The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-03 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1855.

December again brings with it a variety of
rumours respecting new negotiations for peace,
under the en •
stpaces and through the intervention
of Austria. We are even told that terms have
been proposed, not by Russia, but by the Cabinet
of Vienna, which might not only be accepted with
honour at the preSent stage of the War, but which
would hardly be thoUght unfavourable even after
another successful campaign. It is,
further, more
than hinted that the -Western Powers have
"nibbled at the bait ;" and that, consequently,
there is every prospect of a, speedy cessation of

We must say that we totally discredit the latterl
portion of these statements, believing that merely
" the wish is father to the thought," and that the
assertions are but ingenious feelers put forward to
test the opinions and views of the community.
0 have already had quite enough of Austrian
mediation. Her duplicity and insincerity have
been too clearly and unequivocally displayed to
allow Us again
to fall into the obvious trap.
Twelve months have
elapsed since we had a dia-
tinct and
positive tin
dertaking. from Austria,
which, although couched in
ambiguous languag©,
left no possible doubt as to the
impression it was
intended to convey to the Western Governments.
It was only stipulated that if Russia, before the
end of the then current'Year, 1854, should have
made propositions which were considered aCcept...

i able, and which would insure a good and durable
I peace, that the three Powers would " advise " as
Ito the means of obtaining that peace ! Surely it
could never be supposed that one of these Powers
would evade that solemn obligation by a quibble
on the word " advise," worthy only an 01(1 Bailey
practitioner, and scarcely sufficient to be " re-
served" for the Court of Criminal Appeal in the
case of a fraudulent bankrupt. And yet it is now
gravely asserted that while that obligation re-
mains virtually unperformed, the French
and English Governments would listen
to new propositions from the same party
by whom they had been so grossly and so scan-
dalously deceived. And that after the deliberate
declaration by the English Secretary for Foreign
Affairs that there was " much reason to fear that
Austria would propose nothing that Russia would
be unwilling to accept ;, while, on the other hand,
it seemed probable that Russia would agree to
nothing that would interfere with the determina-
tion that the Emperor ALEXANDER had announced
of carrying out the policy of PETER and of
CATHERINE."

No ; Austria has been " weighed in the
balance and found wanting," She cannot again
be suffered to interfere, and any propositions
which Russia may think proper to make must be
directly put forward by herself, and not through
any third party. Great as her losses have been,
she is not as yet sufficiently humiliated to accede
to terms that will, at the same time, give ade-
quate compensation for the past, and ample ss-
curity for the future—that will recompense all
the enormous outlay that has been sustained in
misting her unjustifiable aggression, and prove
that she has definitively abandoned her traditional
policy of annexation.
It is not from any vindictive feeling against Rus-
sia, or any undue aspiration after naval or mili-
tary glory, that we urge these matters, but from
a profound conviction that no satisfactory peace
can, at present, be concluded, and that any nego-
tiations or discussions must be highly prejudicial
to the cause for which the Western Powers have
been compelled reluctantly to fling away the
scabbard and " unloose the dogs of war."
Austria may have made propositions she
is capable of anything. But if she seriously
intended that her reprtrentations should be
listened to she would not have permitted
so gross an insult, 143 foul a wrong as that perpe-
trated against the English nation in the person of
Colonel Tun, an officer wearing the British uni-
form, and in the actual service of Great Britain,
to remain so long unredressed. No matter how san-
guinary might be her minions, they would for the
time at least have repressed their bloodthirsty in-
stincts, and abated the insolence of office, if by so
doing they could have hoped to serve the twin
despotism. The Very audacity displayed and per-
sisted in proves beyond the possibility of doubt
that they have no hope of again bamboozling the
Cabinet of St. James into disastrous negotiations.
The matter has now reacheda point where there can
benolooking backward—no retrograde movement.
The path not only of honour, but of safety lies
forward. We must still advance, if we desire
that our heavy sacrifices, not only of money, but
of the inestimable lives of our gallant brethren,
shall be productive of results really beneficial to
the nation, and insuring to our children, and
children's children the peace and tranquillity
which we have been unable to retain.

I❑ the interests of humanity it is much to be
regretted that no Englishman can speak in Ri
Sift but Messrs. GLADSTONE, COBDEN, and BRIGHT•
Each of their speeches are fully reported in' the
journals of St. Petersburg, and as their names
have been carried on the wings of commerce fur-
ther than those of our more English-minded
Statesmen, the Russians are deluded into the be-
lief that a faction only of this country are at war
with their CZAR ; they are encouraged to sub-
mit to depopulating and impoverishing sacrifices
under the belief that in a very little time the
philo-Russians here will eject the War Ministers.
While Prussia and Austria supply the Russian
army with ammunition, and shield her weak side,
the Peelites and their coadjutors feed it with
hopes of soon wearying out a power whose men of
European reputation clamour for peace at any
price. It were well if the vanity or party
spirit of these gentlemen suffered them to remem-
ber that their own speeches are thegreatest obstacle
to peace. The CZAR himself and his old Muscovite
party are desperate ; still we question if they could
have sustained the zeal of their rude soldiers but
for the orations of our peace men. Had these gen-
' tlemen but had the patriotism to be silent when
their soft words were practically firebrands ; had
they allowed the country to present the united and
uncompromising phalanx of its majority of ninety-
nine hundredths, without their noisy band beating
a retreat in vain behind it, it is presumable that
Russia and Austria would have lost heart long
ago, and that peace might have been the easy
task of this winter.

By preaching peace to England they have
preached war to Russia. Why do we never
hear them addressing themselves to the power
which broke the peace ? Why, if they are
honest, do they not prove to Russia that such are
the resources and determination of England,
France, and their allies ; that such is the mani-
fest wickedness of the attack on the SULTAN, and
indeed of all the Russian conquests of the
last half-century, that peace is hopeless till
Russia give up her aggressive position, and
retreat to legitimately Russian territory ? Why
not tell Russia that, for such reasons, peace-
men as they are, they may talk for ever, but will
never carry this country with them I They know
that such speeches would be read in the Russian
Court if not printed in the Livalide Russe, and
would produce ten times more effect than for ever
lecturing their countrymen on the Wickedness
of
War, to punish the disturber of peace and to take
sufficient bail of him for the future.

It is the notable meeting at Oxford, on Tluin.
day, which has reminded us so strongly of the mad_
ness of our Peace-men. Could the report of such
a meeting but appear in the same Russian paper;
in which the Manchester and Peelite speeches
are printed, we should feel loss concern that the
uneasiness of vanity in a minority vented itself
in the form it does. Here it does no harm, because
our perfectly free Press gives the antidote with
the bane. In Russia these effusions are a kind of
political brandy, a distillation from the wholesome
total of the English newspaper press, serving the
1 same purpose to the reading population there as
the material stimulant to their poor soldiers at
°lceman and the Tchernaya. In the very city
whose University Mr. GLADSTONE represents, at an
annual municipal diuner attended by the Mem-
bers of parliament for the eity and county, with
the Mayor and ex_m
ayor, the Sheriff 3 of the city
and county, and Lord-Lieutenant of the county,
the Vice-
Chancellor,
Registrar, and Procters of
the University, and other gentlemen—A this
meeting Mr. GLADSTONE would have beard but one
voice. There were ex-Ministers and Members of
Parliament of different, nay, decidedly
opposed,
politics; there were literary gentlemen, country
gentlemen, burgesses of the city ; gentlemou all
pf wheso.incom es are likely to be literally deci-
mated by the pacono Tax—yet not a note of dis-

sension is heard. Rival senators, civilians,
masters of arts, soldiers, and tradesmen, all,
without qualification, adopt the same language.
What is very remarkable is, that the Mayor hav-
ing properly interdicted politics, and all the
speakers concurring with him, they yet each and
all treated the War as no question of politics ;
that is, in their ordinary sense—as a topic on
which, indeed, Englishmen could not be supposed
to differ. We commend these plain facts to the
consideration of the fighting despot at St. Peters-
burg, and the skulking despots at Vienna and
Berlin. They will let them know the stuff which
JOHN Bu.m.--every limb of him—is made of.
Sir JAMES FERGUSSON, just come from the
Crimea, exulted in the enthusiasm with which
every returning soldier is received, and testified
to the ardour and efficiency of the troops he had
just left. Mr. CARDWELL, in a speech truly
wonderful for a Peelite, endorsed the sentiments
of the French EMPEROR, and affirmed that as in a
civilised kingdom each citizen is bound by muni-
cipal law to aid in resistance to breach of the peace,
so by international law each kingdom is bound to
join in chastising the violator of intternational na-
tional peace. He bore willing testimony to the
unanimity of the British people, and joined in their
demand for a thoroughly satisfactory peace. Mr.
HENLEY was even more decided ; he (like our-
selves) could but characterise as cant the unde-
fined talk of a " secure and honourable peace."
His opinion was "that when two strong
persons fell out, nothing came of it until one
or the other got a very good thumping." " This
always produced some effect, and then things
which to the defeated had seemed unjust became
just., admissible, unpalatable conditions of peace
were swallowed, and a secure and satisfactory
peace was the result." We venture to think
that if all the worthies of St. Stephen's waste the
public time for six months next session in their
word-fencing, the homely formula of the Tory
member for Oxfordshire will sum up still the
truth of the whole question. Colonel NORTH
was sure that in this war for freedom " consider-
ations of money would never induce them to de-
sire a hasty and insecure peace." Mr. G. G.
HARCOURT hoped all the members would beintheir
p!ace next session, to give a vigorous support to
such military measures as the Government might
think it needful to adopt. The Earl of ABINGDON
(the Lord-Lieutenant) praised our Allies, especi-
ally the Constitutional Monarch of Sardinia, and
felt confident that in union with them we should
give the aggressor " the good thumping" which
alone would lead to a satisfactory peace. Major REED
was delighted with the unanimity on this sub-
ject of gentlemen holding such different political
opinions, and showed up the odious position of
Austria. Mr. CASTLE, the city sheriff, expressed
the strong dissent of the citizens from the views
of Messrs. GLADSTONE, COBDEN, and BRIGHT, and
declared their willingness to make any sacrifices
necessary for the conclusion of the War, with re-
sults worthy of the Allies and their righteous
objects.

Such is a bare Guilin() of this thoroughly Eng-
lish meeting. If our readers overlooked our
report on Saturday we would : tog *na to turn
back to it. We feel proud of our 'politicians and
citizens when we see them thus merging all
vulgar differences and interests in a national and
world-important cause. It augurs well for the
approaching session, for the conduct of the War,
and, therefore, for the earliest peace worth our
acceptance.

When will common sense be installed at the
Horse Guards ? We ask the question without
much hope of a satisfactory answer. Were it a
question of mode instead of time the case would
be far different. The reply would then be alike
prompt and to the purpose. The reader would
at once exclaim—" By clearing it of its present
tenants, and setting Routine adrift to find where
it might a congenial domain," and we would
agree with him. The question, however, not
being one of mode, but of time, we must reiterate
the inquiry, " When will common sense be in
stalled at the Horse Guards ?"

Some predestined victim of credulity, fresh
from the recent announcement that a line of tele-
graph is about to be laid down from Balaklava to
Kertch, "in order that the Allies may be regu-
larly apprised of the movements of the Russians,
and enabled to send immediate assistance to any
point menaced by the enemy," may point to it as
a convincing proof that despair is unwarranted,
and that we have only to " wait a little longer "
to have our wishes accomplished. A convincing
proof I Couple the announcement with another,
and see what it tends to demonstrate. General
VIVIAN, the leader of the Turkish Contingent.,
was menaced, we are told, the other day at Kertch
by WRANGEL, and consequently sent to Balaklava
for cavalry to protect his position, as the crisis
was somewhat imminent. Now, our cavalry hav-
ing been but little harassed during the War, it
might be imagined that such an opportunity of
proving its effectiveness would promptly have been
awarded it. What was the fact ? Why, despite
this circumstance, and the urgency of the case,
the cavalry was refused ! And on what ground?
Why, en that of etiquette ! Had General
VIVIAN belonged to her MAJESTY'S service, instead
of being an India officer, his request would have
been acceded to, but being what he was he was
incompetent to command her MAJESTY'S troops.
H.M.S. must be under H.M.S. To be commanded
by H.E.I.C.S. would be derogation and ruin.
Better lose an important strategical post than that
should happen. What is the welfare of the
eountry—wliat the triumph of a great cause—
what the lives of brave men, in comparison with
the supremacy of etiquette ?

A pretty illustration this of what the laying
down of the new line of telegraph really implies.
A tolerably convincing proof, at all events, that
the object sought is not that paraded. Were it mo
the cavalry would have been sent. Snolt a de-
parture from routine would have preceded the
appliance of so valuable a modern means of com-
ixtunioatiot. Can the reader imagine absurdity-
carried to sheerer depravity than in this instance t
Here was a general who bad won distinctiat th
eireufesntecedviofoinaheniza ofh command cur most important colonial
possessions,
ontbat
in
account had
phraesdenbt War,
left with hia raw troops to rout and destruction,
because he did not belong to a favoured corps. A
general whose training was in the same field
as NtYrrannattplicia'rox, and who had par-
of the most efficient
tahnadt
more
scientificallyrecot t vi e
itphaat
et
Gi chosen
in
thbey
we
eo
hthaveerullanas army
yt
achieved than any in the present War—victories,
taot
rnileys
hardly won but complete, over warlike tribes that
could beat back with ease the armies of Russia.
Being, however, only a sepoy General, and the
cavalry, b
li'eM commanded of course it would be a degra-
dation to 0 andod by him ; and, as com-
pared with that, the defeat of the contingent, and
the loss of an important position were as dust in
the balance. "Be enabled to send immediate
assistance ;" say rather, a continuous succession of
embarrassing orders, as much at variance with
each other as with common sense—orders calcu-
lated to stultify any general not above mediocrity,
and to frustrate the objects of the. War. Say that,
and it is more than probable you make a much
nearer approximation to the truth.

i