The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-05-31
The News from Europc-Rsvolution In
England.

England.
The news from Sebastopol is-nothing. 1t
would appear, from the evidence of Lord Har-
dinge before the Sebastopol Committee, that
The position of the Allies is too strong and their
artillery too complete to warrant the prospect
of their being driven into the sea, or even of
second Inkermann. OF course, no one expects
that the siege of the city is to be prosecuted
any further for the present Rumor still assigns
to the allied Generals, Raglan and Pelissier,
(Canrobert having received hint to resign.)
the intention of advancing inland to try their
luck at battle in the field.
But from the Cabinets Of the European
Powers the news is suggestive and pregnant
with interest. There can be very little doubt
now that a secret understanding has long exist
ed between the sovereigns of Russia, Austria
and Prussia, and that the diplomatic negotia-
tions Of the past twelve months have been
farce. Alison in the continuation of his his
tory, Stiles and other writers likely to be well
informed on such subject, said SO long ago;
and the language Of the late Gar Nicholas to
Sir Hamilton Seymour was strongly corrobora-
tive Of the impression that the price of Rus.
sia's intervention in Hungary in 1S49 was
Austria's non. Intervention in Turkey whenever
the time came for the fulflment Of Russian
destiny. Since then Russia hss thrown the
Principalities into the bargain, as an additional
bait to Austria. She holds them already, and
her General declares martial law over the two
millions OF people they contain. Who shall
wrest them from her? Not Turkey, for it is dead;
nor the Western Powers, for they have no bust
ness with them: nor Russia, for she has promis-
| ed to let the Hapsburg have them; nor yet the
people of the country themselves, for they
would rather be the subjects Of powerful en-
pire than the sovereigns Of weak one. Paid
in advance, in this way. Austria has amused
| the Western Powers by negotiating: her posi-
ton in Germany has once or twice tried her
faith severely; but at the last, she seems faith
full to her engagement, and the prospect every
day grows nearer of France and gland find-
ing themselves thrust headlong into war with
the whole of Russia and the whole of Germany,
However momentous such a turn Of the war
would be, it is really less SO, to the human race
at large, and to the cause of civilization, than
the democratic movement in England which has
already grown out of the contest 1t is given
to very few to see the causes and trace the phi
losophy of contemporary events; may hap, here
after, the historian may allude to the British
war with Russia as an accident arranged by
Providence for the purpose Of precipitating
the fall'of the hereditary aristocracy in EGG
land and the final triumph Of popular principles
For the one has followed the other with start
| ling rapidity, and has. already surpassed it In
| Importance; whether there be peace, or whether
| there be more war, there must be revolution
in England. The press is revolutionary, the msr-
chants-who have the most to lose by change
talk revolution: members of Parliament fear
revolution; exministers of the crown expect it;
even in the tottering House Of Peers, amid
the feeble senilities of that pensioners hospi-
tai, Lord Peterborough breaches revolution 10
almost the tones of Mirabeau. Does anybody
dream that after a peer of England has told his
brother peers that birth is oshiug, rank mo-
thing, ancestry nothing, and that merit, head,
brains, democratic sense and honesty are
every thing-a and has been listened TO with
silence and awe-that England can returo to
the old system, and the army, the navy, the
church, and the civil service again become
no. The hour has been long impending, it is
now at hand: the bell has beel long silent, but
hand is already bidding it strike the tocsin;
the fight must come, it must, it must, and
neither the naughty defiance of Derby, nor
the glib assurance Of Palmerston, nor even
the treachery Of Iscariot Marlborough, or the
passing follies OF this or that popular leader,
can prevent or retard 1t. War will hasten it,
for twenty thousand Englishmen cannos beat
fifty thousand Russians, as they will be expect
ed to do, and modification will light the match.
Peace will hasten it. for it will bring leisure,
and new channel will be needed for the agi-
tation aroused by the war. A continuance of
the French alliance will hasten it, by keeping
constantly before the eyes of the people the
superiority of the democratic system of the
French, with their ever changing rulers and
forms Of government, to the old, unchanging,
unimproved stolidity of the oligarchical plan
OF England. A rupture with France will
hasten it, for it would be full of disgrace for
England, and though the middle classes were
the authors of the mischief they would infalli
bly, make a scapegoat of the aristocracy and
destroy them in the first fit of selfreproach and
peevishness. Come what may, happen what
miracle Providence may have in store, nothing
can avert revolution from England.
And, until that great question is settled, how
futile the operations Of the armies Do we
not oil know the whole story-what Raglan wild
do and what OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES con0Basses
their Majesties of Vienna, Berlin and st. Pc
tersburg will hold, and what further guaran-
tees, besides the two points, the Gear will give
to the German Powers in return for their al
liaDce-what hecatombs of fine fellows will ret
in the Crimea or on some other wild place on