The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-08 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 8, 1854..

lays, or other obstructions from public servants.
In this, as in many matters, they unquestionably
"manage those things better in France." And
the apophthegm of LAWRENCE_STERNE receives a
new and powerful illustration.

The most redoubtable of the Ministerial organs,
the chief of our morning contemporaries, has to-
day fallen foul of M. LOUIS KOSSUTH, accusing
him of being the advocate, and not only the ad-
vocate, but, if we understand the Times correctly,
an actual agent or emissary of the Russian Go-
vernment. The accusation comes before the
world, we cannot but think, both in regard to
the accuser and in reference to the accused, some-
what ridiculously. The Times, forsooth, of all
journals, charging M. KOSSUTH, of all men, with
being an advocate, or agent, or emissary- of the
Russian Government ! Surely this is turning the
tables with a vengeance ! Surely (taking the
truth of our contemporary's charge for granted), this
is more wonderful than the most marvellous Ovidian
metamorphosis ! M. KOSSUTH the champion of
the CZAR ? We shall be told next that M. MAZ-
ZINI is the champion of RADETZKY. That M.
ROLLIN is the champion of NAPOLEON. Much
reason M. KOSSUTH has, certainly, for undertaking
the defence of the cause of the Northern AUTO-
CRAT ! And a very pretty hand in truth that of
the Times to cast this particular pebble of accusa-
tion against the fair fame of the illustrious chief
of the Hungarians. But the clue through all this
labyrinth of absurdity, the clue conducting us to
the heart of the impeachment, bringing us to the
gravamen of the accusation, is the fact that M.
KOSSUTH presumed the other day to observe that
it would be better for the liberties of
Europe that the German Powers should be
against us rather than that they should be with
us. Hine ill& lachrymee—or rather, hence these
singularly incoherent and outrageous vitupera-
tions. Now, we venture to assert that there is
scarcely a journalist in England who could with
less reason be accused of a Russian leaning than
ourselves. Others, doubtless, have been more
eloquent in denouncing the atrocious policy and
the infamous proceedings of the Emperor NICHOLAS
—.but not one amongst our contemporaries, we
are bold to assert, has, in so doing, been more
outspoken or more pertinacious. And long ago
we ourselves expressed, in the plainest words at our
command, precisely the same opinion as that which
has been very recently avowed by M. KOSSUTH, and
denounced by the Times as having a tendency to-
wards the championship of the utterly execrable
cause of the Russian Government. It is un-
necessary to add, therefore, that we coincide
entirely with the view of European affairs so far
taken by M. KOSSUTH, and manfully avowed by
his eloquent lips to an assemblage of our provincial
fellow-countrymen. We think with him, as we
have declared long ago in these columns, that—it
were better for the liberties of the world and for
the peace of Christendom that the German
Powers should, in this struggle between Russia
and ourselves, be against us rather than with us.
For we have no faith whatever either in
Austria or in Prussia—in the fidelity of
either the Cabinet of Vienna, or of the Cabinet of
Berlin to any engagements with which they might
pretend to enter as opposed to the CzAR, or as the
allies of France and England. We cannot dis-
miss from our recollection the damning fact that
Austria and Prussia were the accomplices with
Russia in carrying out the monstrous partition of
the Kingdom of Poland. Neither can we in any
way forget that while Prussia retains forcibly in
unnatural possession the beautiful Rhenish pro-
vinces, belonging by right to the French Empire,
Austria holds in her despotic grasp the fairest por-
tion of the Roman peninsula, and tramples under her
tyrannous heel the glorious nationality of the
heroic Hungarians. Wherefore, we completely
coincide with the opinion expressed by M. Kos-
SUTH, an opinion already explicitly avowed by
ourselves that, if Austria and Prussia in this
general war were against rather than with us, it
were better ultimately for the liberties of Europe,
and better also for the prospect of a permanent
peace throughout Christendom. As for the charge
of Russian complicity hurled at M. Kossurri by
the Times, hurled with a hand at once so insen-
sate and so blundering—it is a dangerous accusa-
tion, an accusation that recoils like a boomerang
upon our contemporary.

LATEST FOREIGN NEWS.'

THE WAR.
THE SIEGE OF SILISTRIA.

According to a telegraphic despatch from Vienna,
dated yesterday morning, the Russians have aban-
doned the idea of taking Silistria by storm, and
will continue their efforts to investing and block-
ading, the place.
With respect to the relief of Silistria, it appears
that the plan of Marshal St. Arnaud is to detach
24,000 French, 15,000 English, and 30,000 Otto-
mans of Omer Pasha's army for that service.
35,000 Russians, it is said, are on the right bank
of the Danube, employed in investing the place.
These 35,000 will be placed between two fires, and
will, it is hoped, be driven into the Danube, or
made prisoners. Notwithstanding the slight hope
of relieving that fortress, it is fully expected that
it will be relieved in time, and before the gallant
officer who defends it is forced either to surrender
or, which is most probable, bury himself and the
remnant of the garrison under its ruins. The
Danube seems also to be doing its duty against
the Russians, as the rising of the waters must have
greatly interfered with the operations against the
fort. At all events, an important battle will be
soon fought near Silistria, which cannot but pro-
duce a considerable effect on the campaign. The
fleet in the meantime will cruise off the coast to
have an eye on Sebastopol and prevent the possi-
bility of any succour by sea, and also be ready in
case of need to promote the success of the opera-
tions.

A letter from Constantinople, under date the
25th ult., says :
" Since the interview of the Generals-in-Chief of the
English and French troops, the greatest activity has
prevailed. As we have been informed that Silistria was
invested by 70,000 Russians, and defended by about
15,000 Turks, and that a large breach had been made
by the Russians, and that the place could not hold out
more than 15 days at the utmost, orders were at once
given to remove the head-quarters to Varna. The
Marshal immediately sent orders to the first and second
divisions to embark without delay for Varna, so that
they will pass to-day or to-morrow before Constantinople
without stopping. The cavalry and artillery will pro-
ceed to Varna by land. The English troops are also
making their preparations to leave for Varna. A part of
them will probably leave to-day, and the rest to-mor-
row and the day after. Although the artillery
has not arrived, yet it is thought that the Marshal
will endeavour to succour Silistria, because it is a
strategic point of great importance—in fact, one
of the keys of the Danube. It is calculated that the
task of neutralising the Russian artillery, or rather
artillerymen, will be left to the Chasseurs de Vincennes.
Nothing has transpired as to what took place at the Con-
ference of Varna. The English troops burn to come
to blows with the Russians. A Wallachian, a friend of
mine, has just received a letter from Krajova, of which
these are the leading facts Two days before the ar-
rival of the Turks the Russians sent off to Bucharest the
archives and all the papers belonging to the Chancel-
lerie. They'also took off with them the employ& of all the
administrations, the municipality, the members of the
tribunals—in a word, the whole of the public function-
aries, without distinction. They also took off the Doribas
(the irregular troops organised on the war footing), and
the Wallachian regular troops who happened to be on
the spot. They were placed between two batteries of
Russian cannon, and the artillerymen had orders to blow
those volunteers' to pieces if they made the slightest at-
tempt to escape. Before they left, the Russians addressed
a proclamation to the inhabitants of Krajova, which
states in formal and precise terms that alt those who
shall accept the smallest employment from the Turks,
or who shall aid them in anything whatever, will
be shot. Forged proclamations, in the name of Omer
Pasha, have also been abundantly circulated by the Rus-
sians, which state that all the Wallachians who have ren-
dered the smallest assistance to the Russians will be
hanged. You may judge of the consternation that the
proclamation, with so agreeable an alternative, has pro-
duced among the iuhabitantr. The French Chancellerie,
which was at Ilermanstadt, has received orders to return
to Kraj o va. ' "

out of the district around us. Immediately on
Lord Raglan's return, the various Generals of
Brigade visited him, and received instructions to
prepare for active operations. Major Dickson
was ordered to return to Varna in the Cyclops,
and several transports were detached from the fleet
to proceed up to the Black Sea with stores on the
evening of the same day. The brigade orders for
the Guards were distinguished by a great novelty.
They were ordered to appear the following clay on
parade without—Muskets ? No. Goatees ? No.
Epaulettes ? No. Cartouch-boxes ? No. Boots ?
No. In fact, you would never guess it, good Bri-
tish reader, and least of all could you divine it who
belong to our glorious army. Her Majesty's
Guards were actually commanded to parade " with-
out stocks," and to march with unrestricted wind-
PiPes•
However this great boon of " no stocks" was
granted to the Guards to celebrate her Majesty's
birth-day, and I am certain that never since they
were formed did the regiments give three more
ringing thundering cheers than issued from their
throats yesterday, when they marched on the
ground as erect and upright as ever but not
" caught by the throat" as before, to be inspected
by Lord Raglan. While talking of orders, I may
observe that the eccentric wide-a-wake hats, shoot-
ing coats, and trousers in which officers delight to
appear when enjoying the pleasures of " Mufti,"
have received a severe snubbing from Sir George
Brown ; and he has expressed his dissatisfaction at
the officers of the light division going across the
water to Pera and Galata in dresses which, he con-
ceives, would not be tolerated in England.