Washington telegraph., 1853-08-17
RuSsia's Traditional poIinv

| 1t is related that when Peter the Great was on
! his death-bed, he spoke of the policy that Russia
ougl to pursue towards foreign nations. but Iar-
| tlcu!arly towards Turkey. My descendants on
the throne" ne said, should carefully establish
the closest alliance with Austria; and. while they
seem to support her pretcnsIons to the sovreign-
| ty OF all Germany, they should. in secret foment
| jealousy among the Germanic princes. Besides
this nay successors, should strive 20 make it ne
| ce>safy ior them 10 ask our assistance, which will
entltie Us to a sort of protectorate, and in time
| will open the way to absorption o. the cuun-
| try that demands aid. Austria must be in
terested by us in the expulsion of the Turks from
Europe. and should Constantinople fall. Austrian
jealousy must be neutrazed either by arning the
| other European powers against her, or by aband-
onIng in her favor portion OF the conquered ter
| ritory, which afterwards may retake. The
| Greeks in Hungary. Turkey. and Southern
! Poland. who are now divided among themselves
| must be rallied around Russia central point
| Russia must be their pivot, and. by the means of
| certain ecclesiastical supremacy, we shall soon
| obtain an absolute sovereignty"
| Nearly century and half has passed since
| these words were originally spoken. But had
they been written for the first time now as a code
OF policy deduced from the history of Russian ag-
gression, they would have been equally appropri-
ate to the present occasion; for in this in every
preceding reign these words are the key to the
conduct OF Russia towards Turkey. To interfere
in the religious affairs of Turkey TO seek to gain
the protectorae of the Sultan's Greek subjects to
advance. and then recede but only in order to
have excuse for permanently advancing at last
these have been the aims this the action of every
sovereign. including Nicholas himself. who has
worn the Russian crown since the death OF Peter
the Great.
Even if we wished. therefore, to think more
| avorably of Nicholas than do, the conduct of
! his predecessors would not allow it. Their lire
| of policy gives meaning to his 1t is not to be
| believed that succession of princes. for more
| tenn otoppreSsions on a weaker neghbor. yet that
finally Gar should arise. who. though acting
| actly as his ancestors did, should mean nothing
by it but kindness. Such nonsense will deceive
nobody. Yet the last manifesto of Russia is full
of this absurd stuff. The whole truth lies in a
nutshell. Ii is that Russia means to have Con-
stantinope, as soon as possible, right or wrong,
and that, if she backs out now. it will be only
because she fears that. at present, the robbery
cannot be perpetrated Saturday Gd--
GREAT OurR AGE AT MAcKGSAc.--0n the 18th
inst the sheriff of Emmet county, Michigan, went
to Pine river to summon jurors residing there
As it had been given out that no man would be
allowed to any process at that place he took
two boats with a crew OF seven men to each, all
armed, believing that the presence of that number
of witnesses would prevent resistance. de was
mistaken. After serving the process the party
returned to the boats. W hen they Were fred upon
by some forty men who had LASTLY gathered on
the bluff Immediately above them. More than
one hundred guns were fired before they got the
boats off the beech and within range of five rods.
The party in the boats could do nothing but
stand in plain view to push off the boat and sit
and row; their assailants came down on the beech
and fired as they might be expected to at a mark.
The firing continued until they got out of range,
when three boats, filled with men started in pur-
suit The leading boat in pursuit contained %
men.
About ten miles out they came within range,
Al. 1-1,>
fire for FIVE miles when the sheriff and his party
made the bark Morgan, Capt Stone, and We're
taken OF board Six men We're wounded, but
none mortally, though more than 200 guns are
known to have been fired, all III short range
| No pretence or excuse made for this as
sauIt, except that they were determined to have
! no law at Pine river Lou. Journal.