The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-17 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, NOVENIBER 17, 1854.

Bath parties are, apparently, " resting on their
oars" before Sebastopol, after the terrible and
sanguinary contest of the sth instant. That the
Allied Powers obtained a decided triumph is ap-
parent, not merely from the despatches of Generals
CANRODERT and Lord RAGLAN, but even from that
of Prince MENSCHIKOFF himself. The Russian
leader, while boasting, according to Muscovite cus-
tom, of what he will do, and declaring that " the
Allied Army cannot escape him," still speaks of
the events of the sth in apologetic terms, declaring
that the result was " one of those accidents inse-
parable from war." Men who have succeeded to
the full extent of their wishes, as Prince MEN-
SCHIKOFF would fain imply, and which he
manifestly wishes Europe to believe, do not
endeavour to extenuate that which requires no
extenuation, or to apologise for a decided victory.
The evidence obtained from Russian sources is,
therefore, scarcely less decisive as to the Allied
success than that obtained from our own
Generals. _ _ _ _

What has since come to hand has been exclu-
sively from Russian sources, and must, therefore,
be received with considerable allowance. As we
have hitherto pointed out, such testimony is
valuable in many respects ; not merely for what
it says, but still more for what it leaves unsaid.
'When MENSCHIKOFF 'declares that " nothing
decisive
rest has occurred before Sebastopol," we may
assured that there has been nothing to inter-
rupt the steady
the final progress of the siege, or to render
result more doubtful than it had pre-
viously been.
This, then, is the scope of the present intelli-
gence. We hear, via Odessa,that "nothing
on
othing of
importance had occurred at Sebastopolthe
6th, 7th, or Bth instant--that the Allies con-
tinued the construction of their si •
ege-works, espe-
cially fortifying their right wing) and that the
Russians were busy repairing the damage done to
the fortifications." They persevere in th •
eir steady
and continuous advances against the town, Which
nothing that hitherto occurred has materially im-
peded. But, at the same time, we are adopting
all necessary precautions to prevent any surprise
or "unexpected attack" (that appears the favourite
phrase) to which an undue contempt for the re-
sources and power of the adversary heretofore
rendered our leaders too liable.
4- Such judicious measures, while they scarcely
psreeptibly delay the operations before the town,
_ :Awn . render more ce-rtain its final capture or de-

struction. So long as we can continue in position
with all the formidable appliances of modern war-
fare bearing fully on the defences, we may reason-
ably look forward to the almost inevitable termi-
nation of sueli proceedings—a termination the
period whereof may be calculated not merely to
the day, but almost to the hour. We know that
there are many exceptional and disturbing—per-
haps we might say unparalleled—influences in
operation. We have not only a relieving army

in the field, who have the command of the open
country, but that army is in full communication
with the beleaguered garrison ; and either party
can at pleasure send succour, in the shape either
of men or supplies, to the other. The defenders
are so numerous that they are enabled
almost to reverse the precedent of PE-NE-
LOPE, and to repair at night what has
been demolished during the day. Although
we have covered the southern approaches, the
northern have remained open, and men, provi-
sions, and ammunition—nay more, even the
largest class of artillery—have been sent into the
town without let or hindrance. Properly speak-
ing this is no " siege"—it certainly is no com-
plete investment. But still it effects all
the objects which we have in view almost
as certainly as if everything proceeded " selon
les regles," according to the best regulottions in
such cases made and established.
There is another " exceptional point " as much
in our favour as the command of the open coun-
try and the power of receiving supplies aro to the
besieged. We have the command of the sea.
We are practically within " two days" off Con-
stantinople, and still less fromVarna ; and should,
therefore, have at our disposal all the resources
available in these magnificent depots. Of
course further. supplies must be sent
from France and England supplies so
abundant as to place the issue beyond the pos-
sibility of doubt. Of this we have shown the
necessity in another part of our impression, but
in the interim much may be received from the
Ottoman territories. The greater portion of the
Russian► reinforcements have already arrived—
ours are yet to come, and as there is nothing
hitherto that has been capable of raising the siege
or relieving the town, so we may reasonably anti-
cipate that every day will lessen its chances of
safety, and increase the hopes of the Allied
Forces.

We cannot conclude our observations on this
matter without an allusion to the Royal Approba-
tion so handsomely conveyed to, and so well me-
rited by the British army, for its conduct on the
memorable 20th of September, when it added
new laurels to the imperishable ones al-
ready obtained with so much labour and
daring. A General Order has been issued, in
which the Commander of the Forces has,
by order of her MAJESTY, expressed the feelings
with which she received the tidings of their
losses and achievements, and is which all her
loyal subjects fully participate.

Lord ABERDEEN declared last Session, in a
speech which he was afterwards compelled to
explain and modify, that "he was like a man
who, while buckling on his armour, still continued
to murmur Peace, peace, peace 1" He meant
thereby to show the dominant idea by which his
mind was continually occupied, which could never
be even momentarily forgotten under any cir-
cumstances, however conflicting. Although the
example was misapplied in that instance, for the
clear exhibition of the " ruling passion" might be
turned to his disadvantage by the opposing
power, yet there are many cases in which the
precedent may be judiciously followed, especially
where no mischief could possibly arise from the
general promulgation of the prevailing feeling.
It was by the concentration of public opinion,
the devotion of the Liberal party to the
great question of the abolition of the bread
tax, that the greatest political victory of modern
times was accomplished. It is by a similar devo-
tion now that we can hope to achieve the object
we all have in view—the carrying on the war
with adequate means, to bring it to a speedy,
honourable, and beneficial conclusion. We would,
then, urge on every journalist, no matter what
might be his political creed, to stereotype the
words "Reinforcements, reinforcements, reinforce-
ments" on his broad sheets ; on every British
subject to urge the same point on all available
opportunities. It is decidedly the question of the
day—the topic on which the public mind is ex-
ceedingly excited, and on which it desires to stimu-
late the Government into activity.
There can be but little, if any, difference of
opinion on the point. Even the most strenuous
advocate of the principle's of the Peace Society,
however strongly he may oppose the warlike
ardour of the nation, and insist on the propriety
of passive resistance, will yet admit that when men
are arrayed in opposing ranks, and armed with
deadly weapons, that it will be au act of mercy to
both sides, of " humanity," in the broadest seise
of the phrase, to make one side so superior to
the other as to render resistance perfectly useless.
A large accession to the Allied Forces before
Sebastopol will be the best mode of bringing what
they regard as an "unholy" war to a rapid ter-
mination, and saving not merely a fearful sacri-
fice of human life, but an enormous, pecuniary out-
lay. •
In whatever light, then, they may regard
the original "lawfulness" of the war, whether they
look to it as men of peace or of commerce, they must
be unanimous in the desire to bring it to a speedy
and safe termination, with all possible securities
against its early resumption. They may, therefore,
well join in the desire to render our armaments
so powerful as to convince the CUM, of the ab-
surdity of further resistance.

It is said that the Government are at length
in earnest—that the apathy by which they have so
long been oppressed has been shaken off. Even
at the eleventh hour, one of its most efficient
organs, while acknowledging the justice of the
first NAPOLEON'S maxim, " That victory is to that
side which can bring up a fresh force to interpose
between equally exhausted combatants," declares
that there is little danger that our great enterprise
in the East will be suffered to languish for wan t
of prompt and adequate supplies of troops in the
highest state of discipline, equipment, and moral
and material efficiency." We hope it may be so ;
and we are rejoiced to bo enabled to state that
Government has, at length, exhibited unequivocal
symptoms of an intention to turn over a new leaf,
and to be henceforward as remarkable for energy
and determination as it has heretofore been
for carelessness and indifference. " Better late
than never." If Ministers persevere fairly in the
laudable course in which they have so tardily
entered we shall be quite willing to grant an
amnesty for past offences—to "let bygones be
bygones "—but there must be no flagging, no
halting on the course. They must press on,
regardless of labour or "expense."

It is on this point we feel the greatest mis-
givings. It implies a total alteration in the
financial policy of the country—the abandonment
of sundry "hobbies" that have hitherto been in-
dulged in. If the principle had been pursued in
the beginning of the century, that all the current
war expenditure should haTe been not only pro-

vided by the then generation out of their actual
resources, without leaving any burden on pos-
terity, but that is►should have been paid in bul-
lion or convertible notes, and with a restricted
currency, we should speedily have been com-
pelled to withdraw from the contest, and to
have cobbled up a peace on any terms that our
mighty opponent thought proper to impose. We
were enabled to maintain our position by means
of " the worthless rags" against which so many
sneers have been exhibited, and which the
butchers and bakers were then quite willing to ac-
cept in payment for their joints or leaves, and by
means whereof the nation flourished, notwith-
standing the expenditure it was sustaining. We
were enabled to do so by casting a portion of the
current charges on posterity. These principles
must be recognised, if the war should be
in any degree protracted ; and far better, as

we have stated, to do so, in the first

instance, before our resources are to some ex-
tent exhausted, and while we can make a good
bargain with the money-lenders. Let us have
adequate reinforcements to the army in the
Crimea without reference to expense. All that
part will be provided when Parliament has
assembled to consider the fiscal, financial, and
monetary policy of the nation. What is at pre-
sent required of Ministers is that they should
act with vigour and decision, and with as much
indifference to personal responsibility as was dis-
played by NELSON, when he placed the telescope
with which he looked for the signal of recall to
his darkened eye. If they do so they will receive
a perfect indemnity ; if not, they must render a
heavy account to their indignant country.