The Portland daily press., 1870-12-03

Ecffselinh ofio. Reply to Earl Granville.
The special correspondent Of the Tribune at
St. Petersburg telegraphs the full text of
Prince Gortschakof's reply to Earl Granville,
it being dispatch TO Baron Brunow, dated
Thorskoe, Nov %:
Monsieur le Baron. The E.nbassador of Eng
laad has read and lett with me copy of Lord
Granville reply to our communication OF the
l9th of October, which l submitted to His
Majesty the Emperor. Our august master was
pleased TO point out that it contained, in the
first place, an expression of earnest desire Of
| the Cabinet of London to preserve cordial rela-
| tons between England and Russia; and Sec
| ondly, an assurance that the English Cabinet
would not have refused to enter into an exam
ination Of the treaty of 1856 SO far as they had
been modified by circumstances. AS for the
| question of strict right, stated by Lord Gran
vile, we have no wish to enter into any discus
sion, to recall any precedent, or cite any exam
pie. SUCH controversy would in 10 way pro-
mote the good understanding which we desire.
our august master had to discharge an impe-
| rlous DUTY to his own country, without wishing
10 ln]ure, In any way, the governments when
| were slgnatorles to the treaty OF Do. On the
| contrary, His Imperial Majesty appeals to tneir
sense OF justice and to their regard Tor their
own dignity. -,
We regret to see that Earl Granville address,
| es himself principally to the form OF our COM
| muncation. The form was not our CHOICE
| We would maze asked TOT mourning D6Uter surely
| than to obtain our end by an agreement with
the signatories of the treaty of 1856, but the
| principal Secretaries of State of Her Britain
mic Majesty well know that the attempts made
| at different times to assemble the powers in a
| general conference, with view to remove the
causes of difficulty which disturb the general
peace, have universally failed. The prolonga-
| ton of the present crisis and the absence of a
| regular government in France postpone still
further the possibility of such an agreement.
Meanwhile the position in which the treaty left
| Russla has become more and more intOerable
| Earl Granville will .agree that the Europe OF
| to-day is very far from being the Europe which
| signed the treaty of 1856
Ii was impossible that Russia should agree
to remain the only power bound indefinitely to
an arrangement which, onerous as it was al
the time when it was concluded, becomes daily
weaker in its guarantees. Our august master
has too deep sense OF what he owes to his
country to force it tosubmit any longer to ar
obligation against which the national senti
ment protests We cannot admit that the alb
rogation of purely theoretical principle, no
followed by its immediate application, an(
| which visibly restores to Russia right o
| which no great power could consant to he de
prived, ought to be considered as menace t.
| peace, nor that in avoiding one point of the
treaty of 1856, the abrogation of all is implied
| The Imperial Cabinet never had any sucl
intention; on the contrary, our communication
OF Oct. 10 declared in the most explicit terms
that His Majesty, the Emperor, maintains hi
adhesion to the general principle of the treaty
of 1S56,and that he is ready to come to an agree
ment with signatory powers Of that treaty
either to confirm its general stipulatiOns or tt
| renew them, or to substitute for them any 9th
&c equitable agreement which may be thought
suitable to secure the repose Of the East or thu
equilibrium Of Europe. There seems, then, tt
be no reason why the Cabinet of Londol
should not if it please, enter into an explana
ton with the signatories of the treaty OF 1856
For our part, we are ready in any deliberatioI
having for its object the settlement of guaran
tees, for the consolidation of peace in the East