The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-03-20
PALACE OF THE TUILLERIEs,
January 20, 1854.

OIRE: Inc Ql1Terence winch mas arisen
between your Majesty and the Ottoman
Porte has assumed such grave aspect, that
think it right myself to explain directly to
your Majesty the part which France has
taken in this question, and the means which
suggest themselves to me in order to avoid
the dangers which menace the tranquility of
Europe.
The note which your Majesty has just
sent to my Government, and to that OF
Queen Victoria, endeavors to prove that it
was the system of pressure adopted from the
commencement by the two maritime powers
which alone involved the question in bitter
ness. On the contrary, according to my
view, the matter would have continued a
cabinet question if the occupation of the
two Principalities had not suddenly trans
ierred it from the region of discussion to
that of fact. Nevertheless, although your
Majesty's troops had entered WallaChia, we
advised the Porte not to consider that occu
patton as warlike act, thus proving our
extreme desire for Cancellation. After had
consulted with England, Austria, and Prus
sia, proposed to your Majesty note, de-
signed to give satisfaction to all. Your
ever, been informed of this good news, when
DESTROYED all the conciliatory effects of it,
and thus prevented us from insisting at Con-
stantinople upon it's pure and simple adop-
ton. The Porte, for its own part, suggest
ed some notifications in the note, to which
the representatives of the four powers at
Vienna We're not indisposed to agree. They
We're not, however, agreed to by your Majes-
ty. 1t was then, that the Porte, wounded
in its dignity, its independence threatened,
and being compelled to raise an army to op-
pose that of your Majesty, preferred to de-
clare war rather than to remain in state of
uncertainty and humility. The Porte had
claimed our support; the cause Of the Porte
appeared to us to be just one, and the Eng
lish and French squadrons were therefore
ordered to the Bosphorus.
Our attitude in reference to Turkey was
that of protector, but it was passive. We
did not incte her to war. We increasingly
addressed to the ears of the Sultan the advice
of peace and moderation, persuaded that this
was the best mode of coming to an agree
Inent, and the four powers consulted togeth-
er again, and submitted to your Majesty some
other propositions Your Majesty, on your
part, exhibiting the calmness which arises
from consciousness of strength, contented
yourself with repulsing from the left bank
of the Danube, as in Asia, the attacks of
the Turks and, with the moderation worthy
Of the chief of great empire, your Majesty
declared that you would act on the defen-
sive. Up to that period, then, we were.
may say, interested spectators, but simply
spectators of the dispute, when the affair of
Sinope compelled us to take more decisive
part. France and England had not thought
it necessary to send troops to the assistance
Of Turkey. Their flags, therefore, were not
engaged in the conflicts which took place
upon land But at sea il was very different
There were at the entrance of the Bosphorus
5000 guns, the existence of which proclaim
ed loudly enough to Turkey that the two
leading maritime powers would not allow
her to be attacked by sea. The affair at
Sinope was for us as painful as it was unex-
pected-for il matters little to us whether
or not the Turks wished to convey muni-
tions of war to the Russian territory. In
fact, Russian ships attacked Turkish vessels
in the waters of Turkey while those vessels
were riding quietly at anchor in Turkish
port. The Turkish vessels were destroyed in
spite of the assurance that there was no
wish to commence an aggressive war, and in
spite of the vicinity of our squadrons. 1t
was no longer our policy which received a