The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-07-19
THE EMPEROR NICHOLAS.


This de,esrable tyrant is suffering all the
.ronies which will that has heretofore oeeh
law experiences when il meets with opposition
for the first time. The following remarks oil
the London Times might be applied TO fyg-
nation as drawn by Fenelon after the picture
Of Louis Xf:
p.a..hnry holds out no fresh grounds for ths hope
That are I'm oeror of Russia Is disposed 10 nooy .e
discrimination 10 which ne bas thonah fin to pursue
,n;nrious as il is the tranquility OF the East 70
his relations with Europe ana 70 ms owl enalacseI
w 49, onnosition from the Oldest and wisest COUNSEL
io,s Of DE Empire from the Ministers OF foreign
Ststes: and the remonsIances OF Count Nesselooe
tnn from his imperial master Ii 10 said that sense
- the embarrassment Of the position in which he
stands, weighs heavily upon the Emperor Nichola.,
and that the contendng passions of pride, vexation
and resentment sgitate, to an unwonted extent a
mind intoxicated with absolute power. His moral
resnonsbiity is in truth tremendous for it is in pro-
ncr;on to the unlimited authority he wields and if
no legal barrier 10 interpreted between his path and
the precipice before him. the greater 10 his need of
clear head and upright conscience to direct his
Me stands alone, for he stands against the public
opinion of Europe and the rights of Nations The ia
naticism of the kussisn people, the enthusiasm of
his bis e ~ and peTs his POSITION @ he
persuades his subjects that he dictate conditions
beyond his own dominions, as absolutely as within
their boundaries those pretensions will be annlhlla
ted if ever they are brought into collision with the
laws recognized by the rest of the world. We still
hesitate to employ the terms which Europe would
transgressor of the treaties she respects but, If
anything could heghten the public indignation at the
commission of such actions It would be the fact that
this outrage 10 contemplated by Sovereign who has
hitherto invested every legal obligation with despotic
authority and professed his intolerance of the slight
est infraction of exiting rights
The dilemma in which his arbitrary infrac.
ton of all treaties is about to invelvs him, is
thus forcibly pointed out in the same article
IT. as we must assume, the Emperor of Russia COM
mands his armies to the Pruth, he will place
himself in q fresh dilemma. The territory of the
Pncipaties must either be regarded as Turkish ter
ritory, or IS the territory of q semi-independent
Prince called 'ths Hospodar.' If it be Turkish ter.
the troops is act of invasion, act of war; which
gives rise to the incidents of war; and in particular in
this CASE suspends the operation of the Convention OF
the Straits and opens them with the concurrence 81
the Prncipalities be not strictly Turkish territory
but the dominions of Christian vassa of the Porte,
then the invasion, which is intended to coerce him.
falls with all its weight the heads of another peo
pie. What renders such proceeding more illogical
and absurd is that the Emperor of Russia having put
forward claim to the protection of the Greek Chris
tians in the Ottoman Empire, makes these identical
Greek Christians his first victims. The Princ1pa
ties altogether Christian; they have distinct
quire farther projections they are already virtual
discovered and emancipated from Turkey yet thii
is the territory and this the people which the Empe
of Russia threatens to seiZe by way OF establish
ing his preponderating authority over Mahomedsr
Empire Turkey will protest against that act, AND
she would be entitled to regard it as commencement
of hostihties because she is bound to endeavor te
protect her Christian subjects in the Principaltei
from foreign invasion But in reality, the occupation
of the Prncpalties though hagrant act of violence
and injustice, would leave the just where 1t was
before in relation to the essential terests OF the OF
toman Empire. Those unfortunate Provinces would
simply receive the blow aimed at Constantlnope, and
the Emperor of Russia would have gained absolutely
nothing of his spiritual demands.
This occupation Can settle nothing, and will
in fact have no other end, than TO bring Russia
and Turkey al. once into collision, while ii in.
wolves direct infrac,on of a treaty. That
there is some object much more important
than the mere occupation of Moldavia and
Wallachia, is very certain, and that Nicholas
is obstinately and even angry bent upon it, is
evident from his telling the French and Eng
lish Ambass adors that the entire destruction o.
his feet in the Black Sea, should not prevent
him from invading Turkey. Insanity is he
reditary in the family of Ronanzoff, and we
have seen it stated that the Emperor has beer
more than once threatened with it, Perhaps
this may, in some degree, account for the furi
Gus passions by which he seems occasionally
to be transported.