The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-14 00:00:00

ably precipitated Peace (i.e., Truce) brought
about by the redoubtable Paris Conferences !

THERE-if you like—is the cause of this new
War in the East ! The first hostile " movement"
in which war was marked by the capture of
Herat, the Key to our Oriental Dominions !
The specious but utterly futile "excuse" for which
violation of existing treaties was—if you will—
this scandalous little incident of the Lady pro-
tected, in violation of Persian usages, by the Bri-
tish Ambassador. We don't, of course, under-
take in any way to exonerate Mr. MURRAY from
all blame in the transaction. But otherwise than
as a wretched little episode, furnishing a miserably
inadequate plea for a rupture with England on
the part of the SEAN, this story about the Per-
sian Lady—as told by the Times—we warn the
public to regard merely in the light of a Minis-
terial Canard ! The promised, or rather we
should say more correctly, the threatened, Blue
Book will furnish us, of course, with all the facts
of the case about the Persian Lady and her Bri-
tish Protector. But already, before a single do-
cument is printed, to be " pottered" over at their
leisure by Journalists and Members of Parliament
—we know perfectly well that it is simply frivo-
lous and ridiculous to regard this as the source of,
the confusion between the two contending Go-
vernments.

A Lady—no doubt of it—has " set the world
in arms" before now; and that Lady no better than
she should be. But to talk of the new War
with Persia as having been actually originated by
a second HELEN would be as extravagant an
absurdity in its way as to expect to find in one of
our Bran Ne* Spasmodic Poets another HomEn,
ripe for the celebration of the struggle in a new
Iliad ! No—again we assert this entertaining
historiette about " The Persian Lady and the
British Ainbassador" in its novel position, namely,
as the pretended explanation as to the source of
the new Eastern difficulty, an explanation put
forward by the Times in the name and on behalf
of Her MAJESTY'S Government--again, and again,
and again, we pronounce it to be nothing more
nor less than a Ministerial Canard. As an inci-
dent, we will at once admit it to be true in every
particular. But in its present application we
regard it as simply preposterous.
The Persian War traces its origin neither to
this frail fair one, nor yet again to the city of
Herat. The capture of Herat, as we have inti-
mated already, was the declaration of the war by
the Government of Teheran. The Protection of
the Lady was the shallow plea, the flimsy excuse
—nothing more. The secret source of the whole
difficulty being—there is no means of blinking the
matter—it is as clear as the sun at noonday---
Tbe secret source of the whole difficulty being—
Russia ! Ministers are, of course, unwilling to
acknowledge this, because, quite as glaring
as the fact itself is the origin of that fact—
the Pitiable Peace patched up with Russia by the
Allies. But for this deplorably precipitated com-
promise Russia would never have ventured so
soon afterwards to set her old evil-policy in play
again, as opposed to British dominion in the East.
The " Precious Peace," however, is already as
fruitful of disasters, in the way of fresh havoc
and fresh bloodshed, as we, from the first moment
of its lamentable announcement, anticipated.
Hence the expulsion of our Minister from Teheran.
Hence the sudden capture of the city of Herat.
Hence the flagrant violation of treaties, leading to
the declaration of Waragainst the Shah of PERSIA,
in the name of her most gracious MAJESTY, on the
Ist of November, 18 56, at Calcutta. The
intrigues, the trickeries, the chicaneries, the
hair-splittingaDiplomacy, are now, however (at least
be it said, for the time being) at an end between
Persia and England. LThe gage of battle has
been flung down on either hand. And we enter-
tain not the smallest doubt whatever, but that
before very much longer, a good account will be
given of themselves in due course by the British
Fleet, which has• recently taken its departure for
the waters of the Persian Gulf, and by the British
Army which has simultaneously adventured upon
a march into Cabul through the rocky passes of
Affghanistan, under the daring and skilful com-
mand of Brigadier CIIAXEERLAYNE.

We, yesterday, explained that Russia is pur-
suing her traditional policy with indefatigable
zeal. She has not abandoned a single particle of
her iniquitous designs, and still looks forward
confidently to the period when the Muscovite
standard shall be displayed on the minarets of
St. Sophia. The action of the late CZAR is
now believed to have been premature. He should
have waited patiently to have Completed all his
preparations, and to have sown dissension between
France and England, before he assumed the ini-
tiative. That is the prevalent opinion at St.
Petersburg, and throughout the length and
breadth of Holy Russia. There is no shame on
account of the iniquitous attempt. The only'
shame is for its failure. The "mission of Russia,'
as it is termed, is still to Cossackise Europe, and
Turkey is the first savoury morsel to be absorbed.
The feeling of "repentance" is analogous to that
of the " ticket-of-leave" man, who easily contrives
to " gammon" the chaplain, but whose anxiety
for freedom is greatly increased by the desire of
' testing the efficacy of the new dodges which he has
learned or invented during his seclusion. He is
still at war with society I His hand, like that of
IsumAEL, "is against every man." But he has
learned the necessity of caution, and of " as-
suming the appearance of virtue, if he hath
it not." Thus Russia professes modera-
tion, because t is not convenient just
at present to fling aside disguise. She requires
sufficient time to recruit her losses during the
late war—to replenish her treasury, and to have
the means of transit for her troops to the Crimean
coast, and adequate transports to land them in the
neighbourhood of Constantinople. In fact, she is
now merely "biding her time," prepared to take
advantage of the first favourable opportunity that
may offer

Some credulous persons may suppose that she
will respect her undertakings—that the pledges
which she has given to the great Powers of Europe
will not be deliberately violaktd. But the con-
science of Russia is of a very elastic character.
Her morality is peculiarly Iludibrastic. She
thinks—

"'Tis he who makes the math that breaks it,
Not him who for owe nience takes it."

She has for her conveniew:e entered into engage-
ments, which will be pa ,Bally kept so long as it
may suit her purpose,, but no longer. Indeed
she has already given "a, taste of her quality"
in the pettifogging quibbles raised about Bolgrad
and the Isle of Se rpents, and even the most
verdant could not, 'After these melancholy exhi-
bitions, repose con fidence in her promises, how-
ever solemn !

The chief muss of failure on the late occasion
was the imposs=ibility of conveying troops to the
scene of action ins the Crimea. The comprehen-
sive scheme of railways, intended to be con-
structed at the expense of France and England,
was calculated to remedy this defect. It would
be doubly use ful to " cripple the enemy," by ex-
tracting some forty-three millions of bullion from
their storqs, and also ,to have the means provided