The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-04-27
Eurupsan Embarrassm ents.

A newspaper defence of his policy under
taken by a reigniDg monarch and publish at
such time and ia such way that no one eau
mistake it for any thing but what it really is,
is so rare an event that it may well give rise
TO marked comment. The Emperor Napoleon
fae Third has been used to surprising the
world be is consistent to the last. OF all his
surprising acts, his apology for the expedition
to the Crimea, published in the Paris Moniteur,
is the most original aud the most singular.
His uncle never did any thing of the kind, for
the excellent reason that his victories were the
best account he could give Of his expenditure Of
time, money and men. But the nephew has no
victories or what he has are fruitless--to
speak for him. Other mon archs do not publish
ucb documents, because they rest on basis
ct least they think so--which defeat cannot
shake. Napoleon knows that his throne is built
on the sand. He wrote the apology, aud sent
it to the .Moniteur simply because he had de-
feats to palliate, an army to account tor to
France, a broken imperial pledge to excuse or
deny. 1t must be obvious to all who reflect
hat his condition must be very desperate when
he could thus voluntarily enter the arena ia
person, and argue in defence Of despotism aud
in extenuation of failure with bis pen ia the
newspapers.
But, we do not sufficiently realize on this
side the water the emoarrassmeuts into which
the protraction of the siege of Sebastopol, the
firmness of the Gear Alexander, and the
total failure Of their military plans have
;nyn1vo5 4bo ol1ioJ pouara. Not Ia all
so much Of England aud the difficulty she
finds in recruiting her diminished regiments,
OF the prospective financial pressure, the
Crimean campaign has had disastrous effect
on the cause Of the allies all over the CONT
nent. Though the French press was forced to
be silent, other presses spoke; and men in the
camps would write letters Hence there is by
this time among the people Of the continent,
French Germans, Italians &c, pretty general
knowledge of the true state of things at Cher
son. and iolerable, u1iform impression, grow
ing out of that knowledge, that the campaign
was mistake, is failure, and will be rem
dered more costly by every hours delay in
confessing it. How fatal an embarrassment this
impression must be TO the Emperor; how it
must help the Russians and weaken the allies
in all their future operations, every military
man or careful student Of history will at once
perceive.
To check 1t two schemes have been devised:
the one the publication of Napoleon's labored
defence in the .Monituer; the other the visit to
England. The first is rather sign of weak.
ness than source Of strength It il like -four
isbing the operating kaife before the eyes of
the patient, who is more likely to die of fright
than to be improved by the spectacle. The
other is more in accordance with precedent,
and was probably an English idea. Usually,
kings visits have been made on the occasion of
peace, when some unpleasant difficulty had
been removed, or some especial cause for re-
joicing existed; and when the people were
caperiDg and shouting, as the British
people invariably do at such times, it
used to be the custom for Lord Mayors
or other fat lords to come forward and congrat-
ulate the British lion on the continued vigor of
his health, and increased length of his name
and tail; winding up with hint that beer was
or the Patriots Bootjack. 1t was clearly, a
very fine idea to have ceremony of this kind
ust now when both nations are in mourning
for their fellow.countryme in the Crimea.
There was some chance that the masses would
be taken in aud seeing their majesties so hap
py and so free with their money, would forget
their own sorrowE, and become loyal and affec-
Tomato subjects once more.
We have yet to see how it Will succeed. 1t
is not impossible but the Londoners may let
Napoleon know how bitterly they feel the folly
he has led them to commits though the kind
ness shown by his soldiers to the British before
Sebastopol has been put forward as a reason
for receiving him well. If they did, discreet
press and judicous government would sap
press the incident; aud if, in the general ex-
pomp aud furry, the news came that
the siege of Balaklava and Cnerson had termi-
mated by the decentralization of the allies, PEG.
pie would be better prepared for it,
Dr. PEcK's CAsE-WHAT WILL MARCY Do
Now the recent outrages by the Spanish
authorities and coast guard of Cuba against
our citizens and ships have been explained
away by Marcy, upon some pettifogging tech
nicality, as not exactly coming within reach of
bis jurisdiction. Thus the firing at the Edo
RADIO, and the terrible execution of Estrampes,
naturalized citizen of the United States.
have been made to appear as beyond the cog
nzance of our government. The case of DR..
Peck, however, admits Of no such cowardly
sbuflliDg. He is native born citizen, and went
to Cuba peacefully, under the guarantees of our
treaty stipulations with Spain, and of state
Of peace. lie was arrested, imprisoned, dragged
to Havana, and fually liberated, without
word Of explanation as to the cause Of his ar
rest ard detention, or as to the reasons for his
liberation. He has suffered great outrage,
great pecuniary losses, and has applied to our