The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-23 00:00:00

crab

be —CR

transdu to others i;arts; but slioufci Ke eveee eejey salts
advantage if Turkey were in the hands of Russia? And
if that event should happen, how long would Persia re-
roam independent? It would be urged that the aid of
the smugglers would be called in to prevent the exclu-
elon of our goods; but this would only operate as a miti-
gation of the evil, and not as a cure. He did not call on
the Government to resist the progress of Russia by ar-
maments or war, but by giving its assistance to Turkey.
Not long ago the Noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign
Affairs had said, that when this country gave advice, it
Lord
always listened to, and never spurned. Let the Noble
4sord exert the moral influence of Eugland to prevent the
encroachments of Russia, and give support to a country
so identified with our best interests. Had the Noble
Lord been more alive to these matters, a great deal of harm
Might have been prevented. If last year, when Russia
first entered Moldavia—which she did with great hesita-
tion, disavowing the General whose act it was—the Noble
Lord had assumed a firm attitude, and used determined
language, and had shown that the proceedings in Molda•
ta were looked on with the greatest distrust and the
most determined aversion by the British Government,
Russia would have soon retired altogether. If the Noble
Lord laid the papers on the table they would see whether
he was wrong or not in attributing to the Noble Lord a
Want of determination, and he therefore hoped the papers
Would not be withheld.—(Hear, hear.)
Colonel THOMPSON would state to the House the
reasons which, in his opinion, gave an importance to the
motion of the Noble Lord. Honourable Gentlemen who
Were in the habit of looking around upon the political
horizon, might probably have felt some suspicion that
the position of England, like all other sublunary things,
wss very far from stationary. It had been said by a
'tight Honourable Baronet in that House, but whom he
did not then see in his place, that the naval supremacy
of this country, upon which their forefathers bad for so
many years prided themselves, was not to be calculated
upon as an immutable thing, certain to descend to their
children. They saw a great republic growing up on the
Other side of the Atlantic, the members of which did not
appear to be always actuated by the best of feelings towards
this country. He had seen an American guide-book which
had letely been published, and he was curious to see in
What manner it might indicate the sentiments of the
People of that country. 'The writer of the book said
that, upon passing the Horse Guards, he thought of the
time when 50,000 American troops should be drawn up
In array behind it; and while gazing upon Windsor
Castle he thought that many years might not elapse be-
fore he saw the flaunting bunting on its towers replaced
by, the modest stars and stripes of the great repub-
lic.—(Laughter.) Looking round upon what was pass-
ing in the world, he could not help thinking that the
ground was shifting away from them; and as with Ve-
nice, Genoa, Holland, and other countries in Europe, so
With this country, there might be a time coming when
if they would hold their ground, it must not be upon
their old foundation, or upon the supposition that they
could hand down to their posterity anything like the
comparative or relative power which Eagland had en-
joyed in past ages, unless they could contrive to make
friends somewhere and with somebody in the great
struggle which everybody knew was going on between
civilization and political liberality, against barbarism and
despotism. He was anxious not to omit any or portunity
of holding bef'ore the eyes of the Government, which,
Perhaps, might not be blind to this subject, that there
Was a strong feeling in existence in favour of assuming
the same position as that held by their ancestors in the
brae of Elizabeth and Cromwell—the woman and the
man to whom their greatness was mainly owing.—(Hear
near.) He believed that there was a great weakness of
argument among Hon. Members on the opposite side
upon this subject. He did not wish it for a moment to
be thought that he was pleading for war; he hated it,
and great warriors had said so before him.—(Hear,
hear.) lie earnestly trusted that the Government would
consent to lay before the House some information to
Show that they had felt an interest in the subject.—
(Hear, hear.) Such being his view of the importance of
the question brought forward by the Noble Lord, he
felt great pleasure in seconding the motion.—(Cheers.)
Lord PAL aIERSTON said ho should best discharge
his duty to the House in rising after the seconder of the
motion, in order to state the view he took of the motion
cl his Noble Friend. He fully retained the opinions his
Noble Friend had quoted from a former speech of his—
that it was desirable for the interests, and creditable to
the honour of this country, that the House of Commons
should take a lively interest in the foreign relations of
this country. And he owned that it was sometimes a
Matter of regret to him, when out as well as when in
office, that the foreign relations of the country should
excite so little interest within those walls. For although
it might be inconvenient to the person filling the office
he had the honour to hold, that the frequent discussion
of these questions should be introduced, yet any man
Who felt that he was honestly discharging his duty must
look at least for the support of the majority of that House;
and he need not say that that support would greatly
strengthen the hands of any Minister is his relations with
foreign Powers. Nevertheless, he did not feel it con-
sistent with his duty on the present occasion to consent
to the motion of his Noble Friend, for the reason that
the papers he called for were connected with discussions
Which were still going on, and it was the universally re-
cognised rule rule of that House that inconvenience was
to arise from the production of unfinished corre-
spondence respecting matters which were still pending.
-,--(Hear, hear.) He could assure the Noble Lord that
ne was greatly mistaken if he supposed that the ques-
tion to which he had called the attention of the House
was not considered by the Government as one of great
national, and, indeed, of European, importance. He was
quite ready to agree in every word that had fallen from
the Noble Lord as to the necessity of maintaining the
Independence of Turkey. It was of vast importance
both in a political and a commercial point of view. Po-
litically, it was hardly necessary to go into any argu-
rnents to show, that if those vest regions which were at
present under the dominion of the Sultan were to be par-
titioned among the other powers, that could not be done
Without a great European contest, without material de-
l'angensent of the balance of power, and without great
detriment to those powers which did not share
in the spoil. In short, it would derange the existing
balance of power in Europe. And as England could
neither wish for, nor possess, any share in the spoil of
such a transaction, she certainly could not share in such
Et transaction. That opinion was not confined to this
country, The House might be assured that the other
leading powers of Europe were equally sensible of the
great importance of maintaining the integrity and inde-
pendence of the Turkish empire. That independence
had been recognised and cared for in the treaty of 1841,
for regulating the passage of ships of war through the
Dardanelles. He was satisfied that none of the great
Powers who were parties to that treaty would attempt to
infringe the principles so solemnly recorded in the pre-
amble of that treaty. Her political independence then
was admittedly of great importance. Commercially,
his Noble Friend had in no degree overstated
the case. It was true that there was no country
with which they had great commercial transactions
that the tariff was so low or so liberal as in Turkey.
The trade with Turkey was, besides, an annually
increasing trade; so far from having reached its maxi-
mum, it was still advancing, and it the improvements
Which were being carried out in that country still con-
tinued, by which increasing security would be afforded
to individuals and property, and greater protection to the
Occupations of industry and the employment of capital,
they would find with that their commerce increasing, not
only with England, but with every trading nation; and
those regions which were formerly the centres of human
civilization would again approach their former condition,
and their connexion with Turkey would be of annually
Increasing importance. Under these circumstances,
and with these views, it would have been a dere-
liction of duty on bis part if he had seen with apathy
and indifference the transactions which, in any way,
however indirect, appeared to bear upon the indepen•
deuce of Turkey—and such undoubtedly must be the
Prima facie appearance of the occupation of two provinces
of Turkey by a neighbouring power. Explanations
were given at the time by the Russian Government, and
communications—some verbal and some written—had
been ever since going on between himself and the Rus-
sian Minister at the Court of St. James's, and between
the Russian and Turkish Ministers at Constantinople.
There representations had been made in the most friendly
spirit—in the spirit of those friendly relations which
existed between that country and Russia. They had
been received in the same spirit—and whatever the com-
munications might have been, the House might be satis-
fled that in no degree had they produced any alteration
in the friendly relations between the two countries.
When the occupation of these provinces first took place,
a circular was issued by the Russian Government, which
be held in his hand, stating the reasons that had in-
duced Russia to sanction the advance of Russian
troops, and stating the contingency under which
that advance had taken place, and under which
the occupation would cease. The generll ground
on which the sanction was given—he said the
sanction, because he believed that the immediate ad-
vance was from a communication between the Turkish
authorities and the Russian general commanding—but
that was sanctioned afterwards by the Russian Govern-
ment. After stating the grounds on which the advance
had taken place, the circular stated, in the following
Passage, the contingency on which that occupation would
depend. Count Nesselrode said, after alluding to a for-
mer occupation, " The same thing will happen this time
also ; and from the moment Wallachia and Moldavia
shall have order re-established, or that the Porte thinks
he has acquired a sufficient point d'appui for the en-
tire peace of the two provinces, our troops shall be with-
drawn, end shall again re-occupy that position
strictly defensive which they originally occupied."
It was of course open to anybody to say that when he
placed confidence in the views of any Government, he
Was likely to be deceived. He (Lord Pelmerston) could
only say that whatever might be urged on either the
One side or the other as to the grounds on which the
'occupation took place, that he placed confidence in
.the Russian Government, and that he believed they
had no intention of making a permanent encroach-
ment upon the Turkish empire, and he was certainly
convinced that the question pending between the Russian
Government and the Turkish Government was merely a
question of time, and not one of principle or of ulterior
intentions. Since the events had happened which had
agitated Europe, the Russian Government had shown a
great desire to remain in an expectant attitude, and had
not interfered in the internal affairs of other countries.
The grounds assigned for the interference in the present
Instance was the revolutionary movements of these pro •
vinces, and their being supposed to be connected with
ranch more extensive arrangements, and that it was to
guard her own provinces from extensive movements that
were contemplated, and she felt bound to occupy these
Provinces. His Noble Friend had stated very correctly
the progress of that insurrection. It was perfectly true
that Moldavia and Wallachia had been for a long time