The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-05 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1853.

The startling intelligence received yesterday
from Constantinople is recognised by all parties
as in all essential respects well authenticated. A
declaration of war upon Russia had, on the 26th
ultimo, been earnestly recommended to the SUL-
TAN by the National Council of Ministers, Pachas,
and trlemas convoked under the emergency by
that Sovereign. It is probable, consequently,
that by this time ABD-UL-MEDJID has responded
to the recommendation of the great dignitaries of
his empire by shaking the banner of the Crescent
to the winds, and boldly marching against the
lawless invader of his dominions, the daring occu-
pant of the twin Danubian Principalities. Na-
turally enough, the more infatuated organs of Lord
ABERDEEN are reluctant to confess that any irre-
trievable step has been adventured upon involving
the necessity of an open rupture with the Russian
Government. Naturally, we say, the Coalition
Newspapers evince this reluctance to admit that
any energetic measure has been adopted against
the CZAR, even exclusively by the Porte, and as
far away as Constantinople. An admission cf
this kind would be an admission that their pre-
dictions have been altogether falsified. For
hitherto they have insisted that the tranquillity
of the world would not in any way be disturbed.
They have argued that matters would be satis-
factorily arranged by hesitating conferences and
timorous negotiations. They have counted upon
the triumphs of our diplomatists over the military
and maritime armaments of the AUTOCRAT.
They have confidently announced their conviction
that a meeting of four representatives convoked
(of all places in the world !) at Vienna,
would effectually dissipate the ambitious designs
of the Emperor NICHOLAS, would obliterate the
remembrance of the extraordinary mission en-
trusted to Prince MENSCHIKOFF, would virtually
tend to bring about the bloodless discomfiture of
the troops under Prince GORTZSCHAKOFF, and
would triumphantly—without the limbering up of
one single piece of ordnance—compel the Russian
soldiery to recross the Pruth and to evacuate the
provinces of Moldo-Wallachia.. Everything, in-
deed, was staked by the believers in Lord ABER-
DEEN'S capacity, upon the Note of the Four
Powers, transmitted some time back from Vienna
to St. Petersburg and Constantinople. It was
insisted that that wonderful document would
exercise a magical influence upon the two contend-
ing Councils—namely, upon the Imperial Councils
of the SULTAN and the AUTOCRAT. For some time
the nature of the suggestions made by the Four
Towers, with a view to the settlement of the
Russo-Turkish difficulty, was kept a profound
secretes though every word in it was a word of
dread, like the awful and inscrutable abracadabra.
Min:lately the real character of the proposal crept
out, and then it was that we ventured to designate
the Vienna Note a document of the most despic-
Table and abject description. We asserted that
it was a document which conceded to the CZAR
more than he had ever himself attempted to de-
mand from Turkey through his most audacious
walissaries. We declared it to be our deliberate
nud impartial opinion that the ignominious cha-
racter of the Note in these respects would be
verified by the different manner of its reception by
the Divan and by the St. Petersburg' Government.
.And it was so verified. The actual tendency, the
veritable nature of the proposal concocted by the
Vienna Conference, as proved by its instant and
cordial acceptance by the AUTOCRAT, and by its
eluctant acceptance at Constantinople solely on
condition that it should first of all be amended by
certain specific modifications. So much for the
success of the vaunted Conference, the boasted
Note, and the loudly-eulogised negotiations !
Inatead of having solved the problem, the Four
Powers had only rendered it more difficult of
solution. They had juggled away the right
hitherto on their side, and had placed themselves
suddenly in a false position by an egregious act
of diplomatic blundering, arising out of the
most heinous political pusillanimity. The
AUTOCRAT, of course, rejected the Turkish
Modifications. He refused them on the plea
thrit he had already accepted the Vienna
.Yaote in its original form, as drawn up, not by
'himself, but by the Four Powers tlirough their
representatives. The allies of Turkey consequently
found themselves suddenly in an awkward dilem-
naa—compelled to recognise the reasonableness of
`the Turkish modifications, and yet compelled also
to recognise the reasonableness of the Russian re-
fusal of these modifications:
It was precisely in this way that matters were