The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-04-04 00:00:00

THE WAR WITH RUSSIA.

TICE all-absorbing topic of conversation during
the past week has been the formal declaration of
hostilities with Russia, to avenge the aggression
upon our Turkish ally, and restrain that lust of
territorial -acquisition which appears to 'have been
the whole object of Muscovite policy. Great interest
was excited by the departure of troops :for the East
and the sailing of the 'Fleet for the Baltic; btut
those were mere preparatory movements, leaving
still a remote chance that the necessity for their
employment might by some meant be avoided.
Now, however, we have an official declaration from
HER MAJESTY in Council, of the verge of forbear-
ance having been passed, and the matter in dispute
tra-nsTerred from the peaceful language of diplo-
matic negotiation to'the stern de&sion of military
force. Supplements to the Lomion Gazette of
Tuesday last contained the requilite orders, and as
a peace of forty years' duration has rendered the
style of such documents more a novelty to this,
generation than to the preceding one, we have
given them in eAenso in another column. The
first is a declaration of the cause which has lato
the-resort to arms, recapitulating the facts which
are:already well known, of the-satisfaction afforded
to Russia on the question of the Holy Places, and
the inordinate claim so peremptoro made through.
Pfince MENscrfrizorr, for a 'protectorate of the
Ohiistian subjects of the Porte, followed by a ford-
ble possession of the Danubian Provinces. The
refnsal of the EMPEROR of RUSSIA. to listen to all
offers of mediation, and his evident design to
extend his own territory by the destruction of the
Ottoman Empire, 'HER MAJESTY considers sufa-
eient justification for taking up arms in conjunction
With the EMPEROR of the FRENCH for the defenee
of the SULTAN. in the second document, HER
IVIPrEsrY declares her intention to waive a part of
her 'belligerent rights, and, with the exception of
arti4les contraband of war and 'vessels bearing the
enemy's despatches,: admits the freedom of neutral
property and enemy's property •on board a neutral
vessdl. By the third document, HER MAJESTY
grants general reprisals against the vessels and
goods, of the EMPEROR /of RUSSIA. and all his sub-
jects, and orders a Commission , of Admiralty to be
prepared for the condemnation of prizes. By the
fourthcdoeument an embargo is 'laid on all Russian
vessels .and goods in British ports, except under
special circumstances named in .the succeeding
document, ;in which it is stated that such vessel's
shall bellowed until the 10th of May for loading
and departure, and Russian vessels 'hound for Bri-
tish ports, sailing before the above date, shall also
be exempt.; but the principle is not .to extend to
Russian vessels having on board any inilitary or
naval officer In the service of the enemy, any arti-
cle contraband of war, or any despatches to or from
the Russian Government. Another proclamation,
which, from its great length, we have not given,
contains minute instructions respecting the division
of prize money, between the officers and men
engaged in the capture.

On Friday the Ministers in both Houses ,of
Parliament moved an Address to Her MAJESTY, in
reply to the message delivered on Monday, and in
etch place the motion was agreed to unanimously.
The debates, however, produced some remarks
condemnatory of the course pursued by Govern-
ment, though all the speakers, excepting Mr.
BRIGHT, agreed in the propriety of resorting to
force in order to compel the observance of treaties
so wilfully violated by Russia. The Earl of
DERBY showed, in clear and forcible terms, that the
Ministers had no right to complain of deception,
for the secret correspondence demonstrated that
they had been fully aware of the designs of Russia
from the commencement ; and he avowed his belief
that the CZAR would never have attempted to
carry out his intentions, had it not been that the
Earl of ABERDEEN, with whom he had previously
negociated, was at the head of the English Minis-
try. He expressed his approval of the war, but
cautioned the Government against entering into
hostilities without making ample provision for a
severe and protracted struggle, as he felt satisfied
that the war once begun would not soon be ended,
and it would be the worst possible policy to hazard
the safety of the British forces by not providing
amply for all contingencies. The same tone was
assumed in the Lower House by Mr. DISRAELI
and other speakers : and we have no doubt that,
after giving due credit to the able statements
made by Lord CLARENDON and Lord JOHN RUS-
SELL, their sentiments will be generally responded
to by all those who take an impartial view of
public affairs. It is not the first time that a
change of ministry in England has furnished an
opportunity for a foreign potentate to carry out
some long-cherished scheme. The return of Lord
PALMERSTON to the Foreign-Office in 1846,
induced Louis PHILIPPE to complete his design of
the Spanish marriages, a measure which led to his
own banishment and the accession of a new
dynasty in France. The unexpected elevation of
Lord ABERDEEN to the premiership was the
signal for the Emperor NICHOLAS to carry out the