New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-02-09
FIRST STAGES OF THE RUSSIAN SCARE.

FIRST STAGES OF THE RUSSIAN SCARE.
THE CLIMAX OF INTENSE EXCITEMENT REACHED
PUBLIC ANXIETY STRAINED TO THE UTMOST
LORD BEACONsFIELD PREyARICAuSG-IMPoR-
TANCF OF LORD DERBY TO THE CABISET-TnE
DANGERS WHICH MENACED TIE MINISTRY.
lrRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT THE TRIBUNE
LONDON, Jan. 26.-Excitement, apprehension,
dismay-alI the feverish moods through which the
British public has for weeks been passing in swift
succession reached their climax Thursday evening;
or rather Friday morning, since 1t was not till they
read their papers at breakfast Friday that most
people knew Of what had happened the evening be-
fore. The announcement by the Chancellor of the
Exchequ6r IN the House of Commons, that war
vote was to be asked for next Monday the an
| nouncement elsewhere that the Mediterranean fleet
| had been ordered into the Dardanelles: that a
British force was TO be landed at or Gallipo ;
that war with Russia was imminent; and
that rather than bear any part of the
responsibility for that war, Lord Derby and Lord
Carnarvon had resigned-such was the news of Fri
day morning; news of moro tremendous import to
England than anything that had happened since the
! Indian mutny twenty years ago. The agony of
| alarm lasted four-and-twenty hours. 1t then be-
came known that the orders to the feet had been
counermanded that Lord Derby might possibly
self considered the Russian terms of peace suit
able basis for an armistlce between Russia and Tur
key; and that the vote of money, though it might
still be asked for had no longer the bellger-
| ent meaning az when it was first mentioned What
n crisis writes friend, who knows something OF
what is going on 4" Is ii to be war; or dissolution
of Parliament dare say it will end in nothing at
alp
Why was the fleet ordered into the Dardanellesi
Why was the determination taken to ask at once
for the supplies which, few days ago. the Govern
men pledged itself not to ask for until the Russian
terms of peace should be known nor unless they
proved unsatisfactory These are questions which
every Engshman must have asked himself They
were asked last night in both Houses of Parliament.
The leaders of both Houses Lord Beaconsted in the
Upper Chamber and Sir Stafford Northcote in the
Commons, stood up to answer them; but when they
had sat down the mystery remained as impenetrabe
as ever. Lord Beaconsfed has never been thought
to he above trilling with serious subjects but his
lcyity last night was ppant beyond all precedent.
The Russian forces, he said, were advancing, the
Sultan had telcgraphed that there was no security
for life in COnstantinOpc " the intention of sending
the fleet in that direction that it should defend
the lives and property of British subjects in Con-
sannople and take care of British interests in the
Straits The force of diSlngenuousness could no
f,rther 20 So far as the reasons assigned are true
they were equally true a week ago. Nothing, abso-
lutely nothing, has since occurred to add to the
stress of them The two things which have occurred
the two real reasons for the menacing attitude
so suddenly resolved upon-are not mentioned by
Lord BeacOnstield. There has been a delay In COM
muuicatug the terms of peace, and there has been
deputaton of the leading members OF the House,
belonging to what Mr.. Bright harshy called the
rowdy war-party," the spokesman OF when urged
very strongly that something shonld be done " be-
fore il was too late" As to the hrSt the delay on
the part of Russia in apprsing England OF the state
Of the negotiations with Turkey 1t IS sufficient to
say that Russia wis under no obligation TO say any
thing TIL she was ready, and that, if she had been
under the strongest obligation, 1t is ridiculous to
the deputation, it il sufficient, and more than
sufficient, to say that it was headed by Sir
Robert Peel and Sir Drummond Wolf; the
| former n man who takes to politics for amusement
when horse racing and other serious occupations
pail upon him the latter thin pretentous person,
whose ambition is ont of proportion to bis abilities
Ii is matter of establishment that they conld get
only seventy men to join them IN their attempt to
mt n pressure on the Government for the Turks in
the House are numerous and furious; and it has
! been supposed they would follow anybody who
offered them chance OF gratifying their anti-Rus
| sian passions.
Nobody is satisfied with the present result of this
last crisis or should rather say, the present stage
of it, The order to the fleet angered one party the
countermanding of the order has angered the other
The strongest organ of the war party tells that
the history of the last year has established IN every
Continental mind fixed belief in the cowardice
and impotence of England of which this recalling
of tho fleet is to DO the final proof That is far from
being my opinion it is probably not the sober opn:
ion Of the able writer who in the hTst 0utourst OF
angry disappointment expresses it, But it indicates
as well as anything else the evaporation which the
yacillatiOn OF the Government has created In the
minds of the most ardent supporters OF vigorous
policy.