The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-06-17
UHIr GOING ON IN EUROPE.
"Dull and uncertain" seems to be at Ii

lHtrc IL no news from the DANUBE, very ntuc
from Asia Minor. and not much more from
Paris. except that on tho reasscmbling Of the
Chamber Of tho Deputies yesterday, NJ. De
Fourtou, Minister of the Interior. read n dccla-
ration announcing that President MacMahon
had scnt a message to the Senate informing
that body Of his intention to dissolve tho Cham
Der by virtue of the powers conferred spon him
by article Ave Of the Constitution. and demand
ing the concurrence OF the Senate. Some moro
news may reach us before we go to press but
ono circumstance is already quito significant.
and that is that this declaration was made not
by the Duke dc Brogle. but by NJ Fourtou
In the first place. it shows that tho head of tho
Cabinet is reluctant to faco tho wrath OF tho
Chamber. In the second 1t indicates the un-
mitigatcd resolution of tho Government to sup
port imperialism. for NJ. Fourtou is just az
much an adept Of Napolconic rulo as Rouher or
Paul de Cassagnac.
The arrival Of the Car at Ploicsti was expect
ed to be the signal for tho Russian army to
cross the Danube; but he has already spent ten
days at the headquarters of his army without
any offensive operations having been under
taken. Yesterdays Bucharest telegram to the
London Times says that the immense mass OF
mat rial which the Russians are moving toward
tho Danube cannot be possibly lodged in the
depots on the river before the LIST Of July, and
that consequently no decisive attempt to cross
the river il likely to be made before that time.
In Asia Minor the Russians seem TO havc lost
some ground. An official telegram from St. Pc
tcrsburg acknowledges that Mukhtar Pasha had
been reinforced by twenty battalons from
Treblzond. and that the Turks were constantly
making sortics from Kars and forming counter
approaches against the siege trenches Of the
liussians. Tho telegram adds that all these
Efforts Of the bcsieg"d were frustrated but as
no decisive victory is reported. this statement
ought to be taken with grain Of salt.
What seems to be more certain is that
the Russians have Withdrawn large
number Of troops from Abraham. and the
ncighborhoods of OH and Erzcroum. The
only question is. whether they did this be-
cause they saw the impossibility OF holding
their advance positions with the stronghold Of
kars and u revolt on the Caucasus in the rear.
or because they took tho resolution to concen-
trate their forces around Kars and settle the
siege Of that fortress before undertaking any
further operations. Neither Field Marshal Pas
keytch in 1898. or Gen. Mouravcfl, in 1853,
attempted to move beyond Kars before they had
captured it, Tho Grand Duke Michael may.
perhaps. have discovercdthat he made a mis-
take in changing the modus operand VI his
predecessors.
Iilu'e OoIl'HukoU reply 10 LORD DerDyS
note seems to have satisfied everybody in Eng
land. This is new success for the Russian
ambassador in London. Count Shouvalon. who
has been. since IgnaticfTs tour through Eu-
rope. hard at work to bring England and Rus
STA to a friendly understanding. He has twice
gone 20 St. Petersburg. and the note he has now
brought to London appears to contain ample
assurances that Russia does not entertain any
aspiration for the possession Of ConstantinOplc,
and that II is tho opinion of the Russian Gov
eminent that that city ought never to belong to
any European power The note is reported
further to contain an intmation that Russia is
willing To conclude peace after her army has
passed the Balkans. and that it ought to be
Englands duty 10 induce the Porte to accept
Russian terms.
The contents Of this note must have been
known to the English Government some timc
before The do 'unent was handed to them. for
already on Monday last Earl Derby and the
Marquis Of Salisbury took care TO deliver pacific
speeches at n banquet of the Merchant Taylor's
school. Tho occasion Was not exactly natural
ono for such speeches; but the fact OF il having
been improved in that way shows only how
anXipu EnslHnd's Government il to back out
Of Tho rape viii u Lord Beaconsneld was get
ting il into. and how sure the other members Of
his Cabinet are that what the English people
want to hear above all. is. that they were max
inSlDols of themselves when they talked war
90 IL Mas generally been acknowledged said the
noble Marquis to be- madness Ia 20 a. war for
ana idea. bus 10 is yet moro unsatisfactory to 20
Ca war against "a nightmare Although it is gem
rally supposed that this war has been con-
'lstri aaa.ns. En.l sh Interests. | believe it
may D" looked al IN anuth r light Lord Der
iN. ".l'r eiv.nt full sulpostto Tire arguments NJ