The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-27

fOWeI6s
he question, hewever, is mot yet irrevooably de-
cided; and II 70 undoubtedly still open to the Enpe
Of Russia to declare in the course OF the present
month that he does absolutely, snd without equivo
cation or reserve accept the -four points they
understood by the three allied Powers. There is, OF
course no war- unless II be Q waged In spirit
Of vindictiveDess Of conquest-wh which may not be
terminated At any given moment ey me submission
by the other. Il ia within the range OF possibility
though not of probability, that the Emperor OF Rus
| iia may conceive the moment Of submission 10 be
come since any further delay must lead TO the con-
clusicn OF On offensive and defensive alliance be-
| tween Austria and the Western Powers, aud aug.
ment she perils which surround his empire. We
nay therefore reasonably inquire what Is the extent
Of the terms now demanded by the Allied Courts,
| and what is the probability that the Emperor OF
Russia will yield 70 themf
The four conditions contained In the notes Of the
9Th Ct Aaeun were necessarily and intentionally
| expressed IN language which left room for great
latitude Of interpretation, and their precise effect
| remained TO be settled by further discussion and
negotiation. At the present tiue however, NO such
ana We have no doubt that the allied governments
have clearly and decide y stated TO each other their
whole intentions. Holding, In the irst place. that
al the former teates between Rassa and the Porte
abrogsted by the state OF war, their arot object
| must be that such separate conventions Of
treaties should be renewed inasnu,h as the strong
| er Power always had the means OF interpreting
them ~ the disadvantage OF the weaker State. As
| an exceptional position towards the Ottoman en-
piIe, and q Sultan not incladed in those gen.
| ersl provisions which embrace and protect the
| family OF European States. On this point, then,
| the axe is laid to the root o. the tree for the
ascendancy of Russia over Turkey had been obtaia.
ed by these Treaties, the growth Of eighty years Of
was sent 10 crown the wo, by bis demands, but he
| ovetthrew the whole fabric. Together With tbs
trestes between Russia and the Porte, toe separate
acts and conventions establishing tie influence Of
Rufsia in the Dapubisn Principalities must bs held
10 be extinct and the future condition OF those fer
| tile provinces is open to elaboration.
| Russia declares that sne Is ready 70 ad0ot the
piir ciple Of join guarantee OF the c,siI and
religious rights Of the Christian p1pula'i,as Of
the Ottoman empire, to be gwen by the five
great Powers, the faith Of the assurance peat
edly proclsimed by the Western Powers in the
curse Of this struggle tnat they are resolved TO
Snltsn's Christian subjects. We have always
regarded, aud we still regard, the Improvement OF
the condition of the Christian populations - one
Of the grand objects OF the interft renee Of the
Christian Powers in this quarter for the only prac
ticable mode Of angmenting the resources aRd OF
reforming the institutions Of the Ottoman empire Il
to make it's Christian Inhabitants contented instead
Of disafected subjects. Lord Clarendon has repeated
" stated both In Parliament and In his dispatches
tbe paramount importance this country attaches to
that just and necessary change; but there is o
broad distinction between this general principle
recognized by all the Powers, and the ex lusive pro
tectorate claimed by Russia over the great branch
OF the Christian Church in the East which she af.
fected- to identity with the Russian Church. On
this point then, Ter change Of language ID rem Ark
ablet and her defeat would be total. II ia not .
little curious that the exclusive proectorats OF the
Greek Church. which she made the pretext Of this
whole dispute, is now the first thing she processes
| to AbaI don.
The riebt Of free navigation in the Danube has
never been disputed by the Russian government in
principle, but IL has been destroyed or Obstructed
In practice BY the occupation Of the delta, under the
treaty Of Adriauop.e BY the sitting up Of the Su-
| lima mouth, ard by the establishment Of batteries
and quarantine stations on the right bank OF the
river. To secure the exercise Of this rig 1t, the
FORE the terms Of the third article OF the treaty Of
right bank Of the stream, down to the solina
mouth, must be restored 10 Turkey, and ensctual
| measures taken to keep the passage open.
srhe fourth proposition, which Ia In truth the
was very imperfectiy expressed by the Allied
Powers when they stated that they demanded
| revision Of the Convention OF tbs Straits.
"Russia," says Count Nesaeirode, "wculi not
veDtion, provided the Sultan c,nsents;' and oy
such process Of revision Rossia would oe the real
| gamer, for She same law which shuts the rest
Of Europe out Of the Black Sea in TINA Of psse
shuts her up within it. To open the Darianel;es
and the Bosphorus Is to place the Sultan In his pa-
sce st the mercy Of every chip Of war tbst passes
frd their way to the Mediterranean quite As easily
as our vessels would reach tho Euxine. The matter
is however, not 20 easily settled TIE real meanio az
| OF this proposition was and is, rs NJ. Drouyn de
Ltuys txpree seed IL, the limitation Of the power Of
Russia in the Black Sea- and subsequent ev5nts have
| shown that tire allies contemplate not only entire
freedom Of access to thoss waters, but also the de.
struction Of that huge feet and fortress against
which our forces by sea and lsnd are 1t this time
araJed. If Sebastopol was an object of jealousy
| and alarm to Europe and TO Turkey before we
| knew its extent, it's enormous magazines Of war,
and its strength, the resistance 1t has offer
/ I'D m nnp okfo fko Asra<so
an object Of teHfold Importance. We hold
| it to be totally impossible to regard the
security Of the East as established while Russian
fortress and q feet exists in position where they
can only serve for the purposes Of aggression. Il
| cannot for moment be supposed that the Allied
Powers will consent to desit from the vast enter.
prize in which they are engaged, upon any terms
short Of the surrender AID demolition OF Sebasto-
pol for till that has been accomplished nothing has
| been done Tor the permanent settlement of these
momentous questiors and Wa must also be in coz
dtion to require that no such srmamenss and iorti
cstiors shall again menace the inlasd sh res Of the
Turkish domiuioDs.
Such we conceive to be the minimum Of the
conditions now required Of Russia as prelminaTies
Of peace; ard, although they may nat include all
that may be demanded, q peace on such terms
would destroy all the pretsnsions put for ward by
Russis, and would afford solid guarantees for the
future progress and tranquility of tha East.
IL II, then, to be anticipated that the Emperor
Nicholas will yield to these terms? In sober
reason and mere prudeuce It were well for him II
be did so. He can at DO time expect more favor
able conditions. The number Of his antagonists In
cresses, ard as vet they have rot put forth halt
their strength. He wages that fatal combat Of one
against ALL In which success Ia impossible; and IL
ire allied armies succeed In wrestling province from
bis grasp, it will be permanently lost 10 hs empire.
The longer the struggle ia continued the deeper aud
more certain his loss. But, ON the other hand, he
has still enormous military resources, the flower OF
his armies has not yet been engaged, and, though
his pride has been wounded, his power has not
been crushed by defeat He has throughout mis-
jucged the Strength and determination OF Europe;
his resentment against his former allies nfsmss his
passicns and controls his policy; and when sove-
reign OF absolute power stands between the two Al.
ternatives which are now before hin the curse he
resolves to take is usually the bodss and the worst.
For these reasons we believe that war on a more
extended scale, and not peace, will sriss ont Of the
| present coIjuncsure Of affairs.
| TheUcw Treaty OF Allinnce Between Austria
and the Westcrn Powers.