New-York tribune., 1877-08-06
ENGLAND AND TURKEY.
PUBLIC OPINION IN ENGLAND

oPrO I'D TO WAR.
tFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRTBUNEl
LOND)N July 2G.-Since the beginning of the war
there has been no such excitement in England as
that Of Monday. II became known to everybody at
breakfast that morning that troops had been ordered
| to the Mediterranean. How many had been ordered
where they were going why they were going, what
they would do-all these were questions which
everybody put, and nobody could answer positively
Some of the papers. among them the least sensa-
tional Of all papers boldly announced an Expedition
to the East. There was for time a feveriSh anX-
lety real apprehension lest the party had at
last got the upper hand in the Cabinet and some de-
csive step been taken. You may the gravity
of the crisis by the single fact that the questions
| put to the Government respecting the dispatch of
| troops were put in the Lords by Earl Granville, and
in the Commons by Lord Harrington that is by the
two leaders of the Opposition. The answers of Lord
! Derby and Sir Stafford Northcote varied little in
terms, but amounted to the same thing in substance;
/ that the Mediterranean garrlsons, Malta, and per-
haps Gibraltar, to be strengthened If any
stress is to be laid variation in the phraseoogy of
the two answers, Lord Derby's is the authori-
tative Of the two. don't think the ingenuity which
| has been expended in pcryerting the natural and
| plain meaning of the two declarations very well
applied. But will quote both, and you may judge
for Yourself Lord Derby said:
My lords, have difficulty In answering the
question of the noble earl, which, under the cir
cumsances. is natural aud opportune. What has
happened is thls-the Mediterranean garrsons
present, understand below their full complement.
ana IN the uncertain and disturbed CONDITION OF Europe
II mas been thought desirable mat thew shog be strength
foundation for the statements IN the newspapers.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer said:
Sir the which the noble ord refers having
been current durn the last few dNs founded on
thi>-ihat the Government thought il right, in the
present titled state the Mediterranean region To-
raise the garrison Of VI TIA to it's full complement. ana
that number 0 troops is about 10 bc dispatched for tt
destination. That ia the sole answer / give TO the
/ noble lord. Niear)
Now think may say confidently that the coun-
try accepts these two Ministerial statements as
meaning what they say and no more than they say.
But II you consult the London papers, you will find
that the words which plain to plain people
signify several different things. Perhaps it would
I be exact to say that they are believed fraud
to cover up more than they reveal. After them,
before certain degree of mystery hangs over the
purposes of the Government. The most explicit
dec aIatIOns do not quite convince the AngO-lurks
any more than they convinced the Turks them
selyes-that the Government may not really mean
to strike in at the proper moment and save their
former allies from the discontinue they deserve.
There is similar conflict of testimony as to the
real feeling OF the English people.
/ For example people who put their faith in The
Doily Ieleraph must believe that Lord Derby and
his colleague spoke with studied insincerty. Every
body knows, says this paper that Malta and Gibral
tar are IN no need of additional defenders; that
Gallipoli i. the spot where English troops can act
/ most usefily. and that to Gallipo troops
l.ust and will go, if on arriving at Malta, events
still wear their present complexion" Moreover, the
! 5000 troops Of which Lord Derby spoke are, ac-
cOrliug to this paper, to be followed by exactly
| 5J7S more; fact which both ministers carefully
! abstaned from mentioning. This, you Will say, Is
! tie language of an enemy aud yon have heard so
mach about the decorum of the English press, that
vou will be surprised to find journal of great crcu
! lation accusing English Ministers of hypocrisy and
! deception. For that is what the language Of this
paper really amounts 10; yet 1t is a supporter and
/ not an opponent Of the Ministry. If, however, we
! turn 20 Tie FGH MAI gazette, which shares with
! He Daily TdCgtGphthe honor of deriving its political
! ns-frations from Constantinope we ind this view
! expressly rcpudlatcd The PdH MAI Gazette
Is reluctantly compelled to admit that the Ministers
mean what they said, and no than they said.
This admission is made with every mark of regret,
and in the language Of bitterness and even despair.
! But that makes it all the more significant; makes
! it, may say, conclusive. IL may perhaps, he said,
! as was said about the dispatch of the English fleet
to Boska Bay, that reasons Of convenience have de-
| teImIucd the movement. a contingency may occur
in which a decision to send troops To Gapoli might
be tallcn in such it would be easier and quick
er to send them from Malta than from Portsmouth
But il may be deemed certain that no such decision
has vet been taken; probable that none such will be
taken For before it could be taken the Government
would have to make sure that the country would
support the Government IN such an enterprise
which means alliance with Turkey and war with
Al I,,;, tp tltg
What is the feeling OF the country respecting such
polcyf
AGAIN must say that if you trust to the London
papers YOU will get confused on rather conflicting
measures The Day telegraph tells us, in the course
of two columns of that gushing rhetoric of which 1t
has q mastery-and, | am glad to say, pretty much
monopoy-that the pro- Russian party has lost what
ever influence il possessed and that immense
maortyp applauds the evident purpose OF the Cabi-
net. If il is not a majority, il must be made ma
ioritv. "Ths is no hour IN which dscord or faction
can be longer tolerated. What was academlcal dis
cussion or admissible sentimentalism yesterday
would be mpertinence and even treason tomorrow"
Int Lord Salisbury himself is warned that he must
make up his mind to adopt the pollcy OF the lourhal
with an average caily circulation OF almost
n quarter of a million, or step down ana
ont. need hardly explain that quote TINS journal
soov because Of its quarter Of million buyers, and
not hec,use Of the intrinsic value of specuatons.
Nor do believe that all or any great part of us
readers nav much attention to what III says about
war or politics. The paper is bought for It's adVer-
tsements and for Its miscellaneous leadllg articles
and other contributions on social topics these Iat-
fer are read with interest by very large Dut mostly
lower middlc-class constituency OF the small hhoP
keeping kind. mainly. Mr.. Goschen, whom some
laF