, 1877-04-07
THE POLICY OF RUSSIA.

sian Government should have at last come
to believe that the time has not arrived
for beginning an attack upon the Ottoman
Empire. The oppression OF the Christians
10 Turkey, the crusading fervour among
the tanatical masses of the Russian people,
the excitement Of the army, the pledge OF
the GEAR himself at Moscow, AID Turkeys
unceremonious disregard Of the Conference.
make the position of Russia very difficult.
The Inducements to act are such that many
rulers, if in the place Of the GEAR, might
shut their eyes and strike. His mind is
supposed to have been saddened by the
memory Of the immense disasters which
the CrimPan war inflicted on his country,
ard amid which he began his reig~. He has
about him a powerful Party in favour of
peace, and the history of Russian wars
with Turkey must have filled his mind
with many forebodings. THOSE wars have
been frightfully expensive both in men
and in money. The defence of Sebastopol
threw the material resources of the coun-
try back at least twenty years. Russia
might have been covered with a network
of rail ways for the sum she spent in de-
Tending a town which is now little bet
ter than o heap of ruins. Yet even
that sun might be small compared
with the cost Of another campaign
if, unhappily, a war with Turkey
should deveIope irto a wider contest; fos
the expense of tieges and battles might
easily be double what it was twenty years
ago. Inventors like Sir WILLIAM ARM.
STRONG and KRUPP and strategists liks
MoLTKE have combined to make wars of
once short and %ruinous beyond the dreams
Of past generations. Thus in o few
months of fighting France spent nearly
one hundred and fifty millions sterling,
besides the two hundred millions which
she afterwards paid to Germany. It
might be too easy for Russia to spend
q vast sum in another Turkish campaign,
and there is no great country on which
such an expenditure would lay a more
crushing burden. The more wealthy Of
her people have not yet recovered from
ton of the Serfs. The peasantry have
none Of those boards on which Francs
can draw in case Of need. The conquest
of Central Asia has made q heavy drain
on the Russian Treasury, and the finances
have been crippled Oy the reorganization
of q gigantic army. Trade, which has
never yet had a fair start, is paralyzed by
the fear of war, and should war break out,
it may lose as much in a few months as it
has gained in twenty years. All These
facts will have been stated by the Minister
OF Finance, and the EMPERoR's kindly
nature may be still more powerfully i'm
pressed by the thought Of the bloodshed
for which q declaration of war would be
the signal. Terrible as the loss of life was
in 1923 and 1929. it would in all probabi-
lily be far exceeded by the havoc of q
contest which the Turks would regard as
fight for the very existence Of their
power. Russian peasants would have
persisted by tens of thousands before the
GEAR could stay his hand. 1t would be
no wonder if such q prospect should revive
terrible memories of the disasters which
broke his fathers heart. The force of these
considerations would be greatly lesseued if
Russia could count on q single powerful ally;
but she stands absolutely alone. They
would also be lessened if Turkey could, by
escaping immediate chastisement, CONSOLE
da:e her power for evil. But Russia at
least does not believe that the PORTE has o
long lease of existence. It is maxim at
st. Petersburg that the Ottoman Power