The Sun.
London, England, 1835-09-10 00:00:00

QUESTIONS OF THE EAST.

ENGLAND, FRANCE, RUSSIA, AND TURKEY.
FRANKFORT, SEPT. 3.

FIRST ARTICLE.

To defend Turk/ you must occupy it. Such is the new
principle of the law of nations. The truth of which is pro-
claimeds and the wisdom admired by the Journal des Debats.
What will Sultan 3lahmoucl say to it? Will he be duly con-
vinced of the justice of this new theory ? • Will he be more in-
clined, henceforward, to rely with confidence on the friendship
of France and England, which in order to reserve to Turkey
its liberty and its strength, desire to deprive it of the Dar-
danelles ? On the other hand, what would France say, if the
principle so much extolled by the Journal des Debats, being
once admitted into the modern code of the law of nations,
should unexpectedly be applied to other questions than those of
the East ? If Austria, impatient at seeing the stay of the
French at Ancona indefinitely prolonged, should one day de-
clare, to defend the States of the Pope they must be occupied;
if Prussia, jealous of the supremacy of France at. Brussels,
should declare, to defend Belgium it must be occupied; lastly,
if Russia, warned by the foreign press of the hostile designs
.of which it is the object, should proclaim aloud, to defend the
.i)ardanelles they must be occupied? Let us spealt out—
what would become of the repose of the world, if to maintain
the independence of nations we should begin by subjugating
them ?

Happily Europe has not come to this. The Governments,
ewhatever may he their prejudices, or often their rivalry, never-
theless have confidence in their mutual in,tientions. This con-
fidence is not the result of blind preposse")n ; it is founded on
a just estimate of their true interests. Those of Russia,' with
respect to the affairs of the East, are now a secret to nobody.
Russia, as all the world knows, was a conqueror in 1774, when
it dictated the peace of Kaisnarji. It was so in 1792, at the
peace of Passey, and again in 1812, at the peace of Bucha-
rest ; the Journal des Debats quotes accurately the dates and
-the conquests. Yes, Russia has extended its frontiers ;on
;the sea of Azof it has founded the commerce and rising civili-
zation of Kertsch and Odessa, where forty years ago there
wine only hordes of roving Tartars ; it has bathed with its
blond the walls of Ismail, and has opposed the first quarantine
on The banks of the Pruth to the scourge of the plague ; it
has occupied Bessarabia, and opened the mouths of the Da-
nube to commerce and navigation. All these conquests of
iviiieation have been made by Russia. It does not deny them.
rtpeat. it was a conqueror in 1774, 1792, and I 812 ; because
it was its interest to be so. Now it is no longer so, and for
the same reason—because its interest, well tnaderstood, com-
mands it not to extend its conquests, but to preserve in
peace the advan'-ees it possesses. And Constantinople,
"-
• at will be said will Russia be content not to seize it ?
It will not seize it it cannot desire it; because it de-
sires to preserve entire all the elements of its strength ;
and, to be strong, it feels the necessity of remaining united.
Now the history of all ages teaches it, that the two extremi-
ties of Europe—the south and the north, the west and the
east—cannot be united under the same crown, and that the
.masters of Byzantium ceased to be the masters of Rome.
'This explains why a wise and truly national policy will never
ativise the Cabinet of St. Petersburgh to dream, as we are
often told, of the conquest of Constantinople. The true in-
tert st of Russia is therefore the best security to Europe for
the .disinterestedness of its policy. This is one cf those truths
that has been too long disregarded, and which the experience
of the last five years ought to have made evident to all the
'world. Did you cast your eyes on the map of Turkey about
the month of August, 1829 ? Did you remark bow far the
Russians had carried their standards ? They were at Erze-
ronn—they were at Eros—they were at Iniada—they were at
Midia—at Adrianople—they were at Gule-Boureas—at Kirk-
.Klissi—tbey were within two days' march of gates of
the capital of the Ottoman empire. Who, then, fixed
boends to their conquests ? Turkey ? It was without
arms. The Ambassadors of England and France ? Have
you read the letter which Count Guclliininot, and Sir R.
Gordon, addressed, at that time, to the Commander-in-
Chief of the Rdssian army ? Did they threaten him
with the intervention of the maritime Powers if he
prosecuted his victorious march? No ! they merely declared
to him that if the Imperial armies march to Constantince4
the Sublime Porte would cease to exist. At these memorable
words the Russian army stopped. Why ? Because the Em-
peror Nicholas had said at the very beginning of the war
that he desired a just and hqnourable peace, but,did not deSire
that it should be destructive to the Ottoman empire. What
happened then? On the 9th September (N. S.) the Ambas-
sadors had declared that if the Russian army advanced another'
step, the Porte would cease to exist. On the 15th September
the Peace of Adrianople was signed.
Such was the conduct of Russia in 1829. Let us now exa;
mine what it was in 1833. Ibrahim Pacha, matter Of Syria;
was advancdng towards the capital of the Ottoman empire',
The Porte had recourse to England. The Emperor of Reasiii
declared that he should see without jealousy or distrust the
succour which Turkey should obtain of Great Britain ; but
the circurnstanctes of the time hindered the latter from afford-
ing to the Porte the effectual and immediate assistance which
the pressing dana.aer that threatened the Sultan imperatively
required. In the midst of so many difficulties and dangers,
that Sovereign then made a direct appeal to the Emperor
Nicholas. This anpeal was as frank and noble as the as-
sistance which- he obtained was prompt and honourable. A
Russian fleet crossed the Black Sea in the middle of win-
ter, and anchored in the channel of Constantinople. Ten
thousand Russians pitched their tents on the Asiatic shores of
the Bosphorus. Then the Emperor of Russia declared that
his squadron and his troops would remain in the positions which ,
they had taken, till Ibrahim had laid down his arms and re-
passed Mount Taurus; but that as soon as that object should
he attained, the Russian squadron and troops should imme-
diately quit the Bosphorus. Europe knows whether this pro-
mise of the Emperor was scrupulously kept.
The day after that on which the retreat of Ibrahim was an-
nounced to the Porte and to Count Orloff, the signal for de-
parture was given ; the Russian flag disappeared ; but there
remained at Constantinople the remembrance of the good faith
with which the Emperor of Russia had succoured his ally, and
kept his promises. It was under the influence of this two-fold
impression that the Sultan concluded the treaty of alliance,
which is called at St. Petersburgh the Treaty of Constanti-
nople of the 26th of June, and of which the English and
French journals have but too often spoken, by the name of the
treaty of the Bth of July, or of Unkiar-Skelessi. Those who
talk the most of it are certainly those who have not read it,
otherwise they would not speak of it at all; or, at least, they
would speak of it differently. The following is the substance
of this treaty, which the Porte has wisely communicated to all
the Cabinets of Europe—a notoriety which renders it already
a matter of history :,
This act, reduced to the most simple expressions, stipulates
—that in case the Porte should be again under the necessity
of asking the assistance of Russia, the Emperor promises
to afford it that assistance, in consequence of the principle of
preservation and mutual defence, which serves as the basis of
the present treaty, and on account of the sincere desire of his
Majesty the Emperor to insure the duration, the maintenance,
and entire independence of the Porte.
Such is the tenor of this Convention, concluded for eight
years, two of which have expired. It remains to be known
how this treaty is, as more than one Journal has pretended,
threatening to the general tranquillity, prejudicial to the ba-
lance of Europe, or derogatory to the independence of Turkey.
We think, on the contrary, that it is for the interest of all, that
Russia contracted the engagement not only to respect itself
the integrity of Turkey, but also to defend it. In our
opinion it is an obligation which .the Cabinet of St. Pe-
tersburgh has solemnly taken upon itself for the well-under-
stood interest of the preservation of the balance of Europe.
This is so true, that the united diplomacey of all the
Cabinets would have been proud, 20 years ago, if it could
have brought about the conclusion of a treaty conceived
in the spirit of that which Russia has voluntarily signed,
as a striking proof of its sincerity—l may say of its political
probity ; an act which is misinterpreted and decried, precisely
because Russia has concluded it of its own accord. Impose
on the Court of St. Petersburgh, against its will, the obliga-
tion to maintain the integrity of Turkey, and all tho world will
admire the wisdom of such a combination as the masterpiece
of modern diplomacy ; but let Russia take on itself the same
engagement, because the Emperor Nicholas finds it just,
honourable, and useful,—all the world is alarmed, is angry,
and declaims against the ambitious projects of Russia, for the
sole reason that Russia freely renounces them in the face of
all Europe.
Happily for the glory of modern diplomacy, all the cabinets
are not of the opinion of the journals ; and we know positively
that at Vienna, with all submission to the .Journal des Debats,
the treaty of Unkiar Skelessi is considered more likely to pre-
serve the balance of Europe than the taking of Verona, the
battle of Koulerteha, and the passage of the Balkan. (The
continuation to-morrow.)—Journal de Fran/,fort, Sept. 3.

ARRIVALS FROM THE BALTIC.---During the
past week, there have been numerous arrivals of vessels from
St. Petersburgh, Riga, Archangel, and other lower ports in
the Baltic. Their cargoes, principally consisting of flax and
hemp, ippear to be in excellent quality.