The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-27 00:00:00

placing 350,000 men on his frontiers. It would have '
been an unpardonable want of foresight—a blander for
which Ministers would have been justly reproached—if
they had neglected by every means in their power to
secure the alliance of Austria, or if by menaces or undue
pressure they had driven her to throw her weight into
the opposite scale, to act in the interest of Russia, or to
adopt even that system of neutrality embraced by Prus-
sia, thus relieving our antagonist from all apprehension
of hostility in this quarter. They had done right, there-
fore, to show deference to Austria, and be mindful of
the peculiarities of her position ; and he must say, after
listening to all his noble and learned friend had said, he
could see nothing to repent or regret in any of the steps
they had taken. But in no way, and at no time, had
those communications with Austria been allowed to
influence or interfere with our military operations.
They certainly had looked to the negotiations of
Vienna to restore peace, or to secure the active co-ope-
ration of Austria ; but so determined were her Majesty's
Government that there should be no relaxation of hosti-
lities, that, before the opening of the conferences, the
Duke of Newcastle, after having ascertained that the
French Government would adopt the same course, wrote
to Lord Raglan to say that he was not to (slacken his
efforts, but the contrary, as her Majesty's Government
was convinced that the negotiaeions would be accelerated
rather than retarded by the vigorous prosecution of the
war, and believed that nothing would more tend than a
great military success to obtaining an honourable peace.
If, while these negotiations were proceeding, Sebas-
topol had fallen, he had little doubt that we should
either have concluded peace or secured the active co-
operation of Austria. (Hear.) His noble and learned
friend had spoken of the course of the Government as
that of men carried away in pursuit of phantom ,
shapes and deceived, and had argued that Austria must
have dealt insincerely with us. He believed that, as re-
spected either Governments or individuals, nothing was
more difficult than to test sincerity. If a friend whose
interests were identical with your own,. whose opinions
coincided with your own, and who was prepared to make
great sacrifices to carry out those opinions, it such a
friend all at once became what his notate and learned
friend called cautious, stopped short, and, for reasons
which you could not adroit to be valid, refused to go
with you any further, you might be apt to doubt that
he had been sincere in the first instance. Yet your in-
ference might be erroneous, and he might have been
sincere. All he could say was, that from the first Aus-
tria regarded her interests as identical with those of
England and France on what was called the Eastern
question; she took precisely the same view as they d'd
of the aggressive designs and acts of Russia, and agreed
with them entirely as to the necessity of putting a
check on them. Although just before the commence-
ment of the war she had reduced her army by 90,000
nsen, yet since the war commenced she had spent
16,000,000/. sterling in strengthening her army,/ and
placing :t on a war footing, and in erecting great barriers
against the pending invasion of Russia on the Polish
frontier. Nov this large expenditure was perhaps the
best argument he could adduce with the view of proving
her sincerity, because certainly if it had been her object
to deceive us, she might have have made an experiment
with that view at much less cost. He must also say that
Austria had never required any impulse from France or
England in the proceedings of the various negotiations.
On the contrary, it was she who volunteered, sayingthat
she wished to confer, and who proposed the signature of
the protocol of December the 2d. When the confer-
ences opened Count Buol mode the strong declaration
to which his noble and learned friend alluded, that Aus-
tria had contracted certain engagements with her allies,
and would adhere to them whatever might be the con-
sequence. If, therefore, she intended to deceive, she
went to work in a very weak and ill-advise I way, the
only result of which could have been to bring out her
bad faith prominently before the world. (Hear, hear.)
The only object she could have proposed to herself by
such a line of conduct was that of retarding or crippling
our military operations, but that evidently had never en-
tered into her views. On the contrary, any milit irersuc-
cess we gained was received with the greatest satisfac-
tion in Vienna, and their lordships would well remember
the telegraphic despatch of the Emperor of Austria to
the Emperor of the French and the Queen of England,
congratulating them on the great event of the victory of
Inkerman, and desiring to associate himself in its con-
sequences. The plenipotentiary of Austria brought for-
ward the same proposals, expressed the same wishes,
and supported them by exactly the same language as
those of England and France, and it was only when
the proposals made were rejected, and the English and
French plenipotentaries declared they would go no fur-
ther, that Austria then said there were other means by
which the basis of the third point might be carried into
effect, and that those other means ought to be brought
forward. The conferences were adjourned sine die, and
so they would remain, but Count Buol observed that
their remaining in that state would be the cause of great
embarrassment to all parties, and he wished to
redeem the pledge he bad given at a former conference,
to makeone last attempt at bringing the belligerents to-
gether. The answer to that was that we (the Ministry)
must see the proposal before we could give any opinion
upon it. The propcsal was sent us and declined, and the
plenipotentiaries of England and France said they could
only attend the conference for the purpose of its being
closed. Count Buol knew beforehand that this proposal
was to he refused, and he (the Earl of Clarendon) appre-
hended that it was only brought forward at that confer-
ence because he had pledged himself at a previous one to
do so. The conference being closed, they said to Austria
that they thought the time was now come for her to fulfil
the engagements into which she had entered. Her answer
to that in substance was, that although Russia had not
agreed to the proposal made by the allied plenipoten-
tiaries on the third point, yet there were other means of
giving effect to its basis by a system of counterpoise
—the opening of the Straits when the Sultan thought
himself in danger, a treaty to secure the independ-
ence of Turkey—by which arrangements the preponder-
ance of Russia would be terminated, and all anxiety for
the maintenance of the Turkish empire would cease ;
and consequently, as those terms had been rejected by
the Western Powers, Austria did not think herself bound
to co-operate with them by taking part in the war. He
need hardly say that that was not their view of the en-
gagements taken by Austria, or the mode in which the
fulfilment of the treaty was to be accomplished. (Hear.)
But in justice we ought to consider the motives on which
the decision we regretted might be based. He thought
that when Austria entered into successive engagements
with England and France, and made extensive and
costly preparations for war—when, moreover, she ur-
gently pressed that military missions should be sent by
the allies to the head-quarters of General Hess, there
could be no doubt that she intended and expected
to go to war, though not very soon: She expected
that, before the season for operations commenced, the
allied armies would have gained a decisive advan-
tage in the Crimea ; and being thus set free would have
ben able to act in concert with her during a campaign
on the Danube. Let it be considered, further, that if
Austria bad on our invitation, at the close of the con-
ferences, declared war against Russia, she would have
had to wage it single-banded as regarded support in
Germany. Could she have reckoned upon the assistance
of Prussia, or even upon her neutrality ? Could she have
been sure that she might not have had to deal with ene-
mies on her flank and rear as well as in her front ? The
finances of Austria were not in a prosperous state, and
her resources were greatly crippled by her restricted
commerce. Her financial means were not equal to her
military expenditure, and on that account she did not
occupy the station which she ought to fill as a first-rate
power in Europe. (Hear, hear.) There were other
reasons, to which he did not think it prudent to allude,
which he had no doubt had influenced the decision of
Austria. (Hear, hear.) The noble and learned lord
had asked, what was our position with reference to
Austria ? Austria had announced her readiness to con-
tinue to occupy the Principalities until peace could he
procured, in fulfilment of her treaty with her allies. To
that he did not oppose any objection, because the occu-
pation of the principalities, and the treaty on which it
was founded, prevented Austria from assuming a posi-
tion of neutrality. That possession and occupation was
an act of hostility towards Russia, on account of which
Russia would be justified in declaring war, and as long as
Austria fulfilled her treaty with Turkey, she could not be
- acting with Russia. It should be borne in mind that, if
- Austria were to leave the Principalities, there would be
no security against the return of Russia, and it would be
impossible for the army of Omer Paella to remain in the
Crimea. (Hear.) He had before announced that the four
bases were to be taken in their entirety, and as the third.
which was of the utmost importance, had been rejected,
and the responsibility of that rejection rested on Russia,
her Majesty's Government considered themselves dis-
engaged from those negotiations. (Cheers.) There
was not the least doubt that the great question in-
volved in the four base's must again come under discus-
sion, but England and France had announced their de-
termination, stating that they had reserved the right to
go free and unfettered to any future negotiations, and to
make peace upon such conditions as they might con-
sider most advantageous to themselves and to Europe.
(Cheers.) He was compelled to 'abstain from following
his noble and learned friend through his speech. He
thought it most desirable not to increase any misunder-
standing which might exist with respect to Austria, and
trusted that a still closer union would take place between
this country and Austria, which need not be despaired
of if we should be able to achieve any great military suc-
cesses, (Hear.) He did not think the proceedings of
the Government with regard to Austria ought to sub-
ject them to any censure. At no time, and in no manner,
had their military operations been relaxed in conse-
quence of the carrying on of negotiations ; and with re-
pect to their future position, so far from being wor3e it
was improved, because England and Fr!ince were morefree and unfettered than
before in decidinon what
terms should be made. (Cheers.) g up
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH said he was not
about to censure the Government for having used their
best endeavours to conciliate Austria, and obtain her
concurrence in the measures which the allies had thought
fit to adopt for the protection of Turkey; for it was of
the greatest importance to obtain the concurrence of
Austria in those measures. He Was not about to cen-
sure Austria for the caution which she had exercised, for
it was justified by the peculiar position in which she Was
placed. He was not about to complain of the conduct
Austria bad pursued since the termination of the negotia-
tions at Vienna. He admitted that Austria had performed
good service to the allies and to Europe. She found herself
at the commencement of these transactions with an army
much reduced in strength, and with her finances in a low
condition. She had made an effort to place her army on a
war establishment, and had placed it in a position threat-
ening to Russia, which had had the effect of diverting the
forces of Russia from action in the Crimea. But not only
had the armed position of Austria effected this objest,
but she had to consider her own position in Italy, in
Hungary, and in Poland ; and no doubt her position of .