The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-17 00:00:00

1114-- VAIN I;0141001441% 34014iriAlt Svskill

Tuileries, while Kars WAS left all the while to the
frightful chances of a compulpory surrender—when
by the timely interference of a body of French or
English troops despatched from the neighbourhood
of Kamiesh or Balaklava, the siege of Kars might
readily enough have been raised, and the only
laurel reaped by the sword of Russia since the
War commenced have added a new cluster of im-
perishable leaves to the coronal already woven so
profusely about the helmets of France and Eng-
land ? The answer to all this is discoverable
either in the incapacity of the Allied Commanders-
in-Chief, or in the insincerity (as to a really ener-
getic prosecution of the War) or in the criminal
procrastination of the Allied Governments.
Which of the two—History will in the end
pronounce : possibly distributing to each their
due share of the infamy in relative proportions I

However—after all is said—thus closes the
winter campaign in Asia with a deplorable loss to
the Allies and a notable victory for the Muscovites.
Let the remembrance of it be as a remorse to the
conscience of the united arbiters of the future
destinies of Christendom ! Goading them to some
more resolute policy when the spring shall have
enabled there to resume hostilities in earnest—in
Asia against MOURAVIEFF, in Europe against
TODTLEBEN, OSTEN-SACKEN, and GORTSCHAKOFF.
Something more will then be expected from OMER
PACHA than the inadequate triumph of Ingour—
something more will be looked for from Marshal
PRLISSIER than the inconclusive oapture (however
heroically effected) of the Malakhoff. The Com-
manderg-in-Chief of the Allied Legions, in truth,
have yet, it seems, to learn the advisability of
following up with unrelaring energy, on the
instant, triumph after triumph—from the inau-
gural battle of Oltenitza to the final storming of
the titanic earthworks of Sebastopol.

When the settlement or allowance of the PRINCE
CONSORT was under discussion in Parliament it
was universally considered that 30,0001. per an-
num was not only a sufficient but a very liberal
appanage. Indeed Mr. Hums besought the
House, of which he was a respected and influential
member, to consider the temptations to which a
young Prince with so large an income as 30,000/.
a year would be exposed, in the vicinity of a me-
tropolis like London. It was, however, considered
befitting the dignity of the SOTEREIGN that her
Consort should be placed in a perfectly indepen-
dent position, beyond the possibility of annoyance
in money matters, and to obviate the necessity or
even the inducement of grasping after profitable
sinecures or employments scarcely consistent with
the high position in which he was shortly to be
placed. The large grant was therefore all but
unanimously carried, although the youthful Prince
would have no establishment to keep up, all such
expenses being defrayed from the Civil List.
The 30,0001. per annum was therefore entirely
for the privy purse, or what persons of inferior
rank might term " pocket money." It was
exactly half of that fixed for the Royal privy
purse, which had many urgent claims to meet,
from which that of the Prince was exempted. To
preclude the necessity of accumulating money for
the possible contingency of his being left a
widower, it was further provided that in such case
the 30,0001. should be increased to 50,0001.

Experience has, we believe, proved that the
estimate was abundant, and far more than suffi-
cient to cover every outlay of his Royal Highness,
who has certainly not erred on the side of extra-
vagance, but has already realised a very handsome
capital. We do not complain of this prudent
"economy," which, on the contrary, seems very
laudable, and only allude to it for the purpose of
showing that there could be no pecuniary pres-
sure on the Prince to induce him to seek lucra-
tive appointments, to the exclusion of those who
had, by highly meritorious services in the
field, nobly earned the otium cum dignitate
which they were intended to confer. He has,
however, been appointed Colonel of the Grenadier
Guards, as successor to " the Iron Duke," the
pay of which was, on the recommendation of the
Commissioners appointed to consider the subject,
retained at 3,0001. per annum, while the other
regiments of Guards—the Fusiliers and Cold-
streams—were fixed at 2,0001. each, ordinary
regiments being about a moiety of the latter
amount. But Princ,, ALBERT was not merely the
Colonel of the Grenadier Guards. He was also
nominated Colonel-in-Chief of the Rifle Brigade,
having previously been Colonel of the 11th Hus-
sars, or Prince ALBERT'S Own, and of the 60th
Rifles. Ho is also Governor and Constable of
Windsor Castle and Ranger of Windsor Park,
"Chief Steward of the Duchy of Cornwall," and
"Lord Warden of the Stannaries." There are
sundry other matters, both of honour and emolu-
ment, to which it is at present unnecessary to
allude, but which, at a moderate calculation, add
some 10,000/. per annum to the revenue of his
Royal Highness.
Under these circumstances, and being, we be-
lieve, the only military pluralist commanding two
regiment; one of them the most lucrative of any
in the service, it is to be regretted that the Prince
should have suffered himself to engage in a matter
which has brought the subject prominently before
the public. Inquiries have naturally been made
as to how far it is right or proper that his Royal
Highness should engage in these matters. The
30,0001. per annum was either adequate for his
rank or not. If the former, he ought not to enter
into competition with meritorious officers, who
have no " Royal road" to rapid promotion ; if the
latter, the matter should be brought before Par-
liament, to have the mistake committed in 1840
rectified with all convenient speed ! We have also
the by no means improbable rumour that the
Prince is to he the next Commander-in-Chief
whenever Lord HARDINGE may think proper to
retire. All these matters have occasioned consi-
derable uneasiness in the public mind. That
uneasiness should be set at rest, and means
adopted to ascertain the position which it is expe-
dient or constitutional that the husband •f her
if alteeego"
in this
tohuisr
most gracious MAJESTY, the
dearly-beloved QUEEN, should occupy
country. The matter is one of thedeepest
inte-
rest to every loyal subject, and should accordingly
receive the earliest attention of Parliament.

We fear that there is but too much foundation
for the sinister rumours of another Austrian in-
terference with a view to the opening of new ne-
gotiations. A generally well-informed contem-
porary—one who may be supposed to speak "on
authority"—has announced that " Count ESTER-
HAZY, Austrian Ambassador at St. Petersburg,
was to leave yesterday for his port, the bearer of
the ultimatum which Austria had resolved (I) to
press upon the acceptance of the Czar:." The
natnre of this "ultimatum" is more than hinted
at. It is, indeed, spoken of as a matter of general
notoriety ; and if the terms be rejected, then
Austria is determined--.not to take an active part
in the quarrel, not to draw the sword in earnest
but "to withdraw her Ambassador from St.
Petersburg !"

" Yiineo Danaos et Ilona, ferentes."

Such was the exclamation of 0110 who might saved
Troy in the olden time, hif; prudent advice had
been listened to. Wo alsg. dread Austria, and

mast so when she is professing friendship or
" tendering hor good offices." We have in every
instance, when we listened to her blandishments,
been deeply and bitterly deceived. We lost much
valuable time in " waiting for Austria," when
anything approaching to a decided course on her
part would have averted the War, by convincing
Russia that the crossing of the Pruth would be
regarded as a casits Belli that would be resented
by at least three of the great European Powers.
We again committed a grave mistake when we
permitted her troops to occupy the Principalities
—to do that without remonstrance which we
proclaimed war against Russia for attempting.
But for the unflinching courage of our soldiers in
October and November, 1854, sealed with their
blood on the glorious fields of Balaklava and
Inkerman, we should have severely expiated our
error. The mischief was, however, happily
averted, and Austria, whose duplicity involved us
in the scrape, was, on the tidings of our un-
equivocal success, quite ready to take advantage of
her position, by pretending to be the faithful ally
of the Western Powers. It was under such cir-
cumstances that the Treaty of the 2d Dec., 1854,
was arranged, of the spirit of which there could be
no possible doubt, whatever quibbling or special
pleading might be raised on the terms in which
it was expressed. It is needless now to refer to
the manner in which that solemn undertaking was
violated. That is unhappily a matter of general
notoriety, and it scarcely required the corrobo-
rating evidence afforded by the active and unim-
peded supply to Russia of the materiel of war
through the Austrian territories, or the infamous
outrage committed on Colonel Tex while wearing
the British uniform and engaged in the service of
Great Britain, or the disbanding of her troops at
peculiarly critical periods, to conviuce any unpre-
judiced person of the faithlessness and duplicity
of that Power.

Why then should we so often fall into the pal-
pable trap? Even wild animals avoid the snares in
which they have once been nearly trapped, and
should we again be caught we should certainly
expose ourselves to the ridicule of Europe, of
which we shall be the laughing-stock and the re-
proach.

CLIFFORD'S PLAN OF LOWERING
SHIPS' BOATS IN A GALE.

In our notice of the proceedings of the Institution of
Civil Engineers on the sth of April last, we gave the re-
port of that body on this admirable invention, which
was, " that it was evident that by this system the die..
astrous effects of undue haste in rushing to the boats
in cases of danger would be completely obviated." With
so strong a testimony as this, backed as it has been by
another from the National Life Boat Institution to the
same effect, it must seem strange that so much needed a
remedy for a national evil has been neglected and passed
over. This, however, we are happy to find will ❑o longer
be the case, as the Emigration Commissioners have,
after a careful consideration of the plan, ordered it to
be fitted to the Aurora, the next ship on their list to be
dispatched from this country to Australia with emigrants
and superintended by Captain Lyons, one of their ablest
and most efficient officers and a first rate seaman, who
has special instructions to test its qualities. Of the re•
Kilt we entertain no doubt, and the commissioners will
be entitled to public gratitude should they be the means
of bringing into general notice an invention so generally
needed and which if successful will supply a deficiency
long felt by all nautical men to exist in the naval service.
The Aurora lies in the West India Export Dock, Poplar,
and the general care that has been beat )cyed on preparing
her for the reception of the emigrants reflects the
greatest credit on all concerned iu her equipment.—
Morning Paper.