The Sun.
London, England, 1828-08-23 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The delay of intelligence from the great field
of contest—or perhaps we ought to say conquest
—in the east of Europe, seems to have enhanced
within these few days the anxiety with which its
progress and consequences are considered. That
the passage of the Balkan must leave it in the
choice of Russia to march at her leisure upon
the Turkish capital, no military man has ever
thought a subject of doubt ; but there are per-
sons ingenuous enough to hope that the
sltrNridecla-
rations of' the Emperor Nicholas, disclamatory
of all wish to conquer Turkey, are to be under-
stood as
with 1p
Constanti-
nople at his feet, he will not stoop to seize it,
o
imhtaipitalystitniip,gee,r,l:eilpiltrheiezorensotehat with
fi
consent to
Russian
relinquish iey n
lios ,
g Nait,
of the designs of Princes. A
statesmen
thesepsyiencZeiurnel
alt:eihoot-u
Npsvoooituiallctidhaeicitilil ompso:ni
disavowal of intentions, the fulfil-
known to be a favourite object
at our bidding. They
wi'slmeeleellrir,ielstneNo\oaser'flir;pr o\u)
Na, prul
dent Inis
tit
sv
h
with him who professes to abandon them,
is, in the course of private life, Very fit_
trusted,ly
guen tfrom
r ecea
as iv
e d with
ie on
c he confidence,t and
honour of
securelyo f
the party ; but in the transaction of public
affairs the sense entertained by states of their
own interest and power is the only safe mea-
sure of the confidence reposed in them by their
neighbours. The grandmother of Nicholas over-
whelmed Poland with protestations of disinte-
rested friendship at the moment when she
marched her armies to dismember that ill-fated
land. We all recollect the Royal and even in-
dignant assurances of peace which preceded the
two French invasions of the Spanish monarchy.
The caths to which liberty in Spain, as well as
Portugal, has fallen a too easy victim, we have
here no desire to insist upon, the forsworn tyrant
in both cases being a disgrace to his family and
to the Kingly title. But it is no affront to the
Government of his Imperial Majesty of Russia
to affirm, that the throne of Constantinople
would, in the eyes of the Muscovite people, be
cheaply purchased by a deception upon Europe,
were Europe still silly enough to be deceived.
The wisest course, therefore, for foreign nations,
is to anticipate, from the loose manner in which
the Imperial manifesto has been worded, that
it will be construed by the Court which.
issued it, so as to admit of every political
advantage being seized by Russia which
success in arms can procure her. The cap-
ture of Constantinople, therefore,—and, if
Russia be not deterred by dangers more pressing
than any that can affect her from the ruined
Ottoman force, the permanent occupation of
European Turkey,—ought to be among the
contingencies reckoned up as probable fnlits of
the military operation now in progress. The
questions which then arise are these—how far
so magnificent an accession to the territorial and
maritime resources of Russia might be deemed
consistent with the independence of other states
which have hitherto held an equal rank with that
great empire in the world ;—how far the loss of
relative power in such states severally may be
consistent with the general safety of Europe, and
with the especial prosperity of Great 'Britain
herself;—finally, if the apprehended aggrandize-
ment of Russia be held substantially dangerous
to the balance of power and to the British em-
pire, what ought to be the policy of Great Bri-
tain? In turning over the pages of a work
which we noticed yesterday (that by Colonel
Evans), we found a reference to a striking pas-
sage of our Parliamentary iiistory, during the
last reign, with which, as affording a powerful
authority corroborative of our own opinions,
we were not a little gratified. Mr. Pitt, in
urging the policy which he was anxious to
prosecute against Russia with regard to Oc-
zakow, a policy in which, we say not with how
much wisdom, the Parliament of that day de-
clined to support him, is reported to have used
these words—" If my opponents answer, let
Russia take all her conquests, and drive the
Turks out of Europe, we have no interest in it
—with those who maintain such a prof: osition,
I will net argue." So decided, so deep, was
Mr. Pitt's persuasion of the degree to which
British:interests must be involved in the quarrel,
—the same quarrel, be it observed, which is at
this moment agitated—that he disdained to argue
the question. But there is a second authority,
which collies more home to disputants of the
present day, and which is of a nature peculiarly
binding on the actual conductors of the military
policy of' Great Britain. When some Members
of the House of Lords within these few months
appeared to under-rate the importance of any po-
litical changes rendered probable by the warlike
preparations of Russia against the Porte, his
Grace the Duke of Wellington declared that
Turkey was the ancient ally of Great Britain,
and the Ottoman Empire could not be made
a conquest by Russia with safety to the rest
of Europe. So far, then, the ps:inciple to
be assumed by England seems undoubted,
viz. that European Turkey must not become
a part of the Russian Empire. Unquestion-
ably, we admit that to a Russian patriot no-
thing can be more irksome and intolerable than
that the peaceful commerce of his country, the
passage of the Bosphorus, the Marmora, and the
Dardanelles, with the entrance to the Mcditer.
ranean, all which are necessary to the profitable.
. navigation of the Euxine, should be
keptr antler
lock
key,l)owr
as
:i.t were,
gere,rbeayt aeoboalribtrsynolunlat tstsnia-
ought not to be called upon to endure such a
%.if,eaeylat.tatein.,retewi her,vaiitihi ntrdheulirr,s:t
oa"ldt
Russia
the :illsetlufeeleal
progress of her civilisation, So far as an Aso_
ho
for
lute freedom of Russian commerce is concerned,
it may be looked upon as the bounden duty,
;end even the selfish policy of France and Eng-
security ; but that
themselves a single nation, to establish with her
the Turkish territory, ter
ss,sh security ought to be framed upo.n occu-
eado not 'think that either
any part of it,
will acknow-
produce
dAutei Austria,
f,
e
Russian in-
duatt'y, which
ocfanswiteriiise
tferroriirtsortihael
ledge. It is one tiling to have a free con-
time resources as now belong to Russia, and
a thing Very different to require an enormous ac-
' 14E2 England, fa:r:dbh,;or
c(lsswit to such resources, on the plea of securing
mostantl an' mari-
time
a transit for the fruits of those already in her
possession. Mr. Pitt's declared objection to an.
Increase of Russian power, was directed against
the transfer from Turkey to the Empress of the
single town of Oczakow, that is to say,---_ ,A
single inch of frontier. So much did he dread
not then the mistress of all
the laying down a bad precedent for after times ;
all Finland, and the finest provinces of
apnodlalntdt:ssia was
Persia. Let it not be said that because the
scene is distant, the danger is so ; and that if we
Another work which we incidentally alluded to wn%
by the Oetwral Valentini, named by tni*take VAssiladi,
ltile:rsainNanNi,coest, entire