The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-29 00:00:00

LINDON, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1856.

Diplomacy has many varied tracks for achiev-
ing its objects. The more devious the better, as
being the less likely to attract observation. Rus-
sia is master of the craft. She has numerous dis-

guises, and can put strange machinery in motion,
making use of strange and unthought-of instru-
ments. At present her great anxiety is to ob-

tain a renewal of the Conferences, with a view of

shuffling out of the solemn engagements which
she deliberately and joyfully entered into last

March. She fancies that if she could procure a

meeting of the Congress, per fas aut nefas, that
the difficulties respecting Bolgrad and the Isle cf
Serpents would be arranged in a highly satisfac-
tory manner. So far as she is concerned, that
having already secured a majority of votes, as
we recently pointed out, the decision would

be but a foregone conclusion, which would
bring the parties concerned to the utmost shame,

and Russia most of all, although of a character
to which she is utterly insensible.
From these facts some light is thrown on the
conduct of Prussia in reference to Neuchatel.

Every one knows that the good CLICQWOT will do
anything to serve his Imperial nephew—that there
is no slough too deep, no puddle too dirty for
him to wade through provided it can serve or
or gratify the AUTOCRAT, and will not entail either
risk or expenditure on himself. As to political
reputation, that is a matter of profound indiffer-
ence. His conduct during the late War has dis-
posed of that, and we look on any further dirty
work that may be required at his hands, in the
same light as the philosophical " conveyancer, "
who comforted himself with the thought that it
was just as good " to be hanged for a sheep as for
a lamb."

A suitable occasion arose for giving the nations
of Europe another taste of his quality. By means
which we shall not now attempt to characterise—
but certainly not springing from any geographical
affinity—she obtained some claim connected with
the Swiss canton. She was its " protector"—
GOD save the mark !—but only while it required
no assistance ; for, is the days of the first NA-
POLEON, it was seized on, and conferred as an
appendage on Marshal BERTHIER. Whatever
might formerly have been said on the subject every
matter was set at rest in 1848, when the Govern-
ment was settled on a solid foundation ; and
FREDERICK WILHEIX, having fully acquiesced in
the arrangement which deprived him of a nomi-
nal claim to what was at best a damosa herelitas,
must be held to have waived any title to that
which was to all intents and purposes an integral
member of the Swiss Confederation.
Recently a few fanatics set up the standard of
revolt, which was speedily and decisively put
down ; there was some bloodshed, and a few pri-
soners taken, who became amenable to the laws
for their misconduct. It may be very well that
such should be treated leniently. In fact, such a
ridiculous farce could not be changed into a
tragedy with any degree of consistency. But
Prussia, actuated no doubt by adequate private
considerations, has thought proper to demand the
immediate liberation in a very haughty manner,
and in a tone that if recognised must at once
overthrow the independence, not merely of
Neuchatel, but of the entire Confederation.
The untenable claim could not, of course, be recog-
nised ; the Confederation unanimously and un-
hesitatingly rejected the demand. The Angel of
Peace will not, however, bring the matter to a
mortal arbitrament. No ! that is no part of his
game. lie demands a conference for the purpose
of deciding on hi: rights, and which can, of course,
deal with the Bessarabian frontier difficulty and
other " vexed questions," in which Russia is
interested. It cannot be denied that this is a deep
move on the political board, but, the design be:
transparent, the otlir Governments can easily
repel the attack, and checkmate the players whO
have deliberately adopted such a ruse.

SHYLOCK and his bond—nothing else can one
think of, when. he thinks of Sir G. C. LEWIS and
his Income Tax. We no more dreamed of two
years doubled, or rather trebled, Income Tax
after the war than ANTONIO did of paying BASSA-
NIO'S debt with his pound of flesh. From April,
185 i, we ought by Mr. GLADSTONE'S Seven
Years' Act to pay but FIVEPENQE in the pound
till 1860. By Sir GEORGE CORNEWALL LEWIS'S
cunningly-warded bond, we are to pay SIXTEEN-
" PENCE in the pound till April, 1858. Here is
the bond—l§th Victoria, cap. 20—" twopence
additional—sixteenpence in all, to be paid on all
incomes above 1501. per annum, to commence in
April sth, 1855, and to continue till April
6th, after a clear twelvemonth front the ratifi-
cation of a definitive Treaty of Peace." Nothing
in the world here about two years ; about a
twelvemonth there is. But two years ! who
thought of it ? In the spring of 1855 we all
supposed we were to have a much longer job of
it. Sebastopol was not then taken, and we meant
to take it, and to take also something better than
a miserable strip of Bessarabia something
worthy of :England and. France, and something
that would have silenced Czars for a generation
to come. We never thought of getting the peace
i concluded just before the 6th of April, and not
of it till afterwards.
getting the " ratification"

says our SHYLOCK, is one
-
says is another ; is it
What you thought,
Alas ! there it
thing, and'what the bond
not " ratification" in tho bond ?
is ; we poor Antonios cannot deny it. We may be
almost in a passion to find ourselves so fast
in SUYLOCK'S hands, and ready to kick the
collectors, who are by this time sharping their
knives for next year, out of the parish ; but there's
the accursed bond—and there's the QuExtes seal
—and we cannot " rail it from the bond." It's
of no use our storming with rage—so we humbly
ask again, " Was not, Sir CORNEWALL, the intent
of the bond an honest year after the war ?" but