The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-09 00:00:00

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Sint-office, 112, Strand, London,
9th July, 1855.

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LONDON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1856.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL was until within the last
few weeks an influential member of the Cabinet !
It may, therefore, be presumed that he was tho-
roughly:cognisant of the Ministerial views and in-
tentions respecting the progress of the War. One
of his henchmen, who is generally supposed to de-
rive his inspiration from the Noble ex-Secretary,
is at the head of the Admiralty, and, as Si!
CHARLES WOOD could scarcely have any secrets
from his recognised leader, the Noble Lord must

have been peculiarly conversant with everything

relating to the management and. contemplated
proceedings of the Fleet ! He was, therefore, an
unexceptionable witness on such matters. "Whether
then ho argues inferentially or categorically—from
facts known to the community at large, or makes
direct and positive assertions—we may be certain
,that he avails himself of recent official information,
and. may consequently be regarded as speaking ex
cathedra on such points.
Nqw, the Noble Lord, in the very injudicious
:altd'"irlopportune speech delivered en Monday, has
distinctly told us with regard to the, Navy, that
it evident that the enemy does not mean to
me@.t"us Onthat',field and
'therefore we cannot ex-
pect to end the War by great naval victories or great
blOws CO be struck by our Navy !" This is an
/ominous announcement. One that 'will be re-
ceived with great dissatisfaction •
by the people ;
if there be a
and whiob,possibility of explanation,
should not be permitted to remain a single day
uncontradicted.

Russian Fleet, now
It was well known that the
skulking under the guns of Cronstadt, would not
meet a British or French squadron on anything
last year, a much inferior
like equal terms. But,
in the Gulf of Finland
force to that now cruising
,
and the 13altic. was sufficient to maintain the
blockade, and to prevent the blood-stained standard
,fif ' Russia from daring to show itself in these
;waters. Half the power now employed would be
`ierfectly adequate to the duty, and to keep up
the petty annoyance that has hitherto been prat
tised. Why, then, waste the extra strength where
it is not and cannot be required, if "no great
i
th,,iral blow is to by ournavy?" be struck
r.The.season
iisa already become less favourable to operations.
Tug men cruising about is attended with con- 1

Brother JONATHAN seems to be in extacies. The
aka smiles upon him. The Lord of Siberia
compliments the President of American Slave
States ; and the New York Herald joyfully re-
cords the flatteries. The new hereditary CZAR
writes an autograph letter to a President who
now awaits the kick republican to terminate his
short and inglorious reign ; and simple JONATHAN
hears his own praises, from such a source, with
maiden simplicity and zest, though certainly not
with mad. •0. modesty. 'Ve ill-natured matrons
Among th.- .ations might resent such laudations,
especially from such a source. We might deem
;hem liberties. We should tell the smooth-tongued
flatterer that we trusted our position was too well
understood, and had been settled much too long
to make it worth his while to trouble himself to
tell us it. And we should certainly half suspect
some meditated attempt on our national virtue.
NOt so our. " brother JONATHAN ;"—luoky, in-
deed, that he was not misnamed JosErl, for he
evinces no disposition to floe from the political
POTIPHAR'S wife. He is just emerging from his
teens, and why should he not plume himself on
the pretty things said of him by NICHOLAS of
blessed memory, and ALEXANDER his great son ?
First, Mr. PRESIDENT congratulated the Head
of the Greek Church and the EMPEROR of all the
Russias, and of a good many countries toe with
which Russia has about as much business as Ame-
rica with Mexico or Cuba—on his accession to
the Crown. Quite proper for the stool to make
its bow to the throne. We are, indeed, to• illi-
terate in such matters to know whether NICHOLAS
congratulated Mr. PoLx when the Democrats put
him, in, causa mediocritatis ; and whether, then,
the throne bowed to the stool. Be that as it
may, the precious autograph—destined for all
ages of America, monumentura core perennius—
informs Mr. POLK, and all the people of the
sovereign States, "in highly complimentary terms
of their increasing greatness ;" and also informs
them that the late EMPEROR, in his dying admo-
nitory advice, enjoined his children to study the
letters in his escritoire from the eminent men of
the United States—JACKSON, CLAY, WEBSTER,
and others. It is wonderful he did not add that
the dying ALEXANDER, when his turn came,
would admonish his successor to study the letters
of the great Mr. Pon; or the POLK the Great,
as an Emperor, of course, would write.
ALEXANDER, it seems, has been very dutiful.
He is not so busy with the War (perhaps CON-
STANTINE and MENSCHIKOFF take care of that)
as not to have found time to commence the en-

joined studies, for he " proceeds to acknowledge
the value of those letters." Doubtless they must
have been very instructive in the art and science

3f slavery and serfdom—the great domestic and

characteristic institutions of the two countries, as
distinguished from the rest of the civilised world.
The Post Script, however, as with the ladies,
contains the point of the letter. It expresses
"his-. Majesty's sense of obligation at the strong
nation 4 interest manifested by the 'American
people in the success of the War upon which hi;
Treat father had ent6-ed," and it concludes by
"prefessing the most lasting friendship between
Russia and the United States."
To be serious-4t is to be deeply regretted if
slavery, and pique against the -mother country,
have really made such congratulations, and senti-
ments, as the latter especially, acceptable to
Americans. We have had too
many incidents
betraying the- existence, in the more vulgarminds, of
• - •
Aialignant antipathy to
the old
country ; .and, that, too, when not an individual
can bo found :here who does . not- condemn,:, anfi
heartily,- the- tyranny of GEononITI.; and. his
Ministers. If they are honest- Republicans ;
honest lovers of liberty—if slavery in their midst
has not corrupted their sympathies with freedom,
then surely all this leaning to Russia, this want

of interest in the triumph of free nations, in-

eluding France, their own ally in the War of
Independence, is most inexplicable. America, by

such a line of conduct, will forfeit the respect of
enlightened patriotism everywhere. 'While she
is consistent in her republicanism—while, that is,

she wishes all possible extension to other nations

of the independence and freedom she fought for—
even monarchs and aristocrats will respect her ;
but if she continue to retain millions of her own
sons in slavery, and shows more sympathy with
the oppressors than the deliverers of nations, the
must beconae the object of well-merited disgust.

foraTite(neceesity quitable adjustment cif
the Ilicom© Tx, long urn these columns,
at last become:too fed
for inaotion, and

o.++•;

3

..•~~

siderable peril. Our gallant fleet may be dis-
persed by the tempest or impaled on the hidden
rocks of those comparatively unknown waters. If
they are not to attack one of the strongholds of
Russia there is no use in wasting their time, and
they would be far better at some convenient ren-
dezvous, leaving a few light frigates merely as sen-
tinels, than as they now are, exposed to very
needless danger and useless labour.

There have been rumours circulated touching
the intention to bombard Sweaborg; while
others poSitively affirm that Revel will be
the first port of any strength to receive the
" compliments of the season" from the British
squadron. In either case there would be some-
thing to accomplish worthy of British seamen.
The former would certainly be the more glorious,
and, we believe, the more valuable achievement,
inasmuch ac it would strike greater terror into
the hearts of the Russians, and be less easily re-
stored to its original position. Sweaborg boasts
the much-vaunted granite fortresses, similar to
those which were so easily disposed of at Bomar-
sund. Revel, on the other hand, has the unpre-
tending earth or rather mud batteries, which a
few hours can fully repair, however serious the
damage previously inflicted. Unless we had a
land force to follow up the blow rapidly it would
be of but little practical utility, and certainly not
worth the trouble it would occasion. At Swea-
borg, however, there would, in the event of suc-
oess, be something to show for our money. The
demolition of its frowning batteries would be a
tangible step which would strike terror into the
enemy, and which could not be repaired, not
merely within a few days or hours, but
even before the next spring, when our ships
could be enabled again to come about their
ears. Sweaborg, too, is a war station," an ad-
vanced post, where there is protection for the
Russian fleet. Its capture would add to our
prestige, while Revel, although strongly fortified,
is only regarded as a commercial port, the bom-
bardment whereof would not greatly enhance our
reputation, however successful, and where any
failure would be of a very humiliating character.
We confess that we should like to see all the
Russian fortifications made to feel the weight of
our metal and power of our shipping. But if
there is to be but one attempt to gain laurels for
our fleet, let it be worthy of the occasion, and
Sweaborg, not Revel, the point selected. There are,
however, ample grounds for interrogating Minis-
ters respecting the Baltic Fleet, were it only to
remove the sinister impression created by Lord
Jolts RUSSELL'S speech ; and we trust that the
opportunity for that purpose, rapidly slipping
away, may not be wasted or misapplied.