The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-04 00:00:00

The Danubian Principalities.

BUCHAREST, March 29.

A circular note, addressed on the 20th February
last, by Prince John Gliika, the Minister for Foreign
Affairs in the Roumanian Provisional Government,
to the representatives of the guaranteeing Powers
in this capital, has just appeared.
After briefly alluding to the deposition of Prince
Couza and the election of the Count of Flanders as
the new llospodar, the note proceeds :
" When the signatory Powers of the Treaty of
Paris consulted the Roumanians as to their wishes
for the future organisation of the country the latter
did not fail to reply in all sincerity to that appea
of Europe, which took the Principalities under her
protection. The divans ad hoc, the exact and sin-
cere representatives of all classes, unanimously
stated, after 'nature deliberation, their principal
desires ; foremost among which were the union and
hereditary rule of a foreign prince chosen from one
of the reigning families of Europe. But although
the assemblies had striven to explain the absolute
necessity of fulfilling this twofold wish, in order to
secure and consolidate the existence of the people,
the Powers did not think fit to accede to it at once,
and the Roumanian nation was forced to proceed to
the election of a native prince. This happened after
20 years of a state of things whose condition had
not furnished men of the future with the opportunity
of developing their abilities, of proving their strength,
and of creating for themselves a name which gave
them authority—a circumstance which combined
with the reciprocal distrust and jealousy arising
from the strife of parties, and whose inevitable effect
was the exclusion by each other of all men of any
value. What but absolute negation could result
from these data?

" The Roumanians had foreseen, as shown by the
detailed votes of the assemblies, the lamentable con-
sequences of the election of a native prince. These
consequences are enumerated in the statement of.
the ad hoc divan which met at Jassy. Neverthe-
less, all parties did not fail to rally around the
newly-elected ruler, in order to support him with
all their strength. But they were unfortunately
obliged to perceive and to admit from day to day
that Prince Couza entertained a positive repug-
nance to men of principle and conviction. It was
not long before he was surrounded by a clique
against whom the most conciliatory were obliged
to display their just dislike. Nevertheless, setting
aside differences, men of all parties, after mutual
concessions, had, I repeat, united their efforts to
provide a peaceful remedy for a condition of affairs
daily becoming more difficult.

" It was in vain for the friends of the prince,
thwarted in their cupidity by a chamber which in-
sisted upon controlling the employment of the tax-
payers' money, profited by their ascendancy to use
it in representing those who endeavoured to turn
the sovereign from his evil courses as obstacles to
the welfare of the country, and, by dint of falsify-
ing the truth as to men and things, they succeeded
in justifying the coup d'etat of May 2, 1864, in the
sight of Europe. Subsequent facts were of a cha-
racter to undeceive the public mind. Far from
procuring for the country a government strong by
the organisation of an intelligent administration,
and by impartial justice, the coup d'etat only acce-
lerated the disorganisation by giving free vent to
the rapacious instincts of the men who lived on
terms of intimacy with the prince, or with his
friends, and who were in possession of his favours.
They were able, lastly, to reign without control,
and we had thus the spectacle of a Government
devoid of shame and of every moral sense. Under
the Government which then weighed upon it the
nation felt itself humiliated and dishonoured in the
sight of Europe. The general discontent among all
classes was the precursor of an overthrow as inevit-
able as it was desired. Partialities and injustice of
all kinds had finished by affecting the army, frequently
employed to serve against unarmed men, seduced in
front of the cannon by the intrigues of the police
and by fictitious plots. Holidays were converted
into seasons of anguish and mourning, while the
troops were under arms, and citizens dragged to
prison. The affair of Aug. 3, brought about by police
provocations, unsealed the eyes of the army, and
made it aware of the odious and sinister part it had
unconsciously played in that horrible party tragedy.
Thence arose a reaction due to its neglect. In 'ordi-
nary times the Lest officers were suspected and dis-
graced. Promotion was the recompense of intrigue,
or the result of favouritism. Speculations were en-
tered into in the supplies, all the susceptibilities of
officers were wounded, their military honour was
affronted. Service became impossible under a Go-
vernment that had lost all moral influence over the
minds of the army and the people.
" To sum up, anarchy and improbity, denial of
every principle of justice, rash reform of laws affect-
ing the most vital interests, toleration of the most
scandalous abuses ; the summons to or maintenance
in the public service of persons of bad reputation,
always ready to sacrifice the general welfare to their
selfish ends ; corruption or threats employed in
parliamentary and municipal elections, open inter-
ference in private litigation, and consequently pres-
sure brought to bear upon the magistrates and high
functionaries to force them to deliver judgments
foreign to equity and repugnant to their consciences;
utter heedlessness and waste of the public funds to
the most alarming extent, entailing a poverty of
which the treasury will long feel the deplorable
effects; absolute want of credit,with.the,impossibility
up to the present time of its being raised either at
home or abroad ; lastly, to complete the work, de-
moralisation in all branches of the public service,
contempt for family, property, and religion. Such
is the sum total of the responsibility resting upon
the late Government, which the Roumanian nation,
after seven long years of exemplary resignation,
found itself compelled to displace to avoid being
dragged into the abyss whither the sovereign was
rapidly hurrying."

All these evils, the circular deduces, were the
result of the Roumanians having been compelled to
elect a native prince. If these calamities are not to
recur, the only combination, says Prince Ghika,
" capable of offering guarantees of stability and
prosperity," is the appointment of a foreign sove-
reign as the future liospodar. The note concludes
with an earnest appeal to the sagacity and good-will
of the guaranteeing Powers, in concert with the
Sublime Porte, to furnish a remedy so ardently de-
sired by the entire population of the two Princi-
palities.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

SOUTH-WESTERN AND LUDGATE-HILL.

Yesterday the connecting line between the Metro-
politan Extension (Ludgate-hill) of 'the London,
Chatham, and Dover Railway and the Clap-
ham junction of the South-Western Company,
was opened for public traffic with much success.
The first train was started from the new station at
Kingston, under the supervision of Mr. W. God-
son and Mr. W. M. Williams, the passenger super-
intendent of the South Western Railway, at eight
o'clock, and reached Ludgate-hill at 95, passing on
its route the Richmond, Clapham Junction, Brix-
ton, Camberwell New-road, Elephant and Castle,
and Blackfriars-bridge stations. The earliest down
trains left Ludgate-hill at 9 10 a.m., under the
management of the 'officials of the London, Chat-
ham, and Dover Railway, and by the same route
arrived at Kingston at 10 29. There are 15 trains
each way daily, all of which are first, second, and
third class. Only ten up and ten down trains,
however, run from Ludgate-hill to Kingston and
vice versa, the rest simply performing a service be-
tween the City and Clapham Junction. There
will be no Sunday trains over the new line during
this month.

MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD, AND LINCOLN-
SHIRE.

The total expenses of this company's railways
and canals, including rents, tolls, duty, &c., from
January 1 to March 25,1866, amounted to £117,296
as against £103,388 for the corresponding period
of 1865. The proportion of the South Junction
receipts accruing to this company from January 1
to March 25 amounted to £8,855, as against £7,805
for the corresponding period of 1865 ; and the ex-
penses to £5,315, as against £4,407.