The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-14 00:00:00

LONDON, THUUSDAY, JULY 14, 1853.

All honour to Caoain STRINGRAM—aII honour
to the nation whose officers cause its flag to be
respected on whatever land or sea it may float,
and whose Ministers steadily and cheerfully de-
fend its officers for the: acts which they may con-
sider just and prope.r in the high-minded and
chivalrous discharge I)f their duties. We ven-
ture to assert that t here will be no attempt at
bullying or browbeat ing American diplomatists.
Our transatlantic brethren are too prompt and
ready to notice and resent any insult—too well
prepared for war, and too willing to re-
sort to hostilities or any fitting occasion, to
have their peace disttx rbed, their public tranquil-
lity invaded on any tri ivial or inadequate grounds.
And what is the consequence ? The meanest
citizen in the United States is respected where-
ever he goes, and trea .ted with respect and consi-
deration. No meddling policemen—no inflated
and pompous official c tares to arrest the progress,
imprison the person, c r ransack the papers of the
man armed with the p( assport of the United States.
That is indeed a doci invent which will enable its
bearer to travel this-) ughout the civilised world
without let or hind ranee. Time was when
a British passport was equally powerful
when the British flag was treated with
reverence, and the mere name of a British
subject insured resA: 'ectful treatment, and af-
forded ample protewltion to those who pos-
sessed so potent a tali! man. But that was before
the " excellent ABZRDI mrt" represented the United
Kingdom in the Cong.] ress of Nations—before the
timid and vacillating policy of the "travelled
Thane" taught foreign ers that Englishmen might
be insulted and tramp led on with impunity. Let
it not be supposed th at we pay our own diplo-
matic or naval service so bad a compliment as to
suppose that membe rs of either branch would
refuse to discharge their duty to an injured
fellow-citizen with eric zgy and efficiency if certain
of support in higher quarters. Far from it ;we
fully and completely exonerate them from all
blame. Any deficiency of spirit on their part may
entirely be ascribed t o the fact, that they are but
too painfully sensible' that it is only th• tempo-
rising policy that wil Et gain credit or promotion
from those under whc 13e authority they are placed.
There cannot be a. doubt that the American
Consul and the Ameri's can Captain are fully justi-
fied in the course w liich they have adopted in
the untoward affair th at has occasioned so much
ill-blood between tine Turkish and Austrian
officials, and has so materially increased the exist-
ing difficulties. The:ne cannot be a doubt but
that the United States Government will sus-
tain and approve of fhe proceedings of its me-
ritorious and efficient officers, that they will re-
ceive thanks and approbation in place of cen-
sure for their manly and vigorous conduct. The
whole of the unfortunate transaction, as well as
the subsequent enteree, which ended in the de-
plorable death of a young Austrian officer, arose
from the gross and unwarrantable misconduct of
the Austrian officials, who sanctioned so bold an
invasion of the sanctity of the Turkish soil—so
foul an insult to the Ottoman Government.
The facts of the ease are simple :—While one
of the Hungarian refugees (MARTIN KosSTA), for-
merly an aide-de-camp of
LOUIS tiOSSUTH, and
who had accompanied :his illustrious chief on his
voyage to America, was seated at a cafe quietly
smoking, he was assaulted by a-
body of
armed ruffians. He resisted vigorously, and
had nearly effected his escape, but was ul-
timately captured by his assailants, and
conveyed on board an Austrian brig-of-war
(the Hussar) which lay in the port. Great eon.
sternation wa.s excited among the numerous re-
fugees, who naturally felt indignant and alarmed.