The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-12 00:00:00

011)eninA, aAllt

LONDON, MONDAY, MARCH 12, 1849.

The aggressions of the Russian EMPEROR are more
than ever justifying the anxieties of the western, or
more civilized, portions of Europe. NICHOLAS is at
last bringing into operation his sinister designs against
Turkey, and, through Turkey, against the democratic
races of the continent. His enormous forces are al-
ready concentrating upon the frontier provinces of
Grodno, of Volhynia, of Kherson, and of Podolia. lie
has marched auxiliaries into Transylvania. He has
forcibly occupied Moldavia with 50,000 troops under
Luneß. He has established DuktAattce in Bucharest
as his:pro-consul, or Commissary, over the Walla-
ehians. He has dispatched several regiments to the
boundaries of Gallicia, to be in readiness to march
directly upon Cracow in the event of any popular de-
monstration. He has garrisoned the fortified towns
of the Szeklers. lie has threatened Bosnia with sub-
jugation. He has contributed arms to the disaffected
Servians. lle has scattered his Propagandists—the
Propagandists of Absolutism—throughout Bulgaria.
lie has placed his soldiers at the disposal of the des-
potic successor of RUDOLPH, and has raised the sword
of vengeance over the liberal descendant of OSMAN.
He has pushed his army forward in one direction to-
wards Pomerania, and in another towards the Bos-
phorus. lie has thwarted in every respect the na-
tional ambition of the Sclavonians, and has converged
the whole of his gigantic strength, his force in men
and in specie, his intrigue and his insolence, upon the
first object of all his aspirations, the great city of
Constantinople.
And we are told that Western Europa has no
reason to fear the intentions of the Autocrat ! We
are assured that the Democratic GDvernments have no
cause for jealousy ! It is even said,and said by sensible
men, too, that England has no interest sufficiently
strong to authorise her in obstructing the progress of
the CzAR! It has been maintained very recently by
politicians of some eminence that it is of little im-
portance to Great Britain what events are taking
place in the neighbourhood of the Carpathians ; that
the Danubian Principalities are too remote to excite
any practical sympathy in their misfortunes ; that the
Ottoman empire will occupy the same place in regard
to ourselves, whether it continues to be the dominion
of a Sultan, or degenerates 'into the colony of an
Emperor Yet we shall find it by no means difficult to
overrule every one of these objections.
Recent occurrences have brought very vividly to
recollection the prophecy of NAPOLEON, that before
half a century had elapsed Europe would either be
Cossack or Republican. The alternative is an alter-
native between freedom and slavery, and the strug-
gle between the two opposing principles—between
Democracy and Absolutism, between Revolution and
Counter-Revolution—has already commenced. 1848
was its first explosion. 1849 is its development.
Some of the leaders of the people, the most true and
the most incorruptible of the friends of Liberty, are
sanguine as to the ultimate triute.ph of the democratic
principle. Others, the insincere and corruptible
declaimers about free government, can only recognise,
through the obscurities of the future, the disastrous
successes of Despotism. THIEIZS has announced the
approach of that time when the Colossus of Russia
shall stand triumphantly over Europe, with one foot
at the Sound and the other at the Dardanelles, and
when Liberty shall have fled in dismay across the