The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-29 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 1854.

The intelligence is confirmed that the Russian
army is in full retreat through the Principalities.
Defeated. successively at Oltenitza, at Citate, and
before Silistria ; with General SCHILDERS killed,
and General LUDERS killed, and Prince PASKE-
WITCH seriously wounded ; with 50,000 men
destroyed on their side alone since the commence-
ment of the campaign of 1854—the invading
forces are at length retiring with all despatch from
the scene of their disgrace and discomfiture.
Having recrossed the Danube to the left bank,
they have already evacuated the chief part of
Wallachia, and are rapidly concentrating their
numbers within the boundaries of Moldavia, pre-
paratory, it may be, to an immediate passage once
more across the Pruth, and a return within the
frontiers of Bessarabia. Whatever may be the next
movement on the part of the enemy, there can be
little doubt as to the necessity of despatch on the
side of the Allies, their antagonists. Hitherto, the
scheme upon which our plan of warlike operations
would appear to have been founded, has been that
of systematic procrastination. We have delayed
until the Russians have been so soundly thrashed
by the Turkish army, aided only by the Egyptian
contingent, that the beaten Muscovites have been
compelled to withdraw from the provinces into
which they had (it would seem, even for their own
interests) most mistakenly adventured. We have
delayed until, when our troops have at length landed
at Varna, and marched inland in the direction of
OMER PAciaA's head-quarters—the game is "up,"
has been "played out," before French or English
can effect a combination of their forces with those
they had undertaken to aid in the name of jus-
tice, it
in the taus© of
,man •
ify, and in the inte-
rests of civilisation.

The peculiarity of the position must not be
overlooked, because the crisis at Which things
have now arrived is of the most imminent and
momentous character.

The English contingent, under Lord RAGLAN,
w
the French contingent, under Marshal ST. AR-
NAIID—are still on their ay to join the Turkish
army under OMER PACHA, when news is received
that the Russians are leaving Wallachia and fal-
ling back upon Moldavia, and preparing, according
to all appearances, to retire beyond the Pruth,
into Bessarabia. Moreover, simultaneously with
this intelligence of the evacuation of the Danubian
Provinces, or at any rate of one of the Danubian
p:.ovinces, by the forces of the CZAR, comes the
intelligence that the forces of the KAISER are
Pr!paring at once to occupy those same Principa-
lities ! Why ? it may be asked. But assuredly
tlu reason
must be sufficiently obvious. It must
h obvious that the Austrian forces are entering
Wallachia and Moldavia from the direction of
Transylvania simply for the purpose of interposing
between their merely nominal allies, the victorious
'Turks, and their secret frieuds(their pretended fees,
• 1

but at heart the objects of their fullest sympathy),
the defeated and dispirited Muscovites. From the
outset we have done our part in warning the public
against auy credence in the good faith of Austria
as a power pretending to co-operate with Franco
and England in opposition to the Councils of St.
Petersburg. The latest proceeding of that power
in regard to the immediate belligerents along the
banks of the Danube tends, we conceive, to jus-
tify everything we have hitherto said in reference
to the suspicious and probably most treacherous
course about to be pursued by the Vienna Go-
vernment. Were Austria, in truth, faithful to
the cause espoused by Prance and England, she
would act at 'this juncture, otherwise than by
sending troops across her own frontier for
the purpose of occupying the Principalities.
Have not the Turks, we may ask, have
not the Turks, unaided by any but the
Egyptians, shown themselves capable of defend-
ing their own dominions, of so defending them,
of contending with their assailants with so much
vigour, patriotism, ardour, and determination,
that the Russians have at last deemed it expedi-
ent to raise the siege of Silistria, and beat a re-
treat back again across the invaded and ravaged
Principalities ? And if the soldiers of the SULTAN
have shown themselves capable of doing this in
the hour of their utmost extremity, might they not
be deemed capable (particularly now that the
Anglo-French contingent must have arrived in
the vicinity of Schumla, and have concentrated
their forces at OMER PACHA'S head-quarters),
might they not be deemed capable, we may ask,
of retaining possession (without Austrian assist-
ance) of the provinces their own unaided valour
has enabled them to reconquer, or at least to cause
them to be evacuated ? No, we repeat again and
again, this latest movement on the part of the Aus-
trian troops must be regarded, to say the very least
of it, as most ominous, as most sinister, as most
suspicious.

Comparatively little can now be effected, there-
fore, in that direction, in the direction of Moldo-
Wallachia, under these altered and peculiar cir-
cumstances. Comparatively little can be effected
there' by the allied armies under Marshal ST. AR-
NAUD, Lord RAGLAN, and OMER PACHA, with a
view to bring about the close of the war, and
the arrangement of some satisfactory terms of
pacification. The Russians, as we have seen, have
retreated ! And to add to the obstacles in that
quarter, the Austrian troops have determined to
press forward for the purpose of themselves occu-
pying the evacuated Principalities ! The latter
movement, as we intimated yesterday, with the
simple and very apparent purpose of " encumber-
ing" Turkey with help, at the very time of all
others when Turkey may be said to have least re-
quired assistance at any rate on the side of the
Austrian Government.

Wherefore, it may be at once concluded
from all these considerations that the plans
of the campaign must require immediate
revision and very considerable modifica-
tion. The Balkan range is no longer
in danger. Nay, the Danube itself is once more
relieved from the presence of an invading army of
Muscovites. The war is becoming a defensive
war instead of, as hitherto, an offensive war on
the part of the AUTOCRAT. His antagonists
must look therefore elsewhere at this moment
than mainly to the protection of those
provinces, which, in the contingency of a Russian
success, might have conducted the soldiers of the
CZAR in triumph, first to Adrianople, and then,
if not repelled or impeded, onwards to Constanti-
nople.
England and France, and Turkey,-must look to
the seizure of the Crimea, to the capture of Sebas-
topol.

I The necessity for this would appear to have
been already recognised at the seat of war. Some
200 transports have been already collected
together at Varna, with a view to facilitate the
conveyance of French and English troops across
the Black Sea at the earliest possible moment, to
aid the combined fleets in their attack upon that
notable peninsula and those redoubtable fortifi-
cations.

Our next hopes, therefore, are that the advance
of the Austrians into and the retreat of the Rus-
sians from the Principalities may be answered on
the part of England and France by a simultaneous
descent of their united forces—at last—upon
Cronstadt and upon Sebastopol.

The spider, celebrated in Scottish history for
the encouragement which its perseverance afforded
to " the BRUCE" was scarcely more indefatigable
in its exertions than the Lord of the Manor of
Hampstead. Fora quarter of a century has Sir
THOMAS MARYON WILSON steadily pursued his
object. Undeterred by failure, heedless of ex-
pense, he has returned to the charge again and
again, apparently gaining strength from each suc-
cessive defeat, until at the sixth application he
has succeeded in obtaining a considerable majority
in the Upper House in aid of his attack on one of
the lungs of the metropolis. Yes, the division of
Tuesday night seriously endangers the integrity of
Hampstead Heath, for if the bill then read a
second time should receive the Legislative sanction,
we may look fur the speedy enclosure of that
favourite place of resort, and the exclusion of the
public therefrom. It is therefore imperative on
every person desirous of preventing any further
diminution of the opportunities of breathing pure
air in the vicinity of London to lose no time in
offering the most strenuous opposition to the fur-
ther progress of the bill.
We do not assert that because a measure has
been five times deliberately rejected a further
investigation should be sternly prohibited. We
do not assert that because the learned Judges to
whom the matter was referred had distinctly and
unequivocally reported against the bill, that it
should therefore, as a matter of course, be thrown
out. We do not assert that, because the public
health and the public convenience are greatly con-
cerned in maintaining the existing state of affairs,
that therefore, ex necessitate, the House should re-
fuse its assent to the application. But this we do
say, that these various matters supply powerful
reasons for the greatest caution, before the extra-
.ordinary powers demanded should be conferred on
the promoter. The Legislature may have acted
very erroneously in foiling the five previous at-
tempts. But when the matter was unconnected
with politics—when party feelings or predilections
could not by any possibility be enlisted against
the demand,—and when such men as Lords TEN-
TERDEN, DENMAN, BROUGHAM, and CAMPBELL
were rankei amongst its most strenuous oppo-
nents, it shows an amount of authority, which it
is, indeed, difficult to overcome ; and which re-
quired more conclusive arguments than any ad-
duced on behalf of the promoter even to shake.
As to the report of the learned Judges, the Lord
Chief Baron, and Mr. Justice VAUGHAN WILLIAMS,
we venture to assert that nothing could fall more
strictly within the line of their duty than the
course which they adopted. And we believe that
1 we shall receive the almost unanimous concurrence
of every disinterested person, in stating that these
eminent men have entitled themselves to the
thanks and gratitude of the eoramidninciutlyolfsortothseaiyr
report on the question. It is r
that they departed from the usual rule. It may
be that such cases have seldom arisen—that the
and that, therefore,
in what
apruebtleiernaireed n,o,tEsintataenßyidileso:cr,ee interested
the only points rest between the tenant for life and.
the remainder-men. But when it is otherwise
when the public in general, or any body of per-
sons are concerned, then it is not only their privi-
lege, but their duty, to look to the rights of these

parties, and to defeat any effort at self-aggrandise-
ment at the expense of others, although these
others may be unrepresented before them. For
what was the order cf reference which led to the
report ? It was, according to the statement of the
noble Marquis will, brought forward the bill—
" whether, presuming the allegations of the pre-
amble to be proved, it was reasonable that
the bill should pass." They answered in
the negative, stating that " even if the al-
legations were proved they would not furnish
grounds for a bill at all ;" and they gave the
reasons, aye, sound and conclusive reasons, for
that opinion, by showing that, while the father
of the present applicant, under whose will his
title was derived, gave ample leasing powers over
the other estates, he avoided any mention of the
Hampstead property. If the omission had been
through a mere oversight—if it could positively
be said that it was owing either to ignorance or
negligence, there might be some grounds for an
application for relief; but neither allegation could
be sustained. It could not be through ignorance,
for, by making the provision as to the other
estates, he clearly evinced Lis knowledge of the
necessity for such an enabling clause. It could
not be through negligence, for the mention of the
other estates specifically led to the irresistible in-
ference that it was his intention, "from motives
of patriotism and benevolence"—as Lord CAMP-
BELL well remarked—to withhold those powers
with respect to the estate in Middlesex. Were not
the Judges then justified, aye, more than justified,
in stating that—" It may well be that the tes-
tator abstained from extending the leasing powers
to the lands in question, for reasons which would
have operated in his mind with equal force, even
if the lands had been as valuable for building
purposes at the date of the will as they are now."
Surely this was an admirable reason for reporting
that " under the terms of the order of reference,"
it was not reasonable that the bill should pass.
As to the term " spoliation" that could not
apply. The necessity for a bill proved that Sir
THOMAS MARYON WILSON had no right that would
authorise him to build on, and thus exclude the
public from, these lands. He sought a privilege,
the concession of powers which he had never en-
joyed. It is nit for the public benefit that the
privilege should be granted ; and, therefore, as
the Bishop of OXFORD declared, there could be no
injustice in refusing the favour. The limited
nature of the present bill was no reason for pass-
ing it, for even without the declaration referred
to it is quite clear that the indefatigable appli-
cant would regard it only as " an instalment,"
and that it would afford a powerful argument in
favour of the next instalment, the demand for
powers authorising him to deal with Hampstead-
heath itself in a similar manner.

By the return of the Bank of England for the
week ending the 17th instant, it appears that the
amount of notes in circulation is reduced to
19,700,5751., being a decrease of no less than
613,5301. within the week. If this were taken
by itself it might not be regarded as very alarm-
ing ; but when we consider that it follows a steady,
continuous decline, protracted during a consider-
able period, and that, in consequence of the in-
creased war taxation, a larger amount of currency
is required, it must be obvious that the indus-
trious classes must suffer greatly from the absence
of an adequate representative and measure of
value. The high rate of discount, even on unex-
ceptionable bills, and the extravagant prices of all
the necessaries, which prevent the possibility of
any reduction of the cost of manufacture, must
materially cripple the operations, and paralyse
the energies, of the creators and producers
of national wealth. But the real state of the
case is even more than it appears to be. From
that 19,700,5751., supposed to be in the hands
of the public, must be deducted the loss and
missing bank notes, which, though still what is
technically termed "open" in the books, and
therefore included in the available circulation, is
utterly useless to all intents and purposes. The
paper placed in this position must, a►s we pointed
out. in a recent impression (that of the 17th inst.),
amount to some millions sterling—a very formi-
dable reduction from what would,, even if every
pound were in active circulation, be but a scanty
supply for the wants of the community. Surely
these things should be looked to while there is
yet time, and before the commercial and
manufacturing communities have been reduced to
the verge of ruin by a too stringent adherence
to the letter of the law—already, if the amount at
which the paper circulation of the country was
fixed in 1844, 700,0001. (in round terms) has
been taken away, by the withdrawal of the notes
of private banks, either through failures, or ar-
rangements with the Leviathan establishment. If
to that we add, two millions for lost or missing
notes (which we believe to be far below the mark
we find nearly three millions sterling, or about
fourteen percent. abitracteclfrom the 22,000,0001.
allowed to be issued, without a deposit of specie,
and the Bank of England notes in actual circula-
tion will be found to be little more than seven-
teen millions and a half, a sum totally inadequate
to the increased wealth, increased population, and
increased taxation of the country.
It has been said that the above estimate is too
high—that the amount of lost bank notes is com-
paratively insignificant. We should, indeed, be
delighted to have it proved that we were mis-
taken. We would submit to the imputation on
our judgment, for the sake of the general com-
munity, but we fear that it is not so—that ours
has been "an over-true tale." None but the
Bank itself can clear up the doubts, and it will
not consent to do so save on the authority of
Parliament. Will any monetary reformer—any
opponent of the Act of 1844—move for a return
of the notes which have been alleged to be lost,
and for which claims have been lodged, or payment
stopped, and also of notes issued morethan a certain
time, say three years, a large proportion whereof
may fairly be regarded as missing, inasmuch as
the Bank is bound to make weekly returns
of its assets and liabilities, it could
not, we conceive, if required by Parliament,
object to give any particulars calculated to throw
additional light on the subject, and which would
be indispensible in order to prevent the public
from being grievously misled by that which was
intended to provide authentic information.

It is, we believe, generally supposed by those
who have never had occasion to make application
for the restitution of the value of a lost bank-note
that tho authorities are very liberal in their deal-
ings with the,losers—and that, either on a satis-
factory indemnity being given, or on very clear
evidence of the destruction of the note, so that no
claim could be preferred in proof thereof, the ac-
count would be forthwith, or after a short delay,
restored. Never was there a greater mistake.
Not only is clear and indisputable evidence,
much more than would be required in a
court of justice called for, coupled with an un-
exceptionable indemnity ; but payment is pro-
tracted for no less than five years, until the pa-
tience of the sufferer is exhausted, and he relin-
quishes a pursuit impeded by so many difficulties.
As an illustration of these impediments habitu-
ally created, we shall refer to a case that occurred
a few weeks since. In the month of August, 1852,
a gentleman forwarded 101., which he had just
received, to his wife in the country. She was at
the,lime engaged in looking through some accounts
and documents, which she subsequently burned.
No person was in the room but a child a few
months old. The note was immediately missed,
and from the evidence no doubt could exist that
it had been burned with the other papers. The
gentleman ascertained the number of the note,
and on or about the 16th August, 1852,
made application to the Bank, stating all the cir-
cumstances. All the particulars were taken down
at the time, and he was requested to call at the
end of twelve months, when the matter would be
dealt with. He was obliged to cross the Atlantic
during the interval, and some twenty months
elapsed before he sent an order to a friend to re-
ceive the value of the lost note. ApplicaLon was
accordingly made; but, after hearing the nature
of the evidence, and finding that the note was still
" open," a reply was given to the following
effect :—That as no one had actually seen the
note burned, it could not be paid for five years (I)