The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-27 00:00:00

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LONDON, THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1854.

" GOD helps those who help themselves." It
is a thought worthy of our remembrance on the
morrow of the National Day of Fast and Humilia-
tion. England yesterday stormed Heaven with
her prayers for Victory. But up to this moment
have our rulers adopted adequate measures to
place the warriors of the empire within reach of
its achievement ? It is a question that may well
be put now that so much time has elapsed
since the declaration of war in the Gazette,
and in the Houses of Parliament, and especially
now that the solemn day has passed by which was
set apart by the State for the observance of a
general Fast and Humiliation.
Fighting, we learn, is still continued furiously
along the banks of the Danube, from Kalafat
down to the Dobrudscha. And, as Marshal ST
ARNAUD justly observes in his order of the day
recently published at Marseilles, " The Turks and
Egyptians have been able to make head against
the Russians since the commencement of the war :
single-handed they have beaten them in several com-
bats !" Meanwhile—how has it been in regard to
the English and French contingents ? How is it
actually at this moment in reference to the armies
despatched to the East by the French and English
Governments—how is it in reference to those
allied forces up to the latest period of informa-
tion ? Why, it appears that 20,000 French, and
8,000 English troops have disembarked. But
where ? At Gallipoli ! As far away from
the seat of war as could well have been con-
trived under the circumstances. Actually
on the shores of the Dardanelles instead
of on the borders of the invaded Principalities. A
splendid Camp is to be formed at Gallipoli—and
in the interim the unfortunate soldiers of Egypt
and Turkey are to be left to withstand the fury
of all the hordes Poured down upon them from
the interior of Ruasia.by the CZAR, the numerous
troops and battalions directed against the Ottoman
power by Prince GORTSCRAROFF and Prince PAS-
/11{WITC1X. What can be the
meaning of all
these delays on the part of England and France ?
What are the members of our Cabinet about ?
a,t are they doing all this while at the
gorse Guards Are we really in ea,
nest in de-
the Russian Atrroc
eming war against FLIT, or are
we
simply assuming the virtues of courage, of
resolution, and of a chivalrous magnanimity ?
+war with the CZAR. of
If we are really going to
all the Russias, it is sheer madness wasting ines-
timable time by reviews and pageantries, and
afterwardsfrittering away our military strength by
transporting mere driblets, comparatively speak-
ing, them,
towards the East, and then landing
not on the coast of Bulgaria, near Varna, or
Kustendje, but at Gallipoli, in the Dardanelles !
If we are not going to war with the AUTOCRAT,
then it was literally a mockery to have set apart
yesterday as a day of national Fasting and Humi-
liation.

In either case, it appears to us, it must appear
to any man of ordinary common sense, that our
rulers are trifling with DIVINE PROVIDENCE.
Is it, WO ask, in reason to expect that tho war
with RUSSIA can be vigorously brought to a close

by arrangements which, in the April of 1854,
result in the landing of just 8,000 English troops
and of 20,000 French troops at Gallipoli in the
Dardanelles ? Twenty thousand French and
eight thousand English against all the hordes
brought together from all the Russias by
the despotic will of the AUTOCRAT ! And
even those landed so far away from the seat of
action as to be utterly without use in their present
position as far as concerns the actual campaign in
the Danubian Principalities. Are we waiting for
news of some disastrous defeat of the Turks and
Egyptians before we will consent to confront our
forces with their Russian antagonists ?
An announcement has at last been made, we
rejoice to observe, on the other side of the
British Channel, to the effect that the Im-1
perial Government of France is about to
increase the contingent sent to the aid of
the SULTAN by NAPOLEON 111. to 150,000 men
altogether. A corresponding increase ought surely
to be at once resolved upon by the British Go-
vernment. For any further delays in this immi-
nent crisis of affairs, the people of England will,
of course, from his official position, hold the Gene-
ral Commanding-in-Chief personally responsible.
Anxiety has long been felt as to the willingness of
Lord HARDINGE to expedite, to the very uttermost
of his ability, the military part of our warlike pre-
parations. Sir JAMES GRAHAM has nobly done his
share in these momentous undertakings : but if
the Admiralty has acted well the Horse Guards
have notoriously, for some time past, given to a
large section of the observant community very
considerable dissatisfaction. It is but too well
understood that the influences of Aberdeenism
are wonderfully enervating. But for these ma-
lign influences we should never have heard of
merely 8,000 of our troops being landed on the
coast of Turkey up to the April of 1854, and
of these 8,000 troops being disembarked,
moreover, not near the banks of the Danube,
but as far away from that river, as far away from
the scene.; of conflict, as a point on the borders of
the Dardanelles ! However, we are told to be
consoled with the knowledge that matters are not
really to be left precisely in this state, as might
otherwise have been conjectured. We are to have,
besides the camp at Gallipoli, another camp at
Thayukdere Nay, we are informed by advices
from Constantinople down to the 15th inst., that
General BOSQUET had then left that capital for the
purpose of establishing the head-quarters already
prepared for the allied armies, at Adrianople !
At Adrianople ! As if, far beyond A.drianople, there
were not the formidable barriers presented against
Russia by the chain of the Balkan mountains !
Tile apparent mismanagement in all this is really
something deplorable. Wherefore we are await-
ing now with eager curiosity whatever consolation
can be afforded by additional intelligence as to
the reported bombardment of Odessa by the com-
bined Fleets, under Admirals DUNDAS and
HIMELLN. It is from the foregoing reasons that
we recall to mind, with a certain amount of com-
punction, the wise old proverb already quoted by
us, on this the morrow of the national Day of
Fast and Humiliation.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has, in one
respect, followed the example afforded by the
French Minister of Finance. In place of entering
into a contract with any great capitalist, or asso-
ciated body of capitalists, for the entire amount
of the loan, he has thrown the matter open to
general competition, inviting tenders from every
person desirous of obtaining a share of the new
Government securities, contributing his propor-
tion to the maintenance of the national credit,
and at the same time testifying his enthu-
siasm in the noble COALS 9 in which his coun-
try is now engaged. The extraordinary and de-
cided success of the experiment at Paris fully
justified a trial in London. And we have no
doubt that the result in the present instance
would be equally satisfactory, if the conditions
of subscription had been as judiciously devised,
and if we held out equal inducements to persuade
the public to come forward with their savings and
available means. Unfortunately, however, Mr.
GLADSTONE Still suffers himself to be restricted
and fettered by the trammels of "red tapism,"
and has totally ignored the principles which
mainly conduced to the fortunate solution of the
difficulty among our continental brethren. We
are, therefore, once more compelled to adopt
the views of LAURENCE STERN; and to exclaim,
" They manage these things better in France ! "
We shall at present only refer to a few points
in which the distinctions between the plans
adopted in France and England are very per-
ceptible, and in which the advantage is certainly
not on our side. If, however, it is by the minor
touches that the skill of the artist is displayed,
we may appreciate the able work of the conti-
nental financier from these apparently trivial
matters.

When NAPOLEON, through his Financial Mi-
nister, appealed to the patriotism of his people, he
did so on the broadest foundation ; none were ex-
cluded on account of poverty. The mite of the
hard-working operative and of the small trades-
man was accepted as freely and willingly as the
thousands of the wealthy capitalist. The amount
required was 250,000,000 of francs, equivalent
to 10,000,0001. sterling. Every opportunity
was afforded to enable parties to enrol their
names. Registers were opened not only iu
the metropolis, but in the chief towns of the
several departments and the arrondissements of
the Empire, which continued open a certain time.
The subscription was, indeed, a truly national
one, and nobly did the people respond to the call.
Not merely was the required sum eagerly ten-
dered, but nearly double the amount was forth-
coming. NINETY-EIGHT THOUSAND Frenchmen
inscribed their names for sums amounting in the
aggregate to FOUR HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN
MILLIONS OF FRANCS (equivalent to 18,680,0001.
sterling), and of these no less than SIXTY THOU-
SAND persons subscribed for sums not exceeding
fifty francs of rentes, or less than 21. annual divi-
dends. The total sums thus subscribed by these
sixty thousand patriots was forty-nine millions of
francs (equivalent to 1,960,0001. sterling), show-
ing that the average contribution was about
eight hundred and sixteen francs, fourteen
sous, or 321. 13s. 4d. each. These men
were not rejected because they could not offer
thousands—they were not despised because they
were humble and lowly. Far from it. Their
applications were granted in full. There was no
deduction from their subscriptions, although the
more wealthy applicants had their claims abated
by no less than 52 per cent. We can form some
conception of the pride and gratification of these
humble men at the unequivocal acceptance of
their offerings. Each felt that he had a stake in
the country—a direct interest in maintaining in-
violate public credit, and opposing the monetary
panics that are so prejudicial to the best interests of
society. We believe that the success of the financial
experiment might be greatly, if not altogether,
attributed to the extended basis on which it was
planned.

But how does Mr. e
GLADSTONE act on this useful
small capitalists to en,ltritios
to,
tdheesiirresatvoingesncotouratghee
precedent? Does h
Government ? Wil h©
accept
if not exceeding 501. or
loot.their offers in full
each ? No ; such
It does
is not the Euglish system. not accord
with the worship of the golden calf
which John
Bull has set up. Give preference to smallci bid-
ders ? Why, there is not a pert o
the Treasury or Exchequer Bill-office whose
in
hair would not stand on end at the
mere notion of admitting petty capitalists
to a
participation in the favours about to be dis-
tributed. What ! ask Lord MONTEAGLE to affix
his sign-manual to
an-actan document beneath
value ? It would be