The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-05 00:00:00

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Russia beforehand, England behindiaa nd, is,
we have too great reason to fear, still as: ever the
case. Is there any invisinie vi is they. pie-
sent Cabinet as inefficient, or as unable to master
the vis inertiae of routine, as the old one ? It is,
of course, as necessary to keep the Russian Baltic
navy in its nautical Newgate as it was last year.
It must not be allowed to commit piracy on civil-
ised coasts. Ice or cowardice must imprison it
all the year. We are glad, therefore, to see such
a powerful Baltic fleet ready for its work. Russia,
however, it is said, has repeated at Cronstadt the
ship-sinking policy of Sebastopol. Rather an
inglorious way, to be sure, of using a man-
of-war. The very proposal to an English crew
would hazard a mutiny; they would demand
rather to place themselves in the required position,
and to let the enemy come and sink them if
they could, but they would like to try their broad-
sides on all corners before letting their gallant
ships go to the bottom. Not so, however, the
knout-trained gunners of Russia, and beyond all
denial their sunken ships beat or balk our ships
afloat in a style their guns would never have
done. But again Russia is beforehand. Last
year when, be it how it will, our Baltic fleet
would not attack the forts, there were no ships
sunk. This year, when steam gun-boats and
floating batteries are all ready, or getting ready,
we are a year too late with them. Sunken ships
are to be added to sunken rocks, obstructed chan-
nels to narrow and shallow ones.

In the East it is the same story. Russia
ahead. Everywhere she is rendering impossible
or difficult what might have been practicable had
our rulers meant to fight last year. Odessa, now
famous as the support of the Danubian army and
the reinforcer of the Russian Crimean army, might
have been easily demolished last year, or its stores
confiscated. Now we learn that forts and earth-
works are in course of erection which will prove
as troublesome to our fleet as some of those at
Sebastopol. Every day's delay will increase the
sacrifice of life with which the place must be taken.
We are informed, also, that Kertch and the other
forts on the Sea of Azof are now , being much
strengthened, and yet those forts must be mas-
tered if we are to stop reinforcements from the
east into the Crimea.

There seems also little doubt that considerable
reinforcements of cavalry and artillery are on
.:. .
their way from the north to Perekop,tpd that
the isthmus is being fortified. We might- have
sent by this time troops, and stores' with them,
in sufficient numbers to secure Perekop, to cut
the Russian line of communications, and thus
practically to invest Sebastopol. If we had ade-
quate gun-boats and light vessels near Perekop
and in the Sea of Azoff, and adequate troops in
the northern part of the Crimea, the Russian
army would be starved for all the Crimea could
afford them. But no—there is no need for
promptithde and energy. Peace is coming !
Pity it would be to hurt poor Odessa and such
places when they are soon to be friendly ports—
useless to send out troops soon to be recalled—.
and thus Russia, Austria, and Prussia are to be•
fool this Cabinet as they befooled the last, and a
few months hence the alternative will be, a dis-
graceful Russian and Austrian peace, or a tenfold
harder struggle with Russia—Austria looking on
and rubbing her hands.

Better at once declare Prussia the enemy she
is, and blockade her ports as well as those of
Russia ; bid Austria fight out her part, or take
the consequences ; and demand that Sweden, and
Denmark, and Belgium surely, throw off their
neutrality. England would rather see a European
War than throw away her millions and her soldiers
in waiting on crowned rogues and despots.

Let the opponents of Church RatekieVerse the
conduct of their governments, if they wish for
success. We have all been denouncing the too-
/ate policy of our aristocratic Cabinets. We must
not be too late in our own war. Everything de-
pends on the number and quality of petitions pre-
sented before the second reading of Sir W. CLAY'S
Bill. The cause is truly a nisi prius one, for un-
less all the preparations bevigorously made before
the bill comes on for its second reading, that es-
sential verdict will be lost, or as good as lost. A
feeble majority would consign it to a crippling
mutilation in committee, or to certain
rejection in
the House of Bishops.
Easter Monday is next week.. Every parish
vestry should be made a battle-field. Church-
wardens should be chosen favourable to getting
rid of this odious and unpopular part of their
office. Petitions should be got ready for the oc-
casion, and earnestly pressed. Every rate should
be resisted. This Easter is indeed the most im-
portant of all Easters in the Church-rate contest,
for, if well used, it would hush the contest for
Neighbours would be spared an annual
ele r.
quarrel, and good Churchmenherehereafter
te would ou
l d
that have an
loved a n
op-
portunity of showing
their churches as well as Dissenters do their
chapels.

All depends now
upon the support furnished
from without. The Ministry needs pressure, and
we believe would welcome it, as an unanswerable
reason for conceding entire abolition this session.
They know it must come ; they would be but
too glad to be forced to accept it, and
done with the bore have
for ever. Scores of Liberal
against the selfish ecclesias
members want the Support of their constituents
tical ita-
tions which they find it difficult to resist. or Whig solic
The waverers need a popular demonstration to con-
vince them on which side their interest lies. Even
some High-Church Members, who have an otter
contempt for paltry compulsory exaction; and
aro conscious of their own readiness to support,,

and England ; that his near relationship to the
QUEEN and Prince Consort of the Unitvd„King-
dom, as well as the personal obligations wh:itli he
owes to this country, could have left no do%bt on
his mind as to the part that he should ,take ;
while, on the other hand, he should be equally
desirous of insuring the guarantee of France for
the integrity of his own territory, and interposing
an insurmountable obstacle to the extension of
the Empire to the banks of the Rhine. His neu-
trality must, therefore, excite grave suspicions as
to the motives and intentions of those by whom
he could alone be influenced to adopt such a course.
Looking to his recent connection with the House
of Hapsburg, and the matters which he is known
to have deeply at heart, and which can alone be
obtained through the intervention of FRANCIS
JOSEPH, we find additional light cast on the
Austrian policy, which goes far to show that
no reliance can be reposed in her fidelity. Let
us then, at length, get rid of the impediment by
which we have so long been obstructed. We
believe that M. DROUYN DE L'HUYS will insist on
a categorical reply as to the intentions of Austria
—that through his agency the suspense will be
terminated, the mists dispersed—and that ere
many days have elapsed the Governments will
repeat the demand so long put forward by the
peoples of France and England, and that the War
Cry " Delenda est Sebastopol" will reverberate
throughout the length and breadth of both lands,
and that without a dissentient or doubtful voice.