The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-10 00:00:00

BY HER FRIEND—" THE TIMES."
We suspect there are very few of our readers who
have temper, patience, or leisure to trace through all
their entanglements and crossings the threads that form
the endless meshes of German statecraft and diplomacy.
It was the pleasure of those who settled the affairs of
Europe after the close of the late war to create in Ger-
many a Power impotent, as they believed, for aggressive
purposes, but sufficiently powerful for the purposes of
self-defence. Germany was intended to be an immense
mass impassible to all external force—a lake, whose sur-
face every breeze could ruffle, but whose waters would
immediately resume their original stillness. For this
purpose Germany has been furnished with a hierarchy
of powers as carefully and absurdly graduated as the
endless ranks of her nobility,—two in the first rank,
three or four in a subordinate one, and others, each more
insignificant than the other, till we reach the very
smallest dimensions consistent with the existence of a
Court and the puniest semblance of royalty. This in-
genious plan has in one respect been perfectly success-
ful. The great German nation, with its literature, its
refinement, and its valour, has been found quite free
from any aggressive impulses. The misfortune is, that
with the power yf aggression that of self-defence has
also disappeared. The machine of the German empire
is. so contrived as to give every member of the Con-
federation a separate and individual interest, sometimes
really, and often ostensibly, opposed to that of the whole
body. Austria and Prussia have been engaged in an
interminable conflict, the object of which is not the
welfare of Germany, but the obtaining the first place in
her councils, and to this have been relentlessly sacrificed
all considerations of German honour and independence.
We have often seen the two rival Governments suing in
emulous servility for the good graces of the Autocrat of
Russia, and ready to sacrifice the interests which, as
Germans, they hold in common, to the desire of forti-
fying themselves by the patronage of so great an ally.
The smaller Governments of Germany are engaged one
and all in the mere struggle for existence. Having no
substantive power to support them, feeling themselves
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their weight now into one scale, now into the other,
seek to preserve the duality of Austria and Prussia, on
which alone their_ frail existence depends. If we add
that beneath the ground on which these phantom Princes
strut and fret their little hour, there is a mass of fel,
menting and fostering disaffection, ready to explode
at the moment when least expected, we have
enough to show how it is that in the crisis of the des
tinies of Europe, when Germany is threatened by the
aggression of Russia along the whole of her flat and de•
fenceless eastern frontier, her arm is palsied, her heart
is faint, and her councils divided and irresolute. Fur
greatest river is closed at its mouth, first by wilful neg.
ligence, and then by armed violence ; the very 'artery
through which her life-blood flows is choked up ; yet,
while England and France cheerfully encounter war for
the sake of European interests, Germaty cannot even
rise to the level of a German question, and, if the West.
ern Powers had not drawn the sword, seemed likely to
have surrendered the Danube without a blow, and almost
without a remonstrance. Let any one watch the course
of Austria during the last year. United with us in every
diplomatic step which we have taken, she has still care•
fully avoided entangling herself with our alliance, or in-
curring a breach with that Power against whom we are at
this very moment fighting her battle, even more than our
own. At first the excuse was that while we were re-
mote from, she was near to the Russian frontier, and that
it was unreasonable to expect her to move till re-
assured by our presence. At last we came in such
force and with such preparations as made this excuse
no longer tenable ; but Austria moved not a whit the
more. The Congress of Bamberg was in the Russian
interest, and Austria dared not move without the eon-
sent of the Congress of Bamberg. Meanwhile success
began to declare itself in favour of the Allies, and the
tide of Russian invasion was rolled back from the walls
of Silistria. Then Austria made an advance, but in a
direction obviously dictated by other considerations
than those of European or even German poli9y. The
Principalities became untenable for Russia, and Austria
was willing to hold them for Turkey. Russia rejected
her ultimatum, but Austria shrank from enforcing that
ultimatum by a recourse to arms. s..
Such is pretty nearly the position she occupies at this
moment. The duties thrown on her by that position
are manifest enough. She is bound by good faith to
hold these provinces —as a friend of Turkey—as a sacred
deposit, to be returned when Turkey shall be in a
condition to demand it inviolate as she received it.
All accounts agree in stating that Austria has not
faithfully discharged this duty. From her first entrance
into the Danubian provinces up to the present moment
Austria has treated the Turks and the provincials.with
an overbearing insolence, which seems to announce that
she comes, not as a friend, but as a master—not as an
ally, but as a sovereign. After her own fashion, she
\
seeks to establish herself in a province that she bas not
conquered as an enemy, after having obtained entrance
into it as a friend, and practices on the banks of the
Danube the same obtuse and unrelenting despotism as
saddensthe plains of Lombardy or the marshes of Venice.
The cuckoo has obtained admission into the nest, and
lords it there with all the confidence of the rightful
owner. Thus is Austria fulfilling the duty she has un-
dertaken towards Turkey, thus vindicating the position
she has assumed towards Russia. What is her present
gratitude towards England and France ? Having joined
with us in all our negotiations and remonstrances, Austria
was to a common apprehension bound to join us also in
the means we have taken to enforce them; but, if unable
or unwilling to vindicate by her arms the conclusions of
her diplomacy, she was at least bound by every feeling of
honour and justice to act with the utmost good faith and
friendliness towards Powers with whom she had gone so
far, and from whom she had so unaccountably separated
herself. How far this reasonable expectatiOn has been
verified we learn from a recent letter of our Constanti-
nople correspondent. We are engaged in besieging an
enormous fortress, defended by an army probably more
numerous than our own, fighting on its own ground,
and possessing unbounded supplies of the munitions of
war. Above all things, it was considered desirable that
this disparity should not be increased by the presence of
further Russian reinforcements. With that view, the
Turks contemplated a diversion in Bessarabia, which
would at once have obliged the Russians to concentrate
their troops iii that quarter, and thus cut off the last
hope of relief from the army of the Crimea. It is said
that this movement has been prevented by Austria,
afraid that, were the Turks to invade Russia from the
Danubian provinces, the Emperor might treat such a
proceeding as an act of hostility. Surely, this is some-
thing less than neutrality. The Turks are at war with
Russia, Austria has solemnly pronounced their quarrel
just, and yet she interposes to prevent their making stra-
tegical movements considered necessary for their own
safety, and for that of the army of those very Powers with
whose views Austria has professed entire concurs ence, and
in the success of whose arms she has affected to rejoice !
The Austrian occupation of the Principalities is at this
moment used as a means of hostility to the Allied
Powers, and of facilitating the enterprises of Russia. If
we had known that the Turks were not to be allowed to
make a diversion in our favour on the banks of the
Pruth, that Austria had dispensed them from the neces-
sity of defending their own country, and forbidden them
from invading that of their enemy, we might have found
occupation for Omer Pacha and his gallant army either
in the steppes of the Crimea or the mountains of Ar-
menia. Austria has indeed occupied the Principalities,
but has neutralised a force almost equal to her own.
She has joined us in protocols, but deserted us in action.
She
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and that while her recent interference has lost her much
with the Allies, with Russia it has gained her nothing.

BEQUEST TO ST. ANDREW'S SCHOOLS.—We learn from
the " St. Andrew's Monthly Paper," that the late Sir
John Gladstone haring left a suns of money for distri-
bution, at the discretion of the four sons, the executors
of his will, Mr. Robertson Gladstone, with the concur-
rence of his co-executors, has presented 501. to the St.
Andrew's Schools, of which his father was the patron

and founder thirty-seven years ago.
GENEROSITY OF BRITISH SEAMEN. —By private letters
received from the Behring Straits division of the Arotio
Search, it appears that as soon as the intelligence bad
reached them of the sad fate of the noble Bellot (the only
officer whose life has been sacrificed in an immediate ao
of duty, in the search far Sir John Franklin), the officers
and crew of her Majesty's ships Plover and Rattlesnake
immediately subscribed a day's pay to the "Ballot testi-
monial," expressing deep regret at the calamity which
had befallen him.
~
and Messrs.
SALE OF Ma. OLIVER'S SHIPS AT LIVERPC:OL.—LIVER.
FOOL, Nov. 9.—The trustees of Mr. Oliver s estate have
Tonet„oGouffrreyr,foarndsalCeo,
at the Cotton
instructed
Cunard, m /1111enns s,
andrs.
Co.
Sales-room, Liverpool, on Thursday, the 23d inst. ,35
ships, of an aggregate tonnage of 20,500 tons, belonging
•
to Mr. Oliver, and at present lying at Liverpool"gi"
other ports in the kingdom. The other
ships of Mr.
Oliver, at sea or in foreign ports, will be offered for sale
as they arrive.
A RAILWAY CHIMCII.—The Great Northern
have given notice of their intention Railway
have y
ment in the ensuing session for to apply to Parlia
endow a church in or near the townpowers to erect and
to-
gether with schoolhouses, for the benefit, of the numerous
of Doncaster,
operatives and servants of the company
plant-station at that town. employed at the
is temporarily performed. in At present Divine service
con-
nexion with the plant. The the reading-room in
Lion of the children of the new schools for the educa-
tion railway employes are already
in a forward state, and only require the internal fitting s
to complete them.
TURKISH SCRlP.—Turkish again
Scrip
fluctuations, and, after a further considerable
exfflelricelnocesedd
with an improved appearance. The last price yesterday
was
1 discount, and, although it opened this morning at
1 to 4 discount, heavy sales caused a decline to 2 dis-
count. From this there was ultimately a rally, an the
final quotation was ito 4 discount. The committee of
the Stock Exchange met in the morning to consider the
objections urged against the form in which the bonds
have been prepared for issue, and were of opinion that,
although no question could exist as to the regularity and
legality of the stamped signatures, the method being a
new one would be likely to excite dissatisfaction on the
part of foreign holders, and consequently to check a
favourable reception of the security in some of the con-
tinental markets. Under these circumstances, the con.
tractors expressed their perfect readiness to attach their
written signatures to the bonds in the ordinary manner,
and to call in for that purpose the few that have yet been
put forth..4We
-Qty rtick.