The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-18 00:00:00

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LONDON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 185 G.

Two words will express the feelings of most
people yesterday morning—incredulity and shame.
The Times correspondent at Vienna could hardly
he credited upbn his telegraphic honour, though
it was plighted in the solemn phrase, " This is
authentic." It seemed too like a " rousing
whirl," and " nail't wi' Scripture !" But when
the Morning Post struck in with the assertion, in
a third edition, that the Government had received
a telegraphic message from Sir H. SEYMOUR—
" the Russian Government accept the Austrian
Proposals as a basis fur negotiation "—for the
moment persons looked at each other exclaiming,
"We suppose it must be true." Still it seemed
a puzzle. The members of the Stationers' Com-
pany no doubt turned to their " Frank Moore's
Almanack," and if that prophet afforded no satis-
faction, they at least did not forget the
splendid meteor which so recently dazzled
spectators on both sides the Channel, and
which is described as having combined all
the forms of a fiery cannon ball, globe, and ser-
pent. FRANK MOORE, we are confident, will next
year inform us that it was sent to teach the two
great Allies that the sword and cannon ball were
their only reliance in their contest with the wily
Muscovite. The diplomatic meteor of yesterday
from St. Petersburg and Vienna was, to say the
least, as perplexing to the quid-nuncs as any
atmospheric one to the readers of the stars.
As we have said, however, incredulity was the
first sentiment. Had not Mr. COBDEN (page 40,
" What Next—and Next") just told us for cer-
tain that " every man deserving the name of a
given his sanction to the
Statesman," who had
ultimatum, must have made up his mind to "at
least three years' continuance of the War?" Could
it be, then, that Russia really had accepted what
her apologist proclaims to be an unendurable
humiliation ? Moreover, but a day or two
before we had been told that she had sent
counter proposals, and had positively refused the
cession of any territory at the mouths of the
Danube—a thing quite probable, as even Ismail
itself is included in the cession required by the
Vienna Proposals. Besides, the telegraph has
now and then told little stockjobbing fibs, and the
" European journal" has worked marvels on the
Stock Exchange by printing them. Even where
the news was credited, however, the universal
remark was, " TOO good to be true that
'twill be a peace worth having." Indeed the
believers were the most disappointed. If it be true,
then we are sold, was a general observation. A
more striking confutation of Mr. COBDEN'S repre-
sentation of his countrymen,
as warlike only
under the influence of the press or of after-dinner
not, indeed, have been afforded
orators, could
than by the tone of yesterday's conversation. The
idea that we were to desist from our task
in this unfinished state, and with such pre-
parations to achieve i t object next year,
cPP"aseti 'every mind. We nowhere saw rejOiC-
jag- A prospect of such a peace, as Mr. COBDEN
told us we must fight three years to get, was be-
fore us—add not one hurrah !

No—shame was the prevalent feeling iu propor-
tion as the news was feared to be truth. Peace,
indeed, is a great, a much-longed-for boon—and
so is a " mess of pottage" to a hungry man ;
but, thank HEAVEN, we are not yet starved into
Selling our birthright. _Kars, perhaps, recurred
to ma=y a mind, and with a feeling that English-
men there, and Turks, held out under every pri-