Washington sentinel., 1854-02-03
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Circular Of the French Minister.

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Circular Of the French Minister.
We give below the text Of the important cir
cular from the French minister of foreign affairs
to the respective legations, of which mention was
made in the Niagara's advices:
PARIS, Dec. 80, 1853.
The affairs Of the east are taking q too serious
turn not to recall your attention, even at the
moment when circumstances impose new duties
upon the government Of his imperial majesty,
to the efforts which we have not ceased to make
for the purpose of preventing the complications
with which Europe is SO seriously menaced.
The question about the holy places, either
misrepresented or misunderstood had excited
the apprehensions of the Russian cabinet. We
have tried to calm these alarms by frank and
complete explanations. 1t did appear to us
that, in preserving the rights of the Porte, a
question of such nature might well be cleared
up at distance from the scene where it origi-
nally arose. Our opinion, however, was not
shared by Russia, and M. Menschikoff received
orders to repair to Constantinople. / will
merely say that, had we really entertained the
exclusive views which are imputed to us, if the
claiming of our ancient and incontestable rights
had not been sustained by so much moderation,
the mission of that extraordinary ambassador
would at once have become the object of con-
fict, which we knew how to avoid.
The affairs of the sanctuaries at Jerusalem
were hardly settled, and by the admission of
Count Nessolrode himself regulated in salts
factory manner, when another difficulty pre-
sented itself Prince Menschikoff demanded
guarantees for the maintenance Of the privileges
OF the Greek church. The cabinet of St. Peters
bnrgh did not prove by any particular fact that
these privileges had been violated while the
Porte, on the contrary, confirmed solemnly
the religious immunities Of her Christian sub
jects. Animated by the desire to appease diff
ference which, if it concerned on one hand the
sovereign rights of the sultan, touched on the
other the conscience of his majesty the Empe-
ror Nicholas, the French government, in con-
cert with the English, have assiduously tried all
means to conciliate the interests, at once so
complex, engaged in the affair.
The Russian cabinet cannot have forgotten
the zeal and loyalty with which we have endea-
vored to accomplish this difficult task Neither
can it deny that the resistance of the Porte to
accede to a first plan of arrangement, as ema.
mated from the conference at Vienna, was not
the only cause of our failure. In the course Of
these various negotiations, serious events took
place. A Russian army had crossed the Pruth
and invaded in full peace two provinces of the
Ottoman empire. The fleets Of France and
England ought to have approached the Darda-
nelles at that moment. Ii the French govern
ment had desired it to do so, its naval forces
might have anchored in the roadstead at Con-
stantnople.
However, though it thought it necessary to
establish its right, IL showed all the more its
moderation in the step. The nature of the re-
lations of Russia with the Porte had become too
abnormal not to allow war to succeed peace, or
rather, to call the subject by its real name, that
the aggression on the Turkish territory should
not produce its natural consequences. This
change in the situation has necessitated o new
movement of our feet; and, at the instance Of
the sultan, the French flag has appeared in the
Bosphorus simultaneously with the British.
However, sir, we had not renounced the hope
OF an arrangement; and, together with Austria
and Prussia, as already previously with Eng
land, we pursued once more pacific end.
New propositions, for the success of which we
shall not cease to employ our efforts, have been
addressed to the Porte by the representatives
of the four powers.
None of the treaties concluded with Russia
interdicted to our men-ofwar the navigation of
the Black sea. The treaty Of the 18th Of July,
l84l, in closing in time Of peace the passage
of the Dardaneles and the Bosphorus reserved
to the sultan the right to open them in time OF
war; and, from the day when the sultan gave
us free permission to enter the straits, the Eux-
inc became equally open to us. The same
motives which had kept us for a long time at
the bay Of Besika stopped our fleets in the road
of Beicos.
The French government was most anxious
to manifest its friendly sentiments toward Rus
c,o nd IN, hofcr he fha racn
sibiity upon aggravation in the actual state OF
things, which, despite all considerations, could
not be modified. The French government
thought, moreover, after the contents of the re-
cent dispatches of General Castelbajac, that
the Russian cabinet, satisfied with the posses
sion of what she considered as pledge, would
not have taken any offensive part in the strug-l
gle which she has so unhappily commenced
with Turkey.
1t seemed to us sufficient that the presence
of our flags in the waters of Constantinople
ought to have attested our firm resolution to
protect that capital against sudden danger,
and we did not wish that its premature appear
ance in the quarters nearer the Russian terri
tories should pass for provocation The
state Of war rendered, no doubt, possible col
lision between the belligerents, both by soa
and land but we had right to think that our
reserve WOulu De lInlttteu Dy huSSla, anu tnaL
her admirals would avoid with equal care the
occasion for rencontre, in abstaining from
proceeding to aggressive measures, when, had
we supposed the Russian cabinet to be ami
mated by different sentiments, our feet would
certainly have exercised more active vigi-
lance.
The event Of Sinope, sir, has realized oil our
apprehensions and this deplorable fact modi-
fes equally the attitude which we ought to have
taken. The agreement which has recently ex-
listed at Vienna between France, Austria, Eng
land and Prussia, has established the European
character, as regards the difference between
Russia and Turkey. The four courts have
solemnly acknowledged that the territorial in
tegrity Of the Ottoman empire was one of the
conditions oftheir balancing policy. The occu-
patton Of Moldavia and Wallachia constitutes
the first attempt against that integrity, and
there can be no doubt. that the chances Of war
might still more endanger it. Count Nessel-
rode represented, few months back, as a
necessary compensation Of what he has since
called our maritime occupation, the invasion
Of the Dannbian principalities.