The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-09 00:00:00

THE CONFERENCE AT VIENNA.

A letter.from Vienna-of the 3d, in the Constitu
tionnel, says :
The eighth sitting of the Conference 'which tools
place yesterday was closed by the verbal adoption o
the part
,of the plenipotentiaries of Russia of the inter
pretation attached to the• fourth point of guarantee b
the notes of the Bth August and amplified by the pro
tocol of the 28th December. It is only the minutes o
the sittings hitherto held which have been signed b
the representatives, and not the protocol, the signing o
which will decide peace. This-protocol cannot-be draw
up until an understanding has been come en the thir
point, which, at the "present, is being decided befor
Sebastopol. The question -as to; whether that fortres
can..be taken does not come within the competent
of diplomacy, and must .be settled by the sword. It is.
hoped that before the next sitting of the Conference'
(on the 10th- instant) something „decisive may have'
taken place on this point, for the report of General Can-
robert on the military operations of- the Anglo-French
• army in the Criinea, and announcing the general assault
is every clay expected. According to the last accounts
received via Odessa,-it. was not only in contemplation
to open the fire on Sebastopol, but more. particnlarlyto
.attack the main. body -of the Muscovite- army, and, if
possible, fight a decisive battle. In presence of these
facts it is easy to comprehend why the plenipotentiaries,
of the allied Powers have preferred to let. the discussion(
on the third point
_remain open. If the result of the'
operations of the allied army comes up to the expecta-I
tion of General 'Canrobert, and• to the desire of the allied!
Powers, Russia will certainly accept the faits accompli.i.l
In the event of the. result' not 'being decisive, thp,
Conference wilt have to examine the' question as to
whether the taking of Sebastopo4. a place which the
Western Pavers have never had any intention of'
.permanently occupying, so far interests their mili-
tary honour, that all other interests of Europe must
be made subordinate to that consideration.. It is
only M. Drouyn de Lkuys and Lord J.. Russell who
can, in the name of their respective Governments, reply
in a positive manner to such a question. I must not,
howeier, conceal' from you that, according to accounts
. worthy of credit, the Cabinet of Vienna -is' in possession
of sure information that a great part .of the town of Se-
baittipol has been mined by the Russians, who intend to
blow-it up rather than allow. it to fall into the -hands of
the allied army. (' This is most probably a threat held
out by thn Russians, as the nature of the soil on
-which Sebastopol is -built Would render such` a work
nearly impossible.') I may add, that the 'Cabinet of '
Vienna, from a motive, which every one in France
• will appreciate, has 'eagerly communicated to the French
Government everything which has come to its know-
ledge relative to the means of defence prepared by the
Rtissians in Sebaitopol:' Batween this time and a
week we' shall_ probably know something definitive,
slime it appears certain that Lord Jelin Russell has,
fized his. departure from- Vienna,for the evening of the
10th, as he is compelled to be in Lonclorr for the reopen-
ing of the English Parliament after the ,Easter_holidays;
which takes place On' The f6tb. I cannot too strongly
%ill your attention to the-fact that'brtire pure and Sim=
ple adoption of, the fourth gilarantea such as it was in-
lerpreted by 'the protocol of the 28th Dec., Russia hal
wade two very important- concessions to 'the Western
Powers. By annulling all t4e,treaties previously male
with -ifie'POrte,. Russia abandons at a single blow the
results of a long series of wars, 'and of the'effort's which
she has been carrying on for ages., . This is a result of
which the allied' Powers have a right to be proud. Per;
sons who reflect and measure causes "arid effects cannot.
fail. to admit that this boueession,in its ,legaland M 071,
cOnieqUences is much more valuable than thetaicing
Sebastopol. The Russian Plenipotentiaries,
hope., r°
ef(4.er:
re-
silpiOtantautu
ldi
f Prince
-have been compelled to renounce all of
fourth
in the practical int,rprelation
,;.ultritiitee a:lyemosfehtihkoffed.emaiTilisiso f efit mtHif
another d
! t
ultimatum
check to which Russia has been forced to consent, all
thouah, in the despatch of the Baron de Bin berg, of the.
6th Nov., 1854, the ambassador of the Czar at terliii
had laid down the common guarantee'b.y the five.powers
of the religions and Civil 'rights of the Christian popula-
tions of the Ottoman Empire as one of the sine qua non
conditions of the regulations. of peace. In'the interpre-
tation decided en in the sitting of the Conferences yes-
terday-the fourth guarantee, not only makes no mention
of the civil rights by the aid of which Russia -could in-
cessantly interfere in the affairs of Turkey, but the con-
dition-Of the Christian subjects of-the Porte is to be re:
gulated without the religious protectorate of the Czar.
Thie"iti precisely the contrary of what Prince Menschi-
koff demanded from-the Sultan. " For the exalniiie pro-
tectorate which Russia: wished to,exercise Ove'ir Bier core-
ligionists in Tnrkey, the Conference has, subs,t,itnted the
plenitude of the sovereign authority of the Sultan.

The St. Petersburg adviceikif the" 50th of iiiir6h quote
the rate of exchange 36id. The next: advicea from
Vienna were looked for with great anxiety. Tle weather
had,beconao fine ,but iiwad coid4-n6.• jaletrobgh the
snow was last disappearing.