The daily republic. [volume], August 02, 1853, Image 2

About The daily republic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1853-1853

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THE REPUBLIC. ]
~ WA8HINGFON:
TUESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 9, 1SSS.
Protection of American CittMM
Abroad.
If there wee one declaration in the prospectus
of Mr. PtKacs's administration which more
then another found a response in the American
heart, it wee that the eitiaene of the Republic
should be protected in every part of the world.
It is very obvious that, although we were once
so week ee to be compelled, for a time, to levy
a tax upon our own Mediterranean commerce
to pay a tribute to the pirates of Algiers; and although,
for the same reason, we were long obliged
to submit to indignities under the name of "the
right of search," yet the gallantry of our seamen
and soldiers enabled ua to throw off the
i :i:_? ....1?:?.u??? ...k.. ?1
UUUJlJI&UUg OUUIUIDMUU IU VIIUOC WIIU uiaillicu
to be stronger then ourselves. The rapid
growth and unquestioned power of our country
enables us, however, to take that stand which
our national ign requires. Every American
will, therefore, sustain the assertion ot individual
rights, because every individnal abroad
is the representative of the national character.
It cannot be supposed that in avowing an in
terest in the maintenance of a position so pa
triotic we have any wish that the power of onr
Government should be employed to outrage or
to insult others?nor to manifest a sensibility so
acute as that every circumstance of disrespect
should be construed into cause of hostility. It
is precisely because we advocate peace that
we commend the prompt resentment of injustice
or insult. Courtesy is the highest ornament
of courage; it is the polish of the soldier's
steel; and those nations and individuals who
move most peacefully through life, are those
who never offer nor endure an insult.
The manly stand taken by Captain Strinqh
am in behalf of a man believed to be entitled
to the protection of the American flag has been
highly commended. His fearless language towards
the Austrian officer who6e prevarication
so nearly occasioned serious consequences, and
his withdrawal of any right te interfere so soon
as the prisoner disclaimed his citizenship, show
a promptness and determination to discharge
his duty as an American officer, which seems
to have met with general commendation. The
European Times, however, seems to anticipate
in the following paragraphs some further discussion
of the subiect. In this event, the ad
ministration of Mr. Pierce will perhaps have
an opportunity to make some demonstration in
regard to the inaugural declaration to which
we have referred:
"The Levant.?The Austrian vessels Arteinise
uud Custozza have been ordered in haste to Smyrna
to assist the Hussar in the embarcation of Costa,
should any interference be attempted by the American
corvette. During the disturbances the life
of the Austrain Lieutenant Anernbamer was saved
by two Englishmen, Messrs. Herry and Turrel, at
great peril to themselves. According to the Austrian
authorities the persons principally implicated
arc the Hungarian Bassits, and two Italians named
Fumagello and Pizza rda."
#*#*#*
"It will be seen, by reference to another part, ot
our paper, that a very serious collision has arisen
at Smyrna, arising out of the seizure by the Austrian
authorities of a person named Kossta, a native
of Hungary, and formerly aide-de-camp to
M. Kossuth. The affair has been further complicated
by the interference of the American Consul
at Smyrna, ana captain oiringnam, tne commander
of an American corvette lying in the harbor,
who, believing that Kossta had been naturalized
as an American citizen, would not suffer him to
be given up to Austria. In this affair the conduct
of the American consul and captain, has been
spirited, and, although Kossta remains in charge
of the Austrian consul, nothing will be done in
his ease until the Governments of Washington
and Vienna have been consulted on the subject."
The Anglo-Saxon in the Pacific.
One day a mail from California brings accounts
of the astounding discoveries, developments,
and progress tin the side of our continent
bounded by the Pacific ocean, and the
next day a mail from Australia givts intelligence
equally surprising of the resources and
rapid growth of the British colonies in another
part of the grand ocean. These rival countries
divide the attention of the world. The columns
of the press are loaded with the almost fabulous
details. Old men hear in silont astonishment,
scarcely believing they are not under
some hallucination; the young drink the inspiring
news, and soar high on the wings of
expectation, to look over the continents and
islands to the remotest parts of the earth under
the conquering power of modern civilization.
To calculate time by the progress of the world
we live a century in a few years.
Our fathers read the narratives of Captain
Cook and other voyagers of their days of discoveries
of islands, and of adventures in the
far-off Pacific, as, when boys, we read Robin I
son Crusoe. They were looked upon like
Bruce's Travels in Africa, and the adventures
of knights errants, as a mixture of romance
and truth.
A voyage round the world?what an undertaking!
And a man who had made it?
-what an extraordinary person' And remember,
this was not in a period far back in the
middle ages, but a few years ago?within the
memory of living men.
Now what do we see? Thousands of ships
furrowing every parallel and meridian of
Oceana?from the arctic to the antarctic
circle, and from the coasts of America to those
of Asia and Australia. Two ;reat empires
have their foundations land, and are assuming
prodigious proportions?one in the northwest.,
and the other in the southsmi of thi. vast < x
panse of waters. The people are of .'he same
net mad speak the same langnage. The two I
nations of which these growing empires forth ? !
I part number over fifty millions, and go vern a
fourth of the habitable globe. They hold the1
commerce of the world. In nearly equal pro
portions the aggregate tonnage is not far rem
The shipping of all the wr.
^significant compared to In
arts of life, and in many of th e
stand among
In science andln literature none are superior,
and few can claim to rival them; while in
their institutions and love of freedom, which
develop the man and give energy of character,
they are pre-eminent. We speak of England
and America together. And though they differ
in same things, there is much that is common
between them. Not only are they alike in
language, hut in their ambition, in tenacity of
purpose and determined perseverance, and in
many other attributes. The institutions of
both have a common basis?love of individual
independence; and they are the only people
who appear to have ever appreciated liberty in
a practical, rational manner. This.characteristic
has much to do, doubtless, with the supe
rior progress of the race. For as England with
her free institutions has outstripped the rest of
the wdrld, so America with her greater freedom j
and superior institutions will leave England be
bind in the race. These, then, are the people
who have made a highway of the Pacific and
every other ocean?who are fast bringing all
nationu and tribe* into communication with each
other, and who are spreading the light of civilization
in the darkest corners of the earth.
These are the people who have planted themselves
in the cast and in the west of the Pari
lie as two points d'a^pui from which they will
press with irresistible force upon the rich countries
and among the dense populations of Asia
and the Asiatic archipelago.
California in five years has become a great
State, with a population of more than 300,000.
Her mines are yielding at the rate of $100,000,000
a year, are increasing, and appear to be
inexhaustible. The commerce of San Francisco
rivals that of our largest Atlantic cities.
From January to the 30th of May, 1853, there
entered 487 vessels of 249,033 tons, and cleared
755 vessels of 272,245 tons. Governor Bigleu
reports that there was a capital of
$108,522,568 employed in agriculture, real
estate, and improvements; and, comparing her
with other States, he says:
"In horses she is in advance of fifteen of the
States; in mules, of twenty-six States; inilch
cows, of twelve States; in work oxen, of eight;
value of live stock, of twenty States; hurley,
only equalled by New York; potatoes, next to New
York, and more than one-half of all produced in
the Union; wheat, greater than ten of the States;
oats, three-fourths of the other States; hay, exceeding
nine of the States; mining, without a
parallel; fruits, exceeding all the States in variety,
and one-half of them in quantity produced."
Our Territories of Oregon and Washington,
though not making such rapid strides as California,
are advancing fast, and will soon become
States, They have mineral wealth, a delightful
climate, and the finest agricultural country
in the world. The abundance of unsurpassed
timber, and coal, and water-power, with the
fine harbors of the strait of Juan de Fuca and
Puget's Sound, must make this region a great
ship-building and commercial country. These
countries, stretching along from the 33d to the
49th parallel of latitude, embracing every climate,
and unparalleled in their resources and
capabilities for agriculture, mining, manufacturing,
and commerce, and inhabited by a people
who will soon develop them, are destined
to be the controlling power of the Pacific.
In nearly a due southeast direction from San
Francisco to Port Jackson, New South Wales,
a distance of about 6,950 miles, is the seat of
the other mighty embryo empire of which we
have spoken. Sydney is a magnificent city,
containing a population of nearly 100,000, and
has one of the finest harbors in the world. It
is uie capuai 01 new ooutn vvaies, ana the
first city of Australia. Melbourne, however,
since the gold discovery, from being nearer to
the mines, has advanced astonishingly; and
from its more central position, relatively to the
other colonies, threatens to rival Sydney in the
contest for the seat of empire. The colonies
and settlements of Australia are New South
Wales on the east side of that insular continent,
stretching from the tropics to the thirtyeighth
degree of south latitude. This is a
great pastoral wool-growing region, and contains
a portion of the gold district. Australia,
Felix, or the Port Philip colony at the extreme
southernmost part of the continent, bounded by
Bass's Strait, is a rich agricultural and pastoral
country?the climate, like that of all the
colonies, is very fine. It is not so arid as some
of the colonies more north, and therefore is
superior for agriculture. It has gold mines
also. On the west side of Australia, parallel
to New South Wales on the east, is the colony
of South Australia, of which Adelaide is the
capital. Here are the great Burra Burra and
other copper mines. This, too, is a fine pastoral
and agricultural country. The colony of Swan
River, further north on the west, has not made
much progress. Then there are the colonies
of Van Dieman's Land and of New Zealand.
These are islands with the happiest climate
and full of resources. The entire population
in the colonies is probably over hall a million.
The discovery of such an abundance of gold
has given them an importance scarcely less
than that of California. The amount of gold
produced is equal, or nearly equal, to that of
our own El Dorado.
What, then, may we not expect from these
colonies, which must, before long, become independent
Slates? We shall have an extensive
intercourse with them, while we shall
rival each other in the trade of the Pacific.
It has been said that China and the countries
of the northeast of the grand ocean will be
subjugated either by the Sarmatian or the
Saxon. Great and ambitious as is the Russian
jKiwer, we have no doubt that the Saxon will
be superior to the Sarmatian, and that we shall
subjugate these countries, not by arms, but by
the peaceful and irresistible power of commerce.
Tiie President's Son.?A marble monument, j
ill the obelisk form, has recently been erected in
the ancient burial place in Concord, over (be remains
of the son of President Pierce, killed in
January last, bearing this inscription:
"Benjamin Pierre, horn April 1.1, 1841; died
January fi, 1853. 'Go thy way, thy son livetb
Pi into Donor, esq., of Georgetown, D.
has been unanimously chosen as President of the
Metropolitan Railroad Company.
fci
WASHINGTON GO88IF.
Washington, August 1, 1853. <
In referring to the difficulties in the way of i
Mr. Walker's departure for China, some days I
since, I suggested the propriety of ordering a I
steamer from the Japan squadron?then expected i
to winter at Macuo?to take him from Ceylon to
Shanghai and the other points of his destination.
1 learn since that it is extremely doubtful whether
the squadron will return to Macao this fall.
Of course if these is the least uncertainty on that i
point, no reliance should he placed on this meth- .
od of getting over the difficulty. Nor can we (
send word to Commodore Perry at Japan to send
hack a steamer; for we have no vessel on the
coast of China to bear the message; and even if
we hud, a vessel could not return from Japan,
meet Mr. Walker at the southern point of Cey- i
Ion, and roach Shanghai with hiiu before some
time next spring. Decided objection is also made
to any reduction of the Japan squadron, which
the Commodore feels to be already quite inafle
IJUtttU.
Yet u steamer in absolutely necessary for Mr.
Walker's use, not only because of his delicate ]
health, but also because he will need to visit
many different points oil the coast of China, as
well as Pekin, which, it will be remotnbercd, 1
is reached through the Yellow sea. If he
should go by the overland route from Kngland,
(lie British steamers could take liiiu
no further than Hong Kong, in whose sickly climate
he would be compelled to wait, indefinitely, 1
for some chance mode of proceeding to Shanghai. '
It has been understood, from the time of Mr. i
Walker's acceptance of the appointment, that ho
declared he would not proceed to China ex- 'i
cept in an American steamer?to meet him at 1
Ceylon?for reasons already intimated. Huntili- ]
ating as the confession is, our navy is destitute of
a suitable vessel to be devoted to this service 1
The Princeton, though convalescent, is still in a 1
very precarious situation?afflicted apparently
with a chronic disorder of lier boilers. The Saranao?now
undergoing extensive repairs at Norfolk?if
not ruined by the machinists, at whose
mercy she is, will probably be able to crawl alongat
the rate of a first-class canal steam-tug; and if for- j
tunate, and able to carry fuel enough to take her
from one coaling depot to another, might bo clpectod
to accomplish the voyage to China, via
Ceylon, by early in March?at least two months
later than our Minister's arrival there should oc
cur. nui it is uounuui wneiner sne can carry
sufficient fuel; and, being a side-wheel steamer,
when forced to rely on her sails for propelling
power, especially against the monsoons, she would
probably progress backward, in the most approved
crab-fashion. It strikes me, we can look for no
relief in that quarter.
Then we have left the San Jacinto and the Alleghany,
neither of which, I am certain, will the
Navy Department think of offering for the service
in question. Where, then, shall the means of
conveyance for Mr. Walker be found? Surely
the Administration cannot think of folding its
hands?mourning the inefficient, poverty-stricken
condition of the navy, and let its minister stay at '
home, while the rich prizes of Asiatic commerce
are being distributed among other nations, more
thrifty than the Wasting Republic of America. I
have thought much of the suggestion that Government
should purchase or charter one of the
Collins steamers, or some other private or seininaval
vessel, suitable for the important service required.
W hy cannot this be done? A single week
or day's delay may put us a century behind England
or France in the great race for commercial
superiority. Sir Walter Raleigh said: "Whosoever
commands the sea, commands the trade; whosoever
commands the trade of the world, commands
the treasures of the world, and consequently the
world itself." The race for commercial supremacy
is to be run on the Pacific, and the waters of
the great East looking towards our western possessions.
If we get behind-hand in those diplomatic
arrangements which regulate trade and
commence between nations, we may expect to be
outstripped in the race; and if the political axiom
so well expressed by Raleigh, and so universally
adopted by wine statesmen ot the present day, is
true, we must fall in the scale of nations, because
failing in the development of commerce. But I 1
did not design to write a homily on a subject so
I well understood by all classes as this. 1 intended
simply to suggest that no considerations of false
economy should for one moment delay the most
extravagant expenditure necessary to secure Mr.
Walker's ^departure at the earliest day possible.
I question wbethel1 he will not refuse to go altogether,
if some mode of conveyance is not speedily
decided upon.
Some months ago the Post Office Department
made a claim against the British post office for the
return of transit postages on a large quantity of
newspapers erroneously credited to the British
offices, which has signified its readiness to pay over
to our Department the sum of $6,499,06. So
much clear gain.
Where is the equestrian statue of Washington,
by Clark Mills, to be placed? It is suggested that
this subject ought to receive attention now, before
the orection of the new market-house is determined
upon. It is proposed that the latter be
built over the canal, the statue be placed in the
centre 01 rennsyivama avenue opposite me termination
of Eighth street, and the carriage-way be
run on each side of it, taking up the space now occupied
by the sidewalks. Of course this plan
would include the laying out of a neat little park
on the present market-house site. I repeat the
suggestion for public discussion. It certainly is
worth thinking of. Such an improvement would
certainly be an advantage to the property in the
vicinity named, would improve the appearance of
the avenue very much, and give us one work of
art in a very appropriate location, and at the
same time where the million could see it daily.
Mr. Crampton,the British Minister, accompanied
Mr. Marc.y to Berkeley Springs. As he took
his secrotary, Mr. Cobbett, along with him, and
Mr. Marcy took Mr. Berrit, it is presumed they
have sought the springs moro for their quiet than
their waters; and that they expect there to
negotiate industriously 011 the fishery question.
Mr. Crampton went to the springs at Mr. Marcy's
invitation.
The Third Auditor of the Treasury, it is rumored,
will receive an invitation to vacate at an
early day. fie was appointed as a Taylor man,
supported Pierce, and was expected to be retained,
but is likely to be brought up with a
round turn for favoring the election of Jenkins,
the "conservative" Democratic candidate for
Governor of Georgia?Mr. J. being considered to
occupy a position inimical to the Administration.
George Saunders, the spicy and fearless exponent
of "Young America," it is again asserted,
will be appointed Consul to London, arid receive
his commission in a few days, probably as soon as
the Southern and Western elections are ovor,
and the Minister to France can be announced.
Tbe statement of Commodore Newton's dentil 1
at Penaacola, on the 19th uit., was premature. A 1
letter dated the 23d, received at the Navy De'
[tart meat yesterday from his eon, who ia his secreLary,
refers to hia father aa still "very feeble'
from the effects of his illness. If the Commodore
had died on the 19th, his son would hurdly expresi
himself in such feeble terms relative to tho Commodore's
eomlition.
The steamer Waterwltch has been heard fVom
at Buenos Ayjes, on die 25th of May. She lefl
Rio on the 30th of April, and made the trip tc
Montevideo in eight days, during two of which
the weather was very heavy. At Montevideo the
steamer was detained at quarantine eight days, in
accordance with an oppressive regulation subjecting
all vessels from Rio to that length of quarantine,
whether they have sickness on board or not. The
Waterwitch, it will be remembered, is on her way
to the head-waters of the La Plata, on a surveying
and exploration expedition.
The Columbia, on the 23d ultimo, was still at
Pensacola, awaiting the arrival of Minister Borland,
who was at New Orleans, ill with fever.
Tho sloop-of-war Cyane is on her way from
l'ensacola to Norfolk with eighty-one naval recruits.
She will probably proceed to the fishing
grounds immediately on her arrival.
IVinltnluc f Kuu Imnn iiiiunintprl irk n fivut.
ii.v?ui?0 i .u.v.. ?' ?? -rt~?? ...?
class clerkship in the Third Auditor's Office,
salary #900.
A. W. Lawrence, esq., of North Carolina, lias
lieen appointed professor of mathematics and ordered
to duty at the National Observatory. ,
A. Clinton McLean, of New Jersey, has been
appointed United States mail agent to accompany
the mails between New York and San Francisco,
salary #1,000.
Pliny Miles, esq., of New York, has been transferred
from the Appointment Office in the Post
Office Department to a third-class place, as corresponding
clerk in the same Department.
J. R. McMahon is transferred from the desk to
which Miles is assigned to that vacated by
the latter in the Appointment Office.
_ _ ZEKE.
From tht New Orleam Picayune, July 26.
From Mexico.
The United States mail steamship Texas, Capin
in Plane, arrived this mornimr from Vera Cruz.
having made the run in fifty-eight hours from that
port.
Left at Vera Cruz schoonor Bonita, to leave on
the 2l2d instant for Tampieo.
Passed on the 22d of July schooner Esther Bun,
entering the port of Vera Cruz.
No mail arrival from the city of Mexico on the
morning of the departure of the Toxas.
We learn that the Mexican Ocean Mail and Inland
Company had just got their express route
from Vera Cruz to Aeapulco thoroughly arranged
and were about to begin running.
By the Texas we have received files of oui
Mexican exchanges to the 16th from the city ol
Mexico, and of the 22d from Vera Cruz. The
news is of little interest.
The questions of a Spanish protectorate and a
Spanish alliance have given rise to a fierce newspaper
war in Mexico, in which the organs of the
government arc arrayed in a sort erf semi-defence
of either or both against the Siglo XIX, whicli
vigorously opposes all return, whether partial oi
complete, to the Spanish yoke.
The government gives daily signs of a unior
between Church and State. The government portion
of the Espiritu Santo building has i>een cedet
to the priests for the establishment of a hospita
by the sisters of charity. A commission has beer
named for drawing up the rules for the return o
the Jesuits. Crosses and decorations granted bj
the Pope to several Mexican citizens are allowec
to be worn. Labor and games on the Sabbat!
until after mass has been heard has been strielfi
prohibited by the government, but the naris!
priests can give a license in ease of necessity.
Regular conductaa have l>een established be
tween Guanajuato and Vera Cruz, and San Luii
Potosi and Tampico.
The town of Huejucar, in the State of" Jalisco
was overflowed and a large portion of it destroyer
011 the 21st of June, in consequence of the bursting
of an irrigating dam. It was not known how
many persons had perished, but at the last datei
twenty-three bodies had been recovered.
Table-turning is turning the heads of people in
many parts of Mexioo.
Count Raousset de JBoulbon, who last fall attacked
Sonora, had arrived in the city of Mexico
via Acapulco, and was presented to the President
He is said to be in very ill-health.
The commission for forming tho new territorial
division make very slow progress, and thero seems
to bo little harmony among the'members. Resignations
and changes are continually taking
place.
A new paper was to be established in the city o
Mexico, called the Eco de Espana.
The penalty of death has been established
against defaulters in tho treasury department ant
defraudcrs of tho revenue, stealers of the puhli<
money, forgers, or destroyers of documents relat
ingto the revenue.
xhe British schooner Amethyst was lost nea
Vera Cruz. She was from Liverpool. It wai
supposed part of the cargo would be saved, but tin
vessel would be a total loss.
On the 24th ult. a boat belonging to an Englisl
brig-of-war was capsized on the bar of Tampico
Seven men and one officer were drowned.
The Omnibus, which had for a long time beei
praising the law of the press, had beon seized fo:
an infraction of it,, and now thinks that it was ii
error about the benefits of that law.
Active measures against the highwaymen havi
been instituted, and several have been taken, tried
and executed.
General Yaiiez was to have left Guadalajara fo
Mexico on the 29th ultimo, having declined t<
serve any longer as governor of the State.
The papers say that his long administration pro
sents only one bad measure, which was the clos
ing of the Literary Institute.
Great complaints are made in the city of Mex
ico, and through the country, of the rise in price
of the necessaries of life. It has been very great
and is attributed to the new alcabala tax law.
The Knickerbocker.?This ever rich and hu
morous magazine, for August, has been receivei
in this city, and copies may be obtained of th
indefatigable periodical and newspaper dealei
Tor Sim i iwnmv.
"Putnam's Monthly" and Harper's Maga
zine, for August, arc each on sale at Bitckinc
ham's, under the National Hotel.
Visitors to the Crystal Palace ?The Ex
hi bit ion of the Crystal Palace in Now York is be
ginning to lie thronged with visitors from all part
of the United States and Europe. Of those resi
dents of Washington who have been attracted t
tbo groat commercial metropolis at the presen
season we notice the names of the following, whi
are sojourning at Willard's Hotel, in that city
viz: Wnlter Lenox and sister, Robert Beale, A
G. Ridgely, Samuel Chilton, Joseph H. Bradley
and W. A. Bradley. The Hon. C. M. Conrai
and Hon. D. T. Disney are also staying at tin
same hotel.
When will Mr. Buchanan Sail??This ques
tion is answered by the Lancaster Intelligencer
his home organ, thus: "We inform the public, 01
the best of authority, that it is his purpose, lifi
and health permitting, to sail from New York 01
Saturday, the fith of August, that being the timi
when the next American steamer leaves for Eu
rope, in which he ha engaged a possage. H?
would have sailed on Saturday, the 22d ultimo
but was disappointed in receiving certain do
^patches and State papers from Washington a:
soon as lie expected."
> question of Wm 6t Peace in Europe.
The following peculations on the pieaent a?'
pect of affair* in Europe we oofj from the Boston
. Journal of Saturday. In introducing them that
! paper observed that they are entitled to mere than
. ordinary weight, an coming from the peb of a
gentleman who has resided for many years in Rus,
?ia. Hie views are clearly advanced, and cer.
tainly have much plausibility:
, As everybody is speculating upon the probable
results of the present political condition of things
abroad, permit me to offer you my speculations as
1 to what may take place. There are so many uni
seen elements entering into these matters, and the
matters themselves are so complicated, that of
course there is much uncertainty us to results.
' There are some, however, which appear to me
exceedingly probable.
I believe that Russia is determined to make war
upon Turkey* not merely to occupy Moldavia
and Wallachi?i but to wrest from that power all
I : wA. .J n r A
uur pucsfCHisiuuB in liurupcj VvUimiUllllllUpiV 111CIUUedi
i Will give nty reasans for so believing.
I believe it because such has been the wellknown
design of Russia for more thai! a century
back, and she has been only waiting her opportunity.
The Otar probably now considers all things
ready- He will make it a religious war; that is,
to liberate the Christians of the Orflilk Churches
church?from vassalage to the infidels. Nothing-could
be more politic. He will thereby secure
the support of the whole Christian population
of-Turkey, amounting to many millions?in
Kpropo&n Turkey vastly outnumbering the Mussujfntm.
By the same means he will make it a
r dfoly tear In his own people, thereby adding religious
ploenzy to their constitutional hatred of
their enemy. This will add not a. little to his
strength in fighting the Turk. The Russian soldier,
always formidable, will become a hero and a
martyr fbr his church. He is ruled, body and soul,
by superstitious attachment to it. Another advanage
is, that whilst he, Nicholas, will have the credit
of comhatting the infidel to free the Christians,
christian France and England, should they side
with Turkey, will present the odious and strange
inconsistency of helping the infidel against the
Christians. This at least will be the appearance
of the thing?and appearances are by no means
unimportant.
But What convinces me more than all that the
Russian Emperor has resolved to wage war against
the Turks, and for nothing less than the conquest
of European Turkey, is the extravagance of his de
mantis of the Sultan, the peremptory and even
, offensive manner in which they were presented,
, and the tenacity, against all infiuonces, with
which he adheres to thorn. I believe that, in all
i this, ho intended to provoke a war?to make it inevitable.
The Sultan could not yield?how could
attribute of a sovereign? What should we think
s if a foreign power demanded of us the superintendence
of our religious affairs as a matter of
right' Should we grant it' I need not answer
t' such a question.
I There is still another reason, and to my mind a
very powerful one, why the Czar should be seri
ously bent on war. He has been engaged in a
F bloody and fruitless contest with the Circassians
I for more than twenty years. They are still unsubdued
and formidable as ever. Their country
l borders upon the Black Sea, and through the
- Dardanelles they receive their supplies of warlike
s stores, and with them recruits, consisting of ad:
venturers of all nations, which does much towards I
i enabling them thus successfully to beat back their
r enemies. The Turks, no doubt, from tlicir enmity
to the Russians, wink at this, and probably
i encourage it. So long as it continues, the Czar,
- from the experience he has had, might well de1
spair of subduing these formidable mountain tribes.
1 But give him Constantinople, and thereby the
i command of the passage into the Black Sea, and
f he can put an effectual stop to all such help given
r to his enemies?and he can do it in no other way.
1 I have never seen this, as it appears to me, most
i important political consideration taken into acr
count, in speculating upon the present designs of
i Nicholas.
There is milch also in the personal character of
- the Emperor to convince me that he is in earnest,
i to the fullest extent, in this business. He is a
proud, stern, determined mrfh. I have often seen
, him when grand duke, and had opportunity to
1 know his character as it then was, and I have seen
r no evidence of any material change in him since
j ho was made Emperor. What ho wills to do he
3 will at least try to do. IIo is not easily put back
or frightened. That he is ambitious there can be
l no doubt, and, as everybody knows, he has vast
means to gratify his ambition. He is verging to
wards declining life, though now active and vigor*
, ous. He has accomplished much by dipomacy,
, something by arms, though nothing particularly
brilliant. Would it be at all wonderful if such a
I man should seek to signalize the latter years of
j his reign by effecting that which has so long been
a darling object with his imperial predecessors and
f his nation?the seizure of Constantinople?a prize
of such incalculable value to Russia, giving her a
f free passage to the Mediterranean and to the
ocean, whereas now it is in the hands of a power
I of necessity unfriendly to her, and upon which
1 she is dependent for its use, whilst her northern
e ports, from which alone her fleets may issue with
out asking permission of others, are one-half of
the year closed by the rigors of winter? Is it to
r be expected That such a power will always be conb
tent thus to be shut up r
e The world has been comparatively so long at
peace, there seems to be a vague idea abroad that
i war is scarcely possible. Would that it were so.
But I fear that the passions of inen, whence
"come wars and fightings," are much the same
1 as they ever were. I should rely but little upon
r any favorable change in this respect for the pre1
servation of peace. Certain it is, that the warlike
preparations of the European nations, collec?
tively, are now as great, if not greater, than they
> ever were. This would seem to imply, at least,
very little confidence in the pacific intentions of
r each other.
? But it may he said that these armaments are
kept up, not so much for the purpose of nggres
sion or defence, as to preserve internal tranquilli~
ty?to keep down the revolutionary spirit so widely
prevalent. This is no doubt one object, and a
principal one. Let us suppose it to be the chief
s object. Whom do the nations most menaced with
? revolution most look to, to prevent or suppress it?
Undoubtedly to the Emperor of Russia. None
so ready as he to render assistance in doing this,
and none so able. May it not be supposed that
d lie seeks the conquest of European Turkey, among
e other purposes, for this very one?to place himself
in a position more effectually to overawe and subdue
the turbulent elements so dreaded by him and
his brother despots ? Look at the advantages it
would give him. He would .completely encircle
i_ Europe on one side. It would bring him directly
in contact with Hungary, one of the most dreaded
foci of the revolutionary spirit; and by possession
> of tho naval passage info the Mediterranean he
- would have free access to Italy, tho other most
a dangerous point. And how immensely, in every
respect, would this increase his power, and thereby
his ability, to keep the peace.
0 The industrial and moneyed interests of tlie world,
^ it is said, forbid war. True, these interests are
o now of vast magnitude, greater than they evor
, were, and war?anything like a. general war?
would make sad confusion and havoc among
im-m. i no iiioiitsyeu mmrtiHis .it hiako arc iu uu
' incalculable amount. Tlio States of Europe are,
d for tlio most part, immensely in debt, and all who
c bold their socuritics, from the great banker to the
small fund-holder, would bo ruined by war, and
the number of the latter is very great?six hun"
dred thousand, it is said, in Great Britain alone.
, It is perhaps not too much to say that this vast
, moneyed interest has been more effectual in preserving
peace, and putting down insurrection,
than all other causes combined. The public fund1
holder is naturnlly the staunch friend of tranquilli*
ty and order, at almost any price?even to the
bartering of his own freedom, and tho honor and
? freedom of his country. And money is power, all
! the world over.
'! But Russia, for her means, is not very largely
I in debt. Money has, comparatively, little polHi*
\ nal influence there. Nor is there much in the
: shape of public sentiment to chock or control the
1 .U'liJMilflit*
government. The Effiperor Is absolute, and the
people submissive. There Is nothing in the internal
condition of the country to have any serious
operatiun in preventing war. Russia hoe great
material resources within herself, flhe is not
largely dependent for essential things upon other
nations.
Nothing, among all the speculations upon this
subject, has more surprised me than the opinion
apparently entertained by many, that Austria will
take side with France and England 011 this question.
She dare not do it?at least so I believe.
She is too much indebted to Russia. Without
her aid, Hungary had been lost to her, and might
still lie lost, for the revolutionary spirit may at
?nv time iwrain break out there, to sav nothing of
her other provinces. She is too dependent upon
Russia to quarrel with her. She is far more
likely, I think, actively to co-operate with her,
in which case she would receive a share of the
spoil, though by no means the lion's share. She
is no friend either to France or England. The
most that can lie expected of her is neutrality;.
and, in niy estimation, there are but slight hopes
even oi this. She has nor part to act, about which
I doubt not there Is a perfect understanding with
the Czar; and that is to cajole the governments of
France and England, play a double game, and
gain time.
Prussia may be expected to remain neutral.
From her position she has 110 very direct interest
at stake. So far as her political sympathies are
concerned, they are with Russia, to say nothing
of family alliance, the present Empress of Russia
being a Prussian princess. Revolution has onco
driven the king from his capital, and may do it
again. Like Austria, therctbre, she in such an
emergency would look to Russiu.
We have then hut France and England led to
oppose the designs of the Czar?two great powers,
certainly, and truly formidable, if cordially united.
But are they so? And is it to be expected they
can be so? To say nothing of the ancient rivaisitip
and enmity betwixt them, is the present ]>olitical
state of France such as would bo likely to
lead to a cordial alliance? Have the English
government and people confidence in the stability
of the French government' Do they even wish
it' Is Louib Napoleon favorably thought of by
them? Would any Bonaparte?that hated name?
he acceptable to them? Would they not?especially
the aristocracy?prefer seeing the Bourbons
again upon the throne?
And the trench Emperor, and people, have
they?particularly the former?any special love
for England? Has Louis Napoleon forgotten the
abuse, the scurrility, the lampoons ana jests, so
freely launched by the English press against him?
Why, it is but a few months since that all England
was frightened from her propriety by the
apprehension of a French invasion, in revenge for
her abuse of the Emperor. I know that nations
which have no great love for each other are
sometimes brought to unite for what they consider
a common interest?but such unions are not
very efficient, and are easily broken. I have no
doubt the Czar has taken all this into consideration,
ami hopes in some way to divide what is so
discordantly joined together.
But suppose he is disappointed in this, and the
two powers not only combine, but with a good
will determine to put forth their united efforts to
the utmost to oppon him, can they prevent him ^
from effecting what he aims at? On their part it
must be almost entirely a naval warfare. England
has no troops to spare, and France can only send
troops by water, and those must be comparatively
few in number, from the difficulty of transporting
a great military force in this manner. Could ten,
or fifteen, or even twenty thousand Frenchmen
stop the victorious advance of one hundred or one
hundred and fifty thousand Russians, and these,
most nrobahlv. backed bv half the number of Aus
trians? I see not how, with, all the aid of the
Turks, they could possibly do it. The Englifis ,
and French fleets might bombard Odessy, Sebastapol,
and Cronstadt, and perhaps lay them in
aslieH, and annihilate the Russian navy. But this
would not arrest the march of the Russian armies.
It could not reach them. Their road to Constantinople
would be unolistructed as ever, and the
possession of that capital would abundantly compensate
for the loss of their shins, and the destruction
of their naval arsenals, which they could
easily rebuild.
But it apj>ears to me that England or the English
government has no great heart in this business
after all. They vacillate, and hesitate, and hang
back, and seem to be but half in earnest. They
are not like John Bull in former times. There
was a time when John would as soon fight as eat?
"find quarrel in a straw if honor were at stake,"
or interest either. Happily it is n^t so now.
Vast changes have been wrought in the policy
and concerns of England within the last thirty
years. Once she almost monopolized the trade
of the world, and sho did it by war. Hor naval
supremacy enabled her to shut all other nations
up, and keep the ocpan to herself. She
cannot do it now. All her interests are changed
from what they Were. She is still, by means
of her great wealth, the leading industrial
power; but she has formidable rivals, and dan
hope to maintain her superiority only by free
and unobstructed access to the markets of the
world. There must be nothing to curtail and depress
her manufactures or endanger iier commerce.
She has, too, by her system of free trade,
which she felt lierself compelled to adopt, that, by
cheapening food, she might keep down the price
of labor; and thus continue to manufacture cheap,
and undersell her manufacturing rivals. She has
by this new system made herself dependent upon
other countries for a very large proportion of her
food. Much that she once produced within herself
now comes to her from abroad. She cannot
afford to quarrel with the hands that feed her.
Then her enormous debt?whifch peace and unexampled
prosperity for nearly forty years liavo
done little or nothing to reduce?what fearful additions
would be made to it by a state of war.
The burden is already as much as she can bear,
and she cannot but be most reluctant to make if
heavier. What inevitable ruin would war bring
upon her capitalists and fund-holders. Consols
sinking from one hundred to fifly would beggar
half the nation. All her pursuits and interests
are, in fact, shaped for a state of peace; and
war, a protracted and general war, would be
the greatest possible calamity to her. And
war once begun, who could sot limits to its
extent or duration, in the present condition of
Europe, whore there is so much jealousy and discontent?so
many elements of confusion festering
and gathering for an outbreak? My opinion is
thatlSngland will, if it be possible, avoid War.
She is making a demonstration?parading her
1- 1 _ r a i:. 1 1 1.11 1 1 I
snips nciore uuiiBuuiuuupiu, aiiu moving iouu auu H
large; but is alio altogether serious in it? will she I
follow it up with blows? will she "pass the Ilubi- B
coil" if the Czar should be so audacious as to pass B
the Danube? That is the question. The Russians B
have already crossed the Pruth, and sho deems it B
wise not to make it a casus belli. Why? Do not B
Moldavia and Wallachia as much belong to the fl
Sultan as Scrvia, or Rumvlia, or Constantinople B
itself? Certainly they do; but it is convenient for B
present purposes not so to consider it?that is, for B
the purpose, if it be possible, of avoiding war. B
Does England or Franco think that the Czar will . B
be more moderate or more placable afler being B
quietly suffered to obtain the vantage ground lie B
has in the possession of the Danubian provinces B
than he was before? One would suppose tney could B
scarcely think so. It is the policy of the Czar to fl
make them think so, that he may lie allowed, in B
the same quiet and easy manner, to accomplish his fl
ulterior designs. I have very little faith in his fl
honesty; it is rather a scarce quality umong sove- B
reigns where their ambition is concerned. fl
j On the whole, there aro, I think, reasons to be- B
lievc that England may, after all, draw back in B
this business, or go 110 fifrther than to make a B
show of resistance, as she is now doing, though H
the Czar should not be satisfied with his present. fl
acquisitions. Still, she may have so committed
herself to her Gallic ally and to the Sultan, that
for very shame sho will feel obliged to act.. It
would certainly bo very base in her to desert Turkey
and leave her to her fate, after having eneouraged
her to rcsict the demands of Russia by
the promise of assistance. We do not know precisely
how far she has committed herself, and fl
therefore cannot say how far sho may feel at liber