The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-25

Iaticn q al The stores Of war which II contained.
evidently prepared for cperations Of great extent
in the East, the more We are satisfied tna1 Seoasso
pol 10 the central point OF Russian ascendancy over
The Black sea, and that in attacking that strong
hold We have gone straight to the heart of hee posi-
ton. II further proof were needed, the vehement
Efforts made to relieve the place and the desperate
character Of the defence are the bese -evl'
derce that to leave Sebastopol standing is TO
leave the indepen ience of the East unprotected.
The Western Powers, therefore, undoubtedly do
include in their d. mands, according 70 the phrase
the power OF Russia in the Black Sea- and that
limitation they hope to impose on Russia by the
eventual reduction OF 6ebastopol. The primary
motive Of the Cabinet Of st. Petersburg in convey.
M
German Powers to bind them down to . system OF
neutrality ana to raise up fresh points Of difference
between them and the Western States. Possibly
the Russian party il Germany may have aattered
readiness to make sacrifices to the restoration Of
peace which the Western Powers repudia&e and
dscredit, he has even established some claim to
the more active support Of his German acoomplces;
but the secondary object Of Russia, in acceding at
this time to the terms she peremptory rejected in
September, il probably the hope Of saving, by the
irterposition Of diplomacy, that fortress which
must in all human probability, fall whom it Il again
ass allied by the whole united power OF England and
France.
If the form in which Russia has conveyed this
proposition to Berlin has been correctly reported to
rs by our correspondent In that city there ID Q
material departure from the spirit and the tenor Of
that article in the Ango-French note which relates
to the protectorate Of the Danubian Principatiee.
The principle Of o common protectorate- protect
crate there must be-by the Five Powers, In place
Of separate protectorate BY Russia, Is upqueston
ably one Of the changes for which arc contending
But the Russian Cabinet. adds that such Q protect
crate Of the Principaities should be exercised by
the five Powers on the terms Of the treaties now
existing between Russia and the Porte, which il to
view entertained not only by the belligerents but
by every impartial government in Europe, no
reaties are n3w in existence between Russia AND
he Porte, and the very lest condition to which
Europe will consent is the proposal to revive in
al other form stipulatous go fatal TO the indepen
dsnce Of the Ottoman empire, and to the welfare Of
the protected provinces themselves. Those pro
virces have NO longer anything to fear from the
Porte; their dangers lie in the opposite direction
their political safety, az well as their commercial
importance, consists in that relative indepen-
dence of which Servia has already given 20 re-
maiksble an exsmple by preserving o. once her
allegiance to the Porte and her neutrality in war
so reatening to her own frontiers Europe has
been drawn INTO this war by the abuse on the part
Of Russia Of these anomalous and indefinite rights
OF protectoyates and guarantees which are invaria
bly, exercised by powerful State at the expense of
weaker neighbor. Nothing, therefore, can be
lefs calculated to satisfy our hopes Of solid and
cicus arrangements on q more complicated and ex-
teDsve scale. Better would it be for the Porte to
lose altogether provinces II has ceased to govern,
and can i'll afford to defend, than to hold them
pre- arious tenure; and, II these are the only pro-
positions that Russia consents to entertain they
which the peace Of Europe has unhappily been ga
cri6ced.