of the description
given of him in the Police Gazette, and he was brought
to Guildford this morning. He will be examined before
I the magistrates on Saturday next.

THE FRENCH EMBASSY.—His Excellency the Ambas-
sador of France and the Countess Persigny entertained
a select party at dinner on Tuesday evening, at the re-
sidence of the French Embassy, Albert.gate House.
Two DETERMINED SUICIDES IN THE .SERPENTINE.
Yesterday morning Mr. Lanp;ham, the deputy coroner,
held two inquests at the nose and Crown Tavern,
Knightsbridge, on the bodies of David Quinlat and
,William Pudge, who committed self-destruction by
""uin4 themselves in the Serpentine River, Hyde-
park. The bodies were recovered in each case by the
Royal Humato Society' 4 men. Verdict of " Temporary
insanity."