The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-19 00:00:00

ME SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY, .NOVEMBER 19, 1870.

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LONDON, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1870.

THE Russian difficulty, which is now so seriously
complicating the prospects of the future peace
of Europe, has come to the front with
nearly as startling a suddenness as marked the
outbreak of the present Franco-German war.
It was but a few weeks from the time
when experienced diplomatists were rejoicing over
the assured tranquility of the political horizon, till
the " armed warriors met with hateful eyes" on the
frontier line of France and Germany. Even so,
though there have been portentuous rumours
of Russia's military and naval preparations during
the last few months, the issue of Prince
GORTSCHAKOPP'S circular has taken the majority of
our politicians by surprise. There was nothing to
create grave apprehension in the fact that Russia
had moved her men from ono part of her dominions
to another, or that she was looking closely into the
state of her arms and the condition of her fleet, at a
time when all Europe was resounding with the
clang of war. Austria, who, if she is forced into
active hostilities, will unsheathe the sword most re-
luctantly, herself took care to increase the effi-
ciency of her army as soon as the great
European conflict had begun. Her movements
in this respect have, indeed, been attributed to a
cherished scheme of reclaiming her German pro-
vinces should Prussia get worsted in the fight ; but
if we look at home we shall acknowledge that the
news of war immediately drew public attention to
the condition of our armaments and the state of our
troops. Yet the movement of Russia in flinging off
the mask so abruptly and so entirely was not alto-
gether without warning. At intervals since the
signing of the Treaty of Paris she has been making
indirect complaints, and more than one of the
signatories to the Treaty were well aware
that she intended making some more active
demonstration whenever circumstances favoured her.
Count BEUST more than three years ago endeavoured
to anticipate this movement by himself re-opening
the much vexed Eastern question. In a circular
dispatch addressed to the diplomatic agent. of
Anstria, Baron BEUST in February, 1867, recapitu-
lated the arguments which he had employed at St.
James and the Tuileries to obtain a revision of the
Treaty of 1866. His professed object was to improve
the position of the Christian subjects of the Porte,
whose welfare inspired him with sudden interest.
Russia could not be expected to join heartily in
this European concert unless the fefters which
restrained her freedom of action and wounded her
national pride as a great State were removed. As a
final argument, Count Beust, after the fashion of a
lady's postscript, gently insinuates that, after all, the
much-vaunted material guarantees are worthless,
since they only hold good until the day on which
Russia is in a position to re-establish a fleet on a
neighbouring sea. According to the Tagblatt of
Vienna, the Russian Ambassador in that city on com-
municating the circular which has just startled all
Europe to Count BEUST, reminded him of
' this document of his own in 1867, in
which the relaxation of the Black Sea clause
was especially recommended. Count BEUST. not
inaptly, replied that his own proposal referred to a
Congress. Another account says that, on this re-
minder, the Chancellor of the Austrian Empire
ob-
served, " If anybody should come into my house by
the window, when he could enter without obstruc-
tion by the door, I should certainly attribute no good
intentions to him, and receive him with no friendly
respect." The German Press is as yet a little per-
plexed what course to take, but its sympathies with
Russia are ill-concealed. The Cologne Gazette dis-
approves of the form of GonTSCHAKOFF'S
Circular, but says plainly that Prussia will
not take part in any steps against Bus-
sia. In a satirical manner it disposes
of Count BEusfs threatened opposition, and en-
courages its readers not to be uneasy at the
possibility of a general war. Count BEUST,
it affirms, knows well enough that he can
easily acquire the reputation of warlike firmness if
England will co-operate. " People can make gold
out of chaff with ifs and buts !" Notwithstanding
all these efforts to explain away what is only too
transparent, the several Cabinets of Europe are far
from being reassured, and the gloom and anxiety
which were already Weighing heavily on Europe,
thanks to BISMARCK and NAPOLEON, are now inten-
sified by Prince GORTSCHAKOFF.

TOPICS OF THB DAY.