The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-22 00:00:00

home a year ago, being twice as strong on the Danube
as they were, before Austrian-England and Austrian-
France afforded time to the Czar for sending down two
armies to reinforce them. But if I were an Eng-
lishman or ,a Frenchman, nothing in the world could
give me greater mortification than the recollection of
what has passed at Silistris. To stand almost within
the hearing of the battering cannons, and riot only not
fly to the aid of those glorious brave, but to arrest even
Omer Pacha's main army for weeks from rescuing them,
though a few hours' march would have sufficed—why,
gentlemen, that is so terrible that lam sure every true
English patriot would give much to blot out that dark
page from history. Yet, if I understand the fact, to
hand over to perfidious Austria the Principalities—libe-
rated exclusively by Turkish blood, by Turkish gallantry
—would have been so shocking to political morality that
the affectation of yonder claim was wanted, in order to
cover the turpitude of this most terrible monstrosity of
our day. I mean the pre-arranged occupation of Moldo-
Wallachia by Austria. On the 12th of June I spoke at
Nottingham to the following effect :—" If there be one
man who is not perfectly convinced that Austria is, and
will be found, every moment ready to partition Turkey,

,hat man is worthy to be sent to Bedlam—he must be a

lunatic." "You will find Austria always ready to oc-
cupy some Turkish provinces, where ebe has not to
meet a Russian bayonet ; but that is all you can expect
from her. Fight Russia, with the intention to reduce
Russia's power, she never will." " She may even promise
you to act, should the Russians not recross the Pruth :
but if she.promise you so much, be sure of this—you are
alr.•ady and betrayed and sold." "Occupy a province
which the Russians leave, she will ; but fight Russia,
to drive her out from a province, she never will.'
And again at Glasgow I thus spoke :—" Austria is
agowed to save the beaten Russians by stepping between
them and the victorious Turks, and allowed to keep
Wallachia. Keep it, from whom ? From the Russians?
But they leave it, therefore, from whom ? Why, from
those who are entering it—from the Turks. By this
trick of Austrian perfidy, the Czar, relieved from every
danger of being attacked in that quarter, can, and will,
now detach such forces hence as be likes, and concen-
tratetherniwherever you choose to attack him." " While
it was the Czar who acted on the offensive, the inactive
neutraiity of Austria covered his right wing from attack.
Now that he is reduced to the defensive by the victorious
Turks, Austria's Interposition covers his retre,tt, and
secures his rear and fl tnk from being attacked." "And
it is with the permission and under the auspices of the
Engli,h Government that this pet fly occurs; nay, your
Government ca'ls it an alliance ; but I call it treason, and
so will history call it." On the 14th of June a conven-
tion had been concluded between Austria and the Sultan,
under the auspices of England and France. The stip'.
lotion of the convention is framed as follows :—•• The
Emperor of Austria takes the obligation upoin himself
to exhaust all measures in the way of negotiation, and
else also, to cause the Danubian Principalities to be eva-
cuated by the foreign army which is occupying it ; and
to employ, if necessary, even a number of troops if re-
quired for the purpose—and will withdraw his forces
from the Principalities after a treaty of peace shall have
been concluded between Turkey and Russia." Such is
th%t treaty, gentlemen, from which Austria desires to
derive the authority for occupying the Principalities.
Well may Lord Clanricarde have remarked in the House
of Lords, that "it is notorious that Turkey was ex_
tremely reluctant to allow this authority to Austria."
Those who real the blue books know that a fortnight
before the Russian legation departed from Constanti-
nople, and a whole month before one Russian crossed
the Pruth, the English ambassador gave the authorita-
tive advice to the Turkish Government, that not only
no resistance should be offered to the Russians on their
occupying the Principalities, but that they should not
be resisted even on their crcssing the Danube, and that
forbearance should cease only on that line which could

not be passed by an enemy without d'mger to the capi-
tal. Now that means evidently the Balkan line. The
English Government so much approved of this that
Lord Clarealon insisted very strongly that positive
orders should be given to Omer Paella to keep himself
in the limits of this over-timid and ruinous policy.

This gives you the key to the disgraceful fact that
neither your armies nor Omer Paella did anything to
relieve Silistria. Thus you see that the allied armies
went to the East with the positive orders not to act,

and not to allow the Turks to act, on the Danube and
fact, beyond.
therefore
You see that
could
he
the Czar
e wth
perfect
wfeeta s s
ec u
rapprisedsecurity
of
cross
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e
Danube and besiege Silistria, and you see that the
Turkish Government, on the contrary, had neither
freedom of action nor hope of assistance for driving
the Russians out of the Principalities ; and that Eng-
land and France could, with such a pressure, not fail
to induce the systematically-intimidated Divan to sign
the fatal convention with Austria, which the poor fel-
lows, despairing of Turkish bravery, and fettered and
forsaken by their allies, took to be their last hope for
geting the Principalities evacuated. The Russians, on
the contrary, knew that their power had been broken
by the glorious heroism of one single fortress garrison.
They actually began their retreat on the 22d of June, and
have been aware of the fatal necessity of this retreat
since the 29th of May, so disastrous to them. They
wanted to have their rear secured, and the Turks kept.
out from the Principalities ; they therefore informed
Austria that they were about to retreat, awl required
her to conclude the convention with Turkey, thus to
get the required security by it. That is the history of
this dirty trick ; not upon the risk of having to meet
the Russians, but with the knowledge that they will
effect their retreat as soon as that convention is signed,
and their retreat protected by it. So striking are these
facts that the Vienna correspondent of the very Times
could not help informing his patrons (see Times August
16th,) that " the whole thing has been pre•arranged
between Russia and the German powers." And it is
ludicrous to see what pains the Ministerial organ takes
the following day to counterbalance the ingenuousness
of its own correspondent. But I call on you, gentle-
men, to look to facts. It is notorious that Austria fixed
on the 3d of July for entering Wallachia. Why so ?
Because Marshal Paskiewitch commenced his retreat on
the 22d of June. Yet Austria did not enter. Why ?
Because counter orders having arrived from St. Peters.
burg, the Russians turned round, and, instead of con-
tinuing to retreat, re-advanced to the Danube. So Ai.u.
tria stopped, and let them re-advance. I think, genee-
men, it is clear to demonstration, that if the Austrian
convention were anything but criminal collusion with
Russia, then was the case to execute its stipula-
tions, and to aid the Turks in driving out the Rus-
sians. But this Austria did not do—she remained
inactive.. The Turks acted ; they crossed the Danube ;
had beaten the Russians decisively at Giurgevo, Fra
teschti, Ralugereni, and pushed on up to Bucharest.
The Russians beaten, re-cross the Pruth. All this
while Austria does not stir. But now that the Russians
have left, now we again hear that Austria is enter-
ing the Principalities, and claims to take what the
Turks have gained. It is sheer treason and disgusting
iufamy. However anxious may hive been the compilers