Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1862-01-08
BRITISH NATIONAL HONOR

Now that MIR. Seward has disposed of the
Trent affair with coup de main, alike honora-
BILE to the American Government, as with
great credit to himself, it will do no harm to
refer to the case of Col. Turr, q matter not
yet forgotten by the present generation. 1t
will show the character of the English nation
under two situations, one when they want fa-
vors and the goodwill of an Imperial family,
the other when they want cotton and sscustO-
mers, - with free trade to supply them. While
the British Government ssevinced desire to
'' shirk the subject and submit passively to the
ss insult offered to it' in 1855, from Austria,
it sscould not allow such an atfront to the Ma
6. tona honor to pass without full reparation -
in 1861 by the United States. We quote en-
tirely from Tyrell's History of the War with
Russia, and therefore have English authority
Col. Turr Hungarian by birth, and an
officer in a Hungarian regiment stationed in
Italy at the time of the struggle for Italian in
dependence in 1889. When Kossuth called
his country to arms against Austria, Turr, with
others, did battle where they were. After the
insurrection was suppressed, Turr, like many
of his countrymen, became an exile. He So
licited and received commission in the En-
glish service. in the land transport corps. He
went to the Crmea, and was sent by the Direc-
tor General to Wallachia, to procure horses
for the British army. While at Bucharest on
visit, he was arrested on the lst November,
1855, at his hotel: by order of the Austrian
General, Coronni, on the charge Of being a
deSerter from the Austrian army in 18i9. His
uniform violently stripped from his
back and he was otherwise greatly maltrcated
and insulted, and then thrown into prison.
Mr.. Coiquohon, the English consul in the
Wallachian capital, being informed of the cir
cumstance, sslost no time in proceeding to
ss Count Coronini's residence, and, in tone
" becoming his position, demanded the liber-
Sc alton of the prisoner, ,he being actually in the
-" British service, wearing its uniform, on Turk
ss ish territory, and intrusted with special
&c commi- sion oa behalf of the British army in
s. the Crimea. The Austrian, forgetting the
g respect due to the representative of the Sow
Sc ereign of England, put himself into tower
ss ing rage, exclaimed: {: Il know no Colonel
&c Turr but one Turr, deserter, whose name
60 was posted on the public gibbet at Funfkir-
Sc chen for five weeks. Know you, sir, that
"haYe the power to hang him p sOn your
&c responsibility, your excellence' replied MIR.
" Colquohon. "a deserter,' shouted the
6: Count; 81 arrest my deserters whenever
Sc find them and if my Government order me
!. surrender him. will break my sword He
&c refused to liberatc the prisoner, and only
SO consented to delay further measures until
SO he received instructions from Vienna. This
ss affair produced an immense sensation at
&C Bucharest. Thus was Hungarian political
ss exile seized by the Austrians on neutral
ss territory, it being part of the Ottoman en-
sspire. Thus the asylum granted by the Sui
tan to Kossuth and other Hungarian exiles
ss was violated in the person of Col. Turr, and
Sc the temptation to the outrage appears to
sc have been the opportunity it afforded Count
8. Coronini of insulting England, by disdan-
&c fully tearing its uniform from the back Of
ss the man whom he had arrested.
&c 1t is subject of humiliation to English
men, that our Government, always unpleas-
chi ri al Y dafa tiaIf fn hat
90 of Austria, evinced an unworthy desire to
ss shirk this subject, and by the aband onment
sc Of Colonel Turr, bmit passively to the in
sult offered to it. The Times and the Globe
sc also attempted to disguise this baseness by
90 blackening the character of Colonel Turr,
&c and by the assumption OF a naughty ndiffer-
"ence. The latter course was contemplate
Sc and ridiculous, aud reminds us of the fellow
&c in the old comedy, who, having been we'll
&c kicked by his opponent, declares that the
6 insult was OF SO vulgar character, that he
&c should not condescend to take any notice OF
it. However, the liberal press of the cOun-
try kept the case of the Hungarian Colonel
prominently before the public. The Gov
ernment appears to have been driven reluc-
& tantly into some sort of remonstrance, and
on the 30th of January, 1856, it was an
nounced at Vienna that sthe Emperor, as a
mark of consideration for his illustrious ally
Queen Victoria, has granted a pardon to
ssCoIonel Turr! A pardon The time has been
when England would have exacted-not a
&c pardon, bet an apology" Kossuth, in an
article on this violation of international law
says, sswhy, the act is so monstrously insult
sc ing that if England, besides the personal re-
paration due to Colonel Turr, would content
6: herself with anything less for satisfaction
than the immediate evacuation of the prin-
ss cipaliies by Austria, history would not fail
I" to pass the Judgment, that England did not
ss deserve the name, and shall have forfeited
&c the position of an independent nation.''