The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-23 00:00:00

TILE EASTERN QUESTION.

Is Russia prepared, asks the Daily News, to fulfil those
stipulations of the Treaty which, signed by her in con-
junction with the other Powers, guarantee the indepen-
dence of Turkey? Will she rest satisfied with being
allowed to construct what arsenals and ships in the Black

Sea she may choose ? It may be objected that, since
she has scouted her obligations in the one case, it is
absurd to expect her to be bound by a new Treaty. But
if we were never to sign a convention with a Power which
had disowned one in its past history, we should have every
State in Europe isolated. We may almost assume that
the British Government would allow Russia and Turkey
alike to cancel the Articles in the Treaty relative to
the maintenance of ships in the Black Sea. It is true that
the probable rivalries of the fleets may provoke a war, and
that Russia might regard her promise to respect the
independence of Turkey as another obligation which she
must discard. That is a speculation, however, which
does not warrant us in withholding our consent from
such an arrangement in the present as may be found
reasonable by the contracting Powers. The only objec-
tion, after all, to an amicable settlement of the dispute
is the unwarrantable manner in which Russia has
Put forward her demands, In view of that open
defiance of the laws which regulate the intercourse of
nations, the pronounced and firm declaration of England
was unavoidable, It rests with Russia to say whether
she will cancel her repudiation of the moral weight
of Treaties, and consent to place her claims on
the basis on which alone they can be granted, It is
mere folly to say that England must fight if only
to shew that she can fight. If there are confident

critics at home and abroad who make light of the power
and of the will of England, we may be sure the blunder is
not shared by foreign Governments. The public temper
and the military and naval resources of England are not
the subjects of easy jests at the Courts of St. Peters-
burg, Berlin, or Vienna. We can afford to disregard
such vain and frivolous comments upon our supineness,
our inaction, our Philistinic desire for peace, satisfied that,
should the necessity of war actually confront us, England
will undertake the serious and terrible duty with neither
a faltering pulse nor a blanched face.
England, says the Standard, has but one simple desire
and one clear duty—to maintain the peace in Eastern
Europe and in Asia. That peace is now threatened
by the wanton and flagitious outrage perpe-
trated by Russia. It is not England but
Russia, who wants war—it is Russia, in fact,
who has made all future peace impossible. This is
the cause of our nation, which cannot be perverted
by any of the mischievous sophisms of Mr. Millor the wild
screechings of Mr. Freeman. It is not to England but to
Russia that the peacemongers should address themselves.
We have given only too many assurances of our pacific
mood. It is right that we should now declare, once for
all, that there are limits to our patience. Unless we
choose to abandon our position in the world altogether—
to sink to the level of the worst opinion our
neighbours have formed of us—to resign all our glorious
traditions of the past, and our noble heritage in the
future—to be the mark for the contumely and the ridicule
of the nations—to fall even lower than the tame ideal
which the Prime Minister has imagined of us—to
invite the very danger which we dread, and to
expose not only our good name and honour, but our com-
mercial interest and profit, nay, our very existence, to at-
tack from the first Power to whom that existence is dis-
agreeable—we are bound by the most solemn of all obliga-
tions to bear ourselves in this present quarrel so that no
Englishman may have reason hereafter to blush for the
name he bears.
The Telegraph says ; Austria has answered Prince
Gortschakoff s lawless claim in language as clear, dignified,
and resolute as England could desire. We are enabled to
communicate to the public the. most important sentence
of her reply. She has declared, that " Russia's wishes
with regard to the Black Sea might have been put foiwarcl
through diplomatio channels, and possibly been
acceded to by the Powers concerned ; but the
arbitrary expression of her will calls for the gravest
resistance (Abwehr) from all parties." Nor is Italy
behind her old enemy and her now esteemed ally in
straightforward adherence to national faith and public
law ; for we are also able to contradict the statements
recently put forth, and to affirm that King Victor Em-
manners Government has avowed its intention of acting
with England and Austria. We have sent an unmistake-
able expression of opinion to St. Petersburg, along with
the answers of Austria and Turkey; and now the choice
of issues rests with Russia. Prince Gortschakoff must
clearly understand that England is not "talking big"
and clenching fists to frighten Russia from her national
policy. We are not " threatening war to preserve
peace ;" nor was Lord Granville's note one whit more
calm, reasonable, and friendly than the nation's own
feelings. We are not menacing Russia, nor doubt-
ing that she will withdraw her objectionable step when
she finds how wrong it seems in the eyes of just public
opinion, and how perfectly ready the contracting Powers
are to take her rightful complaints into consideration.
The supplementary note which accompanied
the despatch of Prince Gortschakoff implies that
Russia has rather desired to give a specially
emphatic expression to her discontent than to
proceed towards acts which would be subversive of
civilisation. In that belief, which it will be both wise
and right for her to confirm,wc await from her an assurance
that she will rely upon reason and discussion before she
appeals to force ; and it is honourable to her, as well
as happy for Europe, that we can still thus
construe her irregular language. Wo have, at
the same time, said plainly that the signatary of a solemn
treaty cannot break away from it by individual declara-
tion, and that, if the Czar should do so by act following
after word, the result must be to destroy all faith in the
word of the repudiating Power, and to forfeit every right
which it may at present claim to the friendly alliance of
all other civilised States.