New-York tribune., 1876-12-16
THE EUROPEAN TURMOIL.
BRITISH DIsrRusT OF RUSSIA.

| REMARK iBLR DECLARATION sUPPREssED-JohN
! BRIGHT rIAIN-sPORES ASD EEsoLUTE.
IFHoH TIE nZGULtR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rBTBrNt'I
LONDON, Now pa number of facts favorable to
peace, which have become known this weok-it s
only Thursday rs yet-nay be reckOued up. These
are the unconditional acceptance of the Conference
by the Porte ths departure of Lord Salisbury as
Special EmbasSador, the reported tenor OF the coil
ycrsations held between him and the Dne Decazes
in Paris the publication from several dilierehV
sources all agreeing in snbsance) of the proposi-
tions which Russia will lay before the Conference
the general approval Of them by that part OF the
press which is not devoted exclusively to Mohahi-
medan interests, and more than all, the dlscosure'
CT the Cars request of Lord Augustus Lottuss re-
pOrt Of the pacific declarations made to m az Drit-
| ish ambassador by the Gar at Livadia.
| As to the acceptance of the Conference by the
Turks there has never been any doubt about It, OF
| only 50 much doubt "a could be based ON question
either of the good faith Of gland III insisting upon
IT, or upon the capacity of her ambassador at Con-
stantInop!e to make the Turks understand that En-
/ gland was in earnest. Here, az in every emergency
since tho English rejection of the Berlin memoran-
dum-the true source of all the ills that nave nap
| pencd sincc-it the strange support given pJ
| England to Turkey which threatened once more 10
mpeIil the prospect Of pacific solution Ihe dipio
matte insoence of the Porte, of winch the iast wear
| has offered so many examples, rises ana iai's III
| exact proportion to the diplomatic encoufaRen'n'
the Porte receives from the men who speak IN ,he
name of the British Emplre. We never heard Oh lhe
| Turks objections 10 conference ull MteF LoI'
Rescopsfelds specch at the Guildhall. That speech
| was made on Thursday, the 9th BY tho following
| Monday its echo eamo back from COnstantinopIe
in the shape of formulated exceptions, not to what
| the Conference might perchancc do, but TO the
boldiup Of any Conference at ALL The decree far the
of six Russian corps farmte seems to have
| convinced Lord Beaconsfed that matters were De-
coming serious and this conviction Lord Derby sue
| ceeded in conveying to Sir Henry Elliot III terms
which put speedy end to further shily-SIaliyihg
| about the Conference. The announcement Oh the
Turkish protest and the collapse of Turkish cppos'
| ton occupied exactly wcef. hat TINS coiiap'e
was counted on by the English Government is eVi-
don't enourh from the fact that preparations for the
Conference went on az if huttcrings on the ios-
phorus had been. heard on thd Thames. Lord Sails
burv left London by early tram the day the for
NAL acceptance of the Conference by the Turks was
made known TO the English public. It's permissible
10 ucss that the Turks were told he would starr,
and that their regard for appearances precipltatcd
tbe withdrawal of their impudent ino othcr worn
describes tl femOHstrances against the assembling
of the Six Powers of Europe TO discuss the Eastern
| question -,
So much for one result Of the too famous Snlid-
hall speech But what can be said of that speech III
view Of the facts that came to light yesterday
That spcrch WIS defiant toward Russia All Europe
locked on il "a q menace TO peace, or az least IN
o,,i,cus of war The effect upon the Turks We have
sccu Judged in the hight of what was known at
the time il was thought wanton provocation. what
v,ud have been thought of II if it had bccn known
than that il was the answer of the Prime Minister Ia
q r,st paciiic and cordial message from the Emperor
&C Russ;og What can be said now, when II Is
lnnv, that before the delivery of that beihgerent
baronpc. such q message had been TcceiNed' IL
was sent in the most solemn way. lhe peacelm
assurances were most explicit. 1t was n'owealy
,ur,ot 70 influence English opinion. Whether Lord
n,rby or Lord Bcaconsfeld believed these assrr-
onccs is not the question. Sincere or inslueere--
and neither OF them will venture Ia say ho Thought
them insncerc-they were q material iact' and iie
conceaIment Of them such breach oil inth as
f.,, proIisbmen could see exposed without sense
Of shame.
Nor do the most anti-Russian journals affect to
Joulf that these assurances were sincere. Indeed
t{o frankness Of tine Emprrurs address is most rc-
,,arLahlc. There is no blinking of d'sagrccablc
facts He referred openly to tho nvcteratc suspicion
f Rpssion policv and continual fear Of Russian ol-
rressinp and conquest which exists in England--in
certain poltieal cliqucs of England, he might have
said He met them, ne he had met them before by
assurances that he had not the smallest wish or III
tc,tiop 10 be possessed of COnstSntiUop.e. still
| more strongly: "All that had been said or writ
Ten sbont will of Peter the Great AID tho AIMS
~ Cetharinc the Second illusions and phan-
toms: they never existed in reality, and ne
considered that the acquisition OF Constantine
plc would be a misfortune for Russia lhere
was NO ones;ion of IT, nor had il ever been enter
IL l.. Cat ylo hal civ "a Duf
| il in 1925. when his victorious army was within
four days' march of the Turkish capital" Aud
again in language to which il would be difficult TO
| add more force or significance: His Majesty
uedeed his sacred word OF honor in the most earnest
and solemn manner that he had no intention of ac-
onirnr Constantinope and that il necessity should
obliec him tn occupy portion Of Bulgaria II wonld
only be professionally and until peace and the safety
Of the Christion population were serured" Respect
ing The intentions attributed 10 RUSSIA OF futufe
| conquest of India. nothing the Emperor declared,
| could be more absurd-"it is n perfect impossi-
| blity."
Now what may he called the purely political in
terest Of the English people III the Eastern question
Is confined TO these two points the possible seizure
| Of Constsntlnoplc by tho Russians, and possible
| attack upon India by way OF Central Asia. The
susricon and hostility of Englishmen toward Russia
arc kept alive so far ~ they kept alive, by their
| anxictics on these two points, and no others. The
| Government know this such support or liberation
10 their policy for the last twclycmOnth has OBJ
tanned from the country it has obtained for these
two reasons. Remove this suspicion, dissipate these
| anxicties and il would be impossible 20 keep up
state Of public feeling which would for n single
week hermit Lord BcacOnslold to risk the peace oi
ENGLAND aud of Europe for the promotion of purely
Turkish interests and the perpctuation OF Turkish