The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-09-04 00:00:00

THE EASTERN QUESTION

The Reveu des Deux Mondes of the 31st August attacks
again with singular virulence the quadruple treaty of the 15th
of July, and tries to demonstrate that it is impossible to fulfil
that treaty, and that ultimately it will have no satisfactory
results : _ .

" It matters little to France," says the Reveu," whether
Mehemet Ali chooses to resign Syria, and even Egypt to the
Sultan, or to give up his political existence, and retire into
private life, or whether the Viceroy decides upon a vigorous
defence. As long as it is the Ottoman Porte alone that acts
against him, France can have nothing to say. The part of
France will be that of an armed observer. The policy of
France is well known, it is interested and dignified. She
asks for nothing, but she will not allow the balance of power
in Europe to be infringed, and, if the day of battle should
come, she will choose her own field for action, and not have
it marked down by others. But let us now examine the
" coercive measures" that are about to be taken against
Mehemet Ali. _ _ _ . .

Will you blockade Syria ? But England has maintained,
in the Spanish question, that neutrals could not be made to
admit the blockade of a friendly power. Syria is a province
of the Ottoman empire. England cannot, therefore, blockade
the ports of her ally, and the Porte cannot blockade itself.
The Sultan, it istrae, can, as a measure of policy, close any
of his ports against every flag without exception, but in that
Oise the Sultan's forces must be allowed to act.

—Will you bombard Alexandria? It would be a singular
way of renderipg service to the Sultan to burn his fleet with
that of the Pad's, and destroy one of the most flourishing
cities of the empire. It would be a great proof of Anglo-
Russian affection for the young Sultan.
Well, suppose you do both these things, will not Mehemet
Ali order his son to pass the Taurus and march upon Con-
stantinople? What will the British ships do then? They
will be employed in conveying cargoes of Russian troops to
Egypt and Syria, while the Muscovite army will be on its
way to Constantinople to oppose Ibrahim.
It is to be hoped that nothing of all this will take place,
but if such things are now probable, it is Lord Palmerston's
policy that is to be thanked for it. Hitherto the peace of
the world depended on the European Cabinets, or rather on
the governments of France and England. But now it lies at
the mercy of a Turk, of a Pacha, who in a corner of Africa
is calculating all the chances of a general conflagration of the
east and west; and, doubtless, he would not neglect those
chances.

The enormity of a Russian intervention is now, however,
universally admitted. Whigs, tories, and radicals, in Eng-
land, all agree in reprobating the employment of Russian
troops as a coercive measure. Austria and Prussia begin to
open their eyes on the results of such interference, and are
far from consenting to it. Russia herself does not seem in
a hurry to act.
In short, at this moment no one dares to employ Russia in
the execution of the treaty.
Then what becomes of this famous convention of Lord
Palmerston, for which he has not hesitated to sacrifice the
alliance of France ?

Lords Ponsonby and Palmerston cling to one hope—per-
haps the insurrection in Syria. British and Russian agents
are no doubt at work to srir up the population of that province,
and arming them in a useless rebellion against the viceroy.
The rebellion will only tend to render the tyranny of Mehe-
met Ali more fearful and more oppressive to the unfortunate
inhabitants. But what of that ? As long as it can be said
that the Anglo-Russian treaty is not a dead letter, and that
its fruits are seen. But, alas ! what fruits !

We can foresee a deal of misery and confusion, but no poli-
tical or reasonable results. Therfore, let us hope that the
good sense of the English nation, the evident interests of
Austria and Prussia,
_ and the moderation of France, may yet
avert the storms that threaten to disturb the peace of the
world. But words are not sufficient to avert it : a powerful
and persevering attitude alone can do so. Such an attitude
as the French cabinet, with the consent of the king, has ta-
ken and will uphold, and is ready to render still more power-
ful and dreaded.