The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-20 00:00:00

Field• Marshal his Grace the Duke of WELLINGTON.

Repeatedly as we have taken occasion, in reFerence
to discussions in the House of Commons, to dissent
from the singular and, i❑ some respects, even
eccentric view taken by Mr. URQUHART of the
foreign policy of Lord PALMERSTON, it is but justice
to avow that the Honourable Gentleman has recently
given to the world an exceedingly important docu-
ment.* as the result of his long-continued and perse-
vering investigations. Without finding it possible.
to coincide upon this mAtter vrith the Member for

Stafford, after the perusal of his pamphlet,
any more
than we could prior to the date of its publication, vie'
must acknowledge that the brochure, in which he has
;
in a manner systematized his preciously confused and,
entangled accusations, contains an invaluable store of
facts relating to the subject upon which we have
here already spoken, facts, moreover, which prove
beyond a question the writer's intimacy with the.
theme of his observations, as well as his comm!ndable
industry in carrying out the enterprise of its de-
velopment. The precise tendency of this re-
markable pamphlet is, as its title-page reveals with
sufficient clearness, to show that through secret di-
ilomacy the Danube has been closed, that exportation
from Turkey has been arrested, and that these things,
moreover, havo effectually prevented the re-opening
of the isthmus of Suez as low and vainly antici-
pated. The text selected by Mr. IJUQUILART is sig-
nificantly enough that sentence from VOLTAIRE—
PETER had long meditated the project of the
occupation of the Caspian, thus to draw the com-
merce of Asia and a part of India within
his dominions." This project the great Mus-
covite appears to have left as a legacy to his
successors, and this reject during the past half
century they have more peculiarly striven to realise.
Against it the dictates of common sense tell us that
England ought to struggle to her very uttermost es
against the most likely source of her own dismember-

ment and ulterior destruction. It is in reference to
the available means of organizing the opposition of

our diplomacy to this end, to the end that the
dream of PETER the GREAT might the most readily
and securely become dissipated, that our views clash
with the very peculiar ones entertained by Mr. UR-

QUHART. Unlike him, we look with confidence to
the firm but conciliatory policy of a statesman like
Lord PALMERSTON, as to the most certain method of

diverting the intended encroachments, and of over•
coming the insidious advances of the
Russian AUTOCRAT. We behold in the late
Foreign Secretary an administrator, of all

statesman, distinguished as being essentially and pe-
culiarly an Englishman. We behold in him one who
has never consented to truckle to the Courts of the
north, of the east, of the south, or of the west, but one,
on the contrary, who has everywhere vindicated the
dignity and inviolability of the rights accompanying
a citizen of our empire in all parts of the habitable
globe—taking as his watchcry against tyranny, the
proud words Civis Britannicus sum, and as the
guarantee of the vigour of the home Government, the
loEy and already historical name of PALMERSTON.
Dissenting, however, as we do entirely from Mr.
URQUHART in his estimate of the policy pursued by
the late Chief Secretary in the Foreign Department,
we agree with him, nevertheless, most cordially in
his masterly argument, showing the projects (to our
interests most injurious) which have lung actuated,
And are still actuating, the Russian EMr.EROR and his
Government. Subsequently we shall take occasion
to enter more particularly into the details of the
extraordinary revelations made by Mr. URQUIIART
in regard to this " Mystery of the Danube," but
meanwhile we would earnestly refer to the
pamphlet itself the attention of all interested in the
welfare of the British Empire and in the integrity of
the English system of administration.

No person of ordinary humanity can pass through
Lambeth, in the neighbourhood of any of the great
engineering establishments recently closed, without
being impressed with feelings of a very painful cha-
racter. He will perceive stout, active, intelligent,
and respectable looking men, manifestly operatives of
a superior description, lounging about in idleness,
gathered in groups together, chatting, smoking,
and resorting to various methods of " killing
time." He will find men who should be the
creators and producers of national wealth, but
who have now become unprofitable consumers. Could
he look a little further, and inspect their homes—
behold the gradual removal of various little comforts
that had been accumulated in happier hours, and
know the unaccustomed privations to which their
families are for the first time obliged to submit, his
regrets would be increased, and he would cordially
sympathise with the sufferers in their affliction.

The representation by our facetious contemporary,
Punch, of " the effects of a strike," tells an " ower
true tale" of the condition of the skilful mechanic who
has been some weeks out of employment. Whatever
may be the fate of the employers, they at least will
have ample cause to lament the internecine warfare
that has been carried on for the last ten days. Nor
will the capitalists have much greater cause of re-
joicing. They may reduce their workmen to penury,
but they must themselves submit to pecuniary losses
of a very.serious, and, to some of their number, a very
ruinous amount. They may possibly find that the
hearts of men are formed of tougher materials than
they " wot" of, and that the resistance may be carried
to an extent far beyond their calculations. In three
or six months the capitalist may not be sipping his
wine with an air of such intense enjoyment. He
may find his " occupation gone"—the trade vanished
to other lands, or possibly to other capitalists, who do
not belong to the " Central Association." There
is no doubt that many men will be found willing
to step into the gap
that has been created,
to offer themselves to fill up existing vacancies.
We do not say that these parties will succeed.
There must be
the first instance, which long practical experience has
the overcome.r,suresults
ofß many obstacles and impediments in
enabled the members of the Central Association to
But let leptrnoooetetdhings
elatotfertbheeitroonecvce,rtraiivnaltsh_et

* " The Mystery of the litnube, showing how,
thr,ugh t.:. ecrei, aplomae3', that River has been closed,
Exportation from Turkey arrested, and the re-opening
of the Isthmus of Suez prevented." By David Urquhart.
l
Bro. pp. 149. London ; Bradbury and Evans. 1851.