The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-14 00:00:00

The following circular has been issued by Prince
Gortschakoff to the representatives of Russia at the
different Courts of Germany :

" Sir,—ln presence of the complications which
have arisen in Italy, many of the great Powers of
Europe have thought fit to make a statement of
their immediate and eventual attitude.
" According to information which has reached
us, the Government of her Britannic Majesty has
informed the States of the Confederation tlrat in its
opinion no hostile act of the French Government,
no obligatory treaty, would justify on the part of
Germany an attack against France, or the prema-
ture adoption of a line of conduct which.might lead
to a European war; that, consequently, if at the
present moment the Confederation provoked such a
war without a cases fcederis, and generalised with-
out a sufficient cause a struggle which ought as
much as possible to remain rocalise,d, the Govern-
ment of her Britannic Majesty would maintain a
strict neutrality, and could not give any assistance
to Germany, nor guarantee, by the interposition of
her naval forces, the coasts of Germany from any
attack.

" On its part the Cabinet of the Tuileries has
solemnly declared that it does not entertain towards
Germany any sentiment of a nature to cause it
anxiety or give it umbrage, and that it is only ani-
mated by the most sincere desire of living on good
terms with the German Confederation, whose
rights and interests it is resolved to respect every-
where.

" Finally, the Prussian Government, while order-
inc, its army to be put on a war footing, declares
that the sole object-of that purely defensive mea-
sure was to shield the integrity of Germany, to
place its interests safe from all eventualities, and
to watch over the maintenance of the balance of
power in Europe.
"To point out the opinions entertained by his
Majesty the Emperor upon the grave questions of
the moment, I might limit myself to a reference to
those declarations. The principles thy lay down

and the assurances which they Contain are entirely
in harmony with the views of our august master.
" His Majesty, however, having latterly departed
from the reserve he had imposed upon himself since
the war in the East, I think it advisable to enter
into a few details on the subject with the Imperial
legations.
" The wish of the Emperor to concentrate his
attention exclusively to the essential reforms intro-
duced into the interior of his empire was obliged to
yield to the gravity of the circumstances. Our
august master did not think he could remain a
passive spectator of complications which menaced
the general peace.
"To solve those complications we proposed a
European Congress. The idea was eagerly received
by the great Powers.
" That Congress did not place any of them in the
dark. Its programme was drawn out beforehand
on the bases proposed by the Government of her
Britannic Majesty, and later it received a careful
extension from the Austrian Government.

"The fundamental idea which had presided over
that combination did not prejudice any essential
interest.

"On the one hand the respective state of territo-
rial possession in Italy was maintained; and, on the
other hand, a result might issue from the Congress
which had nothing exorbitant or unusual in inter-
national relations.

" As far as we are concerned, we were disposed to
meet those deliberations in the most conciliatory
spirit, and with the most equitable sentiments.
Confident in the support which our efforts would
have met with, we had reason to hope that the
scourge of war would be spared to mankind.
" That hope has been deceived. At the last
moment, and when all difficulties of detail appeared
to be removed, the Cabinet of Vienna suddenly
broke off the negotiations, alleging as the sole rea-
son that its dignity did not allow it to sit in a
congress to which the Italian Cdurts, consequently
Sardinia, should be admitted.. • . .

" I need not here point out. that in a congress
called upon to discuss the affairs of Italy, the absence
of the Italian Courts would have been at the same
time a logical fault and an act of injustice, that their
participation emanated from the principles laid
down at Aix-la-Chapelle, confirmed by the Con -
• gresses of Laybach and. Verona, convoked by Austria
herself'. -

" We have sincerely and deeply regretted a
determination which, on the one hand, proved that
the intention which dictated to us the proposition of
a European Congtess was not understood at Vienna,
and, on the other, abandoned to the chances of war
interests which would have found safety in the very
bases of the proposed Congress.
" The documents of that negotiation will one day
be submitted to the verdict of public opinion. We do
not in any respect fear that which will be expressed
upon the conduct of the Imperial Government. It
will then be proved beyond a doubt that our only
aim being to accelerate a meeting from which we
hoped a pacific solution, no difficulty on our part, no
obstinate persistence in any preconceived idea, was
thrown in the way. We may add, in all sincerity,
that in the course of the negotiations the French
Government honestly seconded the efforts of the
Powers desirous, like ourselves, to assure the main-
tenance of peace.
" However this may be, considering the failure of
that supreme attempt to prevent the war which
has just broken out, there remained another duty
for us to fulfil—namely, to limit its calamities as
much as possible.
" On this point I have already expressed our full
adhesion to the declarations of the Powers which
tend in that most essential point to the general
interests of Europe.
" Associating ourselves especially to that of the
Government of her Britannic Majesty, we cannot
dissimulate the regret we feel at the excitement
manifested in some parts of Germany.
" We fear that it originates in a misunderstand-
ing similar to that which ma.de the Congress
proposed by Russia misunderstood at Vienna. But
misunderstandings which concern the destinies of
nations acquire a character of gravity which im-
poses upon us the duty of endeavouring to clear
them up.
"Our august master does not wish any doubt to
exist respecting the views which animate him at
the present conjuncture.
" Some Statgs of the German Confederation seem
anxious, from fears of the future. To avoid a dan-
ger which we believe has no foundation, they ex-
pose themselves to create very palpable ones, and
this not only by not overcoming passions the de-
velopment of which might imperil the safety and
the internal force of the Governments, but by giv-
ing just cause of complaint to a neighbouring and
powerful State at the very moment they are re-
I ceiving reassuring declarations from it.
" The French Government have solemnly pro-
claimed that it entertains no hostile intentions
against Germany.
" This declaration, made openly to Europe, has
been hailed with eager assent by the majority of
the great Powers. Now, such an assent implies
obligations.
thus that we have understood ours.
thus It is
" When an unfortunate chain of circumstances
ends in a hostile rupture, the only means to accele-
rate the return of peace and mitigate the evils of
war is to keep it within the limits of the ground
where the rival interests that gave birth to it
clash.
" In the present conjuncture the Cabinet of Ber-
lin has taken, as the device of its attitude, the de-
fence of the integrity of Germany and the main-
tenance of the balance of power in Europe.
" We are equally interested in the maintenance
of that balance of power, and in this respect our
vigilance will not cede to that of any one. As re-
gards the integrity. of Germany, the high and chi-
valrous character of the Prince who has proclaimed
himself its guardian, and whose pow er is equal to
the task, ought, in our opinion, to render any
other guarantee unnecessary. We think it almost
needless to recall, history in hand, that that inte-
rest also has not been indifferent to Russia, and
that she has not recoiled at sacrifices when the
point was to save it from a real danger.
" But a renewal of those sacrifices would not be
justified, in the opinion of his Majesty the Emperor,
if caused by a voluntary act of violence, despite the
friendly exhortations which it lavishes, and the
proofs with which it supports them.
" Our desire, like that of the majority of the
great Powers, is now to localise the war, because
it arose out of local circumstances, and because
it is the only means of accelerating the re-
turn of peace. The line followed by some States of
the German Confederation tends, cn the contrary,
to generalise the struggle by givngit
hancmhaan racterand proportions which go beyondi all
pre-
vision, and which, under any circumstance, would
lead to increased devastation, and would cause
torrents of blood to be shed.
" We can the less understand t his tendency as,
independently of the guarantees offered to Germany
by the positive declarations of the ',French Govern-