Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1855-08-09
Blackwood's Magazine on Russian
Policy,

Policy.
Blackwood for July contains the first Of
series of articles on the imperial policy of
Russia. Il takes the ordinary and hackneyed
ground of charging encroachment and aggres-
sion as settled plan of the CzaS Every
sovereign and every government in the world
have shown desire to increase their posses
sions, but great Britain and the United States
have manifested, perhaps, the strongest pas
sion for territorial acquisition. Wholesale
abuse of Russian ambition comes with very
bad grace from England.
The writer thinks that the very existence
of Sebastopol is proof of guilty purposes,
that it was evidently built solely for the
shelter of an aggressive feet. Its place on
the map, in his opinion, condemns it, so stu
ated that from it a blow could be struck most
quickly and effectively on the vital parts of
Turkey, and the fleet which struck the blow
most quickly and readily withdrawn into
shelter before the avenger came.
This may be true Sebastopol may have
been built against Constantinople; and yet it
is equally true the Gar has had several op-
portunities to seize the city of the Golden
Horn, and has not done so. On the contrary
when Syria and Egypt were in open rebel
lion against the Sultan, the Gar assisted him.
The writer alledges that until recently
Russia has endeavored, by various means, to
keep her policy out of sight; but her very
reasonable refusal at Vienna to agree by
treaty to limit her power and resources he
regards as a throwing off of the mask; and
intimates that she was encouraged to do this
by the brave defence of Sebastopol, by the
fault-fnding tone OF the English press to-
wards their own Government and by the
chance of tie assassination of Louis Napoleon,
the attempt at which (says this English
writer certainly took place under eircaDa-
stances OF great mystery. This insinuation
that Russia was paTticcps crinlenis in tina,
transaction is unjust ungsnerous and wholly
unfounded, and singular illustration Of the
violence of political and national quarrels.
The reviewer thinks Russia particularly
dangerous, because her people are possessed
with what he considers mononaaTia Of sub
mission to their sovereign. His description
though, no doubt, exaggerated is worthy OF
quotation.
''If dog, the Iaost submissive of animal:
to legitimate power, is cruelty and unjustly
beaten, he will turn sometimes on his master
not so Russiau-he will kiss the knout tha
hays him. If acting in obedience TO orders
he is much more dangerous than a wild
beast
"The Spanish bull in the arena may be di-
verted from his mark, by his attention being
turned away to some other source of persecu
ton; an Arctic voyager or sportsman, wher
he sees wounded bear bearing down on him
may throw down his weapon or his glove tc
save himself from hugging; but woe be L
him against whom mass of Russians Is i'm
PEELED. They are as passive and az merci
less as a locomotive. On they 90, one owe
another, like the buffaloes in the Western
I prairies. II the foremost perish, the hind
most will not turn back but make bridg,
VI DOOitc, tutlS but Sc
over the rivers and the chasms, and the Rus
slams over the obstacles in their campaigns
1t is, certainly, a serious thing to fight with
nation with whom men are of no more &C
count. than gabions and fsscines: and it j
well for US that it is not SO much loss o
men as 10y loss of money that the fortunes o
the war will be decided"
In this connection an anecdote of verl
doubtful authenticity is told that the Grand
duke CONSTANTINE could, to show off the sub
missiveness of the Russian soldier to stran
ger while standing at a review, pass hi
sword through the foot of an officer and with
draw it, without exciting remonstrance or crl
of pain, or even, as is said, without his vic
tim 6inching. Thisisreportcd to have happen
ed at Warsaw in the nineteenth century, ant
in the reign of the mild ALEXANDER.
The reviewer comedies one point which hs
been elaborated by GURowsKI, viz: tina
the natural tendency of Russia is eastsoar
and that her eonquests in western Europ
have been accidental. Writing of IvAS, h
says:
"Thus it seems that he wished to be recog
nized as the heir of the defunct Greek sove
rignty, and the master de jure if not de factC
/ Of Byzantium. These are important facts, be
cause they show that the idea of the acquisi
/ ton of Turkey does not merely date from tn
/ time of Peter, but has been fixed princip
Of action with Russian sovereigns ever sine
the fall of the Lower Empire. We canno
| help considering the other encroachments o
Russia on the map of Europe as in measur
| Incidental, brought about by an unforeseen con
cunence of circumstances, at the same tim
eagerly caught at by the nation as a means b
this one great end, the possession of Constan
! tinople, and the Capitalization of all the Rus
sias and their dependencies in the great CAPT
tai on the Bosphorus. This has been and
the one definite and distinct object of the am
bition Of the Cars, the avarice of the cour
tiers, and the fanaticism of the people. Tha
Russia or her sovereigns ever had any dis
tinct design of conquering and absorbing tn
west of Europe we can hardly believe, al
though such would doubtless be 10 her
consummation devoutlv to be wished. Fo
instance, Germany was divided, bribed, an
overawed, not with view to immediate cor
quest, out WIFI II view 10 SllcuClI1 nCT prC
test against Russian aggression; and here Ru,
STA has fully gained her point. Only on
thing was wanted, the revival of the old al
tagonism between England and France =
thing which seemed the easiest Of all, b,
turned out, contrary to all expectation, I'll
most difficult-that Cons.antinople should I
once again the capital of the eastern world.
''lbi omnis
Enasus labor"
OF the reforms Of Peter the Great, be saw
"When he died, on the 18th January, 1872
OF an infiammatory attack brought on by e,
posure to the cold at the ceremony of bles
ing the waters of the Neva, he left Russ
entirely anew country. For this he has be
immoderately praised by Voltaire and IA
school, and their praises have become stereC
typed in history. Doubts may arise at tn
day whether what he did for Russia was eve
for her good. II was certainly not for IN
good of mankind. Civilization, like religion
; to be good for anything. must be part OF tn
!