The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-19 00:00:00

RUSSIA.

The St. Petersburg Court Journal has a bitter
article against all those who persist in vilifying and
misrepresenting the disinterested, truly Christian,
and honourable intentions of Russia.. The follow-
ing is an extract
"Russia raised her voice in the political world entirely
in a religious, moral, and philanthropic sense, when
she reminded the Porte of earlier treaties, whereby the
latter was bound to protect the Christian population
of the Turkish empire, and especially those of the
orthodox profession f faith. Nevertheless Turkey
acted in violation of all treaties purchased with
Russian blood, and in its breach of faith oppressed
all orthodox Christians. Conscience and sound
reason induced rational men throughout Europe (?) to
believe that all European Christian States would sup•
port the disinterested (!) demands of Russia. But
the reverse was the case. The party which thirsts
for the destructive overthrow of Europe has excited
the war against Russia, under the pretext that Euro-
pean civilisation is menaced. This is nothing more nor
less than pitiful and ridiculous. The protectorate
over Christians in the East has been thrown in by
Russia's enemies as dangerous to European civilisation.
Such indecency could scarcely have been hazarded in a
theatrical farce, and yet it has found an echo in the
political world. And England, it is added, stands at
the head of this base conspiracy ; and its journals, copied
by those of France and Germany, are the trumpets of
these and other venomous calumnies."

The Russian journalillen—Praises . the mag-
nanimity of Russia towards prisoners of war—
this show of magnanimity, as well observed by the
able and well-informed St. Petersburg corre-
spondent of the Berlin National, being the ex-
ception rather than the rule, and... one of those
pantomimic or theatrical stratagems which Russia
knows well how to employ exceptionally, 'to capti-
vate and throw dust in the eyes of Europe. It
appears, on the authority of this correspondent,
that the account of the disasters which befel the
Allied ships on the 14th caused an outburst of joy
at St. Petersburg. Fresh glorious trophies were
expected to be captured from the wrecks ; but this
joy was damped by other reports from the Crimea,
which told of the pitiful ,state of the Russian
troops themselves. They had been almost without
provisions or forage during several days. The
tempest had not only scattered and destroyed con-
voys, but even the ricks of forage, and so forth, of
the inhabitants. "In the midst of peace even,"
says a report from Perekop, "such a hurricane
would have been more destructive than a visit of
locusts, and would have brought famine and plague
with it, for, to the destruction of crops, must be
added that of habitations." Raports have reached
the Government from the administrative authori-
ties in the Crimea, relative to the destructive
effects of the hurricane, which sufficiently explain
the causes why Menschikoff has been obliged to
suspend active operations.
The intention of her Majesty Queen Victoria, not
only to 'accord medals and clasps to our heroic
soldiers in the Crimea, but to perpetuate their in-
comparable valour, by inscribing " Crimea,"
" Alma," " Inkerman," and victories yet to come,
on their standards and appointments, is known at
St. Petersburg. It is said to have caused inde-
scribable annoyance to the Emperor and the Rus-
sian military. This perpetuation of the record of
their defeats galls them to the quick. French stan-
dards bear the records of mighty triumphs obtained
over Russia; but these, they say, were effaced by the
record of terrible subsequent disasters. But that
every British soldier should bear on his appoint-
ments, so long as Britain exists, these records of
Russian defeat--of defeat without a single favour-
able turn or trophy save those dug up from wrecks
—it is a fearful blow to Imperial pride and national
vanity.