The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-31 00:00:00

HE, SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY _EVENING, MAY Al, 1855,

diplomatic capacity, and very frequent communi-
cations during that period with Prince de
METTERNICH. " From the first," lie says, " I
was clearly of opinion that for England
or France to expect that Austria would ever
make aggressive war against Russia was a palpable
delusion—in fact, that no Government with the
least political sagacity, judicious forecast, or prac-
tical capacity for administering the affairs of a
great nation or for conducting successfully a great
war, would for one hour entertain a belief in so
suicidal a policy on the part of Austria." He,
then, as will be seen, proceeds to state that at
the same time he had " full confidence that the
Austrian Government would use the utmost, the
most laborious, the most wise efforts, as far as
negotiations, representation, and reason could
dictate, to obtain a just and honourable peace; and
knowing well, as I did, the condition of the several
states, the inhabitants, the populations, the manners,
languages, religions, traditions, hatreds, and sym-
pathies of the many nations which constitute the
Austrian empire, I should have been destitute of
ordinary perception and judgment if I entertained
the belief that Austria could have done more than
her Government has done—that is, to render her
good offices in aid of the Western Powers and
Turkey, and to act when necessary on the defen-
sive, as she has done by her military occupation
of the Danubian provinces." Decided language
this the reader must admit, but not unbacked by
a show at least of proof. What a picture is
this:—

"The Government of Austria and the Court must be
considered essentially German. The population of the
Empire amounted, according to the last census, to
37,500,000 in round numbers. Of these the Germans
are less than 7,500,000 ; while the Sclaves of all kinds
amount to 15,390,000 ; the Magyars to more than
6,000,000 ; the Italians to 5,600,000; Wallacks,
Roumans, Armenians, and Jews, to about 3,000,000.
They are all antagonistic in, races, customs, traditions,
and Ituerede. Thos. professing the Greek religion
amount to about 7,000,000 ; the Protestants to about
3,500,000 ; the Floman Catholics, including the Poles,
Italians, &c., to about 26,000,000; Jews, 800,000 ; Ar-
menians, and others, complete the remainder."

With a country composed of such inflammable
materials, and under obligation to Russia for her
interference in Hungary, Mr. MACGREGOR argues
that a declaration of war against that Power
would be speedily followed by a successful appeal
by the CZAR to the Magyars and to all the Sclave
nations, wherever scattered, and to the Italians
in Lombardy, Venetia, and the Friuli, to " arise'
and " declare their independence and freedom,"
with the promise that he would be their
defender ; the result of which would be
the dismemberment of the Austrian Empire.
Such, our correspondent declares, is the common-
sense view of the real condition of Austria. And
a pitiable condition it is in any case ; for, on the
other hand, it is urged quite as confidently that
evils as great are likely to ensue from a persistence
in her present policy, and 'from a consideration of the
two horns of the dilemma, it may fairly be added,
goes to demonstrate the propriety of Austria being
dismembered. Sad fate when a country's defence
is an accusation that should be fatal. Austria,
so old a State, and yet so loosely bound together !
What miserable misgovernment is not implied !
However this may be, fe►v will be dis-
posed to doubt the wisdom of the conclu-
sion to which Mr. MACGREGOR has arrived.
Let us expect nothing from Austria ; in other
words, give her up as a bad bargain. An insane
faith in her has been the primary cause of infinite
evil to the country. She never could help us at
a pinch, it appears, without injury to herself, and
she never did and never will like that. Let our
statesmen, then, be done with all faith in Austria•,
and drop the curtain on the farce of negotiations
at Vienna.

h

Negotiations cannot be successfully carried out
there. That must be done in the Crimea and on
the shores of the Baltic. Let every independent
member call this to his recollection on Monday,
and mark the sense his constituents entertain of
the conduct of Ministers who have so long deluded
the country with unwarranted hopes of peace from
such negotiations, by doing his best to turn them
out.

LATZST NEWS.

TELEGRAPHIC DESPATCH

FROM

FIELD MARSHAL
LORD RAGLAN.

CAPTURE OF FIVE SHIPS
AND ONE HUNDRED GUNS.

bynia, and the cavalry which belongs to it, con-
sisting of two regiments of hussars and as many
of lancers, are preparing to follow. The arrival
of the Imperial Guard and the departure of the
Grenadier corps has caused a great sensation in
Poland, as the new measures are considered a proof
of the resolve of the new Sovereign to carry on the
war with all possible energy, It is also related
that the Rugsian troops now lying in the Govern-
ment of Lublin are to be withdrawn from the
Austrian frontier and concentrated in Volhynia.