New-York tribune., 1878-07-24
THE TREATY OF BERLIN.
THE POSITION OF ENGLAND.

| FROM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.
LONDON, July 13.-To-day the work of the Con-
gress of Berlin is to be completed the Treaty OF
Berlin will be signed and on Tuesday Lord
BeacOnsfeld will be back in London to
| listen to the sweet music of the hur-
rah which is preparing for him. The
hurrah is not, of course, on account OF the
| Congress. but account of the Anglo-lurkish
| Convention or Treaty of Alliance which is sup
posed to have repaired the mishaps which
befell the English PlenipOtentiaries i'll
their Berlin negotiations-abOve all, on ac-
count of the annexation of Cyprus. This was the
surprise which Lord BeacOnsfed's admirers have
foretod; this it is which is to set the tar barrels
| blazing next Tuesday; which has already set OH
volleys and voeys of rhetorical fireworks in the
| Journals which exist for this kind of thing.
This is the GLORIOUS triumph" This is the master
stroke which completes that incomplete Ango-Rus-
sian Memorandum, and turns all its gall to honey.
Difficult as il is to keep ones head cool amid all TINS
excitement, let us try TO see exactly what has been
done what the glory and the triumph are made
up of how long they are likely to last and what
part sincere friend Of England can take in the
congratulations which interested partisans are be-
slowing on the author of all this.
won't dwell on Englands abdication of the post
on which she stood for q while, statue-like as
champion of Europe, and sole advocate of the great
principle that European treaty could only be modi-
| fed by European consent She stepped down
| from that when the Anglo-Russian agreement
| came to the knowledge of mankind. That left her
| in the position of entering Congress with
protest against secret bargains on her
| lips and secret bargain in her pocket.
The moral value of her professions is not much I'M
paired by the discovery that instead of one secret
bargain she had two. She has deliberately sacri-
| WI. l. H. t,olb bxrtf1
She has set her hand to treaty by which. in the
words Of the ablest Anglo-Turkish journal. the
Treaty of San Stefauo has in fact been approved IN
all its worst features and details. IshOud call them
! its best features ana details but / prefer to
discuss the matter Mt pre- sent from the Anglo-Turk
point of view. From that point OF view there is no
dispute that the Treaty of Berlin, if 1t stood alone
| would be a humiliation and disaster TO England.
| 1t is a Treaty of Partition, and the thing
which is the subject of partition is that same Turk
ish Empire of which Lord Beaconsield undertook to
defend the territorial integrity. Europe gives Bul-
| gara north Of the Balkans to Russia. and England
assents. She sells Bosnia and Herzegovina to Aus
| tria. She emancipates Serva and Roumania for the
suzerainity of the Turk. She rewards Montenegro
| for her invincbe valor with port and
a slice of territory much smaller than 1t
| ought to be. She recommends that Greece
| should have another slice. With one hand
she erects a military barrier against future
Russian aggression by way Of the Balkans, and with
the other hand opens q more convenient door Tor
| the passage of Russian armies by way of Sophia
The great fortresses memorable in Russo-l urk-
| ish military annals, Rustchuk, Sistria, Shumla,
yarna, the impregnabe quadrIateral,arc heneeiorth
Russian The frontier of Turkey in Asia Is denuded
| IN the same way. Batum, Ardahan, and Kars are
ceded 10 the Car not indirectly, as in Europe,
| ToLt hafh Turkey
paws far more heavily for her defeat by Russia
than France paid by the loss of Alsace and
Lorraine for her defeat by Germany, in 1870 Russia
reRans Bessarabia also. point about which public
opinion in England was as much excited AS about
| auy other whatever; though with no better reason
than her dislike to the last stigma of defeat I'M
posed on Russia by the Crimean wiped ont.
| Asa set off to these immense concessions, Eng
land ihas concluded treaty with Turkey by
which she undertakes TO protect Asiatic-Iurkey
against future Russian aggression, and for the more
| convenient performance of this otherwise purely
| executory contract, she annexes Cyprus {;
| with the consent Of the Sultan and subject
| TO yearly tribute. That, and that only,
il what England has gained. She has taken upon
herself one of the most burdensome obligations ever
accepted by great Power. She has done tins IN
pursuance of q theory which her Foreign Secretary
states, that the defeat of the Turkish arms,
and the Russian possession of Batum, Ar
dahan and Kars, will be regarded by the
| Asiatic population as monument Of feeble
defence on tho one side and of successful aggression
OH the other, aud as forebodng the course Of po-
ltical history in the immediate future More sim
ply Asatic Turkey is in danger of going rapidly to
pieces to the manifest peril Of the Indian Empires
and this latter peril it is which England steps in TO
avert.
In one sense, readily admit that the conclusion
| of this Ango-Turhish Treaty is diplomatic
triumph for England. 1t marks the victory of Eng
lsh over Russian diplomacy in ConstantinoDle itself.
There was q moment after the war when it seemed
| probable that-whatever became ofthe Treaty ofSan
Stefano Russia would reGstabllsh her old ascend
ancy at the Porte II was of much consequence to
her TO do so She has been foiled in that, and Tur
kew. forced to choose has thrown herself INTO
the arms of England and not of Russia. 1t is pos
sible certainly, that Turkey may change her mind,
that the Sultan may be OverthrOwn, that Russia
mayagain get the upper hand on the BOsphOrus, and
that England may wake up some morning to hear
that new Grand VIzier repudiates the treaty.
ANYTHING il possible i'll Turkey, except good faith
and honesty. In that view and in othersthe acqusi-
ton of Cyprus is asO perhaps, diplomatic success.
Setting that aside, what is left of the triumph !
How would 1t look in private life State 1t in the
most elementary form Brown and Smith have
had a lawsuit about Smiths farm. Robinson
was a friend of Smith, and had once been
his partner, and promised to help HIM,
but didn't, and Smith has got the worst of
the lawsuit and had to give up part of his land and
is afraid he shall by and by lose some more to which
the title is no better Robinson has farm too,
though good way off, which he holds by similar
title, and which he is afraid Brown wants, and viii
By and by try to get. So Robinson makes bar
gain with Smith, that if Brown brings another
suit AGAINST smith Robinson will help defend it (;
and Smith gives Robinson piece Of land meantime