Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1854-01-18
The Eastern, Question.

In the article to be found in this number of tn
Globe, headed the War and the Conference, whicl
we take from the Illustrated London News, tn
Car is very roughly handled. The conference
agreed upon by the 'sfour allied Powers will no
be likely to come to anything, unless Nichola
has himself instructed the Austrian and Prussal
Governments to act for him, telling him what t.
do, and promising adhesion to what may be done
and this is not probable. To speak of the fou
allied Powers, Austria and Prussia being two o
them, is inaccurate, and misleading phraseology
They are both, without doubt, in the interest o
Nicholas--that is, their Governments-and will
be apt SO to declare themselves, if taere is a fl
nal rupture, unless restrained by prudential con.
siderations. Prussia has not yet forgotten Jena
and the disastrous consequences of that battle to
the monarchy nor has Austria forgotten the nu
merot victories of Napoleon over her armies and
they know very well that if the French are again
let loose in Europe that neither Berlin nor Wen
ma is guaranteed against another visit from them.
They are sincere in their desire for the mainten-
ance of peace, but are not sincere in their simula-
ted opposition to the designs of the Gear upon
| Turkey. They are somewhat in the ''fx'' that
Cuddie Headrgg said he was in, with the fanat-
les on one side and the cavaliers on the other
between the devil and the deep sea- They are
between Nicholas and Louis Napoleon, and
afraid of both; but hateng the latter, as we'll as
fearing him. In the event of general row, Aus
tria will, from necessity, as we'll from inclina-
ton, side with Russia. She wants Servia, and a
slice or two more of Turkey, which she would
get if Turkey should be conquered. IF she took
up against the Gear, of two things would
happen--he would either set Hungary upon her,
though lately her ally and aiding her to tread that
kingdom out of existence; or, he would occupy
that country, end annex it to his own dominions.
He is just the to do that, unless he should be
pretty we'll fogged, and be willing to make peace
upon the principle of statuquo-as all hands were
at the beginning of the war.
The News has fallen, too, although at the head
quarters of political information, into the gener-
al error Of undertaking the Russians, and oVerrat-
ing the Turks; "Ncholas has cleverly contrived
to frighten the timid into the belief that Russia
is very powerful because she is very bg,' it says.
Who are the tlm:d! Was Napoleon timd!-
The News will hardly say he was; but he saw
thirty five years ago, that Russia was powerful,
as we'll as big, and warned Europe against her
power and ambition, in few emphatic words,
which we would repeat, if everybody had not
seen or heard them thousand times. Are the
British and French Governments timd! 1t
would seem that they are, if their long hesitation
about acting was to be ascribed to unfounded ap-
prehensions. But they know that the nation
they are about to struggle with is both big and
powerful. - s@. a.s..f .-.r ..-.E &:
Then again-sThe Emperor OF Russia needs
lesson. He requires to know his consequence,
and his real weight" He needs lesson, We
agree, and we hoae that if he persists in his un-
just and aggressive course toward Turkey, that he
will get one; but he will not be found an apt
scholar, and it will require many hard thumps to
beat the lesson into him. He has good deal of
''bounce1 in him, without doubt, and it ought to
be taken out, and the French and English, and
Turks, can take it out, we think, if they go reso
lutely, harmoniously ,and understandngly to work,
notwithstanding the precious time that has been
lost-lost, not to Nicholas but to his antagonists.
He has been strengthening himself all the time
raising troops, building ships, repairing forttca-
tions, &c, &c.,-whle the Sultan's allies have
been talking, and negotiating, and conferring.-
not, within less than twenty years all this must be
done over again The "bounce'' must be taken
out of the Gear at once or after while it will be
too late to take it out of him. .~..-
What is said about the Cars ssblasphemy,' is
not very pertinent. His insolence is undeniable,
but he has been no more blasphemous than crown
ed heads generally are in similar cases. He has
done as they all do-tried to enlist Heaven on his
side, and has endeavored to make all the Greek
Christians believe that he is going to war in de-
fence of their holy religion, This is but trick,
not very plausbly performed, either; for Nicholas
rather overdoes the thing when he issues manifes-
toes, made up in part of quotations from David's
Psalms, in Latin; which is in extremely bad taste,
as we'll as extremely absurd. This is rather more
Iudicrous, though, than blasphemous. Cromwell,
who could not be suspected of blasphemy, told his
troops to ''trust in God and keep their powder
dry.'' The Gear quotes the Psalms, but he will
do his work with swords, bullets, and bayonets.
Singular Fact.
Sir Edward Parry, the celebratd arctic navi-
gator, recently said, speaking of the Polar seas:
"You cannot imagine the changes that take
place there Ih&ve been myself sometimes be-
set for two or three days together by the ice in
such way that from the mast head / could not
see sufficient water to float a bottle in, and in
twenty-four hours there was not bit of ice to be