The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-29 00:00:00

her extremity. Welk the 'war of 1654 bk.)ifid auto

any BrAish Minister believe that Turkey was then able
by herself to contend with Russia ? Who could believe
this, after the results of the war in 1828 ? When the war
broke out in 1853, could any one believe that Turkey
could fight Russia in Asia ! Why, she was beaten in see.r
ral battles, and the only thing which saved their army
was the summoning that admirable officer, General Guyon,
to their assistance, who restored the army to something
like a disciplined state, and whose only reward had been
neglect and contumely. Then came the year 1854. Whet
was the state of things at the commencement of that year?
One of our countrymen had described the campaign. The
course of Russia was one continued success, for our (sem-
therce was stopped, the Turkish armies were defeated in
battle after battle, defeats- which might have been
avoided if the advice of Gen. Guyon had beau followed,
and the artillery was only awed by the abilities of Tabir
Pasha, who had been educated in England, and who car-
ried with him English knowledge and English vigour. He
had so well organised the artillery, that in the last battle
the loss of the Turks was 3,025, while that of the Rus-
sians was 3,050. The remains of the Turkish army then
retired to Kars. It had often been a question why
the Russian army did not at once advance upon Kars.
Their army was superior in number, the enemy was
routed and broken. This consideration would introduce
them to a personage of whom little had been heard
lately—it had been said because he had made his own
private terms with Russia—be meant Schamyl. (Hear,
hear.) That chief made an expedition towards Georgia,
and threatened to attack Tiflis. The result of this foray—

for he could give it to no other name—on the capital of the
Russian possessions in that part of Asia at that critical
moment was to compel the Russian general to divide his
army in order to protect Tiflis, and thus save the Turkish
army from complete annihilation. It thus became evident
that in the case of Russian invasion of Turkey her great
stroke ctune from the Asiatic provinces, so the great stroke
to be aimed at Russia should be in Georgia, which was the
root of her power. A stroke at Tiflis put her under the
necessity of retiring to protect her power, and this was
what Schamyl did. It was now that the English Govern-
ment felt the necessity of stepping in, and it must be ad-
mitted that it was high time, if au English minister looked
at bis duty, not merely in reference to Turkey, but in re•
ference to Russia's designs against Turkey. But with
reference to her designs against Persia and to our in-
terest iu the East, it was at least time for the Go-
vex nment to put itself in motion— and it did so by
creating the materials for a blue-book. This blue-book

was one of the most extraordinary ever written—it
seemed to have been made out with a view studiously
of perplexing its readers. But as to its matter, what
was the course taken by the Government of England?
The Turkish army was utterly deficient in food and sup-
_plies, it had lost several battles. Kars and Eraerount
were threatened, the affairs in Asia were in a desperate
state, and so at last the English Government resolved to
send ont a commissioner. (Hear, and a laugh.) He was
to pick up news in the best way he could, to communicate
with the ambassador and with the ministers, and to make
reports on the condition of the army ' • and with these in.
structions it was decided that he should Ileavo England.
It was Una that 1,,,rd Clarendon wrote him a letttor the

day after, in which he was desired to restore the Turkish
army by every means in his power. but what thore means
were to be the noble lord forgot to state. He had no in-

struction, no guide, except-his mother wit and his true
English heart. He was, indeed, told that he might get
instructions from our ambassador at Constantinople.

What would the house think of this way of fighting lins-

sia, when all we did, after all the misfortunes which we
had taken upon ourselves to redress, to send out a com-
.

missioner wlio was to tell our Minister-at-War what he

ought to have known long beforo, the state of the army
and the means cf providing fur it? It was true that the
commissioner, regardless of the trammels of etiquette and
by trampling them down, had of himself saved the army,
and Heaven bless him for it. had be been in the Crimea,
and had seen men dying by hundreds of starvation, with
provisions in the house, and the door iloiod by red tape,
he would have kicked it op‘o. It bad been said that

Commissioner Williams received instructions from Lord
Raglan ; if so, where were those instructions ? He had a
right to ask if such instructions had ever been issued—
whether the commissioner got them or not. was nothing to
his present purpose. He divided the blue book into three
parts—the first consisted of 170 pages, and contained the
correspondence between our ambassador at,Constantinople

and the commissioner; the second referred to the events

of July ' • and the last contained the memorable despatch
of Lord Oat endon, which put an end for ever to the hopes

of our allied—he meant the despatch of the 7th of Septem-
ber. This book had bee❑ put out to make out a case for
the Ministry. If any hon. member could lay his hand on
his heart and say that he believed that the blue book esta-
blished that case, it would be his duty to vote for the

Ministers on the present occision. It appears that the
commissioner was well received by our ambassador at
Constantinople. He received, what was not in his instruc-
Vons, some information as to the state of things in Asia
Minor. In the first or second page of the blue book is a
letter which refers to the fact that it is impossible