The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-11 00:00:00

the incompetent out and the competent in. There
are men in the army who could and would have
taken Sebastopol before winter; men who could and
who would have kept the army sheltered, and fed,
and clothed with needful comforts, and at half the
cost which has been incurred—men who are known,
or might easily be known, to honest governors ;
but they were not " sons, uncles, or brothers of
Dukes ;" they were not in routine order for
high commands ; they had only given
proof of vast capacity in organising large
commercial undertakings, and had not been
threatened with hanging for incompetency
in the Peninsular War ; so, they could
not be thought of—old generals, old commissariat
officers, and old doctors blocked the way ! We
need not advert again to Mr. BRIGHT' s
pacific boastings ; it is pleasant to concur with him
for once, if but in part. Our readers would
hardly suppose, perhaps, that the orator who
could say so much to the purpose would have
them believe that they do not know why they are
at war with Russia ! Lord PALMERSTON could
tell him. He could explain what the people
wanted, and what the Court and Cabinet do not
want.

From Vienna we hear that the ninth Conference
was held on Easter Monday, that it was very
short and by no means satisfactory, and that it
was uncertain wadu tide next meeting would take
place ! There has,' in fact, been an adjournment
sine die, until Prince GORTSCHAKOFF has received
the expected instructions. We were not at any
time so credulous as to suppose that the Russian
Plenipotentiary would receive plenary powers to
conclude a definite arrangement while further
procrastination was at all practicable—until, in
fact, the representatives of France and England
could no longer be cajoled, and a day was peremp-
torily fixed on which they would depart from
Vienna unless the requisite authority had been
obtained in the interval. It has long been ob-
vious that Russia has adopted a Fabian policy—
that .he hopes to retard the preparations of the
Western Powers for the spring and summer cam-
paign in the Crimea, while she intrigues with
Austria, BO as not merely to detach her from the
alliance into which she promised to enter,
but, if practicable, to obtain her cordial
co-operation, so that there may b 3 a
new "Holy Alliance" of Russia, Austria, and
Prussia against liberal opinions and liberal
Government in the rest of Europe.

There is but too much reason to suppose that
Rust~ is is already listening Lo the insidious coun-
sels. We have already commented on the very
suspicious neutrality of King LEOPOLD, who, if
uninfluenced by bis Austrian connection, could
scarcely hesitate as to arraying himself on the
same side with England and France. Unfortu-
nately, however, his English wife has long since
passed from this world. Her French successor
has shared the same fate, while the Duchess DE
BE,A33ANT is living, and likely to live. He, there-
fore, cultivates the friendship of her relative, the
youthful EM.PEROR, whose influence must, indeed,
be powerful when it induces the Ulysses of the
House of Saxe-Coburg to disregard what, to a
less worldly mind, would seem to be the para-
mount claims on his friendly assistance and zealous
co-operation.

But another, and no less ominous, symptom
has recently been added. The constant bicker-
ings between Prussia and Austria have long been
notorious. Each is earnestly striving to obtain
predominance in the German Diet, to aggrandise
itself at the expense of its opponent. Prussia
has especially endeavoured to thwart her rival on
every possible occasion. Every opportunity has
been anxiously sought after, and made available
to the greatest extent. When in the early stages
of the present difficulty Austria seemed disposed
to lean to the side of Russia, her eager rival made
corresponding demonstrations in favour of the
Western Powers. The moment, however, the
Government of FRANCIS JOSEPH varied its tactics,
that of FREDERICK WILLIAM made a correspond-
ing move to the other. They seemed, in fact,
agreed on but one point, viz., to cordially detest,
and zealously to oppose each other.

Now, however, they are reconciling their past
differences, and professing boundless friendship
fo3: each other. The earnest struggle for ascend-
ancy in the affairs of Germany is, for the time,
be ing apparently forgotten. They are once
more friends and brothers ! Nothing seems
to be taken into consideration, but the
interests, or rather the supposed interests, of the
Fatherland. We say the "supposed interests,"
because really Germany is far more concerned in
checking the aggressions of the AUTOCRAT than
the Western Powers. Influenced solely by the
a:atiquated considerations of honour and justice,
aid in the cause of right versus might, they entered
boldly into the arena and bearded the Leviathan
of the North, while those more urgently called on
'acid aloof from the contest, which a decided de-
monstration on their part would have speedily
terminated, if it had ever commenced. What,
then, does this sudden " friendship"
expected healing of deep-seated differences por-
tend? That is an important problem, to which
it behoves the Cabinets of Paris and London to
discover an accurate solution with all possible
speed. It requires not the _ skill of -an (Epirus
to discover a correct answer. We have seen the
part hitherto played by Prussia—we have seen
how the maudlin temperament of CLICQUOT has
been influenced by the latest injunctions of the
dying AUTOCRAT. He would do anything--
1 risk any danger—submit to any humilia-
tion—if he could thereby detach Austria
front the Western - Alliance, and thereby
save his nephew from any substantial loss of
power, or even any blow to his pride. He would
himself readily swallow the leek, provided the
new CZAR could be spared the unsavoury morsel.
The reconciliation between the Cabinets of Berlin
and Vienna incontestibly proves that the latter
is no longer—if it ever were so—sincere in its
professions to the Western Powers, but that it
has been won over by the concessions made respect-
ing the two first points, and possibly by some other
inducements not yet publicly announced. The
only results hitherto arising from Austrian policy,
have been that she has contrived to get peace-

'—this un-

able possession of the Principalities, the occu-
pation of which by Russia led to the.,War ; that
by her conduct, while in such possession,
she enabled Russia to detach so many troops from
Bessarabia and other districts as to warrant her,
assuming an offensive attitude, which led to the
sanguinary encounters at Balaklava and Inker-
nlall—that she has kept Belgium neutral; and,
finally, has patched up her own differences with
'rl" ia*
brought to a
This is all that has been attained
through the c
-operation of Austria ; and surely
it is time that the
solemn mockery should be
at the shortnetacon elusi°l3. We cannot then wonder
Conference
on Mon a
des of the department
dati
or unaatiafactov nature of the
da
greatlyspeedily surprised it tY:0; nor should we feel
4 RUSSELL were
which has beeetntiniso ltoo the
rd.
j°n
Parliament will meef 011,, Zgrievously neglected.
tions will then be required Whilii',anci explana-
terminate the Vienna farce ° AU, we
, and 1e3.,., _ trust,
aided oction_on:tho port-4 A° ' ".,...alotae :de-
- - •• - - ~roweire. .