The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-26 00:00:00

THE EASTERN QUESTION.

PRINCE GORTSCHAKOFF'S REPLY TO
LORD GRANVILLE'S DESPA'I'OXT.
We understand, says the Daily News, that Prince
Gortschakoff's reply to Lori Grani:llie's despatch,
with respect to the treaty of 1856, reached
the Russian Embassy, by special messenger at
a very early hour yesterday morning, though
it was not formally delivered at the Foreign Office
until late in the afternoon, subsequently to Lord
Granville's visit to the Queen at Windsor. On Lord
Granville's return to London, Baron Brunnow, the Rus-
sian Ambassador, had an interview with him at the
Foreign Office. Afterward; and just before the holding
of the Cabinet Council, Mr. Gladstone was closeted for
some time with the Foreign Secretary.
STATE OF FEELING IN RUSSIA.
The oorrespondent of. the Daily .New at St. Peters-
burg; writing on the 22nd inst„ says ;—Since the outbreak
of the Franco-Prussian war, the' Russian journals have
never ceased to repeat that the long-expected opportunity
was about to arrive—the opportunity of casting off the
humiliation which had been imposed upon them by the
11th and 13th articles of the Treaty of Paris.
But few persons could have foreseen the sudden
and high-handed action of the Rusidan Govern
ment. ladeed„ few persons, even among tlfe best
informed, could bring themselves to believe, a week ago,
that Prince Gottschakoff had actually declared Russia no
longer bound by her obligations.. It is affirmed that the
circular was kept a State secret, oven from the highest
officers of State, the Minister of Foreign Affairs
and his more immediate personnel having been
alone concerned in the execution of the great
Project. How far this may be true it
is ditcult to say. At any rate, report says the British
Ambassador got wind of it, and prepared the nerves of
her Majesty's Government for the shock which they were
about to receive. The Russian public suddenly awoke to
the fact on Monday last, when the circular was pub-
lished in the Official Gazette, and two days after the
English answer was pretty generally known in town.
There was, therefore, no time to make any speculations as
to the manner in which the circular would be received by
tlrb'Western.Powers. Ile journals commenced almost at
once to discuss the importance of the fact and the objec-
tions of Great Britain. The latter are, of course, shewn
to be ill-founded, while the fact is firmly esta-
blished by the irrevocablo will "of 'the Emperor.
There is probably not a newspaper in Russia that will
not support the action of the Imperial Government
in this matter, and the public, as the Golos states, " have
received the intelligence with transports of delight." AU
the arguments put forward by Prince Gortschakoff are
thoroughly endorsed by the leading organs yf St. Peters-
burg and Moscow. The right of Russia to re-
pudiate a Treaty which had been infringed
before is considered on all sides incontestable,
while the opportunity of repudiating it is pretty
generally maintained to, be wisely chosen. France
is powerless ; " the statesmen of England," says the
Golos, aro not likely to undertake any enterprise that will
involve risk; the rusty and blunted sword of Albion is
ashamed to leave its scabbard, echoes the Pansla,vist
organ at Moscow; Austria has troubles enough at home;
and the Turk—what can he do alone l At the same time,
the Russian public feel they have a powerful ally in
" victorious Prussia, which in the hour of danger
to Russia," says the German St. Petersburg Gazette, " will
be found a faithful companion in arms." But this is
just that part of the arrangement which duos not seem
to please the editor of the Moscow Gazette, who is re-
ported to have said that he will accept no advantages
that have been conquered by those Prussian baydliets,
which he anticipates will soonea or later be pointed
at Itussion breasts in the Baltic provinces. " Are we
not the objects of a political intrigue," is one of the (pies.
tions which the Moscow Gazette asks, but declines to
answer before all the circumstances under which Prince
Goitschakiig wrote his circular are known. " The springs of
the Eastern, Question have been touched," says the Gazette,
a day or two before the public were in a position to
understand the allusion. "In the circles in which
the plans of • the future are discussed, there is apparently
a -hope that Russia will wrongly consider the
present circumstances particularly favourable to her policy
in the East. • . This, as far as we can see, is the
programme ofthe immediate future. By commencing a
movement in the East—such are the calculations of the
rulers of events.-. Russia will suddenly find herself in the
same positidu as Donanartist grams), which was mistaken
as to the circumstances, and reckoned up wrongly
her alliances and neutralities. A coalitian more serious
than any thathas yet been brought about would make its
appearante at the first stop taken by Russia. And
Prussia? Would Prussia really enter into the coalition?
Prussia may promise us her neutrality, but all her in-
terests will be on the side of the coalition, particularly
since her neutrality would be favourable to the enemies of
Russia, until at last, according to the march of events,
she will find it necessary, as in 1855, to addreass words of
friendly advice to us—tu submit sensibly to the force
of circumstances. Her friendship will thus have been
once more proved, and the business Will have been done."

SIEGE OPERATIONS BEFORE PA.RIB.

The Dai!y News correspondent at the hvadquartere of

the Crown Prince of Prussia, in a letter dated the 21st
instant, ivrites :—There has been no sortie on
thil ail° of Paris for a whole month past.
Since the fight of October 21st the French have
been content to fire occasional shots from Mont Vale-
rein and the other wcrks without coming forth to
fry conclusions with their besiegers. It may be
wiser to wait, because General Trochu's army is
getting into better order every day, but there is a danger
in waiting, which I have already pointed out Ito yc:.l.
The Prussians are strengthening their lines. This is
no idle phrase, founded on the planting of a few guns
here and there, or on the laying of trees across the road
at unexpected corners. The Prussian lines 'are carefully
studied positions. Much more is done by preparing the
way for field batteries and infantry than by raising dia.-
tinct mounds or breastworks. Nevertheless, some breast-
works are to be seen, and a good deal of labour has been
bestowed upon the loopholing of garden walls. I must
speak with reserve of many things that I have noticed, on
account of the possible coming round of news to the
French. But it cannot help them much to know that
trees are falling fast beneath the Prussian axes, anti

- .
hat even the stumps aro being cleared away where
is‘ thought that they might interfere with the move-

meut of field guns. ;wont out lately to the front, and
was for a short time beyond the line altogether. The
great occupation of those whom I passed was hacking and
hewing, chopping down and sawing down French trees.
Whole acres of timber were being vigorously cleared, and
the soldiers were as busy as backwoodsmen on
a "lumbering" expedition. The object of all
this was to leave open spaces for the destrtiction
of the assailants should a sortie be made; to leave, in fact,
a glacis before the besieging lines. There was great
heartiness in the way the men went to work. They
seemed -to enjoy the exercise of hacking and hewing.
They have plenty of food, good clothing, and tolerable
shelter, so why should they not sing at
their wintry work? The sad part of the scene
is more in the reflecting Am such havoc
being spread round Paris than in the actual loss of timber
at any one particular spot. Imperial parks and gardens,
private villas, the retreats of ease and splendour, which
encircled the city, are damaged or swept away with but a
hundredth part of the after misery that must attend the
ruin of the suburban villageg. I think that I must be

far within the mark when I give eighty thou-
sand as the number of people turned out of hotise
and home, left utterly destitute in most cases, by the
operations of the siege. When Paris is thrown open there
will be sore need of help: Not only will the city be starving,
but one belt of land close to it will be almost a desert;
and another belt, stretching back for many miles, will be
so much impoverished as to yield but scanty supplies--;
to yield nothing at all in excess of what the troops will
want. ,-.

A Cabinet Council was held yesterday in Down•
ing-street. The Ministers present were the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone, the Lord Chancellor, Earl de Grey
and Ripon, Viscount Halifax, the Right Hon. H. A.
Bruce, Earl Granville, the Earl of Kimberley, the
Right Hon. E. Cardwell, the Duke of Argyll, the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, the Right Hon. Hugh Childers;
the Right Hon. G. J. Goschen, the Marquis of Harting-
ton, and the Right Hon. W. E. Forster.

It is anticipated in artistic circles, that Mr. T.
Woolner will be the most likely candidate for election to
the vacant title of A.R.A.

CRYSTAL PALACE.—One Shilling Day, Friday,
November 25th, 1870.—Admissions by season tickets
1,572; ditto on payment, 507 ; total visitors, 2,070.
METROPOLITAN BENEFIT SOCIETIES' ASYLUM.—
The eighty-first half-yearly meeting was held at the
Asylum, on Friday, Charles Comfort Esq., V.P., pre-
siding, when Foster Spottiswoode eras elected an inmate.
The reports of the committee and auditors shewed that
there were fifty-one inmatee of the average age of seventy-
one years,—the capital being £3,150 East Indian Go-
vernment Railway Stock, and £3,200 remaining to be
restored, having been applied to complete the building: