The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-10 00:00:00

THE EASTERN PAPERS.

The papers relating to the Conference at Vienna
on the Eastern question have been presented to
Parliament. From their great length we cannot
find room for the whole. The following is a trans-
lation of the final Protocol (No. 14). It relates
to the proceedings at Vienna on the 26th ult. :

(Translation.)
Present :

For Austria.—Count Buol-Schauenstein and Baron
Prokesch-Osten.
For France.—M. Drouyn de I'Huys and Baron de
Bourquency-.
For Great Britain.—The Earl of Westmoreland.
For Russia.—Prince Gorfthakoff dM. de Titoff.

For Turkey.— -Aali Paella and Ariff Effendi.
Count Buol opens the meeting by saying that he in-
vited the members of the Conference to assemble at the
request of the Russian plenipotentiaries, who declared
that they have communication 3 to make.
Prince Gortschakoff wishes to establish the fact that it
was the Russian plenipotentiaries who, in the twelfth
Conference, recorded in the proctocol the last proposi-
tion tending to the solution of the third principleo and
that it is again they who now submit new plans with
the same object.
Before developing them, he thinks it his duty to recur
to an assertion of the French Minister for Foreign
Affairs, recorded in the twelfth proctocol, stating " that
Russia is unwilling to give the Ottoman empire any sort
of guarantee, and that as for the one contained in Art. 1,
and adopted in the eleventh Conference, Russia reduces
it to a mere chimera, since even in case a Turkish pro•

vince were invaded by one of the c ntracting powers
Russia, according to the interpretation of Prince Gorts-
chakoff, will confine herself to the exercise of her good
.dffices.”. ` „,.
Ne remarked ttaE the Rus'sian plenipotentiaries have,
in common with the other members of the Conference,
sanctioned the principle of making the Sublime Porte
participate in the advantages of the European concert,
and of placing her under the safeguard of the public law
of Europe. And, lastly, they have engaged, in the
name of their court, to respect the independence and
territorial integrity of the Ottoman empire. Can these
engagements be characterised as chimeras ? One of the
reasons for which he declined an active territorial gua-
rantee, of the Ottoman Empire arises from the difficulty
of precisely defining its limits. The territorial guarantee
once stipulated would it not be necessary to extend it to
the most distant points, as, for instance, Tunis and
Aden, and to make any attack directed against either
of those territories by one of the contracting powers a
cases be:li ? He declines giving so extended a mean-
ing to the engagement he takes, on the plea that
the blood of Russia belongs to Russia alone. This
does not mean, however, that Russia will confine
herself exclusively to good offices. The independ-
ence of the Sublime Porte is not only the interest of
Europe, but also that of Russia. If it were menaced
Russia would not be the last to defend it, but she re-
serves to herself the right of judging when the case oc-
curs, whether or not it be necessary to employ her ma-
terial resources.

Adverting to the special object of to-day's conference,
he states that the plan proposed by the Russian plenipo-
tentiary had for its object not only to resolve the diffi-
culties of the present, but also to surround the indepen-
dence of the Porte with guarantees for the futurd ; ho vr-
ever, that as this plan had been declined, especially on
account of its resting on a principle contrary to a sove-
reign right of the Porte, the maintenance of which she
deems necessary for her independence, he sought the so-
lution on a different plan. He reeds the articles 1 and
2, of which copy is hereto annexed, the one giving a new
confirmation to the principle of closing the Straits ; the
other, leaving the Sublime Port- herself supreme judge
of the cases in which the interest of her security would
require exceptions to that principle, and in which she
should deem it requisite to summon, according to •cii--
curnstances, either the fleets of the Western Powers, cr
that of Russia,

In answer to Prince Gortscbakoff, M. Drouyn de
l'Huys maintains the words quoted by the former. He
again states, that France engages to respect not only
the independence acid territorial integrity of the Otto-
man empire, but also to enforce their observance ;
whereas Russia declines contracting this second engage-
ment. As for the Regency of Tunis, to which Prince
Gortschakoff has alluded, he, for his own part, finds no
difficulty in extending to that country the engagement
to which he is ready to subseribe.
With reference to the new propositions of the Russian
plenipotentiaries, he has already declared in the last
Conference that his instructions were exhausted, since
Russia had rejected the limitation in every form what-
soever. He applies the same declaration to the present
propositions. With this reserve, he observed that these
propositions tend so little to the cessation of Russian
prepOnderance in the Black Sea, that they even provide
for the contingency of the prepol derating fleet becom-
ing hostile.
Baron Boniqueney entirely concurred, in every point,
in the opinion of M Drouyn de I'Huys.
Lord Westmoreland recurs to the declaration made ,
by Lord J. Russell in the last Conference, to the effect
that the instructions of the plenipotentiaries of Great
Britain were exhausted.
With regard to the establishment of Aden, of which
mention had been made, he states that his Government
has in no way violated their treaties with the Sublime
Porte concerning it.
Prince Gortschakoff answered, that in speaking of
Aden, he had no intention of making recrimination with
regard to the past, but only to instance a hypothetical
case, calculated to show the extreme consequences to
which the territorial guarantee of the Ottoman Empire
would, in certain cases, lead.
M. de Titoff adds to the statement of his colleague the
expression of his hope that the Conference will acknow-
ledge that the obstacles to an understanding do not ema-
nate from the plenipotentiaries of Rttssia, who, far from
confining themselves to any exclusive system, now pro-
pose a plan on a new basis, while the plenipotentiaries of
France and Great Britain declare that their instructions
are exhausted.
Aali Paella and Aariff Effendi state that their instruc-
tions neither admit of their giving their adhesion to the
propositions of the Rus-ian plenipotentiaries, nor of
their giving an opinion in this matter, and that they find
themselves in precisely the same situation as the pleni-
potentiaries of the allied powers.
Count Buol addresses hinself to the new Russian pro-
posal. He sees with satisfaction that in Article 1 the
principle of closing had been substituted for that of
opening, which had previously been proposed. He thinks
Article 2, which reserves for the Sultan the power of
eventually calling to his assistance foreign fleets, and of
opening the Straits as an exception, is susceptible of a
practical application. The proposition appears to him
to admit of discussion ; it contains elements of which
tiustria will endeavour to avail herself for an under-
standing ; but in the rough state in which it still is he
cannot consider it as a solution, nor even as a basis for
solution.
Baron Prokesch says that since there is a disparity
in the respective positions of the powers, it will be
difficult to carry out the principle of reciprocity, on
which Article 2 is based. Nobody will suspect
Austria of wishing to impair the independence or
the territorial integrity of Turkey. When the ma-
ritime powers, in concert with Russia, agreed to
the emancipation of Greece, they derived no territorial
aggra,ndisemcnt from it On the other hand, Russia, in
a series of wars with the Ottoman empire during a cen-
tury, deprived her of province after province. The course
pursued by her in 1853 was judged by the powers who
signed the protocols as pregnant with imminent danger
to the Sublime Porte and to Europe. Against these
dangers they are at present endeavouring to provide.
Their respective positions not being equal, it is not for
Russia to seek guarantees ; she is not in want of them,
either for herself, for she finds them in her own power,
or for the Sublime Porte, who does not require any on
her side ; but it is right that the allied powers should
ask Russia for guarantees in the interest of the Porte,
and against the recurrence of the dangers which have
been the cause of such serious disturbance and of such
enormous sacrifice to Europe. _ _

In a practical point of view, be thinks that the Rus-
sialt fleet, in order eventually to give effectual assistance
to the Sublime Poi te, must possess considerable strength.
Article 2 would, therefore, tend to perpetuate a danger
which it i 4 our object to put an end to.

Prince Gortsch-akoff, in answer to the Austrian pleni-
potentiaries, states that the project now proposed is more
than a mere sketch, that it is equivalent to a real basis;
that this project does not merely tend to the solution of
the present complication, but it also contains provisions
for the future, and that its execution will put an end to
Russian preponderance in the Black Sea, while surround.
ing the existence of Turkey with new guarantees. Art. 2
does not absolutely require reciprocity ; it acknowledges
the independence of the Sublime Porte in constituting
her sole judge of the dangers which could threaten her,
and in leaving to her the most entire liberty of choice re-
garding those whom she would wish to call upon in order
to remove these dangers. The power reserved for the
Sultan of calling in the help of Russia, if he should think
proper, does not necessitate a priori her keeping a pre-
ponderating naval force in the Deck Sea. Moreover,
the plenipotentiaries of Russia, in proposing, in the first
instance, the " mare aperturn," and afterwards the
" mare clausum," think that they have furnished ii re-
fragahle proof of their sincere desire to facilitate a gene-
ral understanding.
Cotint Baal observes, that when he attached to the

Russia❑ pro,j2et no other value than that of a sketch, ho
was actuated by the consideration that this pr j?ct
pri-
poses only the means of putting an end t the naval pre-
ponderance of Russia when it should already have
reached the proportions of an intolerable clanger, but

. •
tends in no way to make it cease in a permanent man-
ner and in the ordinary state of things.
Prince Gottschakoff answers, that combined as it was
with the principles to which he subscribed, and which
tend to place the Sublime Porte under the protection of
the public law of Europe, and to respect its indepen-
dence and its territcrial integri,y, h's project seems to
him to possess the value of a complete work.
111. Drouyn de l'lluys states that the solution which
France would wish to see effected would have been cal-
culated to obviate the danger, from whatever side it
might arise• At present the only question is, to seek