The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-15 00:00:00

British diplomacy never appeared to more advantage
than it does in the highly important, and very interest-
ing documents which have been laid before Par:iament
relative to the intrigues of Russia in Persia, and
Affghanistan, and, in the notes exchanged bet teen
the Cabinets of London and St. Petersburgh upon
this subject, copies of which will be found in ano-
ther part of The Sun. Lord PALMERSTON has
most agreeably disappointed us by the revelations
set forth in these extraordinary diplomatic com-
munications. The language held by him to the Court of
Russia, in demanding explanations of the conduct of the
agents of that power in Penia end Affghanistan, is as
dignified—as worthy of an English Minister, as the an-
se er of Count NESSELRODE, the Imperial Minister,
dated St.:Petersburgh, Oct. 20 (Nov. 1), 1838, is lame,
inearaluiive, and insincere. Count Nussamtonz's ex-
planations bear within themselves the strongest
proofs of the little regard to which they are entitled.
They are not only fabrications, but so grossly and ob-
viously so, that we are astonished that a Govern-
ment so noted for the skilfulness of its diplomacy,
a' that of Russia, should venture to hazard them.
That they did not impose upon Lord PALMERSTON or
her Majesty's Ministers is quite clear from the
tenour of Lord PALMERSTON'S despatch to Count
POZZO DI BORGO, of the 20th December, 1838—
although Russia having thought proper to disavow in
such strong language the conduct of her agents in the
East, our Government deemed it prudent to be
satisfied with the triumph we had obtained. As the
Emperor of all the RussxAs has personally assured
our Ambassador that he neither did, does, nor will en-
tertain any project for disturbing the power and
influence of Great Britain in the East, the people
of England might suppose that Lord PALMERSTON
pays no very high compliment to the Cabinet of
St. Petersburgh in still appearing to require further
assurances and proofs upon the subject. This would
certainly be doing injustice to the frank credulity of the
Noble Lord, who seems to be perfectly sensible of the
heavy stress which is to be laid upon the declarations of
Sovereigns ; and who in declining to urge the proofs in
his possession of Imperial negotiations in Persia and Aff-
ghanistan, exercised at once a courtly and a prudent for-
bearance. We, however, are not so delicately situates as
the Noble. Ler4,anc4, may, therefore. from, the paper*
on,
India; just liticr*fore: leledi a few
extracts, by way of pointing out the grounds that
existed for doubts respecting the correctness 'of the
Imperial declaration. As we are pressed for space
these extracts cannot include one-fifth of the proofs
furnished in these documents, but we _shalt take ,care
In a despatc om ord AUCKLAND, the Governor-
General of British India, to the Secret Committee of the
Court of Directors of the East India Company, dated
Simla, 22d May, 1838, we find the following paragraph
by way of postcript :—" Subsequent to the preparation
of the above despatch I received communications from
Captain Bugras. I beg leave to draw the attention of
.your Committee to the unequivocal demonstrations
therein noted, of the extent to which Russia is carrying
her system of interference on the very threshold of the
British Indian possessions." And in a minute by the
same Noble Lord to the Secret Committee, dated 12th
May, 1838, relative to the siege of Herat, we find the
following passage To proceed now to the considera-
tion oe our: future peticy in the different results which
may attend the attack,. upon Herat ; I would
first remark, that since the transmission of my
despatch to the Secret Committee, in which I stated
that it was not then my intention to oppose the hostile _
advance of Persia upon Kandahar and Cabool, whether
by arms or money, circumstances have occurred which
may materially modify my views ; for Russian Agents
have put then:selves prominently forward in aid of the
designs of Persia, anti we could scarcely with prudence