, 1877-06-23

it among the d,sorganr2cd cummmitio,
outside its borders. Turkey furnished
one cluster vi these COmmmtic,, till
then very loosely bound togclhrc under
the central authority Of CUnstHntiOope,
The immediate effect ol Russian Nggran.
di. mnt upon the Poltc has undnubtcd-
ly been 10 compel it to adopt II more
vigorous p&iuy- whether more prudent
and stUtrsmanikr, or more reckless and
tymnniCul, we need not say-tOwnrll the
Inhabitants in tho several provinces,
each under its own set of statesmen or
tyrants; the next has been TO cause Il
gradual breaking af' of these provinces
in which the aggravated mi&gOvurnmcnt,
instead OF Strengthening the allegiance
Ol the inhabitants, bus Lgcd so much
fresh resistance and conEusiOg that they
central authority, and, invoking and
Obtaining Russian aid, have secured their
partia! Independence,
1t is no5to be supposed that tie mid
thus givc9 Ivy Russia to the Mdldavans,
Wallachmus, Scrvihns and Greeks has
been wholly GisintcrcStcd or based Ia
cIusivcly upon sympathics of race and
religion, but, whatever may have bpen
the motives promoting the Tsa8 and
statesmen, it is evident that sympathics
OF race and religion, joined with hatred
and jealousy OF the Turks, have always
been powerful among the Russian people
From the earliest times OF which we have
records about them, the SlavOnians in
Russia have looked upon the whole
country from the White Sea down to
the Black Sea as theirs by right. As far
back as the year 904 we find them invad-
ing Constantinople, and before any scpa.
rate Slavanic communities had been
planted south OF the Danube, aiming to
gain possession Of the district. When
the Greek empire had crumblcd away
and the Russian grand princes became
the heads OF the Greek Church, their de
sire to gain the holy city OF thcE religion
gave new zcst to their political ambition
Ever since they have freed themselves
from Moliometan oppressors and have
seen ConstantInoplc in the hands OF
Mohometans, their ambition, religious as
well as politician, has been yet further
intensified. Ivan the Threatenings tri.
umph over the Golden Horde, and bis
expulsion OF the Tnrtars from Russia,
we're followed, as matter Of
course, by Ivan the Terribe's
victories over the Tartars in their own
territories, and his invasion Of the
Crimea, at that time no part Of Russia.
All his successors who were not too
much absorbed in internal quarrels car
ried on, or tried to carry on, the work,
and Peter the Great most zealously OF
all. Peters most sacred legacy TO the
nation that he really built up was the
overthrow of Turkey. Catherine II.
conquered the Crimea in 1772, and ac-
quircl Azotf in 1774. What Nicholns
did and attempted during his long reign
is well known. by the Treaty of Aker.
man in 1926, he obtained Russian pro-
lection for AToldavia, Wallachia and Ser
via. In Conjunction with England, he
secured the Independence of Greece in
1880 He embarked on the Crimean
war in 1868. That there should have
been so long pause as onu.and.twenty
years in the conflict between Russia and
Turkey is the fact to he wondered at rather
than that war should have been resumed
SO soon. 1t is feud OF races that, ex-
tending from time immomorial, can only
terminate with the utter overthrow Of
one or the other OF them. As to which
of the two is destined to be overthrown
there cannot be doubt in any reasona-
BILE mind.
RusAu, though socially and politically
still far behind the nations OF western