The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-02 00:00:00

then demanded of the Great Pi were who, formed
the Convention of 1858 to recogn se the result of
this manoeuvre as the new constitution of the Prin-
cipalities. Of the illegality, the criminality, and
the insolence of this design there CC nnot, of criurse,
be two opinions. Of its impolicy
judge for themselves when we tell t hem that one of
)ur readers may
the articles in the new electoral la* ty promulgated
by this sagacious Prince enacted t ha t nio one should
bo eligible to sit in the Represe latEAi..ve Assembly
who could not read and write. Z 'he fi. :Ist impulsed
the Porte naturally was to put do A-'n t his audacious
mimic, to recall him to a sense of his position, and
to compel him to observe the obli, ;a .ions to which
he stood pledged. Gradually, hov ver, it was dis
covered that Prince Couza had p c werful friends
"in another place," whom it would be difficult to
enlist against him, though themselvs Frparties to the
agreement what he had trodden unc ler foot. Eng-
land, however, was actuated by n( such arriere
ensee. She had no interests in the East to serve
beyond those of truth and justice. k
;he might have
been relied upon to stand by the Cony ention of 1858
and the Treaty of 1856, in which the Porte was 8°
deeply interested. But no ; Engle n, d abandoned
her policy, consented to deal with P Couza es
with one who had a right of negocia tier], instead of
having forfeited his entire political s taws with the
destruction of the constitution which creel ted it, and
accepted, forsooth, with modification s, t he results
cf this lawless act which set Europ, 3 a t defisece.
Now, it may be that England la( ‘el. no other
alternative ; that her Government': had got
itself into such relations with the European
Powers that independent action was imp( )ssible.
so, we must blame, of course, rather the cause than
the effect. But we do say this, that th.)9 effect is
nothing to boast of. It is no feathet- in lord Psi'
merston's cap to have assisted at this further d-
gradation of the public law of Europe ; at this
further discomfiture of the policy of En gland ; at
this further desertion of an ally whoa 1 we we 11:
la
bound in honour to support. He may sa
not help it. But for Great Britain to be thus eon.
tinually " looking as if she could not help it," is Ot°
very gratifying to those lovers of their co unto'
whom her honour, her dignity, and her ree own are
still dear. The "modifications" under which the
new constitution is now to take effect are, as at
tars of detail, neither few nor unimportant'• yu,it
they leave the principle of the revolution unto neue-1
and they entirely condone the illegal violen ee of
y be con
Prince. A large infusion of democracy, far large r
than the intelligence of the Moldo.Wallach ion pea:
santry can justify, has been infused into the coast'
tution, and with that, of course, a stimulus has bee ;
given to the cry of Sclavonian nationality, which
the one political element most dangerous CO tb e
peace and prosperity of Eastern Europe. Th OCO
tempt into which treaty obligations hare bee °
brought in the eyes of these half civilised cothrea*
nities is another most deplorable result of these
transactions. If one convention is to be set aside
with such ease and impunity by the res of
single individual, why not another and another'
and how can such stipulations be any longer re'
garded as securities against perpetual change', innl.
termittent anarchy,
state of things
engenders ?