The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-03-19


cants for hsrbor masterships.
We give in another column the official document
from the President of the United States which
proclaims the Reciprocity Treaty in full force from
and after the 10th day of the present month.
The News by the steamer-Is Nicholas Dead.
Many still refuse to believe that Nicholas is
dead: of whom not improbably most were
thoroughly taken in by the Sebastopol hoax.
But there is a vast difference between the two
cases. In the latter-the Sebastopol story
the news could be traced to no reliable source.
The British minister had it.; SO had the French
ministry of State: the Turkish ambassador twas
aware of it," everybody seemed to know that
Sebastopol was taken; but when the news was
sifted and it's origin sought, wandering Tartar,
riding breakpeck over hill, valley and steppe,
pertorce even over sea and river, was actually
the only authority. There was an improbability
in the story which, had French and English
been less wild to hear of the fall Of the City of
the morning, would have stamped it at once as
hoax. The report of the death Of Nicholas is
very different. 1t comes in due course by tele-
graph from Berlin; precisely the channel which
such news ought to take. The telegraph from
St. Petersburg to Berlin was completed, as
many of our readers may be aware, last fall;
and is in good working order throughout the
distance, via Warsaw and we believe wilma. By
this route Berlin is probably some nine hun
dred miles distant from st. Petersburg; and it
is likely that there are three or four stations on
the way where messages are transferred from
one line to another 1t is suggested that the
purchase Of an operator at Warsaw or wilma
might secure the transmission of a false message.
The thing was done some years ago in France,
with perfect success; the faithless operator re-
ceiving sum for his treason which enabled
him to fly and live in idleness for the rest Of
his life abroad, and his conspirators making
fortunes by operating in the Rentes. But
the probability of such an operation in Russia
telegraph has been constantly under the eye,
and at the right hand of Nicholas Day by
day, the movements at the French and British
capitals have been faithfully reported to him
by its aid: whole articles of the Times having
been transmitted perbatina, it is said, over the
wires. On the reports received every after
noon by telegraph Nicholas based his war
measures. Is it likely, when so much was at
stake, and in community where the venality of
public functionaries is notorious, that Nicholas
would have allowed fraud to be possible, by
entrusting the telegraph to uDtried or doubtful
hands? If there was post in the empire to
which he would send his truest and most reli-
oh lrt lei "a alx fhoi
trusty man, finding the telegraph machine I'M
der his control, would dare to falsify with the
certainty of detection, and the scarcely less in
fallible prospect of the direst punishment
From the only London evening paper of the
"a we have received, it appears that the news
was generally known and credited in Berlin at
five O'Clock on that day. The correspondent
of that journal speaks of it quite confidently
and speculates briefly on the probable conse-
quences in reference to the war. This proves
of course that if there were any hoax, it did
not originate in the Berlin office. The state
ments of Lord Clarendon and Lord Palmerston
were made in London few minutes after five;
but before that time, as appears from Mr..
French's question, the story had already got
wind, and been discussed at the clubs.
The fact is people had been talking of the
probability of the Cars death all day. Early
in the morning, the news of his dangerous i'll
ness reached London by several telcgraphic
messages-all of course from Berlin. The dis
ease with which he was said to be attacked
disease Of the heart-rendered any illness for
midable; and we have every reason to believe
that many persons in London and Paris spent
the day of the second in hourly anticipation of
the news which did actually arrive at five
o'clock. At Manchester, where the Russo
Greek firms are established, and the Cars in
tcrest is by no means insignificant, it appears
| from the Erdmintr that the fatal termination
OF his malady had been fully anticipated, and
no attempt made to discredit the story; though
its damaging effects on the Cars cause must
OF course have been foreseen.
Finally, some weight is due to the language
used by Lord Clarendon: There can be no
doubt, said that nobleman "of the authenti-
city Of the report" With words of similar i'm
port, Lord Palmerston stopped the progress Of
business in the other house Is Il at all likely
that these statesmen would have exposed them
selves to the crushing effect of contradiction.
well knowing that in their disappointment the
| public would turn round upon them, If there
had been any reasonable doubt Of the truth Of
the report Clarendon and Palmerston must
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