The Sun.
London, England, 1858-05-17 00:00:00

MONTENEGRO.

(From the Daily News.)
A tall, stalwart, fierce-looking gentleman, in the
Albanian costume, accompanied by a Hussar in
most gorgeous braiding, made his appearance more
than a year ago on the boulevards of Paris. A deep
scar across his cheek showed him to have been fami-
liar with close conflict. On inquiry this personage
was found to be Danielo, Prince of Montenegro.
This potentate was the most arrant of political
coquettes. There was no Court to which he had
not vowed fidelity, and from he had not derived
succour, or at least encouragement. He was for a
long time at Vienna, and made use of the patron-
age of Austria to accomplish the revolution by
virtue of which he reigns—the revolution which
allowed him to avoid taking ecclesiastical orders,
and to govern as Prince, not as Bishop or Yladika.
Ho was then Russian, but, to do him justice, gave
DO trouble during the war, when ho might have
done serious mischief. For this conduct he came,
no doubt, to seek a reward in Paris.
Should the Levant be divided, as it is asserted
and feared, between two alliances, the English,
Austrian, and Turkish on one side, the French and
Russian on the other,—.this latter bond will have
an immense advantage over its rival. France and
Russia aro governed by rich, irresponsib!e, and pro-
digal rulers who have the habit of paying and pen-
sioning their friends, including even those of the
rank of princes. England has abandoned this prac-
tice even in the far East. Austria, the most parsi-
monious of empires, knows the use of the sabre,
not that of coin, and Turkey claims more the right
to rob than the duty to pay.
No one can doubt to which of these two alliances
a paltry power in the Levant would be inclined to
lean. The inevitable character, in fact, of their ten-
dencies is a great argument against petty princes,
and against all rulers who are not above the neces-
sities and nym,nneFs of mere personal greed, and
who do not participate in that feeling of dignity
and pride which arises from the consciousuess of
their ruling and representing a nation. Take the
Prince of Servia, for example ; he would not sell
his Principality for a bribe, nor put on either Aus-
trian or Russian livery ; because he knows and
feels that the spirit and attachment of his own peo-
ple are his best support.
It is otherwise with Montenegro, and the circum-
stances which have raised the chief of 100,000 souls
into an independent Prince are, we must confess,
to be regretted. But Montenegro, as a military po-
sition, is so important, that no great power would
now willingly sea it acquired by another. It con-
stitutes in itself a mountain fortress, formidable
from its position, and for its 20,000 well-armed
fighting met), who, it will be recollected, defeated
and destroyed an army of 30,000 Turks in 1796.
It is at once the point of junction and of sepa-
ration between. Albania and Bosnia. The
Prince of Montenegro is from position the
natural master of Cattaro, the most magni-
ficient harbour in the Adriatic. Austria jealously
guards this harbour for the time ; but it is not the
less a natural dependency of Montenegro. Austria,
therefore, though cmlsenting at the present moment
to the humbling of the Montenegrins, could no
more desire to see them actually conquered by the
Turks, than to see them reduced nuclei Russian
suzerainty or French influence.
It being thus the interest of all the Powers that
Montenegro should remain independent, indepen-
dent no doubt it will be. The Turks themselves
have achieved a feat in shipping and conveying a
large army from the B ,sphorus to the Dalmatian
coast, and landing it there fro-ahand well provided,
instead of sending it by an exhausting and expen-
sive march accoss Rommelia. This precedent will
greatly acid to Turkish force in those western
regions, and prove powerful to deter Bosnians or
Albanians from insurrectionary movements. And
this, probably, is what Turkey chiefly proposed to
itself by the expedition.
It would be more difficult to explain what good
the French Government proposes to itself by its
valiant declaration in the Moniteur on behalf of
the Montenegrins. Perhaps the Court of the
Tuileries, feeling that in retroceding on the
Danubian question it is playing no very glo-
rious part, seeks to recover a portion of its lost
credit in the smaller matter of Montenegro.
But to set Prince Danielo ever so upright upon
his rocky throne, must appear to every one, and
especially to Frenchmen, a somewhat insigmfi-
caet result of the Crimean victories. The French
Republicans and Orleanists are already sneering at
the ignominious retreat of the Emperor before
Austria and Turkey, and no petty triumph on the
Lake of Scutari will be likely to be taken as a set-
off for total defeat upon the Danube.
Toe proverb, or the translation of a proverb,
that took birth about the year 1840, cannot be for-
gotten. It was then said that the expression of
"May France protect you," " Que lax France vows
protege," meant " Que le Diable remporte," "The
Deuce take you." And in truth the realisation of
the proverb, which so darna4l,ed the lustre of Louis
Phil pp's rule aid throne, has taken place so often
of late milder Napoleon the Third, that the French
begin once more to repeat it Apparently nothing
more is needed than for the Moniteur to come out
one month with a flaming assertion and resolve, in
order to be sure that the next the Emperor will
shrink from the magnanimous declaration, and his
Ministers sneak out of it, ere the ink of their first
vaunt is well dry.
French government promise?, magniloquent at
first, become at last infinitesimally small. They
were to tree Italy one day ; they end by garrison-
ing Rome for the Pope. The Emperor was then to
liberate Poland; when of a sudden Poland dwindled
down to the Danubian Principalities, which were
assuredly to be saved. Now, the inclination seems
to be to waive the question of the Principalities,
and to substitute in their place the little rock of
Montenegro. Even that may one of these days
appear too vast, and the sympathies of the Moniteur
be concentrated upon and satisfied with Dumas's
island of Monte Christ°.

ME. CARDWELL'S MOTION.

(Front the Morning Herald )

Discord and confusion reign in the ranks of the
cabal. Mr. Smith's disclosures, the debates on Fri-
day, and the strong reactian in Lord Ellenborough's
favour, have materially damaged that which once
promised to be a vary pretty cause. Moreover, the
real character and object of the' conspiracy have
been fully disclosed, and many of those who felt an
inclination to support Mr. Cardwell's motion are
oppressed by strange misgivings on the subject.
Public opinion sets strongly in favour of Ministers,
and their chance of obtaining a glorious triumph,
even iu a House of Commons elected at the bidding
of the member for Tiverton, improves day by d sy.
The Opposition chiefs never for a moment doubted
that with Lord/Shaftesbury's aid, a large majority
would be secured iu the Upper House. Yet a ma-
jority of 25 of those present ou the occasion reduced
to 10, by the liberal use made by the Whigs of their
proxies, have declared in favour of Lord Derby.
The course pursued by Lord Shaftesbury has mate-
rially shaken his influence. Although he professes
to be a Conservative, the public cannot forget that
he is ndarly Mated to Lord Palmerston, and
that he has been of late one of his most devoted
adherents. In a certain portion of the religious
world Lerd Shaftesbury's reputation stood high,
bat hie share in the Sunday movement at Cam-
bridge Hon's() has created surprise and even indig-
nat:Dn amongst many of his former friends and
admirers. Whether Lord Shaftesbury was or was
not present at the meeting at Cambridge House on
Sunday can be of little cons: quence. We are not
in the confidence of these politicians, and we do not
therefore pretend to decide that point. The Pal-
merston organ on Monday last announced that
such an assembly had taken place at Cambridge
House on the previous Sunday, and that an as-
ssault upon Ministers was to be delivered. On the
evening of the day on which this announcement
appeared Lord Shaftesbury came forward as the
champion of the Opposition. He thus virtually
became the approver and the abettor of this Sun-
day movement. Many persons imagined that there
must be some mistake iu the matter, and that Lord
Shaftesbury would not on any account whatever
sanction by his advocacy a movement commenced
under such circumstances and upon the most sacred
day of the seven. But the weekly organ of the
Opposition yesterday repeated the statement in
conclusive terms. "On Sunday afternoon," says
the Observer, " a meeting of most of the members
of the late C ibinet was hell at Lord Palmerston's,
when the position of affairs was fully discussed,"
&c." And to this intrigue to reinstate a Cabinet
scouted from power only three months ago Lord
Shaftesbury lz-nt his influence and support.
Deeply do we regret that une generally respectei
should so far have forgotten himself, and thus have
sh ken confidence in our public L.aders.
On being invited to undertake the direction of
affairs, Lord Derby explained to her Majesty the
state of parties, requested our gracious Sovereign
to reflect over the matter, and evinced no anxiety
for office. Lord Derby did not, however, hesitate
to accept its onerous responsibilities when con-
vinced that so doing he should best serve his Queen
and country. The noble earl was aware that in a
House of Commons constituted like the present he
must be exposed to the risk of a defeat whenevtr
hostile and jarring sec!ions chose to combine for
the
.purpose of beaming and perplexing the