The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-28 00:00:00

LEEDS, Aram 26.

STOCK EXCHANGE. —Lancashire and Yorkshire, 87—
Thirsks, 151—Eastern Counties, 94—Sheffield!, 27i—
North Westerns, si—Midland, 731 73.

BIRMINGHAM, APRIL 26.

STOCK EXCHANGE.—There has been a brisk business
to-day, and prices were lower. Shropshire Unions. 47i
L-mdon and North Westerns, 1001—Birmingham and
Derby, 44—Midlands closed at 64—South Staffords, 2i
3 dis.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's screw steamer
Simla, tianeport No. 118, will, it is expected, leave
Southampton for the Crimea to day to alsi.t in bringing
home a portion of the English army.
The freight•ship Alice and Ann has been, taken up by
Government, and appointed to embark 2,000 barrels of
powder from Woolwich, to be shipped at Gravesend fur
Quebec.

RiamA, April 23.—The state of ail'airi continues un-
changed. Count Crenneville has received orders from
Vienna not to remove the troops under his command
without having previously applied for instructions to the
Imperial Government.

Oa Thursday evening a trial of the monster breech-
loading cannon, the invention of Dr. Church, and now
ordered by the Government, took place near the carriage
works of Messrs. Brown and Mariball, at Saltley, near
Birmingham. Col. Gordon, with a number of gentlemen
connected with the Tewer establishments of Birmingham,
was present. The gun is 11 ft. in length and calculated
to throw a64lb. spheroidal shot vita the greatest preci-
sion. In respect to the breech-loadirg action, it is the
same as the gun proved with success at Shoeburyness,
and can be fired 1,200 times without rp,onging or cleans-
ing. One man can load, fire, and "lay ' it with perfect
ease, and, by a very simple contrivance, the trifling recoil
which occurs produces ne shock, while the gun returns
to its natural position without manual labour. So slight
was the jar on Thursday evening upon the recoil and the
return that every shot was thrown into the same hole as
that made by the first, while at a depth of about six feet in
clay and rock the latter was completely flattened by the
second shot discharged. The perfection of the breech.
loading apparatus was completely established at Shoe-
buryness, and the experiments at Saltley showed that the
mode is applicable to heavy as well as to light ordnance
The recoil with 51b. of powder to a 321 b ball was but 11
inches ; with 101 b of powder to a 321 b ball it is about 20
inchee. The experiments gave satisfaction to those by
whom they were witnessed ; and the gun will be fora-
with conveyed to Woolwich. The gun and carriage are
patented by Dr. Church and Mr. S. A. Goddard.
EAST KENT RAILWAY.—The following are the terms
of the arrangement to be made with Messrs. Fox, Mtn-
derson, and Co., Mr. Burge, Mr. Morris, and Mr.
Crampton. Those gentlemen proposed to enter into a con-
tract for constructing all the works upon the East Kent
Railway, between Strood and Dover, on the terms of the
contract entered into with Messrs. Fox, Henderson,
and Co., on the 19th July, 1855, for the line between
Strood and Canterbury. They proposed to execute
the works in sections, under the orders of the company's
engineer—viz.' from Strood to Faversham, from raver:,
ham to Canterbury, and from Canterbury to Diver, be-
ginning, in the first instance, with only a single line of
way, with all necessary works for a double line to
Faversham, and so complete that section in twelve to
fifteen months. They agreed to take half of the first
200,0001. of works in shares, so that with a contribution
of 100,0001; by the company, 200,0001. would be ex-
pended, and the company get the line open to Payola-
ham through this expenditure, and a small ext rcise f
the borrowing powers. They also proposed to enter
into an arrangement for taking a working lease for 21
years, and to provide all necessary rolling stock at prices
to be agreed in for paying an annual rent of 5 percent..
with half profits beyond 6 per cent., and also pa3ing 5
per cent, interest on the share capital employed during
the construction of the works. The performance of the
contract was to be secured by the deposit of 20,0001.

. A 1-

Spirit of the Public Journals.

(From the Daily News of this day.)

Orders have been issued, both by the Ministerial
and by the Opposition leaders, to clear decks for ac-
tion. Lord Derby has summoned his retainers of
the House of Commons to assemble this day in St.
James's-square. Lord Palmerston has invited the
Liberal members to meat him in Piccadilly. The
neutral tint which has hitherto characterised the
Parliamentary proceedings of tne session is about
to be washed out. The object of the Derbyite as-
sembly, as we intimated on Saturday, is twofold—
to make arrangements for divesting the vote on Mr.
Whiteside's motion of a party complexion, in the
first place ; and, in the second, to deliberate on the
party tactics to be adopted for the remainder of the
Parliamentary campaign. As for Lord Palmerston
the number of incidental defeats which the
Government have sustained in Parliament, and
the number of motions announced by the
Conservatives respecting questions on which they
hope to pick up loose votes here and there, has
rendered irindispensable that he should once for
all come to an understanding with the Liberal
party. Indeed, the wonder is that he has been so
long of taking this step. On most of the occasions
when Ministers have been left in a minority during
the present session, it has been either on some
question of secondary importance or on some mea-
sure which though supported was not raised by
them. None of their defeats have been of such a
nature as to call for, or warrant, their throwing up
the reins of government ; and the supplies have,
so far, been voted with almost unprecedented faci-
lity and rapidity. Still, there can be no doubt that
any Government, by undergoing a succession of
small defeats, will of necessity lose prestige to an
extent that must ultimately render it unable to
maintain its ground. And it is clear that the
Conservative opposition are disposed to persist in
this guerilla warfare—in stealing petty advantages,
which, without exposing themselves to any serious
danger, may ultimately wear out their adversaries
by exhaustion. Already notices have been given of
Mr. Whiteside's motion on Kars in the Commons,
and Lord Malinesbury's on the same subject in the
Lords ; of Sir Bulwer Lytton's on Central Ame-
rica; of Mr. Baillie's on the Enlistment dispute
with the United States ; and, last not least, of Lord
Lovaine's fireworks motion. Looling both to the
past and to the future, it is on the part of Lord
Palmerston no more than an act of common pru-
dence to insist upon knowing whether he can count
upon the support of the Liberal party in Parlia-
ment, and on what terms. In so far as the result
of these Conferences may affect Ministerial ar-
rangements alone it possesses for us but a minor
importance ; but we confess to a considerable
amount of anxiety when we think of the influence
it may exercise over the destinies of the great
Liberal cause.

The country has no confidence in the present
House of Common 9. It was elected under evil
auspices, and it is tainted with the worst vices of
its origin. It has literally no character ; an im-
mense majority of the members have no decided
opinions, no fixed principles. It is utterly anar-
chical ; turbulent without independence, pragma-
tical without originality, swarming with jobbers
who seek to conceal venality under the cloak of su-
periority to party combinations. It has broken up
more than one Ministerial arrangement, and will
neither indicate clearly what kind of Administra-
tion would satisfy it, nor give a frank support to
any Administration whatever. The professing
Liberals are confessedly a rope of sand, and the
Conservatives are no better. The ultra-Protes-
tants and the squirearchy have no faith in Mr.
Disraeli, nor, for that matter, even in Mr. Walpole ;
Mr. Henley smiles at Sir J. Pakington ; the intel-
ligent leaders of the party shrink from "marching
through (or to) Coventry" with their ragged
regiment ; the (so-called) Peelites affect a
neutral attitude, deal largely in political elccticism,
and are the slaves of their own petty piques and
feeble vindictiveness. A short time will now show
us whether it be possible to organise, out of this
political Noah's ark, a phalanx that will earnestly
support a Cabinet with a really liberal programme,
or, indeed, any Cabinet whatever.

In the actual state of public opinion, we have
but slender hopes of seeing a Liberal party organised
that will be entirely to our mind. But we are desi-
rous, until the time comes when the great questions
which are now emerging assume a more definite
development, and thereby command the assent of
earnest and united supporters, to see a Liberal
party of some sort kept together. To this end we
would desire to smooth asperities and to pro-
mote co-operation among all real Liberals.
We are anxious to see less of rivalry and
alienation among Liberal statesmen, or knots
of statesmen, who enjoy the confidence of
considerable bodies of personal partisans, and a
better feeling between them and the large and in-
creasing numbers of independent Liberals who ac-
knowledge no particular flag. Among these parties
there appears to us to have been faults on all sides.
Independent Liberals have attached too much im-

portance to personal aims and opini ns, which,
however praiseworthy, have not yet come to inter-
est the great public ; and the official leaders of or-
ganised sections of the Liberal party have been too
slow to recognise that the questions which agitated
the country during their youth and early manhood
having now been in a great measure settled, new
questions are beginning to engross the public mind,
to call for being dealt with by practical statesmen.
It could be wished, therefore, that the most unre-
served frankness should characterise the conference
to which Lord Palmerston has this day invited the
Liberal members ofParliament. Let his lordship
set the example of giving a full and frank exposi-
tion of his views and aims, and insist upon an ex-
plicit declaration of the intention of members in
return. And let the members, on their part, treat
his lordship with equal candour : if they are pre-
pared to go into opposition, let them say so at
once.

Our expectations, however, are of that very mo-
derate kind which rim little risk of being disap-
pointed. To us a dissolution, and that at a very
early period, appears inevitable. Even from such a
step our expectations are not over-sanguine ; but it
is some consolation to reflect that we can scarcely,
under any circumstances, get a House of Com-
mons -more weak and vacillating than the present.
It is not to be imagined that L)rd Palmerston
will so tamely relinquish' the object of a life's ambi-
tion and throw up the game without first resort-
ing to a dissolution. But whatever his own per-
sonal inclinations may be, he owes it to the great
Liberal party, to which he professes to belong, not
to resign before he has tried the experiment. Tile
country is entitled to protest against having a House
of Commons elected under the control of a Tory
Cabinet. Before the reins of Government are again
entrusted to the Derby-Disraeli party, or to the
hybrids who rejoice in the name of Peelites, or to
an amalgamation of both, the nation has a right to
exercise its privilege of choosing representatives
free from the influence of the Carlton Club, with
all the resources of the Treasury at its disposal. If
the numerous hollow factious of which the Liberal
party in Parliament is at present made up cannot
be brought ;to co-operate in good faith, let the sup-
p'ies be passed, the budget voted, and let us have
a general election before the harvest.

THE BETRAYAL OF KARS.
(From th,e Morning Herald of this day.)
There are few subjects upon which there has been
more wilful blindness and misrepresentation than
that which we.must ca►l the betrayal of Kars.
Many members of both houses, we fear, have
shrunk from investigation into this matter for fear
that knowledge should compel them to act, having
a suspicion that on examination they would dis-
cover neglects too bad to be passed over, even by
their dull apprehensions, and still more dull poli-
tical consciences.

A portion of the press—the Tinges, of course, load-
ing—has in a great measure wilfully misled those
who trust in it, being determined to save Ministers
at all hazards, come what will of the country.
The approaching discussions in both houses, how-
ever, render it necessary to put the question for-
ward in a shape about which there can be no mis-
take, and to endeavour to make it comprehensible
to the meanest understanding.
Our readers will remember that we have all along
expressed an opinion that the sacrifice of Kars
seemed as if pre-al ranged, in order to allow of Rus-
sia appearing at the Conferences with something in
the nature of an equivalent for the losses she had
sustained in the war.

The question now for the English public to decide
is, who are the person or persons responsible for
the great disgrace that has fallen upon England?
far as we can gather, Lord Palmerston 's
Government has provided itself with two scapegoats
to account for the short-comings which are unde-
niable in the two periods into which these trans-
actions must b divided.

Lord Stratford is to be made accountable for the
want of preparations, which left General Williams
unable to prolong his defence ; while Marshal Pelis-
ker is, on the other hand, to be mado- answerable
for the non-adoption of measures for the relief of the
beleagured town aftei the siege commenced.
Now, we shall in a very few words be able to show
that neither of these grounds of defence for Lord
Palmerston's Administration I.re tenable.

We are far from attempting to deny that for the
first six months of General William's arrival in
Asia Lord Stratford totally neglected his duty.
Neither are we inclined to deny that for the greater
part of that period Lord Clarendon wasted a great
deal of time that might have been better employed
in writing urgent letters to the ambassador, and

sending insulting messages to the Turkish Govern-
ment. A very few words will serve to show how
utterly valueless each of those admissions is as a
defence to the noble Secretary for Foreign Affairs,
to the Minister of War, or to their chief.
With regard to the ambassador—were he acting
in contravention to the instructions received from
home—it was at any moment competent to Lord
Clarendon to dismiss a servant whom the whole
tenor of his correspondence accuses of being un-
worthy of his trust. Lord Clarendon, however,
did not adopt this course, and the disobedient
Minister—so called by Lord Clarendon—remained
at his post. Surely , this makes Lord Clarendon
answarable for any misdeeds which may be brought
home to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe.
• With regard to the insulting. letters and urgent
applications sent to the Sultan's Ministers, there
was no man in Europe more perfectly aware of the
fact than Lord Clarendon, that from a total want of
means, in men, money, ships, and material, it was
an utter impossibility that the Porte could have
complied with his demands ; therefore the letters
so addressed, both to the ambassador and the Mi-
nisters, could have had but one object—namely,.to
be produced as excuses when the foreseen misfor-
tune had actually occurred.
Absurd as it would app3ar under any other cir-
cumstances, these letters formed the sum total of
the exertions made by her Majesty's Government
for the relief of Kars during the period which
elapsed from the autumn-of the year 1854 until
the latter end of June, 1855.
Even in the matter of provisioning Kars, upon
which the possibility of General Williams maintain-
ing his defence entirely depended, not one single
piastre was placed by the British Ministry at the
disposal either of the general, the ambassador, or
of the Turkish Treasury, which was well known to
be empty. •
We shall conclude our remarks relating to the
first period up to the 28th June, 1855, by remark-
ing that the inactivity and neglect of Lord Strat-
ford de Bedell& had entirely ceased many months
before ; in fact, in February, at the period when
Shukir Pacha was sent home, on General Wiiliams's
suggestion, to stand his trial.

On the 28th June, 1855, commences the series
of efforts made by Omer Pacha to obtain permission
to attempt the relief of a city, whose fate was the
turning point of the war.

Lora Clarendon at this period was aware that
three requisites were necessary for the Turkish
General to succeed. These were—troops, trans-
ports, and money. The first proposal made by
Omer was to employ for the expedition the Turkish
Contingent, which was entirely at Lord Clarendon's
disposal, but this was, on the 13th of July, most
peiemptorily refused.

- In the same despatch which contains a refusal of
so momentous a nature was also contained the
opinions of those able strategists, Lord Clarendon
and Lord Panmure, upon the subject of the line of
operations proposed by Omer Pacha, and assented
to, teste Lord Stratford, by every competent au-
thority in the East.
The Ambassador writes :—" The Seraskier, Omer
Paella, General Guyon, our own officers, as far as
I have means of knowing, agree with the Porte
and the French Embassy in preferring a diversion
on the side of Redout Kaloh," to going to Trebi-
zond, as proposed by the British Ministers.
Of the expedition so approved of my Lord Pan-
mure expressed the folio ving judgment in a letter
to General Vivian, dated the 14th July :
"Any expedition of a nature so wild and ill-
digested as that proposed by the Porte." "It
would be madness to attempt to succour General
Williams this way."
Let us now see what was tha substituted pro-
posal of Lord Clarendon :
" Foreign Office, July 14, 1855.
"Trebizond ought to be the base of operations,
and if the Turkish army of Kars and Erzeroum
cannot hold out at the latter place against the Rus-
sians, it might fall back on Trebizond, where it
might easily be reinforced." And so leave the road
to Constantinople, via Konieh, perfectly unde-
fended.

It thus appears that the surrender of Kars, since
acknowledged by the terms of the treaty to be the
equivalent for everything that we have gained at
the expenditure of 60,00 J lives and 100,000,0001.
of money, was coolly recommended by the British
Government on the 14th July, without even an
effort to save it.

This recommendation at so early a period puts
an end to any defence that could be based on the
supposition of objections made subsequently by the
French general to the withdrawal of Turkish troops
from before Sebastopol.
The whole of the subsequent correspondence, in-
cluding the approval of the very expedition so
fiercely condemned, when too late to be available,
resolves itself into a series of shifts and dodges by
which troops were refused, transports kept unem-
ployed, and the money necessary to set both in mo-
tion withheld, until twelve days after the fall of
the city ' • while, as if in mockery, permission was
given to Omar Paella to move his troops at so late
a date as the 29th of September, within a very few
weeks of the setting in of the rains.
Yet so well did this dilatory and incapable gene-
ral make use of his time, that in six weeks he trans•
ported the mass of his army from Europe to Asia,
reorganised the broken Turkish army at Batoum,
marched them up the coast to Redout Kale!), and
thence moved with' his united forces 70 miles into
the interior, fought and won a pitched battle, and
proved,to demonstration that had he been allowed
to go one fortnight before he was ho oould have
saved Kars. ,
Can special pleading get out of such a case as this?
Lord Clarendon and his master may allege that
all the troops that the Western alliance could mus-
ter were required before Sebastopol. We cannot
allow this excuse to pass current, for not only by
ourselves, but by the far higher authority of Lord
Ellenborough, they were warned two years ago of
the indispensable necessity of transporting troops
from India to meet this very emergency.

Although we cannot but think we Wave already
sufficiently exposed the plea of French unwilling-
ness, yet as it is likely to be the cheval de bataille of
the ministerial defence, we think it best, as this will
be our last opportunity, to give the pretence a final
coup de g'-ace, a very few words will do it, they
-shall be Lord Clarendon's own :
" No. 274.

"LORD COWLEY TO THE EARL OF CLARENDON.
" (Telegraphic) _
"Paris, Aug. 4, 1855, 3.15 p.m.
"The French Government will not oppose the
projected expedition to Asia Minor, under Omar
Pacha, provided that the numbers of the Turkish
Contingent before Sebastopol are not diminished."
That is that any troops taken from Balaklava are
to be replaced by,others.

" No. 275.

THE EARL OF CLARENDON TO LORD STRATFORD

DE REDCEIFFE.

"(Extract.)

" Foreign Office, August 4, 1855.
•
"My despatch to Lord Cowley of yesterday's
date contains a full statement of the grounds on
which her Majesay's Government consider such a
movement under Omar Pacha advisable-, and I have
received this afternoon from his excellency the tele-
graphic message which I enclose, announcing that
the French Government will not oppose the desired
expedition.
" Immediately on receipt of this message, I sent
to your excellency a despatch in the following
terms :

"August 4.—Omer Paella can go to relieve
Liars, provided he does not diminish the Turkish
trpops before Sebastopol, or disturb the garrison of
Y enikale."

It will thus be seen that all the French Govern-
ment required was, that if Omer took his veteran
army to Asia, troops equivalent in number should
be sent to replace them in the valley of Baidar.
Here, at least, was a service for which the Anglo-
Turkish Contingent might be considered available,
and yet we shall find that its services were at this
late date once more refused by Lord Clarendon,
although Baidar was the very spot of all others for
the men to become acquainted with their officers,
the only discipline required, as they were all drafts
from the regular army.

This course was strenuously recommended in No.
279 ; but we see shortly after how it was replied to
by-Lord Clarendon, and how completely his refusal
paralysed the Asiatic expedition. It is needless to
say that much valuable time was lost in discussion ;
but at last, OR 00 7th of September, Lord Claren-
don (after recapitulating some excuses which we
beg leave, to consider insulting in their utter
senselessness); writes, No. 303, the following ora-
cular words :—" Her Majesty's Government have
determined that the dontingent shall not go to join
the army before Sebastopol:"
Thus . ended the last chance for the relief of
Kars, and we think it will now require some power
of effrontery to attempt to lay the sacrifice at the
door of our French allies.
For six months Lord Clarendon professed to
consider the relief of Kars a matter of imperative
necessity ; and for six months did he personall y
throw every obstacle in the way of any and every
measure proposed for the purpose.
It is for the House of Commons to deduce the
motives from the facts. The result, however, was
to put Russia in a position which enabled Ler to
make peace with the allies upon equal terms, and
recover her prestige in Asia.

TRH TROOPS IN TURKEY,—A return has been issued
of the pay and allowances to all troops and per4ons em-
ployed in the service of the British Government within
the Turkish dominions, It occupies a space of 20 pages,
the list of pay, &P., to the various officers being given
seriatim.