The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-16 00:00:00

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LONDON, MON DAY, JANUARY 18, 1854

A Protocol, as wall as a Note containing final
propositions for a reconciliation between the
Sublime Porte and the Russian AUTOCRAT, has re-
cently been despatched in hot haste by courier
from Vienna to St. Peteraburgh. The Note pos-
sesses the advantage of having been accepted by
the Turkish Government. The Protocol is in-
vested with particular importance for inasmuch as
it is an approval on the part of the Four Powers
of the manner and circumstance of that accepta-
tion. Now considered apart, from all other occur-
rences, the fact of these two remarkable docu-
ments having been forwarded to the CZAR by the
assembled Plenipotentiaries of the four chief
Powers of Central and Western Christendom,
would be eminently satisfactory as auguries of a
possible (a just barely possible) move towards a
pacific settlement. But—let it be especially remem-
bered that there will arrive at the Imperial Councils
of St. Petersburg almost simultaneously with
these Proposals, and this accompanying or endors-
ing Protocolintelligence of the disastrous de-
feat of the Russian forces at Citale, and of the
entrance of the combined fleets into the Black
Sea, if not even of their advance in the direction
of Sebastopol. Naturally enough, we might almost
say inevitably, the effect produced upon the mind
of the AUTOCRAT by the last-mentioned frag-
ments of information, will be anything rather than
calculated to render him favourable towards an
arrasgenient of differences in accordance with the
wishes of the Government of Constantinople. It
would be preposterous to suppose for an.instant
that, irritated by the defeats which have
recently befallen the Muscovite army

under GORTZCHAKOFF, and infuriated by the in- '
opportune entrance of the fleets of France and
Eno-land into the Euxine, the Emperor NICHOLAS
will be prepared at once to accede to each and all
of those recently transmitted propositions. His
feelings will be too hostile to Turkey, and too
sore in regard to the Cabinets of St. James's and
the Tuileries, to induce him, without extraordin-
ary qualms and protracted hesitation, to enter
into the agreement suggested by the Four Powers
for his consideration. Everything taken into
account, therefore, we must acknowledge that we are
by no means sanguine as to the intelligence shortly
to be expected from St. Petersburgh. According
to a reasonable calculation, it is supposed that the
Proposals of the Four Powers, and the collective
Protocol emanating from their Plenipotentiaries,
will reach the Russian capital somewhere about
the eighteenth ! By that date the CZAR will al-
ready have heard (ill news proverbially travelling
apace !) at once of the Turkish victory at Citale,
and of the, at last, fully accomplished passage by
the combined fleets through the channel of the
Bosphorus. His Imperial MAJESTY will conse-
quently be in an agreeable frame of mind for the
examination of the proposals submitted by the
Four Powers for the acceptance or refusal of his
Government.

If Ministers had been desirous of rendering
their suggestions unacceptable to the Russian
AUTOCRAT, they could not by possibility
have acted with more consummate adroitness
towards the accomplishment of that design, than
by delaying the long-expected orders for the en-
trance of our maritime armament into the Black
Sea until immediately before the transmission of
the Pacific Proposals to St. Petersburgh, and
immediately after their transmission to Constan-
tinople ! Never was there such enormous and
egregious blundering.
Another incident recently observable demands
from us at this moment our direct and most
serious consideration. An incident (it will be
recognised on the instant) of really marvellous
significance, occurring as it has done precisely at
the present juncture in the midst of these
rumours of Court Intrigue, of German
sympathy, and of Cobourg Correspondence.
To say the very least of it, the incident we are'
about to mention must be regarded as a most
singular coincidence. Allusion is made—now
mark this I—to the curious fact, that immediately
prior to the entrance of the Combined Fleets into
the Black Sea, the CZAR sends his imperial. man-
date [in the very nick of time] for the withdrawal
of all his vessels of war from the waters of the
Euxine, and their retirement into Sebastopol !
Did—

" Coming events cast their shadows before '?"

How came it to pass that these orders for the
Russian men-of war to cease cruizing in the Black
Sea should have been despatched at such a mar-
vellously convenient crisis—neither sooner nor
later—from the imperial councils at St. Peters-
burg ? And under what circumstances, be it ob-
served ? Only after the Turkish coast in that
mare clausum had been effectually ravaged. It
was only when the bloody ashes of Sinope were
still warm with slaughter and conflagration, that
the Russian fleet was suddenly recalled to Sebas-
topol ! And this only upon the very eve of the
advance of the combined fleets of France
and England from their Beycos anchorage !
Assuredly we must be allowed to have some
show of reason for solicitude when events
and dates are so wonderfully suspicious. Hap-
pily, however, another fortnight will bring
us at last to the opening of Imperial Parliament.
Curiosity, a patriotic and rational curiosity, may
then be satisfied by the wholesome catechising of
her MAJESTY'S Ministers by her MAJESTY'S Op-
position.

We are happy to find that our observations re-
specting the withdrawal of the postal facilities
formerly accorded to the inmates of the Queen's
Prison have not been altogether without effect.

The authorities at St. Martin's-le-Grand have
already exhibited symptoms of repentance, and a
desire to retrace their footsteps. On Thursday
letter-carriers were running about the building
all day delivering the accumulated correspondence
of an entire week. In each instance the letter-
carrier was accompanied by an officer who pointed
out the different persons to whom communications
were addressed, and gave every information neces-
sary to enable the delivery to go on in future
without assistance, which could not be perma-
nently given. There is, however, reason to
believe that many important letters are still de-
layed, and, indeed, it could hardly be otherwise,
if we consider the confusion that must have re-
sulted from the ill-advised and reckless step.
Such as it was, however, it is impossible to de-
scribe the amount of relief afforded by the
delivery. Men, who had formerly moved in
very different stations, received the remittances
on which they depended for their daily bread.
Some of these persons were, we are told, left
without fuel or provisions. Men who stead-
fastly refrained from accepting public support,
were in danger of perishing from want, in conse-
quence of the reckless course adopted. As it
was, the consequential damages far exceeded the
amount of the savings for many successive years.
Even if there should be no drawback to the sup-
posed gain, and had the delay continued many
days longer, it is impossible to estimate the fear-
ful consequences, not merely in pecuniary matters,
but even of life or health to the victims of the
abominable system of imprisonment for debt.
We are also informed that on the same day a
letter was received by one of the gentlemen who
signed the memorial—a copy of which appeared
in our impression of Wednesday—stating that a
communication had been made to the Secretary
of State for the Home Department on the subject
to which it referred. This is as it should be, and
it is only to be regretted that the Post-office acted
with so much precipitation in the first instance,
causing so much annoyance, inconvenience, and
injury to persons 'whose previous sufferings were
sufficiently severe without this unnecessary and
wanton aggravation. Had such a communication
been made, it is quite certain that Lord PALMER-
STON or else the character of that Noble Lord is
grievously misunderstood—would have adopted
measures for the due accommodation of the un-
fortunate inmates, until the question between the
two departments of the public service had been
arranged. He would not have allowed that they
should have sustained all the injury, like Prcx
\vim( between POTT of the Gazette and SLURK of
the Indepeaident, when the rival editors were grati-
fying their mutual animosity by inflicting a suc-
cession of blows upon an innocent party. The.
matter in dispute was not one by which the pub-
lic revenue could have benefited. It was merely
whether 451. per annum should be struck off the
Post-office expenditure, and 90/. added to that of
the Home-office, thus not simply transferring
money from one pocket to another, but " robbing
PETER" of twice as much as that which was to be
paid " to PAUL."
It is obvious that the mere delivery of letters
within the walls of the prison will not be suffi-
cient to meet the exigencies of the case, as the
communication of " Observer," which will be
found in another column, and which is well
Worthy of perusal, shows. There should also be
an opportunity of posting letters within the
priion, without compelling the prisoners to resort
sen
stamps,to the expensive and doubtful agency of mes-
ge,who, for the sake of the pence to pay for
the
might suppress letters of the most
vital consequence to the parties by whom they
were written. It must be remembered that it is
not now a question whether new privileges shall
be conferred on the inmates of the Queen's
Prison. Far from it. It is one of taking away