The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-26 00:00:00

MILITIA.

On Friday the Ist Regiment of Lanarkshire Militia,
stationed at Hamilton, was offered the opportunity of
volunteering, when 150 men stepped out of the ranks
and declared their readiness to join the Line. Of these,
104 men were accepted, passed, and enrolled into the
Royal Artillery, and the 34th, the 43d, and the 72d
Regiments. The volunteers were conducted to the rail-
way station on their way to their respective corias, being
-escortabi thii-iih-Ole regiment with the band playing,
and accompanied by a large concourse of the inhabitants,
who cheered the men as they went along.
Volunteering front the Royal Longford Rifles took
place on Wednesday last at Clare Castle, the head-quar-
ters of the regiment. Forty-eight men were enlisted for
different regiments—namely, Royal Artillery, 17th, 31st,
41st, and 56th Regiments. Although the quota of the
Longford Rifle Regiment is not allowed to exceed 385
privates, still this small corps has given upwards of 220
men to the Line in the short space of nine months.

THE FIFTH POINT, AND ITS TRUE
SIGNIFICANCE.

It is obvious that the main controversy in the Paris
Conference will be the terms involved in the Fifth Point.
The First Point is already settled, so is the Second ; the
Fourth is not likely to create much disunion, and the
Third, at worded by the Allies in opposition to M. Nes-
selrode's propesed emendation, leaves them at full liberty
to demand all they can wish to make out of it. There
can be no verbal objection to making the Black Sea
everywhere wholly inaccessible to a single Russian ship
of war of any sort. But no one seems yet to have fully
considered the difficulties and the significance of the
Fifth Point. Interpreted in its simplest and most na-
tural sense, it would seem to he a mere expletive, or next
to one—to leave no room for anything not already in-
cluded in the Four Poiuts....,lnshort, it seems, techni-
cally viewed, to have reference to nothing but the Black
Sea and Turkey.
This consideration appears to me of great importance; I
because it either allows of no margin for the protection
of Sweden and the coasts of Europe, by the restriction
of the Russian navy and fortifications in the Baltic, or it
allows of much more. It seems to be universally ad-
mitted that Bomarsund and the A land Islands must not
be allowed to be fortified, as that would be as standing
a menace to Sweden and Denmark as Sebastopol to
Turkey ; yet that lies quite as much out of the literal
domain of the Fifth Point as the re-construction of
Poland.
The inference from this is obvious, - and admits of
no question, as far as I can see. It may have been a
blunder of our Govertunent to have ever allow, d
themselves to be entrapped into reviving the defuuct
Four Points ; but there is no question that the inter-
pretation of the Fifth Point must be decided by the
golden maxim, " Salus popoli sztprenta lex esto."
This is especially the case when we are dealint, with a
notoriously unscrupulous and perfidious, as well as bar-
barous enemy. The late Sir R. reel said, in speak-
ing of our dealings with the natives of India, that we
cannot act towards them as we would towards civilised
and conscientious Governments, by whom chivalry and
courtesy would be worthily received and reciprocated.
It is needless to remark that the observation is at least
equally applicable to the Russian Court and Ministry.
The fact is, that this Fifth Point is either virtually a
mere expletive, or leaves an indefinite margin for di
manding any security that may be considered necessary
for restrioting the power and aggression of Russia.
It, therefore, leaves open the question of indemnity

. . .
for the expenses of the war (besides the extinction of that
nefarious job, the Russc-Dutch Loan), curtailment of
Russian territory, the prohibition of Russian railroads
without the permission of the Allies (especially after the
daring announcement of the Russian journal, the
Northern Bee, that railroads would be still mere impor-
tant to the Russian Government in a military than a
commercial point of view), and the restriction of Rue-
sian fortresses and ships of war in the North, East, and
Caspian, as well as in the Black and Baltic Seas.
There is another point closely connected with, or
rather included in, these—the prohibition of Russia hav-
ing the possession and control of those corn-growing
countries on which Europe is partly dependent for its
supplies.
whether it ma
not be well to take another leaf out of Russia's book,
It may also be well worth consider ngy
and bind her over to pay a larger nominal sum than the
real one, as she did in the case f
o Persia, so as to hold
her in check for her good behaviour.
All these demands, it is to be remembered, lie no mom e
beyond the range of the Fifth Point than the prohibi-
tion to refortity Bornarsund, which is admitted en all
hands to be an imperative requisite.
One thing that Lord Clarendon would do well to
remember is, that it will be far better for him that
the negotiations should be broken off as they were last
year, from his maintaining the honour of England too
highly to satisfy the opposite parties, than that he
should lower the dignity of England, and injure the
interests of Europe, by a hollow and unsatisfactory
peace. He will be far better received on his return in
the former case than in the latter. If we could trust to
his always maintaining the principles he has frequently
professed, especially in the beginning of the war—that
it was undertaken is the interests of civilisation and hu-
manity—We should be without fear for the result ; but
we cannot forget that he has not always remained con-
sistent to these. We do not wish, however, to recall
anything in the past to his disadvantage ; and if be will,
in the approaching Conference, maintain the high posi-
tion he may, in accordance with the national wishes, he
will be welcomed home from his mission, whether end-
ing in peace or war, with the heartfelt congratulations
and good wishes of the British p7eple.
Lastly, should even Lord Clarendon disappoint car
hopes, let us trust that Lord Palmerston will have the
1
firmness and principle to use his own judgment, and de-
terminately refuse his assent to any insidious and raja-
chiffons seniNcrinco of poce,-11 orntiv Achtraicr•