The Bee-Hive. — 1876-07-22 (London, England)

ENGLAND AND THE EASTERN QUESTION.  Mr. Bright, well followed by several others, with admirable discretion drew from Lord Derby a characteristically lucid and plain account of Ministerial views on the war in the East in So far as the Foreign Minister felt it consistent with official duty to declare them. Lord Derby began with avowing himself absolutely and entirely one with the deputation waiting upon him on the subject of neutrality, save as a wise use of friendly relations might tend to hasten the close of the contest. He well observed, that, in a State like ours, Ministers are the servants of Parliament and of the public as well as of the Crown. The worst of it was, that they sometimes did not discover the real feeling of their employers till they had gone against it. In explanations, he referred his hearers to the forthcoming papers for the reasons why Government thought the Berlin memorandum would net work, while intimating that neither side was likely to accept it, and that it was no better than a compromise between the parties to it, which would but have ended in a general misunderstanding. Incidentally he confirmed the popular view that the late Sultan was lamenting some time before his death, that the state of Turkey was bad as bad could be, and nothing more likely than civil war and massacre of British subject's, which we are to accept as the Foreign Office reason for the presence of the British fleet, "considerably the biggest," in the waters of Turkey, a step, however, taken in concert with the other Powers. "I think, indeed," said Lord Derby, "it is the most improbable thing in the world, that, in consequence of anything that is now passing within the limits of the Turkish Entpire, a general European war should ensue. I do not see the quarter front which war is to come." To this conclusion a review of the State, the policy, and the interests of the different European Powers, brought him. Austria, in particular, had no motive for breaking the peace; while, though in Russia there are many whb would like to see a powerful and important SolaYonio empire under her guidance, the Emperor of Russia, upon whose personal will and disposition more turns than upon that of any other min, is a sincere lover of peace; to say nothing of the, condition of Russian finance ; the great difflou'aies of internal administration, the enormous cost of recent Asiatic Conquests, and " variods other causes which make an aggressive policy at present utterly unsuited to the interests of Russia." Moreover, the recent agreement between the Emperors "proceeds exactly upon the basis you lay down and I assent to ; namely, that of rigid and absolute nonintervention while this struggle continues, such non-interventien not excluding any efforts which may seem calculated to lead to good results, such as efforts of mediation; and, as I understand, it is expressly due to the arrangements then come to, that if anything is attempted, it is to be done, if possible, by concert of all the European Powers." Lord Derby concluded his satisfactory statement with a stroke of humour, the more significant because it is not his wont to indulge in that vein: "We undertook, undoubtedly, twenty years ago, to guarantee the Sick Man against murder, but WO never undertook to guarantee him against suicide or against  disease." Mr. Bright, in thanking the Minister for the communication, said :  "We aro greatly interested in the speech which you have been kind enough to deliver to us. My own impression is, that it will have a very salutary effect in all parts of the country. At this moment there is, with circumstances other than the political position, a great gloom over almost all the industrial and commercial interests of the country. It is impossible to say how much is to be attributed to one cause, and how much to the other, and no doubt the whole is greatly aggravated by the difficulties which have threatened war. The speech we have heard will have some influence in removing that gloom and in dispersing those clouds, and is calculated to give satisfaction to the country, as it gives satisfaction to us."