The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-29 00:00:00

would be impossible beforehand to esti mate —then,
although these circumstances supply the most cogent
reasons for avoiding hostilities, they equ s
to the opponeLts of the Ministerial pal; 'oy• grounds
for questioning the wisdom of a course ti Thich they
ay furnish
allege has brouet the nation to the brim k of such
great calamities. Lord Palmerston, and, , for that
matter, any Ministar who hoped to hold ot `five for a
single day, would tot venture to declare
that ro.
thing save the invaoion of the British d lmininns
could force this counts ytogo to war, It was cone
ceded, and indeed was' expressly admitted by the
Prime Minister, that nn
der certain continwelleies
it would become neassa,"y to reopen the vexed
question of English neutrah.ty, and consequently if
there be a point beyond whic.'2
Cerman aggression
should not be allowed to premed, it is open to dia.
cussioa whether it would not have been more politic
to interpose before that point wk is reached. We
leave more than once had occasio n to notice the
startling resemblances between at: events of the
past few months and those which immediately pre`
ceded the Crimean war. The t war was as our readers
will recollect, utterly disbelieved in by the
majority
of the public until our ambassador had,taken his
departure from St. Petersburg. Wh atintei est have
we, or what obligation is imposed upon us of going
to war in defence of Turkey, were quee ticns to
which few indeed could be found t o give other than
a negative reply. Russia crossed tfle Pr uth, just"
Austria and Prussia crossed the Eider ; a nd the for-
mer act, like the latter, failed to excite active in-
tervention on the part of Great Brits ,in. But,
nevertheless, we went to war in 1854, and now, tell
years later, we are likely to follow a simile r course.
The Cabinet of Lord Aberdeen was blamed for hay
ing, by its vacillation and supineness, permitted till
country to drift into war, and now it is urged that
the Cabinet of Lord Palmerston is on the same
grounds open to censure for allowing matters to
roach a pass when, whether we :like it or not, we
may be compelled to take up arms. However
favourable may be the construction which the more
hopeful will gladly put upon the Ministerial policy,
no doubt can exist in the calm obs erver's mind that
the time has come when we must oombat realities
with other weapons than honeyed phrases and Ter'
bose protestations. Diplomacy has confet isedly
failed, and a plain matter of fact question will now
present itself for solution. If it was worth ear
while to take an active part in a pendino dispute,
thereby risking our national prestik?e, jeo-
pardising our iefluence with Con qui:poll
S ales, and incurring no small degree of oa juin, is
it also worth our while in the same cause to etEl'
ploy those means of persuasion which are net,
unfitly designated the "last reasoning of kin ga.
If we have hitherto endeavoured to save Dertni.ark
from annihilation by preaching moderation t the
aggressors, it is less from sympathy with the S,:andi-
navian monarchy than from motives of self-int ;greet.
We cannot afford to see the key of the Baltic in the
possession of a great European Power ; and there.,
fore it is that England, of all neutral States, has
taken so warm an interest in the Datto-Gerruau
dispute. But wherefore, it will be asked, mani fest
this interest ; wherefore tender counsel ; where fore
preach resignation to one belligerent, and mod era-
tion to another, if behind all this there is ne.t
fixed intention to fulfil some more arduous d uty
than that which devolves upon a self-appointed
adviser ? Philanthropy, and love of harmony lied
peace, are sentiments, no doubt, very praisewort by
in themselves; but it is seldom, if ever, that a field
is presented for their exhibition in the arena of in-
ternational disputes. We regretted and continue
to regret the intestine strife which desolates the
United States of America; but neither our love of
peace nor our horror of bloodshed ever prompted us
to try and effect a reconciliation between the co 111'
batants. Motives of self-interest led us to adopt a
different course is respect to the Dano- German liver,
and as our mediatorial offices have been unattended
with success, it is important now to determine how
an issue has been brought about by which 00
national interests are prejudiced.