The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-25 00:00:00

AUST MA.

A letter from Vienna of ' the 20th, in the Post
Gazette of Frankfort, says :—" It is known that
the third point has receive( i a new interpretation,
that is to say, that in place of the propositions pre-
viously drawn up, the ieu- 4.alisation of the Black
Sea has been admitted. T he Western Powers put
forward this interpretation some months ago ; and
if Austria did not immediately adopt it, it was be-
cause Sebastopol was not ti liken, and because it was
not to be expected that Ru rsia would accept condi-
tions which, so to speak, would oblige her to de-
stroy her fleet and raze hei. fortresses. The capture
of Sebastopol has removed the obstacle to an un-
derstanding on the third p point. Count Buol has
not disguised from Prince Qortschakoff that the
best thing Russia has to do is to accede to what is
now proposed. The great p owers consider the third
point as the condition sine qua non of peace, and
Russia can accept it withou ,t injury to her political
and military position. It t! Itus appears, then, that
it is once more on Russia t hat the decision of peace
or war depends."
A letter from Vienna of the 18th, in the Augs-
burg Gazette, says :—" Tb to interchange of de-
spatches between 'Vienna a ud Paris is at present
exceedingly animated. Th iv, day Count Choty,
attache of embassy, left this city with despatches
for the French capital." l'ln 3 same letter_ adcl,
s :
"Colonel Turr, the Austri:m a deserter, has been
transferred here, and is now• in the
military
It is not thought that he wi 31 be detainedlporniasonin.
custody."

PRIISI ;lA.
BERLIN, Dec. 22.—The pacific propositions of
Austria have been commul Heated to the Prussian
government by Prince
.Est- arhazy, Austrian minis-
ter to the Court of Berlin- ...a relation of the Count

Esterhazy who is ambassador from the Court of
Vienna at St. Petersburg. The Prussian govern-
ment will use its influence with the Czar in suppor
of the propositions.
The Independance Beige asserts that Prussia
consents to support these propositions, and the
journal in question considers the fact as the most
significant sign in favour of the probabilities of
peace which has yet occurred. Le Nord disbelieves
the story.

THE FALL OF KARS.
On this topic the Cologne Gazette remarks :—•
" Undoubtedly the most important result of this
event will be the exaltation of popular opinion in
Russia, where the masses can hardly be said to be
ix favour of peace. But for this, however highly
we may estimate Mouravieff, we are forced to ad-
mit that the general state of the war is only
slightly affected by the fall of Kars, a fact that is
conceded even by the New Prussian Gazette. Kars
may be called the key to Asia Minor ; the lock,
however, is very rusty. The natural obstacles
presented by the country itself, through its want of
roads and its long vacant tracts, are so great
that Prince Paskiewitch, when he had taken
Kars, and even Erzeroum, in 1828, hardly dared
to proceed more than a few days' marches
in advance. General Mouravieff is much too
weak to advance further in this inclement sea-
son ; especially now that Omer Paella is actually
before Kutais. What we cannot understand is,
not why the Turks have done so little for the relief
of Kars, but why the English, if we except a few
spirited officers, have sent no aid to the distressed
fortress. The Turkish auxiliary troops formed by
them into a contingent were ready to take the field
in April last. The hitch in the army, the petty
jealousy of the officers in that army against the
Indian officers and the auxiliary troops, this has
been part of the reason. It is possible that the
French do not evince the same ardour as the Eng-
lish do for undertaking operations in Asia, for
otherwise we find it hard to comprehend why the
allies do not mete out their blows in that quarter,
where Russia is least able to parry them, and where
they would be most deeply felt. To drive back the
Russians through the defiles of the Caucasus would.
be tantamount to barring them out of Asia.*