The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-25 00:00:00

THE CIRCASSIANS.

What a pleasant thing it is to dwell in the golden
land of fables and to spurn with contemptuous foot
the whitey-brown realities of this working world !
Who would not, if he could, keep company with
knights and ladies errant, who never gave utter-
ance to any but the loftiest sentiments and most
dignified opinions Y For our own part, we can
have no hesitation in saying that it would be well
if every human being were to regulate his conduct
according to the canons of the purest morality.
Let no man be ambitious of power for power's
sake. Let there be an end of aggressive wars.
Let truth be spoken, and right prevail. Let eau
dove and the eagle, the lion and the lamb,—Sir
Charles Napier and Sir James Graham, Box
and Cox,—live together in perfect harmony. Let
each nation, nay, let each parish, enjoy its own
nationality and its own parochiality as seems best
in its own eyes. Let us, above all things, honour
all patriots—since patriotism rightly understood
is the sum and expression of all human virtues.
Let all this be done, if it be possible—let us do all
this, if we can. The difficulty, however, which
presents itself is, that the great bulk of mankind
will not accept these simple recommendations as
valid, or these obvious maxims as truth. Nations
and individuals will try and aggrandize themselves
at the expense of their fellows. The world is a
scene of perpetual combat—of an endless conflict
of interests. It is much better if a nation can keep its
own shores from aggression, a man his own head
I from harm. We may regret that it is so, and
that it is above our strength to accomplish the
task in which the Knight of La Mancha met with
no greater success than we have done ourselves ;
but so it is. We are told that in all parts of the
world England should step forth as the guardian
of the weak, as the redresser of injuries, as the ,
restorer of nationalities. A political faction in one
of the Continental nations goes to the wall—the
emigres, the fteoruscite, can find no resting-place
for their feet but upon the shores of these selfish
islands ; they straightway abuse us if we will not
give them something more than security for life
and the opportunity of maintaining then:selves by
their own exertions. England, because she is strong,
must help them because they are weak. A nation-
ality is in danger, and England must intervene in
its behalf. Unfortunately, they and we are not the
only parties to an affair of this kind. In order to do
right to any one of them we must, in all probability,
undertake a war with Europe singlehanded, or, at
least, with no better help than the thrice-discomfited
patriots in every country could afford us. We have
serious doubts as to the result of any such policy
even as far as the patriots are concerned—we
have the most certain convictions as to the
consequences to ourselves. But it is said,—
" Oh ! we don't want you to go to war upon
our account ; we want the moral support of
England's sympathy with our wrongs." Were
it consonant with the dignity of this country, we
might well in reply give them the assurances of the
sympathy they require, and leave them there, but
how would that better their case ? On the con-
trary, it is a thousandfold more to their advantage
that we should not hold out hopes which we can
never realize. It needs no special assurance to
certify them of the fact that the sympathies of Eng-
land are always with the oppressed and against the
oppressor. Let them win their own way to a point
at which we can treat with them, and we will gladly
do so. Meanwhile, the independent policy of this
country is ever acting in their favour, although
silently and unostentatiously. Every Englishman
would with pleasure see the subjects of every other
Government as free as himself. The " nationali-
ties," however, must do as we and our forefathers
have done befure us—they must work out the mea-
sure of freedom they desire. Liberty is no exotic
plant, fostered in an artificial atmosphere, and
tended by alien hands ; by its own vigour, by its
own innate energy it must grow, or it will soon be
cast aside as a sickly and worthless weed.
We find ourselves so constantly exposed to the
solicitations and censures of refugees and represen-
tatives of oppressed nationalities, that we think it
right to give expression to what we believe to be
the real state of public opinion in England on the
subject. We refuse to be pressed into the service
as the champions of every falling, or even of every
rising cause. Our history is pregnant with too
many etamples of the results which have flowed
from
such interference. No doubt a case may
arise such as the one which in 1853 attracted the
action of
all the great European powers, save one,
to repel the aggression of Russia. The danger
was immediate in that case, the action of ttie
Powers concerted.
attained, all The object of the war once
our sympathies parties to it withdrew. To-day
in-voked and our assist inc,
are
wrne !Ot
claimed under a very different Alto of facts. The
have been any time in our recollection, Circassian mountaineers ine
tairomn arms,
andas theyth
ey
summon us to their aid. No
nwirern the war with
we strangely
deceive ourselves an to the fact:,
Russia was at its highest, these
moun-
taineers did very little to assist the eaalshciasninthei
operations. From Anapa to Batoum our seamen
and soldiers had purged the eastern coast of the
Euxine of the Russian forces, and a clear field was
left to these Circassian mountaineers. Great results'
were expected from the achievements which, as, it
was supposed, they would perform. Nothing came
of it. For years past we had seen in all the pie.
ture stops of London and Paris representations of
Schamyl, and other Caucasian worthies, and had
associated them inour minds with the old legendary
days of Wallace and Tell. A notable opportunity

was thrown in their way—such an opportunity as
is never likely to recur until all Europe may find it
necessary to levy war against Russia. The gorgeous
mountaineers did nothing ; nor did their action
weigh one pin's head in the decision of the war.
We remember well that it was a common opinion
when Williams and his friends were beleaguered at
Kars that the Caucasians might have made some
demonstration which would have drawn off some
of the storm from the besieged garrison. Tiflis is
not so far distant from their frontier ; but they
did nothing. They wanted either the will or the
power to aid us. If it was goodwill which was
deficient, they have no right to the smallest sym-
pathy from us ; if power, what can we hope to
accomplish in their favour more than was accom-
plished when the allied armies held the Crimea,
and our fleets swept the Euxine g Some stipula-
tion, they say, ought to have been inserted in the
Treaty of Paris in their favour. The independence
of the Caucasus was not the object for which the
war was undertaken, nor had the action of the
mountaineers been such as to import into the
programme of the Alliance any fresh stipulation on
their behalf. As far ,as they were concerned, the
war which Europe waged against Russia was a
lucky opportunity which they would have done
well to improve to the utmost of their power, but
at the point at which hostilities terminated Europe
was not prepared to continue hostilities on their
account. We have received a document, purport-
ing to be "An address to the British nation,"
signed by Sefer Pasha, Prince of Ciroassia. The
Prince takes a very high tone upon recent transac-
tions, and tells us that " During the late war we
(the Circassians) sent a deputation to the Crimea,
offering our assistance to the allied artniev. That
deputation was sent back with the answer that for
the moment our aid was not necessary, and when
they wanted they would call us.' " If this be the
claim upon which our active assistance is now in-
voked, it appears to rest upon a very slender fowl.
dation. It is not pretended that we received any
benefit from the Circassians, or, indeed, assistance
from them of any kind. On the contrary, there
was an offer, and the offer was rejected. Is it pre-
tended that we led them into any error—engaged
them in hostilities with the Russian Goveremeut,
and then abandoned them to their fate 1 Not at
all. For thirty years Sefer Pasha tells us his nation
and Russiahavebeenat war. The outbreak of hostili-
ties found the Circassians at war with the Russians—
the termination of those hostilities left them at war
with their old enemies still. In what respect have
they established any claim to our interference on
their behalf ? Our ground of general policy on the
question has been decided the other way, and of
that policy we were the judges as of right.
We have argued this question gravely, because
it is the first time that it has ever been brought
formally before the public since the conclusion of
the Russian war. It is our deliberate opinion
that in the hour of trial these mountaineers were
found wanting to the common cause. It may well
be that their habits fit them peculiarly for maintain-
ing a contest with Russia in their own mountain
fastnesses ; and such a contest we most unfeignedly
and sincerely hope they may long be enabled to
maintain with success. We hear with pleasure of
their victories ; but it would be a mere delusion to
hold out to them the expectation that we can
effectually interfere on their behalf. Thus much of
Sefer Pasha and his letter ; but we shall not be
surprised if this is the first step in what is called
" a movement in favour of oppressed nationality."
There will be speeches about Ciroassia in abundance,
and bazaars, and much indignation, and perhaps a
fancy ball—the Circassian female costume is singu-
larly becoming.—Times.