The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-11 00:00:00

Spirit of the Public Journals•

TREASON IN THE CAMP.
(From, the Morning Advertiser of this day. )
Though at present there is no loud expression of
public discontent at the mode in which the war is
being carried on, it is impossible not to observe_
that the public mind is far from being assured of
the good faith of those who have the direction of
affairs. We do not mean to say that Lord Palmer-
ston is playing false with the country. We believe,
on the contrary, that, as far as he has the power,
he is zealously and sincerely endeavouring to main-
tain its honour, and so to carry on the war as to ‘,
hasten the period of a satisfactory and durable
peace. But we are by no means satisfied that he
possesses that power which of right he ought to
possess. On the contrary, we believe that, while
he alone appears before the country as the director
of its fortunes, the Royal Councils are swayed by
men in whom the country has no confidence, but
are justly regarded by it with something more than
I uspicion.
The selection of a popular Minister like Lord
Palmerston .to stand forth to the world as the Pre-
mier, while the Government is really influenced by
others, was a stroke of policy which might, for its
depth of craft, have been suggested by the Court
of St. Petersburg. But honesty is the best policy
in the end. The obstinacy of the enemy, who re-
fused at Vienna such terms of pacification as he is
not likely to be offered again, and the progress of
success ever since then, have averted the storm of
public indignation which would haveburst on those
who were seeking to betray their country, and who
would have betrayed it, had Russia not despised
their assistance. From the contempt which has
overwhelmed their tool—the Noble Member for
London—let them learn what is in store for them-
selves, whenever occasion is ripe.
Who are the really war Ministers who fill, or
wait in expectation of filling, the high places in
the Government ? On which of them can we de-
pend t From a Michael in arms Lord John has
sunk to the condition of an itinerant lecturer,
seeking to turn into political capital the prejudices
of the day. Sir James Graham, Mr. Gladstone,
Sidney Herbert, and several others, have openly
deserted the colours under which they led us to
battle. Who was there, in that hour, in the Cabi-
net or out of it, sincere enough to tell the people
how grossly Government was betraying their in-
terests and squandering their resources ? Who
told them that their army was ill officered, ill
commanded, ill cared for ? While the sapient pub-
lic were up in arms about some trifling barbarities
of uniform, dear to the martinet, Government was
committing the fate of our only army to a man
who had only seen half a year's service, and even
that in the character of a secretary, not of a sol-
dier. Who was there, then, to warn us that under
the administration of a civilian England was send-
ing out the greatest fleet that had ever left her
shores in a condition which rendered success im-
possible ? What can we think of the sincerity of
the men who have been conducting our affairs,
when we see they have done so little, and yet, with
the exception of Sebastopol, have done all they
have undertaken so easily ?
In all their operations in the Sea of Azoff they
lost not a man. How easily was the capture of
Bomarsund effected. How almost bloodless the
bombardment of Sweaborg. What had they to do
at Fanagoria, and Taman, or at Kinbourn, or Ta-
ganrog ? Why were none of these feats attempted,
except the taking of Bomarsund, till millions had
been.squanderd? In every one of them the Rus-
sians suffered in men, in materiel, and in supplies,
to an immense extent. Had those losses been in-
flicted earlier, our loss would have been less, and
our triumph the more speedy and signal.
Those successes prove how much might have been
done had the Admiralty chosen. But even experi-
ence has taught them in vain. They refused t o
learn. They saw last year that nothing could be
done without gun-boats or rafts, yet this year they
seat very few of the former into the Baltic, and
none of the latter, though the experiment of
" Lady Nancy," at Taganrog, had been perfectly
successful. Are preparations now being made to
remedy these shortcomings, and to give the British
navy a chance of doing something next y'ear,
worthy of its antecedents ? If we have really em-
barked in this war in a spirit of chivalry ; if we are
really determined to fight the battle of civilisation
and freedom against the despot of the North, let
us do it in a manner worthy of the cause.
The present war has most fully proved that Russia
ever will be the curse of Europe and of Asia until so
totally crippled as to be compelled to abandon that
system which she has incessantly,/and by every
means overt and covert, pursued now a hundred
and fifty years. The ambition of some nation or
individual has for centuries 'made Europe a vast
camp, but the diminution of agriculture, and by
actual devastations, causing famines, and compell-
ing the nations, instead of employing their re-
sources in internal improvements, to waste them
in warfare, and burden themselves now with enor-
mous debt, now with bankruptcy, in supporting
standing armies and fleets which have del tigAl half
the world with human blood. At this moment is
it Russia who—by the help of her friends in Eng-
land—is discharging this amiable duty to mankind,
at a time when the friends of human progress were
congratulating themselves on the hope that this
overwhelming evil had worn itself out. Whatever
our opinions are as to the present Government of
France, it cannot be denied, for already it has, in
part, been proved, that the Emperor of the French
has, as he himself declares, a destiny to fulfil. No
man ever had a nobler one, and British traitors
alone can prevent its fulfilment. Before lie had
been long elevated to the supreme rule of France he
began to reduce its army. Sixty thousand men
were restored to the avocations of peace. There
was then throughout Europe a desire to follow that
excellent example. Russia alone insisted on main-
taining her nominal 800,000 men under arms ; not,
indeed, that she really had that number, but she
could, without awakening the suspicion of other
nations, fill up her regiments to that standard, and
pounce on any defenceless neighbour, the acquisition
of whose territory might conduce to the policy of
Peter, Catherine, and Nicholas. What destiny,
that contemplates the benefit of mankind, can be ac-
complished, while a nation, animated by so devour-
ing an ambition, has the power to give effect to its
desire by engaging in war for their accomplish-
ment ?
Let Russia be so completely crushed as to be com-
pelled to abandon for ever her systematic encroach-
ment on adjacent nations. Let her be rendered
powerless for any this ion but the benevolent and
much-needed one of endeavouring to instil sonic
principles of integrity and virtue into her demoral-
ised aristocracy, and sowing some seeds of civilisa-
tion amongst her barbarous people. Then, if the
mission of Louis Napoleon contemplates the estab-
lishment-of constitutional liberty amongst the peo-
ple he has saved from anarchy, he will have an op-
portunity of laying aside the dictatorial power which,
in the first instance, was undoubtedly necessary,
but which can never permanently consist with the
happiness, the dignity, and prosperity of a nation,
any more than it can consist with its freedom.
Then the alliance of the Western Powers, which
attracts to itself the admiration of the world, and
to which mankind looks up as to the bulwark of
their liberties and the ground of their hopes, will
no longer depend on the life of one man, but will
exist by similarity of institutions and an indentity
of feeling and interests, a bulwark against aggres-
sion, an example of the blessings of constitutional
rule, and a guarantee of peace.
What traitor shall dare to stand in the way of
this blessed consummation, which is equally the
interest of all, and which alone can render existing
institutions safe and stable. Should, however,
treachery at home or in Germany keep Russian
ambition alive, the first victims will assuredly be
thirty German tyrants already detested by their
people, whom the burden of standing armies will
reduce to beggary, render hostile to monarchical
Governments,_ and finally subject them either to
the slavery of Cossack spoliation, or to the con-
vulsions of Democracy, Anarchy, and Socialism.

(Prom the Morning Post of this day.)
We have already repeatedly stated that for Eng-
land and France there is only one peace possible,
and that is a
Which, by procuring the recog-
nition and guarantee of the advantages whic
we have won and
Russia,'
should annihilate the
aggressive power of
no mistake
is
The nature of the terms necessary
patent to all
the world. There can be
about them.
Not a Russian ship in the Black itagiLtienot a Russian
fort at Sebastopol. No Muscovite the very
throat of the Danube. No more protectorates and
material
interferences—no more overawing, be
perai al
means of overawing weaker neighbour:.llo4llore
main terms sealed in a treaty, secured by m
guarantees, would there is no doubt secure
if Russia would yield to them, but no other terinc:
aro possible, and we are sure that neither the people
of England nor of France—neither the English Ca_
binet nor the Governineit of our noble Ally—would
list4n to any other proposals for a settlement.
This being so, we aro told that negotiations aro
going forward,prommotuers that Austria, being the mover
and
is now
now actually the seeker of peace.
Then she
for no Russian terms peace on our conditions,
whilst our terms, on
the
sifould find acceptance here,
dontrary, if haply not now,
must hereafter be accedeec to by the Czar.
Austria is no doubt anxious—deeply anxious—
for peace. She reaps noland can calculate
on no ad vantage from the wg aorryl' he- has no trade
as Prussia has. With a wretchedly- poor treasury
she has to keep up a magnificent and costly army.