The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-04 00:00:00

GREAT BRITAIN AND FRANCE.

The following are the instructions issued by the British
and French Governments for the joint protection of
British and French subjects and commerce. They are
given in the form of a circular addressed to her Majesty's
diplomatic and consular agents abroad :
Foreign-office, Feb. 23, 1854.
Sir,—The communication which has recently been made
to you of the correspondence on Eastern affairs which has
been laid before both Houses of Parliament, will have
shown you that there is every probability of an early com-
mencement of hostilities between Great Britain and France
on one side, and Russia on the other. The correspondence
will also have shown you that the British and French
Governments, throughout the difficult and complicated
negotiations which have preceded the existing state of
affairs, have earnestly and cordially acted together with a
view to avert the calamity of war, and that they as e
equally prepared to act with the same earnestness and cor-
diality for the preservation of the Ottoman empire, if the
Emperor of Russia should still be unwilling to negotiate
for peace on fair and reasonable terms.
The time has now arrived when it is incumbent on the
two Governments to prepare for all the contingencies of
war; and among those contingencies it has been impossible
for them to overlook the danger to which their subjects
and their commerce on the high seas may be exposed by
the machinations of their enemy, who, though unable from
his own resources materially to injure either, may seek to
derive means of offence from countries whose Governments
take no part in the contest which he has provoked.
But it is a necessary consequence of the strict union and
alliance which exist between Great Britain and France,
that, in the event of war, their conjoint action should be
felt by Russia in all parts of the world ; and that not only
in the Baltic, and in the waters and territory of Turkey;
their counsels, their armies, and their fleets, should be
united either for offensive or defensive purposes against
Russia, but that the same spirit of union should prevail in
all quarters of the world, and that whether for offence or
defence the civil and military and naval resources of the
British and French Empires should be directed to the
common objects of protecting the subjects and commerce of
England and France from Russian aggression, and of de-
priving the Russian Government of the means of inflicting
injury on either.
For these reasons her Majesty's Government have agreed
with that of his Majesty the Emperor of the French, to in-
struct their civil and naval authorities in foreign parts to
consider their respective subjects as having an equal claim
to protection against Russian hostility ; and for this pur-
pose, either singly or in conjunction with each other, to act
indifferently for the support and defence of British and
French interests. It may be that, in a given locality, one
only of the Powers is represented by a civil functionary,
or by a naval force; but, in such a case, the influence and
the power of that ono must be exerted as zealously and
efficiently for the protection of the subjects and interests
of the other, as if those subjects and interests were its own.

I have accordingly to instruct you, Sir, to act in con-
formity with this principle. You will consider it your
duty to protect, as far as possible, against the consequence
of the hostilities in which England and France may
shortly be engaged with Russia, the subjects and interests
of France equally with those of England; and you will
make known without reserve to the French civil and naval
authorities with whom yon may have moans of communi-
cation, any dangers to which the interests of either country
may be exposed, or any opportunities with which you may
become acquainted of inflicting injury on the common
enemy.
Instructions to the same effect will be sent by the Go-
vernment of France to its civil and naval authorities in fo-
reign parts, and her Majesty's Government concur with
that of France in anticipating the most favourable results
from this decided manifestation of the intimate union which
prevails between them, and which it is their earnest desire
should influence their agents in all parts of the world at a
moment when they are about to engage in a contest with
the empire of Russia for au object of such paramount inte-
rest to Europe as the maintenance of the Turkish empire.
I am, Stc.,
(Signed) CLARENDON.

EXPORT OF SPEciE.--The Plata steamer has sailed
from Southampton for the West Indies, the P-a-cific, &c.,
with a full cargo of foreign and British merchandise, and
15,0001. in specie. The shipments of specie by the
Peninsular and Oriental steamer Euxine amount to
155,668/., of which 28,4161. is gold for Malta, Alexan-
dria, Ceylon, and Hong Kong, and 127,2521. silver for
Malta, Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Singapore, Batavia,
Hong Kong, Canton, and shanghai.