The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-07 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY, JULY 7, 1853.

The Manifesto of the Russian EMPEROR, which
appeared in our impression of Tuesday, has na-
turally excited the deepest interest among persons
of all classes. The question of war or peace is
one of such vital importance that nothing which
may by any possibility affect the momentous re-
milt can be received with apathy or indifference.
As usual, there are many conflicting and contra-
dictory opinions as to the true construction of th?
document. Some regard it as the proclamation
of a Holy War—the announcement of a crusade
against the Infidels—and argue that NICHOLAS is
determined to proceed to any length, to dare even
the world in arms, in order to insure the supre-
macy of the sect of which he claims to be the
head, and to re-establish the Greek religion at the
former seat of the Greek empire, and to restore
St. Sophia and the other mosques taken from the
Armenians, to what he believes to be the true re-
ligion. In order to sustain these views, they
confidently rely, not merely on the unjustifiable
nature of his demands hitherto put forward, and
the unwarranted and indefensible aggression—in
direct violation of his treaties with ether Euro-
pean nations—on the provinces, of which he, to
a certain extent, at least, was constituted the
"protector,"—but also on the concluding passage,
in which he endeavours to excite the religious
animosities and to stimulate the fanaticism of his
subjects by the appeal to the DEITY, and the de-
claration that, with a full assurance in the arm of
the ALMIGHTY, they should go forth to fight for
the orthodox faith ! Those, however, who think
that a pacific solution of the difficulty is still
practicable, contend, with much apparent
reason, that he has exrressly stated that he has
no intention "of commencing war ;" that "in
occupying tl ass (the Danubian) provinces," he only
" wishes to hold a sufficient pledge to guarantee
for himself the re-establishment of his rights
under any circumstances whatever ;" that he dares
not " seek for conquests," but the justification of
"rights openly violated ;" and that " he is still
ready to stop the movements of his troops, if the
Ottoman Porte will bind itself to observe,
solemnly, the inviolability of the Orthodox
Church." From these expressions they argue
that he claims no new rights—that he merely
seeks to enforce former obligations, which,
through some grievous misapprehensions, he
conceives to have been either directly violated,
or at least materially endangered by recent
proceedings of the SULTAN, and that the demand
for assurances "to observe solemnly the in-
violability" of the orthodox (i.e. the Greek)
Church will be fully complied with by pledges to
cell the Great Powers to respect the rights of
Christians of every denomination, which the
Divan has already expressed itsreadiness to give !
that a door is thus opened for future negotia-
tions, which will terminate in the complete re-
moval of every existing difference.
For ourselves, on calm consideration of the
arguments on either side, we believe that
hostilities may yet be averted, but only by
the exhibition of a bold and unflinching determi-
nation on the part of the Western Powers to re-
sist any infraction of existing treaties on inade-
quate grounds. We greatly fear that the fact of
" the travelled Thane," the " excellent ABER-
DEEN," occupying the chief seat in the English
Cabinet, combined with that of the "English
Minister " who had at all times so resolutely
maintained the honour of the British name, being
removed from the position which he had so
worthily occupied with credit to himself and ad-
vantage to the country, in no trifling degree influ-
enced the CZAR in his insolent and unwarrantable
proceedings. The subsequent vacillation of one Go-
vernment, and the omission of the earnest protests
which the untenable demands of Prince MENscm-
KOFF BO imperatively
stilled for, added fuel to
the flame, and induced the AUTOCRAT to procced
to such extraordinary lengths.
As the invasion
of the territories of a
friendly State—for no
matter what may be
the quibbling, or pettifog-
ging explanation that may be given. the crossing
of the Pruth, and the occupation of the Danubian
Provinces by an armed force, is not merely a
casus belli, but an express declaration of war
against Turkey. Of course it rests with the
SULTAN to consider in what light it shall
be regarded ; but the firm and unyielding, al-
though temperate and respectful, tone of his
reply to the ultimatum, forbids the supposition
that ABD-UL-MEDJID will be found wanting to
himself, or insensible to the course which a true
conaidezatiolz of his on dignity
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