The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-06 00:00:00

1.1-1 E ZrSUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1871

appearance of the utmost possible courtesy towards
each other, It would be difficult to say which is the
politer of the two, Earl GRANVILLE or Prince aORTS-
CIIAKOFF. The buttons are firmly on, it is true, but
so energetic are those two dexteroits fencers:.'
in the display- of their well watched shill,
that one or other, or both, may .
any moment fly off, and blood be drawn.....,
Throughout the whole of the contest, it has
been impossible not to admire the smiling sang froid
with which first one and then the other has put
aside the glittering advance of his antagonist,
always so adroitly that the swiftest and fiercest lunge
has been each time rendered utterly innocuous.
Nothing could be more gracefully illustrative of the
fact that, in Sir Lucius OnrRIGGER's phraseology,
this is " a very pretty quarrel as it stands " than the
last letter in the correspondence, Earl GRANVILLE'S
reply (28th November) to the last communication
(8-20th November) of Prince GORTSCHAKOPF. Her
Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs is perfectly aware, as he says, that suggestions
for a conference to settle European questions have
before now been made and adopted. Earl RUSSELL
might now in his conscience, " historical," if all were
known, mournfully recall to mind at this moment,
how harshly and peremptorily some few years ago he
took upon himself, the rejection with the scantiest
courtesy of precisely just such a suggestion as that, the
suggestion of an European Congress or Conference
thrown out by the then foremost ruler of men, the
Emperor NAPOLEON 111., now the secluded and
powerless captive at Willielmshohe. Until now, as
it happens, however, there has been no suggestion
of a Conference for the revision of the Treaty
of 1850, and consequently no rejection of any
such proposition. An excuse of that kind conse-
quently has been wanting all through, with which
to justify or palliate the extraordinary course pursued
by the Cabinet of St. Petersburg, in setting aside
abruptly and absolutely the provisions of that treaty
through the medium of the fir.:t (now sufficiently
notorious) despatch of Prince GorerscumroPF, There-
fore it is that Lord GRANVILLE, without any cir-
cumlocution whatever, declares at • once he
cannot for an instant admit that the Impe-
rial Government of Russia can justify their pro-
ce,ding, though the failure of efforts which have
never been made. Now, for the first time, in the
matter of this Treaty of 1856, a conference between
the representatives of the .oiitractiug Powers-has
been suggested. Conscious of this, Lord GRAN.
VILLE has taken occasion to remark, with the
utmost possible suavity, that " the courteous
language in which Prince GORTSCHAKOFF'S
despatch is written, his assurance of the
manner in which he would have preferred to open
the question, and his declaration of the strong desire
for a confirmation of good relations between the
two nations, particularly important at this time,
encourage her Majesty's Government in the belief
that the obstacle to such relations will be removed."
Having said this, the FOREIGN SECKETARY next
refers—almost, it seems to us, aerie-comically—to
. the extenuating terms in which, as one may
say, the aggressor explains away his act of
aggression. U They," that is her Majesty's Govern-
ment, he writes, " observes that his Excellency
'describes the declaration which has been made by
Russia as an abrogation of a theoretical principle
without immediate application. If these words,"
says Lord GRANVILLE, "are to be constreed into an
announcement that Russia has formed and stated her
own opinion of her rights, but has no intention of
acting in conformity with it without due concert
with the other Powers, they go far to close the con-
troversy in which the two Governments have b2en
engaged." Having spoken thus plainly, the FOREIGN
SECRETARY adds that the Conference now proposed
by Prussia, England will assent to, upon one very
simple, but essential, proviso or stipulation, namely,
upon the understanding that it is assembled without
any foregone conclusion as t) its results. While
matters stand thus in regard to the diplomatic
development of the correspondence between
Earl GRANVILLE and Prince GORTSCHAKOFE, inti-
mations are put forth, in other directions, to all
appearance of the utmost possible significance. The
Ottoman Porte is arming. The Egyptian Khedive
is announced as ready within a brief interval to call
together 100,000 men, most of them supplied with
breechloaders. Even our own systematically econo-
mising Government are going in largely for the
acquisition of torpedoes, and are adopting energetic
measures for securing the greater efficiency and the
general increase of our field artillery.

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

through the siege. These woras are regarded afil th
conclusive condemnation of Marshal Bazaine.
Gei. Coffinieres, the commandant of Metz, does not
figure very favourably in these accounts, M. Mayer,
I 43 chief editor of the Independant, of Met; went to
the railway station to gay farewell to some officers
who were leaving for Germany, and met General
nethade some remarks to him in refe-
rence to a previous conversation, upon which the
General became very indignant, and said he had
been insulted before Prussian officers. M. Mayei
was immediately arrested and sent to a German for-
tress, where ho still remains.

RUSSIA. AND PRUSSIA.

Attention deserves to be erawn to a telegram from
the Washington correspondent of the New York
Tones, stating that not only does a perfect under-
ntanding exist between Germany and Russia, but that
a territorial compensation will be given to the latter
for the indirect but very valuable help afforded to
Germany intim war. The New York 7 i»zes is the moat
moderate and the best informed American daily; its
Washington correspondent • is known to be in good
favour with some members of President Grant's
Ministry, and on this occasion he expressly state;
that his information is drawn from the highest
quarters—probably Mr. Fish, the Secretary of :-State.
The latter personage is on the best of terms with
the Russian Government. In case this information
be correct, the Black Sea demand is only the first
step in a greater Russian manoeuvre.