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

WPI9I()UP
ii.AZING OF SEBASTOPOL r

(From the Journal des Debats.) lie
It is now for nearly 40 years that we have been
fending the maintenance of the peace of Europe, bell
we believe that peace is the surest guarantee of ei,o4
tion. This panific policy is a tradition we have recelle,
from our predecessors. . . . Not that we bat'f
senseless antipathy for all war, whatever it be; net o
,ff
we are not the grateful admirers of the great 1vi10.,0
and political services which the army has renclere;:ho
our country for more than 25 years. We believe of
the war of Spain, in 1823, contributed to the l'°:sel
and ascendancy of France in Europe ; we are Ple 0
with the liberating intervention of France in Greece;itot
like the war of Algiers in 1830, the siege of 8 Ali
werp in 1831, the occupation of Ancsna, the 013,q,-;
of Northern Africa, from 1840 to 1848, the exPeuliico
of Rome in 1849. Neither have we hesitated to ben
t,
that it was necessary to risk a war to wrest the ear° ds
merits of Russia upon Turkey, and to yreserve the 111,01
pendence of the East. . . We are not then pa,stisi;;o4
peace at any price ; but we believe that war should or
an object, and that as soon as that is attained, °roe
fectly even (for all human undertakings can liave,llll
but imperfect objects), that it should be eagerly laid pal
of and secured by au intelligent peace ; a Peneet,
feeble and powerless, but a peace protected by a 0
and by an army always in readiness to inarcb. 1,101
this doctrine no one can be astonished that We
,is
welcomed with joy the hopes of peace which °'''a
from Vienna lt is in this spirit thstoi
wish to examine what are the advantages ell
the conveniency of peace . . . . We prefer,l/
not hesitate to say, peace without, than war with, 04
0
capture of Sebastopol. We know well that 0°,81,0
persons who, arranging affairs as it shall please `,idd
say—Why not take Sebastopol ? we shall malie:„1"-$r,
afterwards. Such persons suppose that peace is -1"„tY
bastopol ; but who has told them that it was not, C'fi
contrary, war that we should find there, ond,lii
longer and more destructive than that we have wend
.the last six months. The question is tot for us to "ol
0
whether wo shall take Sebastopol ; we doubt 130"1,
bravery of our army any more than of its victories.
1#
question for us is to know whether we wish peace or 5j
If peace, why take Sebastopol at the price of greetsdo
flees ? Where is the good of buying with the blood bill
know not how many thousand soldiers a place lip
must be surrendered when once peace is signed? 0
'f a re-arrangement of the map of Europe is desired', v
is wished to take away from Russia E.er coasts floc"
acquisitions of the Black Sea, then the capture of floc"
topol is indispensable, at whatever cost, and not °III
there. Cronstadt also must be taken ; Russia 08"
re-made into purely a continental power without app
to the Baltic and the Baltic Sea, or, perhaps, egeet
the Caspian ; at the most Archangel may be left 00
the Grand Duchy of Muscovy must lastly be °Sidi
and the work of Peter the Great and of a century si)
half unmade. We do not say that this ' policy 101110
have its grandeur, but assuredly it is not witill
difficulties, and if we set ourselves to the work it:80
for our descendants alone to finish it. . . . ,
otherwise grounds fbr believing in the real WeaSild
Russia, after the ill-success of her campaign ber.Pird
Danube. Having seen her impuissance for the oilenslsd
came to the conclusion that she would be feeble t'itiao
the defensive. Events have deceived our expeet V
. . . But Russia will not remain quiet wltillY
own limits, and she will attack her neighbours. ‘l4l
and it is for that France and England helve verfto
mately made war upon her ; and we do not besVost
say that, if the Western Powers believe thernsel.4
able to protect the independence of the East 14l'f,
future otherwise than by war, war they must wago'
urge it to the last extremity. France and Engiia otl,
not sign a peace which some day should deliver 09
tinople to Russia. Yes, we repeat, if it is belfet,,
there are no guarantees of sufficient force in dip
stipulations and military conventions to secure tIV
pendence of the East, the war should be OD- .
that is to Fay, Sebastopol should be taken. •
„.!,
When in August last the Western Powers pro td
f
the four fundamental conditions of the future V,
they conceived that these conditions sufficed fur gil-0
teeing the independence of the East. To our toitifik*
were right, for with the Principalities entranchiel
the domination of the Russian Consul at Bact4.
with the freedom of the Danube, and above all W"
Bo phort: s and the Black Sea open to the militarY
IA
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