The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-21 00:00:00

--7
,_)

would receive the support of Convocation. But, then,
where is the man who will venture to undertake such a
measure ? It is quite expected that the decision of the
Privy Council will be adverse to Mr. Mackonochie.
Being one of a deputation to the new Home Secretary
a few days ago, I was much impressed by Mr. Bruce's
clearness of mind and ability to grasp a question. His
power of expressing his own ideas is not less than that of
comprehending the ideas of others. It has not yet been
decided where he will find a seat. One in South Derby-
shire has become vacant by the death of Sir Thomas
Cresley, but the contest last month was too close, and
a repetition of it would involve too much hard work, I
imagine, for a Cabinet Minister to undertake it.

The new Conservative weekly newspaper Bluc Budget
came out this afternoon, and is one of the neatest penny-
worths I have ever seen. Another new paper is
announced, Vanity Fair, " a weekly show of polit'cal,
social, and literary wares," not waves, as some of
the advertisements announce. Its price is twopence.
The date of the first number is not stated. Under
the Crown appears on Monday, and is published
by Groombridge. It has a strong staff of writers--
F. T. Palgrave, J. It. Planch6, W. B. Greg, Tom Taylor,
and Consul Cameron among the rest. The magazine will
be illustrated, and the price is one penny. The Monthly
Microscopical Journal appears on January 1, and
will be edited by Dr. Henry Lawson. The Anglo-
Coloni f 1 Magazine appears on Christmas Eve. It
will be published by Low, Son, and Marston,
and ' as the price is 2s. 6d. the experiment seems
rather doubtful. The same publishers announce a
Monthly Bulletin, to be issued on the 15th of each month,
and to give information of English and American hooks.
Messrs. Strahan announce a volume of Dean Alford's
Essays and Addresses, chiefly, I presume, from the
Contemporary Review. The next number of the Quarterly
Journal of the Statistical Society will have an important
article by Professor Jevons.

It is pretty generally rumoured that the price of the
new evening paper, the Echo, will be raised to one penny,
and that a very eminent and old-established morning
paper will come down to that sum.

FOREIGN NOTES,
THE THREATENED WAR.
The Times calls upon the Greeks to consider well what
they are about before the dispute between them and the
Turks becomes envenomed by blockades and reprisals. If
the Greeks consider that they have any chance of success
against their hostile neighbours, they must do so for one
of three reasons—either because Greece is a match
for Turkey; or because Turkey, though superior in
strength, is so fainthearted that she will not do
more than argue and protest ; or because one or more
of the Great Powers "are so fanatical for Greek
nationality and policy that they will never allow Turkey
to strike a blow." The first supposition is soon disposed
of. Greece, even including the lonian Islands, has a popu-
lation of only 1,348,000, and an army which in 1866 num-
bered only 11,460 officers and men. The Turkish Empire
is a vast territory, covering the finest parts of Asia as
well as a great region of Europe, and capable of furnishing
armies for many years to come. Moreover, even Egypt
could be counted upon to send reinforcements in behalf
of the Mussulman Power if they were required. As to
the second consideration, that Turkey will not dare to
act, this seems to be based upon the fact that Turkey owes
its existence to the help of England and France, and will
not venture to do anything against their wishes. Turkey,
it may be urged, has already shewn great powers of con-
cession by withdrawing her troops from Ser via, and by
acknowledging the union of Moldavia and Wallachia. On
the other hand, the Porte has shewn that there are limits
to its concessions, for it has positively refused to make
Crete virtually independent, even though urged by her
benefactors to do so. Then we come to the third sugges-
tion—that there is one or more Great Powers standing
behind Greece, and ready to support her. This supposi-
tion the Times considers without foundation. Greece is
clearly in the wrong. Russia is the only Power that has
the will to help her. But what can Russia do? She has
no ships in the Mediterranean that could stand for a day
against the English or French squadrons. The Black
Sea is neutralised ; Sebastopol is in ruins ; the
mouths of the Danube are out of her possession.
Her utmost achievement would be to make a
demonstration on the Pruth ; to draw up her troops
on the Moldavian frontier, which she is not permitted to
cross. Russia is too wise to meddle in a dispute where
she must play so impotent a part, and the Greeks may be
warned that if they count upon such aid they are
destined to a bitter disappointment. Finally, the
Times urges the Western Powers to do all they
can to protect Greece from the ~,,,,,`,l""^,e9
of her misconduct and obstinacy. All the Powers should
unite in some common course of action, which, without
harshness towards the Greeks, will convince them of the
necessity of altering their course. Should they evade this
well-meant interference, there will be nothing for us
but to leave them face to face with the Power they have
provoked.
The Paris correspondent of the Standard considers that
the rupture between Turkey and Greece is "but the pro.
logue to that great war drama which the coming year has
in store for us, and that the war commenced in the
Archipelago will receive its final denouement on the
Rhine. . . . The mine has long been prepared, the
train has now been fired, and ere long we shall witness the
general blow up." The same writer expects to see
Roumania, Prussia, Russia, and possibly the United
States, backing Greece, and Austria supporting Turkey,
France being behind Austria. " France at any rate will
not be taken unawares. Orders have already been given
to hasten the period of the conscription. The conscripts
are to be ' drawn ' in January, and at this present
moment France has an army ready to march."
The Berlin correspondent of the Times accuser
Austria of having done its utmost to bring about
the present crisis. On the other hand, the
special correspondent of the same paper at Pesth (who is
as strongly Austrian as his Berlin colleague Prussian)
declares that such an idea is the height of absurdity. The
correspondent would rather attach importance to Lord
Stanley's speech at Lynn, which is supposed to have stung
Turkey to the quick and roused her to the present decisive
step. The special correspondent points out that in all
these surmises Turkey is left out, and it is taken for
granted that she is a mere puppet moved by one or other
of the Great Powers; a supposition very far from the
truth. The fact is, that while fourteen years ago the late
Sultan, though urged by France and England, could hardly
be persuaded to declare war against Russia, so cynical was
he, so impatient of squabbles and disputes ; his successor
is.a widely different man, is full of fierce energy, some-
what capriciously exercised—" savage fits," the correspon-
dent calls them ; and adds that " very few people in
Europe know how often things have been on the verge of
a crisis in consequence." The crisis was postponed by the
influence of Fuad Pasha, and it is only through this
influence that the Turkish army did not cross the Danube
after the revolution in Roumania three years ago. He is
now ill in Italy, and as for the rest of the Turkish states-
men, there is not one who approaches the Sultan without
trembling.