The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-19 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1853.

It has recently been the fashion in certain
quarters to endeavour to cast at least a consider-
able portion of the responsibility of the present
gloomy and lowering aspect of the political hori-
zon on the SULTAN and his advisers. Plausible
arguments are adduced to show that the moment
Turkey displays a bold and independent spirit,
she is to be not merely deserted by those who
have betrayed her into the trap set by the AUTO-
CRAT, but that the arms of the Western Powers
are to be turned against their ancient ally, and
that she is to be coerced into every concession
demanded by the insolence or cupidity f: of the
invader of her territories. This would, indeed,
constitute a degree of infamy on the part of the
Governments that participated in a transaction in
every respect so nefarious, that we cannot yet be-
lieve in such incredible baseness on the part of
any public man, or body of men. Our foreign
policy has been unfortunately disgraceful to our
country, and it is difficult to say whether the
honour or the interests of the United Kingdom
has been most seriously compromised under the
vacillating and timid conduct of the excellent
ABERDEEN and his colleagues of the Joint-
Stock Administration. But there is "in
the lowest depths, a deeper still," and al-
though it is scarcely possible that even the
" Coalition" would dare to let England sink into
that bottomless pit, and her name to become a bye-
word and reproach among nations, it is still right
to be prepared for the worst when we find such
significant hints, such palpable feelers, put for-
ward by the organ of the Ministry as appeared in
the leading article of the Times on Saturday last.
What can be the meaning or object of asserting
that " the question of European peace rests mainly
at this moment with the Government of the Sul,
TAN," followed, too, by the statement, that " the
obligations of the crisis are manifestly reciprocal ;"
that " if Europe has its duties towards Turkey,
Turkey has its duties towards Europe. If Europe
owes protection to the Ottoman Empire, that
Empire owes consideration to the peace of Europe!"
For what purpose is it that intimations are given
of the wrongs and injuries already inflicted on
Turkey—that we are reminded that long since
she has been stripped of considerable portions of
her dominions which no longer owe allegiance to
the SULTAN—that Algiers, Egypt, Greece, the
Archipelago, and Bessarabia have been transferred
to other rulers—and that in every instance of in-
tervention "the interposing States have enforced
conclusions theoretically irreconcileable with the
rights of an independent monarchy ?" Surely
these insidious suggestions have not been put for-
ward without a deliberate design ; and if so, what
can be their meaning but that we should partici-
pate in another act of grievous injustice, if not of
spoliation—that we should join in an unholy
alliance with the Northern Despot for the purpose
of completing the humiliation, and destroying
even the semblance of independence, on the part
of the PoßTE—that we should participate in
forcing her to accept propositions more degrading
to her honour, and pregnant with more perilous
consequences to her future safety than those we
long since counselled her to reject, and before she
had incurred the enormous cost of preparing to
repel further aggressions by her own unassisted
force. We cannot suppose, as we have already
stated, that a Ministry which numbers PALMER-
STON among its leading members could assent to
such a course ; but the notion has been ventilated,
and it is incumbent on every true-hearted Briton
to repudiate it with
which it merits--to sthhoe d
w inisgzet
clearest
dresint indignation
amtioosnt
unequivocal manner what will be its reception,
I'and what the retribution
that will await those 1