The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-29 00:00:00

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[PRICE 5D._

hoped the noble lord the member for London and his WI.
leagues would forgive him for being anxious to draw the
attention of the house to the subject of the war, inasmuch
as there was, not only in that house, but throughout the
country, the deepest anxiety felt in reference to its con-
duct. Having witnessed so much vacillation and weak-
ness previous to the declaration of war, it was quite natu-
ral that the public should feel some doubt whether the
hands in which power was placed would carry it on with
sufficient vigour or not. With respect to the proceedings
of our fleet in the Black Sea, taking even the account of
them which was given by the British officers themselves,
he doubted whether the instructions given with so much
apparent stringency had been carried out. The orders, as
given in the blue-books, were that the allied squadrons
should interrupt all the maritime communications of the
Russians with the different parts of their own coast. Yet,
in defiance of these orders, it appeared that troops had been
withdrawn from the forts on the Circassian coast to the
Crimea without our interfering to prevent it. Some quib-
ble was raised, no doubt, as to the ships employed by the
Russians being post-office packets, and not men-of-war
but when it was said that the Russian ships were not to be
allowed to come out of Sebastopol, of course all ships be-
longing to the Russian Government, whether men-of-war or
not, must be meant. Then it was said that the ships in
question were actually returning to Sebastopol, as required
by the naval instructions of the allies, and that we could
not interfere with them. But he would ask, if there
had been proper vigilance on the part of the naval
commanders, might not these ships have been met
as well on their way from Sebastopol and Circassia as on
their return from Circassia to Sebastopol ? It was also
true that Russian ships had gone from Sebastopol and
bombarded Fort St. Nicholas, which was in possession
of the Turks. What, then, became of the grandiloquent
orders to the fleets to enter the Black Sea and sweep every
hostile sail from its waters ? Such a mandate, issued, but
not carried into effect, was not calculated to raise our
character in the eyes of the world, but tended rather to
make the policy of our Government and our naval prowess
a laughing-stock to Europe. No military operation had
yet been set on foot, and there was an entire lack of all the
preparations necessary to enable us to commence war with
rapidity and vigour. Whilst the Turks had been fighting
with incomparable bravery against their enemies on the
Danube, our infantry had been eating oranges at Malta,
and our cavalry waiting for ships to convey them to the
scene of action. Why, he asked, had the commander-in-
chief of the expedition, with his Royal Highness the
Duke of Cambridge, been engaged in receiving entertain-
ments in the French capital, or in journeying to offer in-
cense at the imperial nuptials in Vienna? When at
length we tardily sent this force to Turkey, they were sta-
tioned at Gallipoli, instead of being despatched to any
point
i, whereurks.ltthetyhewy ouercedledstirneenddetr
o reinforceeffective
serviceOmer
r Pacha,
Varna Varna would appear to be a place in every respect better
adapted for their receptefon.r
Sshcoottilland
wd,e.
baeritsta.twisefie—d
if they, u?nrs)s:lre 4hiltuaYsns•ditaaennstiren.vnstftdcheecl
themselves at Torbay ? He 'hadyadaverted to the dilatory
proceedings of our commanders, and he could not help
thinking that it would have been much better if the com-
mander-in-chief had been much earlier in the field.
(Hear, hear.) It could not be said that the troops were
not wanted, for there was a very great danger of the Turks
being overwhelmed by the superior forces of the Rus-
sians His remarks, however, did net apply personally
in the least degree to those commanders, so as to
convey censure. He was only expressing surprise at the
conduct of the Government, and wishing that those matters
might be explained, so that the country might be satisfied
that we were carrying on this just and necessary war with
all due vigour. This was not a common war. The house
would recollect that the noble lord (Lord J. Russell) re-
cently said " it was the battle of civilisation against barba-
rism, a war for the maintenance of the independence of
Europe." A war for such a great purpose as that ought to
be conducted with earnestness, and no means ought to be
omitted to carry it to a successful conclusion. When such
great interests were at stake, not only to Europe but to the
world at large, this was no time for slow or hesitating mea-
sures. We saw Omer Pacha left to struggle as best he
might against the superior forces of the Russians, whilst
we heard of English and French troops being landed and
entrenched at Gallipoli. We heard, too, of noble and
gallant officers sleeping under tents with their ladies.
Those were circumstances which showed that the war was
not to be carried on in earnest, and that we were doing
nothing more than playing at "the game of brag." After
the battle of Oltenitza, Omer Pacha might easily have
marched to Bucharest. The Russians had but a small
force to oppose him ; they expected that he would do so ;
and there was undoubted testimony to show that Gorts-
chakoff so completely expected a forward movement on
the part of Omer Pacha, which he would then have been
unable to withstand, that he was ready at his door to
be convoyed away. The country inquired what was the
reason of this hesitation in carrying on the war—
this absence of vigorous measures? Was it that the
Governmept were in hopes that Austria would at last
make a forward movement ? That would be a policy un-
wise and pusillanimous on the part of the Government ; ,
and they might be sure that it was not by any compliments
addressed to the Government of Austria, for the pur-
pose of conciliating thet power, that they would induce
her to range herself on our side. Austria would be sure to
go with the strongest; and he had no doubt her sympathies
were with Russia, from the proximity of territory, and re-
membering the partition of Poland and the generally des- •
potic nature of the Government of Russia. If we wanted
to have the aid of Austria we must first show some vigohr
and obtain some success, and act on a bold and masculine
policy. It was only under such a state of circumstances
that we might expect Austria to range herself on our side.
He called on the Buse to carry on this war with vigour,
in order that it might the sooner be terminated. He had
felt it his duty to make these observations on this occasion ;
but he did not make them from any hostile feeling towards
the Government. He was anxious, on the contrary, to see
them act in a manner worthy of the country and of this
great occasion ' • and if he should induce them either to give
explanations which might go towards satisfying the public
as to their intentions in prosecuting the war, or feel the
necessity of carrying it on with vigour, he should have done
that which was not unbecoming an independent member
of Parliament to do. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. PRICE asked Lord John Russell whether any Eng-
lish ship, as well as any Russian ship, which, prior to the
15th day of May next, may have sailed from any port of
Russia, situated either in or upon the shores or coasts of
the Baltic Sea or of the White Sea, bound for any port or
place in her Majesty's dominions, will be considered to be,
free from molestation by her Majesty's cruisers, under the
order in council of the 15th instant ; and whether, as the
ports in the Baltic are rarely open, and the ports of the
White Sea are never open so early as the 15th May, such
order in council will be extended in point of time to the
actual opening of the navigation in those seas respectively?
Mr. CARDWELL said, in answer to the question of his
honourable friend, he could only state what had been al-
ready stated in the course of the evening, that no licenses
are granted to any person at all to change.the operation of
the maritime law. With regard to the order of the 15th
of April extending the time to Russian vessels to the 15th
of May, that was intended only to apply to Russian ships
for the purpose of enabling them to return home. With
reference to English vessels, it was not intended to make
any change in the general operation of the law. His hon.
friend would excuse him giving any legal opinion on this
subject. He would only refer to a particular case, that
of the Ann M'Allister, the facts being known. By the
general law of nations a ship so situated was entitled to
come home at such time as the state of the ice enabled her
to do so. Therefore there was no occasion whatever to
make any change with regard to English vessels ; but this
change was made with reference to Russsian vessels up
to a limited time, to enable them to carry home their car-
-
goes.
-
Mr. H. BAILLIE said the noble lord'opposite (Lord D.
Stuart) seemed to think it was a matter of no importance
whether or not a grave calumny against the Emperor of •
Russia shcruld be contradicted in that house. He entirely
differed from the noble lord.
Lord D. STUART explained that what he said was that
it was a matter of much less importance than many others;
not that it was a matter of no importance.
Mr. H. BAILLIE (resuming) said he thought the con-
duct of the press, in seizing on every idle rumour for
the
purpose of vilifying the Emperor of Itussia, moste dis-
ren
coresdiirtaHbl.e.
SeymourlVith raenspdectthteo
Ethmepiderloerroufmßouurssilus,refhe
pre:.
t
pca. re
Hamilton),
tmo admittoiln.
Burned, as her Majesty's Government had not expressed
thes n subject,obie
friendthey
the statementopinionon
of
which he made on good authority, and there was not the
e
slightest pretext for that idle rumour.
. (Lord err e
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY wished to make an observation
in reference to the removal of tho troops from the forts of
.the Russians in their own territory, which boarded upon
Circassia. He apprehended the clear and distinct answer to
the reflections made on the British admiral in regard to
that subject was that it was impossible at that time for the
British admiral to act in any other way than he'did. Until
there was a clear declaration of war, no such hostile opera-
tions en his part could have been entered upon as had been
suggested. The question might arise whether the declara-
tion of war was not too long delayed, but until that decla-
ration was made, it must be manifest that the British
admiral could not in any way molest the Russians in
transporting their troops from one portion of their territory
to another. He would take that opportunity of saying, as
the country was now at war, he trusted some attention
would be paid by the Government to the water communi-
cation ou the Danube, as bearing on the mode of supplying
the Russian
t ‘armyuh i b
ewit provis i
ntohree s during the
campaigns
of
rememberediolisthaantd stores
1&!S-29, although Russia •of
was in possession the Black
Sea, she had the greatest difficulty in maintaining her
army, small as it was, comparatively; and he was firmly
persuaded that the utter impossibility of furnishing the
necessary provisions to a large army of Russians, which
would result by interrupting their water communications,
would be enough to paralyse any efforts they might make
to take possessioir'ef Constantinople. It would be of the
last importance if some mode were devised of getting pos-
session of the various mouths of the Danube by means of an
effective flotilla. It was quite clear, for example, that the
mode of interrupting Russian communications, partien-
larly if they advanced upon Sammie, would be very easy;
and they might be check-mated with equal ease at other
point i. That appeared to him to be a suggestion well
worthy the attention of those who had the direction of
those matters.
Mr. F. FRENCH wished to know what despatches had
been sent from this country to our Minister at Constanti-
nople since the passage of the Danube by the Russians, ma
since the complaint made by Omer Pacha, of not having re-
ceived proper reinforcement from the allies? Ile wished
to know also whether it was true that a statement had been
made by Omer Pacha, that if he was not reinforced by the
Turkish power, and sustained by the English and French'
• allies, it would be necessary for him to withdraw his troops
from the Balkan and concentrate them around Adrianople r
Mr. DANBY SEYMOUR said he believed, from the,
accounts he had heard, that all through the Greek pro•
vinces there was very great oppression of the Greeks by
from
the Turks. He might state that recently, in passing
steamer,
Alex: to inTrieste.he met a considerable
number of Dalmatians on board, who indignantly cona.•
I lained of the treatment they had received at the hands of
the Turks, and expressed the strong sympathy they felt in
consequence witle the Russians. One among many of the
instances he had heard of the oppressicin on the part of the
Turks was, that a young girl was walking with her mother
to church,' in the course of the last winter, when a Turk •
I came and seized the daughter and carried her. off. Her
mother applied to the A ustrian and English Consuls' who
in turn to the Paella ; but his answer was, that she
could not be taken out of the harem in which she was
placed, because she hkd become a Moslem, and being a
Turkish subject it was impossible for the European autho-
rities to interfere. If filmic things were allowed to con-
tinue it could not be otherwise than that a. strong feeling
of exasperation must exist against the Turks. The, First
Lord of the Admiralty had in the course of the evening
spoke of Circassia as being a Russian country. He (Mr. -
Dauby Seymour) was notb f that • e ere awareit was so ; and
be was desirous of knowing whether he had correctly un-
derstood the right hon. baronet on that point. For the
last fifty yeivs the CircasSian people had nobly combined
4 defepoe of their ijidepeudeve, sad up to thin moans*

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