The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-23 00:00:00

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LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 23, 1853.

There is a general feeling abroad that Parlia-
ment ought not to separate for the vacation with-
out receiving full and explicit information as to
the state of the Turko-Russian question, and being
enabled to express a decided opinion as to the line
of policy hitherto adopted, and about to be pursued,
during the pending negotiations. We cannot see
why either branch of the Legislature should be
expected to abdicate its functions, or to remain
in a state of apathetic indifference respecting a
subject wherein the honour and interests, not
merely of the United Kingdom, but of the civilised
world, are so deeply concerned. It is, surely, too
absurd to suppose that Noble Lords or Hon.
Gentlemen should permit themselves to be con-
verted into political cyphers in deference' to the
EMPEROR'S Autocratic notions and horror of
representative institutions—that they should
continue in total ignorance of what has
been done, and what is doing, until the Ses-
sion of 1854, when, after all the mischief
has been perpetrated—mischief too, that a
timely and reasonable expression of public feel-
ing might have averted—that which has been pub-
lished throughout Europe by means of the Press,
should be gravely stated to the Peers of England
and to the chosen Representatives of her People.
Such an occurrence might, indeed, be regarded as
a solemn farce. A farce that would materially
lower the British Parliament in the opinion of
surrounding nations, as well as in the eyes of the
British community. Well may NICHOLAS despise
our efforts and repudiate our interference, when
he sees Parliament hoodwinked by the "excellent
ABERDEEN," whom he now leads by the nose, as
he did five-and-twenty years ago—when his Am-
bassadors established the precedent which has
since been attempted to be followed, of engaging (I)
the United Kingdom " to abstain from measures
which might encourage the resistance of the
Porte." That humiliating demand was then sub-
mitted to the Right Hon. the Earl of ABERDEEN,
being Foreign Secretary, and the treaty of Adrian-
ople was seized without the assent or concurrence
of England—a treaty which had the effect of
transferring to Russia the Islands at the mouth
of the Danube, and the sole control of the navi-
gation of that magnificent river. It is to that
blind and unreasoning confidence that the water
which, while the Porte remained in possession, .
showed a minimum depth of 13 feet, has been re-
duced to 7, and at times little more than 5 feet,
and that a ruinous expense for lighterage and
other charges has been imposed on all merchants
sending vessels to the Danube, the palpable ob-
ject being the transference of its trade and com-
merce to the neighbouring port of Odessa. And
yet, with such a deplorable memento of Minis-
terial insouceance and incapacity, we are required
to place implicit confidence in the Minister who was
guilty of that grievous oversight. To allow him to
be once more contented with an imbecile protest,
and the announcement that "her MAJESTY reserved
to herself the right of judging of the extent of
the sacrifices which the Porte may be called on to
make." The professions of disinterestedness were
then just as earnest and just as trustworthy as at
present. Russia was as much a stranger they
"to every desire of conquest and to every view of
aggrandisement "as she is at this moment. The
jZAR only "sought to be indemnified for its ex_
penses, and to be assured of a moral guarantee for the
freedom of her commerce." We suppose an indem-
nity will also now be required for the expenses of
the Russian campaign, sufficient to crush the already
exhausted pecuniary resources of Turkey, and a
material guarantee in the form of a permanent
occupation of the Danubian Principalities ; and
yet Parliament is to remain indifferent and inac-
tive, while Lord ABERDEEN is giving further
proofs of his conciliating temperament and pacific
disposition, receiving the insults and injuries of
the ArrocitAN with Christian fortitude and pious
resignation, oblivious of the buffet of 1829, and
now turning the other cheek to the smiter. Such
may be the views of the Premier—such may be
the views of the Noble Leader of the House of
Corumons—but they are not the views of the in-
dependent Members of independent constituencies;
or, if se, the sooner a general dissolution of Par-
liament and a new appeal to the country take
place the better.
The Hon. and Learned Gentleman. the Member
for Aylesbury last night made another appeal to
Ministers to fix a day for the consideration of the
motion which he had repeatedly postponed
at the
urgent request of the Government, and under the
supposition that negotiations were in progress,
which would lead to a speedy decision of the ques-
tion one way or other. The Honourable Gentle-