The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-19 00:00:00

(Front the Morning Herald.)

Nothing can be more insulting or humiliating to the
common sense and good feeling of the English people
than the poor and transparent shams with which that
portion of the press devoted to Peelisna and Russia at-
tempts to mislead them, from straightforward and manly
opinions, into a false sentimentality utterly unworthy of
them. There is, however, one of those wretched plausi-
bilities which is at the present moment more promi-
nently put forward than any of its brethren, and which
it is especially necessary to expose, as, however, con-
temptible in itself, its prevalence to any extent would
be fearfully dangerous to the honour and interests of
the country. We are happy to observe that one of our
contemporaries, with whom we have always co-operated
on the Turkish question, and who was at first inclined
to give more weight to the delusion than it merited, has
now repudiated it with the contempt it deserves.
The sham to which we allude is this—that it ii
" unpatriotic" to expose the misdeeds of the Coalition,
because they have involved the country in a war, as by
so doing we might cripple their energies !
Really this is the most daring and dangerous assump-
tion we ever recollect to have heard put forward. Because
this Government by a long course of fraud—nay, of abso-
lute treachery—has at length involved us in a contest with
Russia, we are to place implicit confidence in their future
proceedings ! This certainly is a singular doctrine—
that the more untrustworthy our Administeation has
shown itself to be, the more unflinching confidence we
are to place in it hereafter. Why, what must the mental
condition of a country be reduced to in which so mon-
strous a sham can obtain a moment's approbation ?
One of our ministerial contemporaries, the 671014, has
amused itself by stating that Mr. Urquhart must he in-
sane because he announced his belief that our Ministry
are not even now sincere in their effort?
-sr where
to sits!
hthye, Turks
against the assaults of the modern Attila.
.tlsat if he parades
does the writer live ? We ,promise b
lheeaswtinllinfien
oduttha:stf
the streets any day, and inquires froimmihe first ten of his
acquaintance whom he may encoubnte:,t
is shared
of tiemywill be prepared. to
Mr. ITrqiihart's opinion
the number, and that many
almost irrefutable. erreurnstan:
demonstrate its truth by
tial evidence ; and, for the satisfaction of the Globe, we
will now undertake the task.
Lord Clarendon sexpression of confidence in the Czar's
peaceable intentions, when he had in his desk the com-
munication from the Turkish Prime Minister that Prince
Menschilsoff had offered the Porte the assistance of a fleet
a
army of 400,000 men, to make war against his
well-beloved English ally, proves to demonstration that
an assertion made by the Coalition Cabinet is simply et •
terly unworthy of the most infinitesimal portion of belief
that can be attached to any declaration • and we shall,
therefore, confine ourselves to facts which cannot be de-
nied, and leave the deductions to our readers.
We are now going to make an admission that we are
well aware will astonish our readers, but we hope to ex-
plain away satisfactorily the surprise which they. will
undoubtedly feel. The admission is this—that through
the svhele of these proceedings Lord Aberdeen may have
imagined—nay, WO believe, did fancy that he was
acting a patriotic part. 'We utterly and entirely repu-
diate any appearance of approval of the means by which
he carried out his policy ; those means were utterly un-
warrantable, being simply a system of chicanery and
double dealing of which the most ardent disciple of
Loyola might have been ashamed—but we do concede
that in the main he imagined his policy to be the best
for England. This very belief is, however, one of the
meet important reasons why that policy should be well
understood, as we are firmly convinced it is a most de-
structive one, and that the present Premier will cling to
it pertinaciously through evil and through good. Let
Englishmen, then, ponder upon this fact, that Lord
Aberdeen _believes, and will always act upon the belief,
that the future safety of England and the peace of
Europe depend upon the close connection of the British
empire with the despotic powers. The probable results of
a continued attempt to coerce or deceive the nation into
suctt a %nor and the roiatitine with which it will ke met

(
&if
when Once the people are convinced that sue i is the object
of their rulers, are really too fearful to contemplate with--;
out dylpay, Snsli a struggle would, we verily
upheave the' ir ery foundations of society. Lord Aber.'l
deen, as has been often stated, commenced his career as
a pupil of Metternich, the statesmen par excellence, of
the Holy Alliance, and by the traditions of that asso-
ciation the whole political life of the Premier bus been
guided.
It is useless to refer -to theevidence, whir& must hay •
long siticehad its effect upon thepnblic mind, of, the in-
timate connection of the Clar and' the Premier as -far
back as Adrianople in 1829, and the conferences of Lon-
don in.1844,.0r to the fact that the Emperor Nicholas
resumed his designs within twelve days after his " old
friend's " instalment in: offiee. We pass over, also the 12
months of purpOselY prolOnged negociations; the•slaken-
ing catastrophe of Sinope, the delays. of malt*, Besika,
Beycos, and_ the various cheeks which we have imposed
upon the Turks, and our hindrances of their acting
with energy at the proper tune. All these topics are
familiar to'our readers and we come to the present state
of things.
In the first place, the Russians „have crossed the
Danube in force, and' our auxiliary' army of infantry is
on the high seas, with a miserable force of artillery; and
not a, single cavalry soldier.- That army ,will nut befit
to move out
_of its cantonments at Gallipoli before
Augug. - • • -- •
• .
• - •
.Thatarmy; aa.we told -our readers m the autumn of
lastyear, should now be in activity at Varna, where
the presence-of an A nglo;French. force of 89,009 men
would probably turn the scale of battle, and' perhaps
finish the war. But to have been at Varna in the early
spring, such an auitiliary army should hate been orga-
nised an the winter. It was not so organised, and if
sent to the Danube in the autumn it .will ne lost. Now
England mustreap the bitter fruits of being unprepared:
Up to the very latest moment the Coalition thought
that they could avoid the war ; and even now they ima-
gine that-it will never become a serious conflict. we
are not going to cast censure upon any officer employed
by the Crown, in any delay which has- taken place ;
however we may lament dilatory proceedings, we are
sure that they are acting under orders.' Soldiers are
never independent until absolutely in 'the field. Often
—too often—not then. It has been openly asserted
that Lord Raglan makes no secret of his opinion that
" that there will ba no serious fighting in Turkey."
We not believe that the noble Chief of the Eastern ex-
pedition ever did make such an assertion ; but we do
believe that he expressed an opinion " that there would
be none this year." We fear that in so doing his lord-
ship only enunciated a self-evident fact. Her Majesty's
Ministers have taken good care, that unless the Turks
are -totally defeated on the anube, and early in the
year, that there shall be none. To send English or
French troops-to Varna in driblets, we assert, is to throw
away their lives ; and no large body can possibly take
the field before-the fever commences in July. We are,
therefore, to have another year of fruitless negotiations
—another year of exhausting expense to Turkey—an-
other year of machinations on the part of Russia to
rouse the stave populations—another year for Austria to
• find out that Thessaly and Macedonia require her fos-
tering-care as well as Servia and Bosnia, and to see the
necessity of occupying them, always in the interests of
the Ottoman Porte—another year for -the Czar to at-
tempt to sow dissensions between England and France.
Where, we ask,',does it appear that the Coalition is now
in earnest any more than it was twelve months since—
and if it be not apparent, why should we trust or spare
them ?

Again, referring to the Turkish news, we find, "the
new Mufti has been insulted."_ Who has done this 'f We
answer, Lord Aberdeen ; he it is who has thrown the
apple of discord between the Sultan and the fanatic Mus-
sulman population. Why was this done, if not in the
interests of Russia ? The fleet was kept at Beim; Bay
to coerce the population of the Capital, and now that it
has taken its departure even the Times seea the danger.
So, characteristically, does, the ,servile weekly organ of
the Peelites, the-once respected Spectator—it now.finds
out that "Turkish reforms may become an item in the
accounts of the English Chancellor of the Exche-
quer.", Russianinterests, however, required that these
disturbing questions should be thrown into the already
seething cauldron, and Lord Clarendon did his
duty: The secret despatches and the St. Petersbourg .
Journal have shown that the Czar always held that the
introduction of those questions at a critical period was
the surest' lever for breaking up the Ottoman empire ;
and the Coalition took the hint. .11Iost assuredly had he
been really consulted, such is the advice he would have
given. We say again, Lord Aberdeen does not calcu-
late on a war.- Let us look at home and see what pre-
parations are making for carrying it- on. . The Chancellor
of the Excheqtier has made no sign of monetary prepara-
tion, except a small addition to the income tax. Surely
even the author of the abortive attempt to pay off the
South Sea Bonds does not imagine that a conflict with
the hugest military powerin the world can be carried on
out of the current revenue of the country. But if we
are not providing money, perhaps we are preparing sol-
diers. W do not believe that that great warrior, the
Colonial Secretary, can fancy that 25,000 men will suf-
fice for so great . work: Where, then, are the militia,
from which the ardy -is—to draft- its supplies ? It is
exactly where Lord Derby's Government left it :-50;000
men have been enrolled, out of the 80,000 promised for
this year, and the magniloquent announcement-tliat the
Seetch and Irish co4tingents were to be called 'out has
pissed aNVay to the winds;
With these facts beforithem, we fancy few will agree
witu the Globe. that ,Mr. Vrqulaart is insane when he
asserts that the Coalition are pot in earnest in -support-
ing the Turkish empire. •