The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-25 00:00:00

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(From the Morning Herald.)
The .state of utter confusion to which eve:
connected with the Eastern question has been
brought by the ill-judged renewal of negotiations
between the Governments of the belligerent nations
is too obvious to escape the notice of oven the least
observant or far-sighted.
We put it to our readers if it be possible, at this •
present moment, to anticipate or even to guess at
the result ? Nay, we will go further, and ask, can
any one distinctly figure to himself what may be
the end or object proposed by the Governments of
the Western Powers ?

Of Russia there can be no doubt. One of her
objects certainly is to interrupt the preparations of
France and England for the campaign of 1856 ;
but this we submit is only secondary to taking ad-
vantage of those very negotiations for the purpoe•
of sowing dissension among the allies ; and her de-
cision for peace or war will entirely depend upon
whether she shall find the one or the other most
useful in promoting this object.
This attempt is principally carried out by insinu-
ating and asserting that while France considers the
object of the war as fully obtained, England persists
_in wishing to carry operations further, for Asiatic
purposes, in which our ally has no interest, as well
as to procure an opportunity for recovering a lost
prestige. _

The time is well chosen, as we told our readers
' sometime since. Francehas obtained all the objects,
the prospect of which induced her people to submit
to the sacrifices necessary for carrying on the war.
The memory of 1812 has been buried in the ruins
of the Malakhoff ; and the present moment poresente
the spectacle of England in the position of a mere
auxiliary of her opponent of centuries. We are not
afraid of any desertion on the part of our allies ;
but no one can deny that Russia has chosen her
time for making such proposals as she has done
with her usual astuteness.
Austria, of course, has acted in character. She
looks entirely to her own interests, and subset-Yes
her objects by trying to establish herself in the
situation of mediatrix, and thus becoming " mis-
tress of the situation." Onr readers may, perhaps,
remember we made use of those very words now
nearly two years ago, and accused Lord Aberdeen's
Government of adopting a policy the very object of
which was to place the Court of Vienna in the
coveted position.
It would be satisfactory if we could lay down,
with equal distinctness, the objects of the Western
Powers, but unhappily they can only be described
by negatives.
1. It is not to diminish finally the power of
Russia in the Black Sea, for if the proposed plan of
neutralisation were adopted to the very extreme
point proposed, there is nothing in it to prevent
the re-establishment of the power of Russia, how-
ever reduced for the moment, within a very s'iort
period after the disarmament of the allies.
2. It is not the.integrity of the Ottoman empire,
for the direct proposal is to render the principalities
independent, while we have reason to believe that
the real object is to enthrone an Austrian prince
in the new state. Be it observed that the coercion
of Turkey by her trusty allies of necessity hangs
upon this point—for one of the fundamental prin-
ciples of the Ottoman Empire is that it cannot
give up the suzerainete of any province or kingdom
which has come under their rule by a suppliant ap-
plication for protection
.against worse enemies—
as was decidedlythe case in the original annexation
of the Danubian Principalities. Here we imagine
is a wide basis for confusion—while the establish-
ment of a Roman Catholic prince, educated at a
Court which has just accepted the concordatum,
does not bode well for the religious peace of a
Greek community.
3. The object of the allies can scarcely be the
independence, any more than the integrity, of the
Sultan's dominions ; for we find that the very power
which has passed 150 years in sowing dissension
between the Turkish Government and its Christian
subjects is—as soon as peace is concluded—to be
" invited " to take part in the deliberations for re-
gulating the privileges of those very subjects.
We submit that the good sense and good faith of
this proceeding is something -very similar to that
which would be exhibited in " inviting " Mr. Pal-
mer, of Rugeley, to decide upon the diet of George
Bates, in case the former had succeeded in establish-
ing the proposed insurance upon the life of the
latter.

=

These three examples, we believe, are sufficient
to prove the honesty of the proposals made by Aus-
tria and accepted by the allies. The nature of the
confusion likely to be occasioned by their discussion
is quite as evident. Does the dismantlement of
forts and arsenals in the Black Sea include Kher-
son' and Nicolaieff ? Or are the forts on the eastern
coast to be rebuilt, which, according to the de-
cisions in the Vixen case, may either serve for the
purposes of a warlike bloekade of the Circassian
Mountains, or for the establishment of a line of
.custom-housesin a country where Russia possesses
neither right nor dominion. The mention of a few
of the reports publicly spread, either by the minis-
terial papers, or by the Austrian Goiernment, for
the purpose of creating confusion, may be useful.
Within the last few days the Globe announced that
"the blowing up of the docks at Sebastopol has
been postponed for some weeks:" Again the
Vienna telegraph informs us that England has
tacked on as conditions in the sth category—
That Bomarsund is not to be rebuilt.
The establishment of consuls in the Black Sea.
That a definitive boundary between Russia and
Turkey in Asia shall be agreed upon a commis-
sion.

We do not object to these conditions ; but we
ask, what chance is there of their being conceded !
Again, we hear that Russia has discontinued
hostilities. Per contra, we have news that she is
preparing expeditions against both Kertcit and
Kinbourn—by favour of the ice. Suppose these
expeditions to succeed, we rather think Russia will
be in the best position fur dictating terms. But
really between electric telegraphs and secret diplo-
macy, poor truth has a bad chance.
From great things we are sometimes compelled
to descend to small people—when they engage in
great undertakings, and thus we point out to our
readers the fact, that the Administrative Reform
Association is to hold a meeting on Saturday upon
the subject of the " Fall of Kars." We hope the
society may prove more effective this year than it
did the last, and as we fancy the destructive element
of the four L's has been eliminated, perhaps it
may.
However this may be, we wish to warn our
readers not to consider the object of the meeting
insignificant, or the attempt to prove that Kars
fell by the treachery of the English Government of
impossible attainment.
An example of what has occurred will always
serve to prove that things may be, the existence et
which we would disclaim if we could.
We refer our readers to the second volume of the
Blue-books upon the Eastern question, page 256.
The writer is Sir H. Seymour; the date, St. Peter-
sburg, Nov. 11 ; the subject, a conversation with
Count Nesselrode.
(Extract.)
"What fell from Count Nesselrode went to con-
firm what I had already been, told as to the feeling
of the Government being, that no serious negotia-
tion could be conducted until the Turks, calmed by
defeat, should have been driven from the Princi-
palities."
Let our readers note the reply of the represen-
tative of England and ally of Turkey I re-
marked that her Majesty'E Government, being
always disposed to peaceable measures, looked
more to the object than to this or that plan for
bringing about an amicable arrangement."
The next hopeful opportunity which occurred of
" calming the Turks by defeat" was during the
siege of Silistria, when the French and English
armies lay at Varna, and the Turkish forces under
Omer Pacha at Shumla.

Twice during that memorable siege did Omer,
relying on the promises of the allies, announce to
the suffering garrison that they would be relieved,
and twice did he announce the day ; but on the Bth
of May previous a convention had been signed, by
which it was agreed that when the armies of the
three powers were in line together none of the
generals could move for any independent operation
without the concurrence of the other two.
Now, it is notorious that the allied commanders
would not move, and that Omer could not, in con-
sequence of the aforesaid convention.
oilistria was left to its fate ; but, in spite of all,
the Turks were encouraged by victory, instead of
being " calmed by defeat."
Let us substitute Kars for Silistria, and it is the
old story over again. The lathywa.s deserted to
save the pride of the Czar. should not the
former have remained unsuceoured in order to give
him a basis of counterpoise for negotiation?—a
set-off fer Sebastopol.
2elewasa.llto fall on our am-
left sixty-three despatches of
am-
last The
egkretahtato rtrenboi
at Government anuou need
bassador, who had
General Williams unanswered.
,
The great organ's " own correspondent," how-
ever, within a very few days announced that Lor d
Stratford had made all preparations for sending the,
Turkish Contingent to Asia, but was stopped by
peremptory orders from home.
Where is this mystification to cease! and how
long will England submit to be juggled by " im-
postors r The word is John Bright's—not ours