The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-21 00:00:00

vandalism of the Prusstans occasioned so much
trouble to our own Duke of WELLINGTON. The
Iron Duke took part in a good many sieges, not
without success, as the history of the Peninsular
War will testify ; but it remains to be discovered

that he made war on women and children, or that
he considered that the shelling of hospitals, or the
slaughter of wounded men, added much to his
laurels. We should not have envied the ally or
coadjutor who performed such a feat by his side
_ . ,

but if Prussians are made of the same stern stuff in
these degenerate days, Englishmen, it seems, are
not. Lord MALMESBURY, while deprecating un-

necessary despatches, only expressed the feelings of

the country, when he declared it to be the duty of

her MAJESTY'S Government to state, in most posi-
tive terms, their sentiments with regard to the
conduct of the Prussian army at Sonderborg, and
therefore he asked Earl RUSSELL whether he had
received any answer to the despatch which he said
he had sent to Berlin on this subject. and what was
Earl RUSSELL'S reply ? The despatch shrunk into
a request to the English Ambassador at Berlin to
ascertain, if possible, the facts of the case. The
Ambassador communicated privately—not officially
or personally—with the Prussian Minister. The
Prussian Minister said he was not aware of the cir-

cumstances, and objected to the inquiry on the ground
that it was not usual for neutrals to examine into
the proceedings of belligerents. He promised,
however, that if an official inquiry were made he
would give an answer. Lord RUSSELL, however,
supposed that the answer would merely be a denial
of the right of inquiry on the part of England, and
"he had not directed any official communication t•
be made in the matter." do this is the end of his
virtuous indignation and lofty incredulity in the
matter. He is forced to admit the full atrocity of
the affair, and admits that it must remain under the
reprobation of civilised nations, and yet he allows
it to pass by virtually without protest. No record
of English indignation will hereafter be found in
the Blue-book—no straightforward and manly re-
monstrance has made itself heard by the Cabinet of
Berlin. A mere roundabout, hesitating, timorous
hint is all that has been done, and the first frown of
the Prussian Minister has scattered the heroic re-
solves of the British Foreign-office in a moment. A
single rough word or curt answer from Berlin puts
a stop at once to the flow of English eloquence,
Let the matter be quickly hukked up—let us say no
more about it. The Prussians are displeased at our
interference already. It will not do to receive a
public rebuff; let the dead rest ; we can do no more.
This is the language of our Foreign Secretary—
this is the proud part which England is made to
play—this is the result of the exercise of that
.‘ moral influence" of which we hoar so much. Is
such a state of things in accordance with the feel■
ings and wishes of the people? Does Earl RUSSELL
fitly represent the honour and interest of the Eng
lish nation ? If he did, the objection of neutrality
would soon be silenced, for the popular indignation
would have spoken through the cannon's mouth,
and the shells that fired the hospitals of Sonderborg
would not have been the only implements of war.
But in truth no war was needed. Lord RUSSELL'S
despatches would have been less carelessly tossed
aside had their remonstrances been pointed by an
English fleet in the Baltic. A few plain wards
would have sufficed had they told the same story
abroad and at home, in the English Parliament
and in the communications of the Ambassador at
Berlin. But inconsistency is always weak, and it
is well if it is nothing worse. As it is, it will be well
if hereafter " the reprobation of civilised nations"
does not extend itself to the Power which with
every opportunity for beneficent interference, stood
hesitating by, afraid to act, afraid even heartily
to remonstrate while the feelings of our common
humanity were outraged, and cruelty was added to
injustice,

There seems to be a Nemesis watching over the
Ministry. Shaky as was their position and critical
their fortunes at the commencement of the Session,
the most direful prophet of evil could hardly have
foretold more complete failures, and more humiliate
ing defeats than have been sustained by the occu-
pants of the Treasury benches since the opening of
the Parliamentary campaign. Defeat after defeat
has appeared in the lista of the divisions, and one
after another most awkward disclosures are made,
and very inconvenient revelations take place. It
seems as if it were destined that Ministers should
run the gauntlet of all the disagreeable tests to
which their most bitter opponents may have wished
to subject their course of action and mode of pro-
cedure. Abut as awkward a mischance as any
that have occurred is that which has lately been
made public concerning the true nature of the
charge against the Confederate Government last
year, to which so much importance was attached at
the time, and out of which so much political capita l
was made by ruthless and unsarupulous adversaries.
It is seldom that so glaring an instance of deceit is
made manifest ; and it is most degrading to the re-
putation of our Statesmen and the honour of our
country that the Foreign Secretary should have
suffered himself to be so taken in. Perhaps the
wish was ftther to the thought ; perhaps the news
was welcome to him, and the tidings congenial to
his spirit, that bade him as a wise Minister and
prudent diplomatist redouble his efforts and renew
his energies in the cause of suppression to the feel-
ings of interest everywhere displayed in this
country with respect to the Confederates. Be this
as it may, nothing can excuse or extenuate his false
security and fatal delusion. He ought to have
been more on the alert, to have employed
more fitting agents to inquire into particulars, to
have interposed more delays in the execution of his
plans dependent on the decision formed respecting
the validity of the alleged communication. Earl
RUSSELL may be acquitted of all but over credulity
and yielding to the impressions of prejudice, but
so lenient a judgment cannot be awarded to those
authorities on the other side cf the Atlantic who
have so committed and compromised themselves in the
matter. Their work has recoiled on themselves.
Instead of fixing a stigma on their enemies, they
have covered themselves with disgrace, and
alienated from their aids many who believed in
the purity of their motives and the uprightness of
their cause. To circulate a forgery is about as
suicidal an act as can well be perpetrated by those
who affects the great and glorious qualities that
send heroes to the field and crowd the council-
board with patriots. In all times such an act has
been considered the ne plus ultra of coward y
concoction and malignant artifice. In one of his
descriptive pieces that paint character with such
matchless skill and marvellous precision, Sir
WALTER SCOTT has made the bold representative
of the noble and chivalrous house of DOUGLAS ex-
claim—

" A letter forged St. Jude to speed ;
Did ever knight so foul a deed 2"

This is just the estimate that must be formed of
such a transaction by any who reverence truth or
esteem justice ; and it needs not the fire of olden
days, nor the martial ardour of the stirring times
of yore, to wake up indignation for such Etna act.
The more plain and pi o3aie times of th© present can
rally acknowledge and adequately repttdiate the
paltry and cowardly conduct that permits the base
ignoble deed. It if:, a pity that our Government