The Portland daily press., 1877-05-11
ATTITUDE OF THE POWERS.
Proceedings in the British ParIiamen,

LONDON. May 10.-In the Commons this af-
ternoon Mr.. Sullivan withdrew the questions
which he gave notice he should ask on Monday
next, relative to the intimation of Mr.. Cross,
the home secretary, that England would de-
fend Egypt from interference or attack.
Mr.. Bourke, secretary of the foreign depalt-
ment, said no ateps had been taken to seed a
naval force to the Danube, as such step
would lead to much misinterpretation.
During the debate Mr.. Courtney advanced
dismembe rment of Turkey by force of arms
an and alliance with Russia for that purpose.
The conservatives cried ''no' and the liberals
cheered.
Mr.. Forster said he was happy to think it
would not be so easy to drift into war at the
been previously. Mr.. Forster's speech was a
criticism of Earl Derby's reply to Prince Gort-
schakoH. He said some of the arguments
therein, though conclusive, were 1based upon
false assumptions. The whole tendency of the
reply was dangerous. 1t was a very strong
treaty of Paris by the step she had taken.
If the government thought that to declare war
instead of leaving the question to European
mediation was violation of that treaty, they
should have told Russia SO beforehand.
Whether Russia was blameable depended
very much whether European concert by which
matters were to be arranged was real He
denied that that concert was anything more
than sham; denied that England had right
S E ana so nussr fro from ass aot S
Russia desired to capture Constantinople.
He could not have voted for the Sd and 4th.
resolutions if Mr.. Gladstone had maintained
them, but before the outbreak of the present
war he would have supported declaration in
favor of European pressure and coercion. He
believed the majority of the House favored
neutrality as far it is consistent with British
interests, and said the best way to protect those
interests was to be ready TO offer mediation at
the first opportunity.
Forster's were principally characterized by
strong anti-Russian tone.
Mr. Chaplin declared that Russia to a great
extent was responsible for the events which oc-
CURED last year in Bulgaria, and said that care
should be taken to prevent Russia from setting
her foot in ConstantinOple or interfering with
the road to India, even if it was necessary to
sweep the Mediterranean to secure that object,
Sir Robert Peel, citing the case of Poland,
rldicnled the conjunction of the name of Rus
STA with civil or religious liberty. He hoped
the government would not bulge an inch from
the position they had taken. He did not fear
war but hoped it would be avoided under the
able management of the government.
The debate was adjourned.
Dissensiens i'm the British Cabinet.
LIVERPOOL, May 1O-The Posts London
correspondent says when Cross boosted Monday
VI Tic tuIiIo uulty VI the OaDlnet he was in.
dulging in flight of Imagination. The truth
is a nominal unity was only restored Saturday
and this result was obtained after an angry
discussion in the Cabinet by the threatened re-
signation of four of its members Earl Bea-
cons6eld was in favor of a violent and sensa-
tional policy. The British fleet had been or
dered to rendezvous at Corfu with sealed ms
tructions to sail for the Bosphorus, and there
was every probability that an armed demon
stration in favor of the Turks would be made.
Gladstone's resolution, or rather the expression
of public feeling thereby invoked, put matters
in an entirely different position, and when the
Cabinet met Saturday several members declared
they would not at present sanction an armed
demonstration on the Bosphorus The four
members to whom the country owe the final
decision of the government in favor of neutral
ity are Lord Salisbury, Sir Stafford Northcote,
Lord Carnarvon and Mr.. Cross. They declared
that they would not support warlike policy,
and as their retirement would break up the
government, the Prime Minister and his war
like colleagues were compelled to submit. Thus
a sort of unity has been patched up for the
present, and the government in the meantime
is committed to a policy of neutrality. It
should not, however, tie forgotten that this
policy is provisional, and that the whole
Cabinet recognize that Intervention ma
necessary