The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-06 00:00:00

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LONDON, TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 1849.

It has long been notorious throughout Europe that
the AUTOCRAT is, beyond all things, ambitious of ren-
dering Constantinople, in its relation to St. Peters-
burgh, what Rome was in its relation to Paris under
NAPOLEON—namely, the second city of his empire.
To accomplish this NICHOLAS has hitherto endea-
voured, by every device of diplomatic chicanery, to
compel the policy of the Divan to become subservient
to that of his own Government. Against the success,
however, of these endeavours there has remained one
enormous and almost insurmountable obstacle. Russia
isbecoming every day more and more despotic. Turkey,
on the contrary, is becoming every day more and more
liberal in its code, and more and more constitutional in
its administration. At the very time, therefore, when
the EMPEROR is striving to bind together more
closely his own Cabinet and that of the Sublime
Porte, the two Governments have been gradually
becoming more estranged by the inherent and
growing antagonism of their principles. Finding
himself worsted in most of his recent designs towards
the subjugation of the Ottoman dominions, NICHOLAS
appears to have at length broken asunder the bonds
of amity, and to have threatened the SULTAN with all
the rigours of his arbitrary authority. Not con-
tented with violating the neutrality of the Danubian
Principalities, not satisfied with fomenting divisions
between Bosnia and Bulgaria, with supplying no
less than 10,000 arms to the Servians, with desolating
the whole of Transylvania, insomuch that hundreds
of the inhabitants have fled from their oppressors
into the somewhat less devastated fields of the Wel-
lachians ; not satisfied with pouring his forces beyond
the Muscovite frontiers, accompanied by a full pon-
toon equipage, and preceded by a relentless Commis-
sary, like DUHAMEL, the Russian EMPEROR has, at
length, through his Ambassador at Constantinople,
demanded a p-is•age for his fleet through the Bos-
phorus, across the sea of Marmora, through the chan-
nel of the Dardanelles into the Mediterranean. To a
request thus boldly and peremptorily made by M
TiroFF, the Divan has returned, without hesitation,
a yet bolder and more peremptory refusal. Where-
upon it was insolently announced to the Ottoman
Government by the representative of the AUTOCRAT,
that Russia would at once take by force the passage
which she had merely demanded by courtesy.
Such is the last startling phase in the complex ne-
gotiations between Russia and Turkey. The apparent
friendship which has been heretofore forced upon the
latter by the absolute Government of St. Peters-
burgh has at length been broken in twain by
The
Divan audacity of the Emperor NICHOLAS.
Divan has at last shaken off the incubus
of the Muscovite yoke; but, unhappily for herself
and for Western Europe, the power of NICHOLAS is
in a great measure commensurate with his daring
and his despotism. Now more than ever, to timorous
and despondent minds, the sombre anticipation of M.
ADOLPHE TRIERS seems to be on the verge of ~its
realization—that anticipation which the historian has
borrowed from the famous prophecy of NAPOLEON,
and which has haunted the imagination of the pub-
licist with the phantom of the terrible colossus of
Ru. ssia—that colossus which he already sees with his
mind's eye standing triumphant over the continent, with
one foot at the Sound and another at the
Dardanelles, with serfs groaning under its frown
throughout Europe, and the lovers of liberty fly ing
in dismay across the Atlantic to find shelterin the
deserts of America.
Those, however, who scan the chart of the world
rightly, and who appreciate the vigour of the age
duly, will regard with no sentiments of credence that
deplorable Nightmare of a delirious Fancy and a
diseased Patriotism. They will look to the alterna-
tive prefigured by the lips of the Imperial PROME-
THEUS, when he foretold the mysteries of futurity
from his captivity on his insular Caucasus. They will
see not the Europe of the Cossacks, but the
Europe of Republicanism,. They will see, not the
victory of the AUTOCRAT, but the triumph of de-
mocracy. Even now the Government of Von.

stantinople, that Government so long regarded

as effete, vacillating, and effeminuted, ha,
acquired sufficient confidence in the strength
of Western Europe to defy the gigantic
power of the AUTOCRAT. The secret of this inde-
J3endent action on the part of the Divan is not
unworthy of consideration—it arises from the
engrafting of generous and constitutional
laws upon the ancient code formerly carried
into execution by the scimitars of the Ja-
nissaries. Re-assured by the friendly and en-
couraging communications received from France and
from England, the SULTAN has resolved to withstand
the daring advances and threats of his arbitrary
neighbour. His opposition to NtenoLas has not
consequently been restricted to a simple refusal of
the demand made by the Russian Ambassador for a
passage for a Russian fleet through the Dardanelles
into the Mediterranean—it has exterded further.
While in one direction the inhabitants of the Danu-
bian provinces are being conciliated through the in-
strumentality of the Ottoman Commissary in Walla-
chia, FUAD EFFENDI—that official having, among
other acts of generous munificence, placed the sum of
1,000 ducats (12,000 francs, or 4801.) in the name of
the Porte at the disposal of the impoverished families
at Bucharest—in another quarter, namely, in the
capital and its immediate vicinity, extraordinary pre-
parations are being made of a strictly defensive or
protective character. Reports, for example, have been
summarily required from the Seraskier, or Com-
mander-in-Chief, as to the actual state of the army of
reserve, as to the supplies in the arsenals, and as
to the general condition of the fortresses,
particularly those situated along the Danube.
The latter, indeed, is the point most open to the
attacks of the AUTOCRAT and is hence the one towards
which the Ottoman Government should direct its
most scrupulous attention. Now that Russia is,
through the medium of the Szeklers, devastating the
unfortunate cities of Transylvania, now that she is
pressing heavily upon the Wallachians, and striving to
excite an insurrectionary movement between Bosnia
and Bulgaria, in the hope of affording herself a pre-
text for intervention, it is peculiarly incumbent upon
Turkey to protect at least the frontier line of the
Danube. Whatever may be the next occurrence,
either in the neighbourhood of the Principalities or
of the Bosphorus, it is to the interest of England and
of Western Europe to aid the SULTAN in his collision
with the AUTOCRAT.

The Naval Estimates will shortly be brought under
the consideration of the House of Commons. It is to
be hoped that henceforth concealment will cease to
be the rule, that mystification will no longer be re-
sorted to ; but that, in accordance with the constitu-
tional principle enunciated by the late lamented First
Lord of the Admiralty, " every possible information
may be laid before Parliament." The people will no
longer remain blindfolded. Their representatives
will no longer vote enormous sums of money
on being merely told the amount required. The
nature of the expenditure must be clearly ex-
plained, and it must be shown that the nation
receives the full and fair value for its money. We
are, it appears from the late Admiralty minute, for
the future to have an audit of the dockyard pay-
ments. It is to be shown that some adequate re-
turn is given for the large sums drawn from the
national exchequer, that the amount is honestly
expended. Three thousand five hundred ship-
wrights and apprentices are to be retained on the
dockyard establishments, of whom one-sixth only,
or 560, are to be apprentices. Now it may
easily be ascertained what quantity of work
2,920 experienced workmen, assisted by 560 appren-
tices, might reasonably be required to produce within
the year. Any practical man, accustomed to con-
duct the business of a private shipbuilding establish -
ment, could speedily afford the desired information.
The quantity of work actually performed might then
be compared with that which ought to have been
rendered ; and if far below the proper quan-
tity, it would be perfectly manifest that there
must be something defective in the arrange-
ments, some deficiency or negligence somewhere.
that should be thoroughly investigated. The very
best men can be obtained for the public dockyards ;
the situation is regarded as exceedingly desirable by
working shipwrights. There can, therefore, be no
possible excuse for retaining inefficient or unqualified
persons, or for not keeping them fully and fairly oc-
cupied in works of a beneficial character.
A very valuable pamphlet has just appeared
on this all-important subject, from a gentleman
perfectly qualified to afford the fullest information.*
A thorough practical knowledge of detail is ap-
parent in every page. No publication could possibly
be better timed ; it is the very period when
the information may be most beneficially
applied. It is not desired to reduce the national
establishments to a scale beneath that required for the
maintenance of the national honour, the national
dignity, or the national safety. It would be but an
unwise and foolish economy to do so. Every shilling
now saved would occasion the expenditure of future
pounds, and that at a date, perhaps, not so very remote
as some persons might suppose. The navy must
especially be kept in a state of efficiency. It has long
been regarded as the especial safeguard of the country.
We have looked chiefly to it for protection against
foreign invasion, and for the means of aggression in
case it should be necessary or desirable to create a diver-
sion. If neglected for even a single year, it would re-
quire a considerable time and an enormous expenditure
to supply the deficiency, and a blow might be struck
during the interval of the most fatal character to our
national interests. The ships that are wearing away
must be replaced, and that gradually. We should
not be required to produce a number of line-of-battle
ships suddenly, but each year should furnish its quota-
The first question, therefore, will be what number of
vessels should be maintained ready for active service
at a short notice, and what number should be an-
nually built, or thoroughly repaired, so as to keep up
the stock to the required compliment. Mr. TUCKER,
the author of the work under notice, discusses this
point in a fair spirit. He shows that
"it has always been assumed as a fair
ratio that the force of the line-of-battle
ships is equal to that of all the other classes, frigates,
&c., put together." That is, taking one year with an-
other what is expended on and produced on the
farmer, should be also expended on and produced on
the latter. What then should be the force of the
line-of-battle ships—the class of vessels between
whom the struggle must take place if any should
ensue ?

Mr. TUCKER tells us that at the peace in 1815,
when the navies of the continental nations were
all but annihilated, it was considered essential
to maintain or have in readiness 120 sail of the line
and 160 frigates, together with a three years' stock of
timber. In 1821 instructions were given to have 100
sail
of
the line and 150 fourth and fifth-rates in good
condition. In 1839, however, after the power of
steam became developed, it was considered that 84
line-of-battle ships would be sufficient for the
purpose, although it is still admitted `°that
the line-of-battle will never be substantially
superseded by steam power." It may how-
ever, now be fairly concluded that " 84 ships of
the line is about the force settled to be necessary" by
practical and experienced men, and yet can it be believed
that, notwithstanding such admissions, and that a
body of shipwrights were employed for many years in
our yards nearly equal to the number engaged during
the most stirring war time, our force has been
suffered so far to decline, that at this
moment we have " only fifty-five ships
of the line
fit
w
for four years' serve. We may,
however, gather some consolation from the fact that
we have 150 admirals for those 55 ships of the line,
exclusive of the 45 retired rear-admirals, so that we
have very nearly three admirals for every ship in
which they could be employed."
We would gladly enter at greater length into Mr.
TUCKER'S very able and interesting pamphlet if space
permitted. We can, however, most conscientiously
recommend it to all those interested in the condition
of our wooden walls, who will find it well worthy of
an attentive perusal.

The Council of the Liverpool Financial Reform
Association have just issued an address (which will
be found in extenso in another part of our impression)

* Naval Financial Retortn. A Letter to the Right
Hon. Sir F. T. Baring, Bart., M.P. By Jedediah
Stephens Tucker.