The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-08-22

olas have felt during that portentons chase. IN
which the destiny Of empires was involved
What must have been his thoughts and en- O.
tions ut the tremendous hazard of the game
he had so needlessly played How he must
have cursed his own folly and want Of fore
thought: and being . just prince, have stern
~ resolved that If he ever reached the shore
again he would have the knout administered
to himself in the most merciless manner
Who could have dreamed that while the
big ships Of the line were lying in idle mag
niHcence in the Baltic, those two little steam
ers were settling question which possibly
involved the lives and happiness of millions
of mankindi
What long breath Nicholas must have
drawn when the head of the British steamer
was put about, and the Car, the Archdnke
and the Archduchess were safe once more :
We trust the lesson will be useful one to
him Let him stick to terra firma. IL can
be denied that Bull is ';some pumpkins on
the water, and it is dangerous trifiing with
him on bis own element. Napier can't come
TO Nicholas let Nicholas refuse to go to Ma
pier. As for that English captain, he has our
heartiest sympathies. Not that we would
have had Nicholas captured, but we are sor-
ny for that Englishman. We fear that he was
born unlucky. We fancy we hear him grit
ting his teeth, even at this distance, at the
thought of the narrow escape he has had OF
being the greatest lion of the whole Eastern
war. What grand prize in the lottery OF
life he has Just missed However if he is
philosopher, he may console himself by the
reflection, that there are many other people
in the world, whose fate it is to be always on
the eve of remarkable good luck, but never
to obtain it, the winds and the waters always
bearing it away at the exact moment when
the hands are about to close on it.
The Times, in the midst of its popularity,
cannot restrain its propensity to SANDER. 1t
says, .'What should we have done with the
Gear, when we had got him? Reckless, un-
principled, and merciless as he has shown
himself to be, we should have been anxious
to treat him as a gentleman, and made him
comfortable during his sojourn among u.s."
Now, there is no single fact of the whole Eas
tern war more unanimously testified to by
friends and enemies, than the exceedingly hu-
name and merciful manner in Which Nicho
las has treated all the prisoners who have fall
len into his hands. The only cruelty, inhu-
mainly and mercilessness shown during the
war have been by the Turks on the Danubeand
the English in the Baltic. As to the question,
what would the English have done with their
prisoner, there is memorable example at
st. Helena of what they might have done
They might have consigned him to desolate
island, upon the pretence thath was danger
Gus to the peace of the world 1t is by no
means certain, however, that the capture of
Nicholas would have terminated the Eastern
war. His firmness Of character would never
have yielded to duress or even death. His
remaining son, with old Nesselrode at his ell
bow, would have carried on the war with un-
abatedvigor and determination. But there's
not much use in specializing aboutthe conse.
quences of thing that never occurred and
of whose future occurrence there is not the
ghost of a chance.