The Sun.
London, England, 1856-05-06 00:00:00

as it seemed to be the wish of the house to pass i 1 kedia
not intend to offer any opposition.
The Earl of CLARENDON—My lords, before I proceeel
to offer some observations upon the strong and unmitigated
censure which the noble lord has thought proper to cast
upon me iu the course of that speech which, he said, it was
his duty to make, in order to brinifto the knowledge of the
country that which they might well have already known
I will take the liberty of expressing my satisfaction and
gratitude at the able and eloquent speeches we have heard
from my two noble friends, the mover and seconder of the
address. (Hear.) It is most satisfactory to me that two
noble lords who considered that the war in which we were
engaged was a wise, just, and righteous war, and who were
second to none in advocating the vigorous prosecution of
that war in order that we might arrive at an honourabl e
peace, and who considered that no peace would be honour-
able that did not fulfil the objects of the war, it was most
satisfactory to me to have those two noble lords asking
your lordships to concur in an address approving of the
tteaty of Paris, and thereby implying that the pease has
been concluded on honourable terms. (Hear.) My lords,
I am most grateful to those noble lords for the opiuions—
opinions far too favourablte—which they have expressed
towards myself, as to the manner iu which I have per-
formed the duty with which her Majesty was pleased
to entrust me, in conducting the negotiations as one
of the plenipotentiaries on behalf of this country. (Hear.)
But, my lords, I must be permitted to take the earliest
opportunity of saying that any commendations that may
be awarded to me for the part I took at the Conferences
apply equally to my noble friend and colleague her Ma-
jesty's ambassador at Paris. (Hear.) And in consequence
of what fell from the noble lord opposite, who said that
my noble friend Lord Cowley was not seen ii the proto-
cols, and that I had completely superseded him—
The Earl of MALMESBURY—I said my noble friend's
name was immediately superseded after he made the excel-
lent observation as to the juxta-position of the two arti-
cles. No one knows better how to appreciate my noble
friend's (Lord Cowley's) diplomatic services than I do, and
I hope always, both in public and in private, to bear testi-
mony to their value. (Cheers.)
The Earl of CLARENDON was glad to hear the noble
earl's explanation. It was certainly true that his noble
friend's name appeared in the protocols less frequently than
his own, but that was on account of his official position,
which gave him the precedence ; but he could say that he
had, throughout the negotiations, received from his noble
friend's experience the greatest aid and support. He was
also anxious to relieve the noble earl's mind from the idea
that the fall of Kars had a prejudicial effect on the negotia-
tions. That misapprehension seemed to be so strongly im-
pressed on the mind of the noble earl, that he (the Earl of
Clarendon) supposed that his information was, notwith-
standing the secrecy of the Conferences, so confirmatory,
that he had made it the subject of a motion in their
lordships' house, but which, warned by the impending
defeat of a similar motion in another place, he had pru-
dently withdrawn. It was true that Kars was alluded to
by the Russian representatives as an important event
which gave them some title to a favourable consideration
iu the negotiations ; but, at the same time, Count Orloff
said that the conditions of peace having been agreed to
at Vienna, after that event became known, they should be
honourably fulfilled. At the first meeting of the Pleni-
potentiaries it was agreed that the protocols should con-
tain decisions and such opinions as would elucidate them,
but that everything calculated to wound naSional suscepti-
bilities, in case of peace being agreed to, .should be ex-
cluded from them. If the noble lord would have the good-
, ness to look at the conditions agreed to at Vienna, and
compare them with the treaty, he would find that the'fall
of Kars in no way influenced the negotiations. whey had
not originated with the plenipotentiaries, but heed been
proposed to them, and they were determined not to, accept
less, but they could not in honour demand more. He would
appeal to their lordships whether these conditions h eel not
been expressed in clear and binding language ? Such baing
the case, he regretted that the noble earl opposite sh onld
have brought forward the subject on that evening, but he
(the Earl of Clarendon) himself was in some manner to
blame, as be had been the cause of the noble earl's caw-st-
ing that speech so long about with him. (Laughter.) Co 1.
Williams, if he had been an ordinary man, would have con-
fined himself to his instructions, which were to report
on occurrences, for he bad not been sent out with a mili-
tary coin wand. But Col. Williams was not an ordinary
man, and he therefore exceeded his instructions, and took
upon himself an authority with which he had not Leen in-
vested, in order to carry out those objects which he thought
necessary. It was quite true that in the early months he
did not receive from our ambassador at the Porte that as-
sistance which it was desirable that he should have received.
That was a great error on the part of Lord Stratford de
Radcliffe, but it was most unjust to assume that, because
he did not reply to Col. Williams's letters, he did nothing
else. He had several other matters of great importance to
attend to, and, considering the political intrigues against
which he had to contend, he was deserving of credit for
having done so much, rather than condemnation for zot
having done everything. (Hoar, hear.) With regard So the
pi °piety of recalling him, such an act would have been
most imprudent ; it would not have saved Ears, while it
would have deprived the Government of the services of
the only competent man they could get to occupy the
positiotm)f their ambassador at Constantinople. The Go-
vernment had strongly disapproved of the conduct of Lord.
Stratford de Redcliffe for neglecting Col. Williams. But
whatever might have been the failings of Lord Stratford
de Redcliffe, they proceeded from the indomitable nature
of his character, and his worst enemies would admit that
his experience of the country—his energy— his talents—
aud the influence he had gained during a long and hon-
ourable career in the East—had been always used for the
good of Turkey. It was to .his experience that they wore
indebted for that Hatti-Scheriff which constituted the
Magna Charts of the Christian subjects in Turkey— a do•
current which put an end to religious domination in that
country, and which would have the effect of bringing to.
gether all ranks and classes, and cause a greater intercourse
bAween Turks and Christians, which wits one of the ob-
jects of the war. Such, however, as Lord Stratford de
Redcliffe was, it was to the noble lord opposite that he was
indebted for a seat in their lordships' house ; but since he
(Lord Clarendon) came down to the house, he understood
that Lord Stratford de Radcliffe had some reason to cora-
' plain of the noble earl, who had been at one time not in-
disposed to recall Lord Cowley, and send him (Lord Strat-
ford do Radcliffe) to Paris. to promote the harmony and
cement the alliance with France.
The Earl of MALMES.BURY never heard of such a
proposition before.
The Earl of CLARENDON would then say no more on
that subject. He was not now prepared to follow the
noble earl through all the topics on which he had touched,
but he would ask their lordships whether—stripping the
subject of all party politics—any charge could be brought
against her Majesty's Government with respect to Kars
that did not equally apply to France? When he (Lord
Clarendon) was in Paris with the Queen he pointed out
what might have been the dangers of not relieving Kars,
and he found the French Government fully alive to the
matter; but men of eminence, and military men, were
of opinion that Sebastopol should be first taken, and that
a diminution of our force before that fortress, for the
purpose of relieving Kars, might cause a failure at Se-
b .stopol. (Hear.) The fall of Kars, though a great dis-
aster, had, however, no prejudicial effect on the nego-
tiations. With respect to Nicolaieff, it was but an act
of justice that Russia should use it as a place for building
those ships which, by the treaty, she was allowed to have
in the Black Sea; but the protocols—which were, as
moral obligations, as binding as the treaty—provided that
neither at Nicolaieff, or Kherson, or the Sea of Azoff, or
any of the northern rivers, should over be constructed or
maintain any vessels exceeding in number or size those
prescribed by the treaty. Another point to which the
noble earl alluded was the rectification of the Bessarabiau

frontier. The noble; earl attributed to him (the Earl of
Clarendon) and to hie noble friend Lord Cowley, that they
bad submitted themselves to some mysterious influence on
this subject. It was quite true that the Russian Plenipe-
tiaries had brought forward a proposition to some extent
at variance with the conditions whioh had been agreed to

at Vienna, but that proposition had been at once ;ejected.
But it appeared that the line of frontier proposed in the
Austrian conditions was by no means satisfactory. It
appeared that there was great doubt as to the existence of
a chain of mountains which were laid down on some maps
and not on others. It was thought that it would be alto-
gether a bad frontier, one likely to produce doubts and
disputes, and that it would also include certain Bulgarian
colonies in which Russia had taken great interest, and
which the British consul at Galatz stated were in a most
prosperous condition, enjoying the benefits of local go-
vernment, and freedom from conscription. The plenipo-
tentiaries thought that to insist on a line of frontier which
was not a good one would be mere chicane, and therefore
they agreed on a line so clear that it could not lead to
doubt, which would give to Turkey both sides of the
Danube, and give. Moldavia 200 from the Pruth, and
would remove all apprehensions that the Russians would
build iotilla and carry them downwards to sea. Towards
the east the frontier was traced from Lake Boana Sole,
of which one side only had before belonged to Moldavia,
down to the sea. The navigation of the Danube was
to be freed from all impediments, and its regulation
woulttle administered by a river commission appointed
by the European Powers, on the same principle as
that which regulated the 'Rhine. He hoped that their
lordships would concur iu thinking that in that object the
Plenipotentiaries had been successful. Now, with respect
to the forts on the eastern coasts of the Black Sea. Not
having gained any military successes in that country we
were certainly not in a condition to impose terms upon
Russia with respect to Georgia and Mingrelia, and those
other places situated in Asia Minor. Indeed it would
have been difficult to know what conditions to impose.
He could not restore these provinces to Turkey, becavise
they would not have submitted to be so restored. The
measure would have been a mere mockery, as the sympa-
thies of all the chieftains were in favour of Russia, who
had behaved to them with great kindness. Next, with re-
gard
eI
ht
awda sb
eremarkablev
etnah at n tt hoen onlythe pperiod
,giauirsilutgo
which
s stihae.
Schamyl against Russia had been during the two years of
the late war. (Hear.) The Circassians had never shown the
slightest wish to join the cause of the allies. On one soli-
tary occasion a chieftain told the captain of as English
man-of-war that 10,000 men should be ready by a particu-
lar day, but when the day arrived not a single man was
forthcoming. Besides, the Circassians had said that they
would resist by force the destruction of the fortresses on the
seaward. He (the Earl of Clarendon) had a letter from
Gen. Williams, dated the 13th of April, 1855, stating that.
Schamyl was only to be found when an invading army was
near Tiflis' and that during the last year that much-
vaunted chieftain had made no attempt to keep the Bus-
Bien arniy in check. In a sulosequent letter, dated in Aug.,
1855, Gen. Williams said that he had heard nothing of the
movements of Schamyl. All this showed that there was
no very great desire on the part of the Circassians to aid
the cause of Turkey and of the allies. Not being in a pa-
sitien to annul the territorial provisions of the treaty of
Adrianople, he confined himself to that which was a real
grievance to Turkey—to prevent those encroachments on
the frontier line which had been a constant cause of
quarrel. A mixed commission would be appointed for the
complete rectification of the frontier line ; but not being
able to annul the treaty of Adrianople, he could not, as
CountOrloff sad require the destruchtiicohn
wofefroerutrseesdsefeswrlitihel:
had been built at great expense, w
put poses of blockade against smuggling, atil which were
required for the shelter of the troops which must be sent
there. These forts were in reality merely for internal pur-
poses ; but as the condition of the population had much
improved there would soon be no necessity for any blocked •
and no clanger could arise, as all the ports would be thrown
open, and foreign consuls would be received to reside at
them. He (the Earl of Clarendon) had now answered some
of the objections which had been urged to the treaty by
his noble friend, and, of course, be should be prepared to
give any further information which might be required.
He felt that ho had another duty to perform—namely.
that he should in justice and gratitude bear unfeigned tees
tiniony to the honourable conduct, perfect good faith, anti
straightforward proceedings of the Emperor of the French
(Hear.) The Emperor of the French occupied a great po•