Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-10-02
RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE.
The Attitude of RusSia-The Baltic
Provinces - The RuSsO.PrusSiaH
Frontier.


The Attitude of Russia-The Baltic
Provinces - The HuSsO.Prussian
Frontier.
The Pail Mall Gazette, of Sept. u,
prints the following letter fromSt. Peters
burg, dated Sept. l:
'The press here has become somewhat
lukewarm of late in its advocacy of
France, and in this it faithfully reflects
the feeling in official circles, though in
general society the French cause inspires
as much sympathy as ever. The Govern
ment organs no longer speak of the pos
sibility of Russia becoming actively in
vOlved in the war; her interference, they
say, should be limited to the exercise of her
moral influence on the belligerents. The
cause of this change of tone is, have
reason to believe, that the Russian army
is totally unprepared for war with such
a formidable power as Germany has now
proved herself to be.
There are not more than 10000 or
$4,000 breech-loaders available for the
troops; the artillery is far from being
complete, and the attendance is in a state
OF total disOrganiZatiOn. The interven-
ton of Russia will therefore, for the pre-
sent at least, be only diplomatic one.
The press of st. Petersburg and Moscow
strongly condemn the plan of annexing
Alsace and Lorraine to Gei many, on the
ground that to annex a country against
The will of its inhabitants is an act of
barbarism unworthy of great and en-
lightened nation. This argument does
not come with very good grace from
the rulers of Poland; and, indeed, it is
merely cover for the Prussophobia which
now pervades all political circles here.
,"What the Russians fear is not so
much the loss of the Baltic provinces
which it would be very difficult for Prus-
STA to conquer, and still more to hold, on
account of their geographical position
as the advance of Germany to the Wis
tula. The Russo -Prussian frontier is at
present completely open, and now that
Germany is no longer Russla's vasSal, but
her rival, the great military strategists at
Berlin will, it is thought, not fail to see
the necessity of some strong natural
boundary to protect the Germans against
a sudden attack from their jealous neigh
Dor.
"The dread of war arising from this
question is very general here, and the
Russian diplOmatists are therefore doing
their utmost to stop the present struggle
before France is utterly exhausted, so
that at some future time they may be able
TO claim her assistance against the enemy.
A rdpprOchenleTt with France would
further have the advantage of leaving
Russia free to pursue her designs in the
East, and also of removing a fruitful
source of disturbance among her Polish
subjects, by depriving them of the hope
of French support. These ideas have
produced a reluctance in the Russian
statesmen to enter into a common action
with England in the present struggle. 1t
is supposed that England would object to
the revocation of the treaty of Paris, and
throw other obstacles in the way of
Russia's designs in the East, while France,
in her present helpless state, would CON
sent to everything if Russia would only
prevent her dismemberment.n
Since the surrender of Napoleon, how
ever, the success of Germany has pro-
duced its natural effect on Russia, and the
old antagOnism of "COssack or Republi-
cam comes into new prominence. The
official journal of st. Petersburg, as the
cable reports, now urges that the terms
demanded by Germany ought to be &C
ceptcd at once by France. There is even
less prospect than ever of an attempt at
armed intervention on the part of Russia.