The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-03-08

haps, the fate of the one or two hundred
thousand people who inhabit the mountain
ridges between Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Al
bania, and exc out scanty subsistence on one
Of the least favored spots on the shores OF the
Adriatc, may have appeared of sufficient in
terest to warrant passing comment; but we
think we may safely affirm that we were too far
removed from the scene OF action, too uncon-
cerned in the principles which were originally
at stake to feel generally, lively concern in
the struggle. Contemplating, as spectators,
across the wide expanse of the Atlantic, the in
ternal quarres and dissensions of Europe,
we may occasionally own to such SYM
patty for the oppressed and such an in
dignation against the oppressor as the dramas
of ancient history awaken in the bosom ofevery
warm-hearted man; but, practically, our con-
Germ for the trodden down Hungarians or the
crushed Milanese. is no deeper a sentiment than
that which we felt as boys at school, on read
ing of the fall of Carthage or the victories OF
Philip. Neither comes home to US. We have
nothing in common with either; and, whilst our
own affairs present so many and so difficult
problems for the patriot to solve it is perhaps,
well that our energies should be concentrated
on these, and that the task of sympathising
with every foreign rebel whose hand is raised
against his sovereign, should be left to those
male Jellybys whose domestic incapacity is fam
to hide itself in sone political Borrioboola
Cha.
While therefore. we commend those Of our
,b,., Gorl onrio, To hna
Montenegrine Hampden, Radoven, the Pacha
of Scutari and the obnoxious house tax. to
the we'll known organs of foreign rebellions,
we will venture to draw public attention to
more important question arising out of the war.
Our recent advices from London and Constan-
tinople throw an entirely new light on the con-
test Instead of being as we were told at first,
struggle between Montenegro and Turkey,
it turns ont to be what many suspected all
along-a desperate attempt, on the part of the
Gear, to provoke the Porte into hostilities. The
result would, Of course, be the ruin Of the latter
power, and the erection of the Russian flag over
the towers of Constantineple. That such is the
design of Nicholas, no careful student Of the
recent history ofEurope can feel reluctant to be-
leve. From the days ofPeter the Great every
successive ruler of Russia has set his heart on
the possession of the Eastern key to the Medi-
terranean. Nothing but the fear Of France and
England could have prevented an open attempt
to seize Constantinople by force ere this. And
well they might With the alternative placed be-
fore them by Napoleon the waters of the Levant
were the main thing wanting to make the Cos
sack element preponderate over the republican
in the scales of destiny. On land the Gear
might not unreasonably consider himself irwin
chile; and a southern outlet for his immense
navy once secured-a port whence his frigates
could scour the Mediterranean, once obtained
the Russian eagle might plant one claw at ST.
Petersburg and the other at Constantinople,
and ravage with impunity the continent it en-
braced.
All the Auscovite attempts to grasp this great
prize have hitherto been unsuccessful. Nowise
daunted by his failures, however, Nicholas has
seized the pretext afforded by the Montenegrine
war to renew the struggle He is too shrewd
to appear in person on the stage = Austria is the
willing and plant instrument Of his ambition.
Under hs instructions, large body of Austrian
soldiers has been for some time lowering round
the borders of Montenegro The concessions
which the Turks offered to make to the insur-
gents have been sedulously derided at Vienna.
The dangers to arise from the fancied extension
of the power Of the Porte have been studiously
magnifed. And now that, according to the
most reliable accounts, the war is at an end,
and the Montenegrines are satisfied, an Austrian
envoy has, we are told. laid before the Sultan
series of demands, whose very absurdities are
more striking than their impudence. 1t will hard
ly be believed that, in the absence of any reason
able pretext for quarrel, the Austrian COM
plains of the persecution Of the Christians in the
border provinces, and insists on such guarantee
Of future liberation as amounts, in fact, to an
abdication Of the sovereignty of the Porte over
the territory in question Other modest re-
quests there are which will be found in the let
ter published in another column; but this is the
pieu de resistance. To tell our readers gravely
that their co-religionists residing in the western
dominions of the Sultan enjoy as ample freedom
of conscience as can reasonably be desired.
would be to insult their understanding: a sorry
hoax it is. indeed, to accuse the weakest nation
in Europe Of prosecuting a creed which is pro-
fessed by 225 of the 232 millions who inhabit it.
That such shallow pretence should have been
relied on at all is pretty strong evidence of the
determination of Russia and Austria to force
their helpless neighbor into quarrel at all
hazards.
The issue Of this embassy is Of moment to the
world. We see no reason for doubling the cor
rcctness of our correspondents information with
9egord to the reply Of the Porte. To yield
would have been to sign the death warrant Of
tae Sultan's government. He must resist or
fail. He will undoubtedly adopt the former
alternative. 1t will then become question
whether Russia and Austria, having advanced so
far, can recede from their pretensions. or