RUSSIA AND THE BLACK SEA.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2480, 27 January 1871, Page 2

RUSSIA AND THE BLACK SEA.

{From the London Correspondent of the Oxford C/ironkle.)

The topic of paramount importance this week is the altitude suddenly assumed ly Russia with respect to the neutralization of the Black Sea. The circular of Count Gortchakoff has “fluttered the Volscians” most confoundedly, and even the Times, pro* Prussian as it is, has suddenly woke up to the realties of the situation. I think I may hftbrd niyself 'the Melancholy consolation of asserting that the tpne I adopted at the cojpi mencement of the Franco-Prussian war has, 1 been justified by events.- I pointed out long since to your readers that Bismarck—that master of statescraft—was- playing with the different powers of Europe like so many counters. He first led Austria into the unholy crusade against Denmark, thus estranging her from her ancient ally, England. He then, wnnsu -All-firia, dangled the prize of Belgium before vain, arrogant, and unreflecting France ; and then, when he had marked odt Prance for his victim, hp pom* menced that series of manoeuvres for hoodwinking the Court, Government, and people of England, whilst he poured Ijis hordes into Alsace and Lorraine. r There Is a secret hisi tory attached to all these manoeuvres which has yet to he written,' some of the threads of which I. humble as I am, hold in my hand. But the time will come when the roar of an angry nation will bring all the manoeuvres to the front, and then, perhaps, we may see whether Tower Hill is only to remain famous for its obsolete historic associations, ' The present crisis is enough for present discussion. We see Russia seizing her opportunity, putting forth one hand to reclaim the sovereignty of the Black Sea, and again to meuges Constantinople; and, with the other,' dccoratitfg all the veteran o'jiiefs of the Prussian army. Any one but the blind mole who cannot, or the blind traitor who will not see, can tell what this means, f think even our Government is beginning tp. soe it, as already tlje taik begins to rise of an alliance between Italy, Austria, England, and Turkey. Russia means to Ijavp Con* stantinople, and Prussia, for a qon» sideratibn, will, at all events pro* miso to help her to the prize. Whether that promise wijl he kept, whether the hopes held out to the Northern Bear will be as delusive as those which have crushed Austria and France, and which have paralysed England into an impotent spectator of events which may yet prove her ruin, remains to be seen. But the present aspect of affairs is f > I repeat, that Russia means to have Constantinople, and that Prussia, means to help Jl&r'lo the long-coveted prize. Once the former has established h“r-■ legions her horse, foot, and dragoons—her batteries and

her diplomatists—on the shores of the Golden Horn, we are as completely cut 4 off from our Indian possessions as Prussia would have been from North Germany had the French Emperor succeeded in carrying out his original plan of campaign Kussia would then have the Euphrates Valley route at her c nnuiand, and would be about four weeks’ journey from Calcutta. With a railway she would not be two weeks, and then we might look across that silver belt of salt water upon which wc rely so much, and see the conquered of Sebastopol the British Grown of its brightest jewel. But I must tell you auoiher danger—nearer and greater—which is likely to result from the shameful apathy of our Government in delaying mediating between France and Prussia until it became too late. The Prussians hold ns prisoners the Emperor of the French, three French marshals, 10,000 French officers and 300,000 French soldiers, all more or less devoted to .Napoleon the Third. I have within the last week conversed with scores of correspondents who have returned from the war, and who freely let out in conversation f cts which they dared not put in print, or which, if they had written, would have been struck out of their letters before publication. They all tell me that this is Count Bismarck’s game. Having first crushed the “gentleman of the pavement,” as he contemptuously calls the French republicans, he will, in conjunction with the Emperor of the French, who, it is said, has definitively broken with the “ old man,” set up the young Prince as Napoleon the Fourth, and send him at the head of the emancipated French army, which, it appears, is Imperialist to the backbone, tp take possession of the country and Government by force. Against such an array, backed by the Prussian army of occupation, resistance by the unhappy French people would be hopeless, and then England would see Prussia paramount in Europe, with France, whom she (England) has irreparably offended, as her vassal, the Russian eagle floating over the Seraglio, and herself (England) relying for allies upon broken-down crushed Austria, bankrupt emasculated Italy, and decrepid and worn-out Turkey. Such an alliance would be about as strong to resist Count Bismarck’s combinations as a fortress made by a pastrycook out of barley sugar would be to resist the blow of an oaken cudgel. No, no ! We shall have to pay all these gentry for running away every time they come in sight of their enemy, and we shall have to do the fighting ourselves. Heaven send ns safe out of it; but that we are in for it--unless some vigorous policy be at opce initiated—is as certain as that the sun shines at noon day. We have a game yet to play by which we may beat Bismarck, if we play it vigorously and thoroughly. 'Jhe Empire of France, which alone succeeded in bringing about this war, is no more. The peoele nave set up the Government that they like, namely, a Eepublic; and they aye determined to have tnat Eepublic, or to die. Let up acknowledge that Government, and support it. We shall haye America for ouy ally, and in conjunction with her, can give France all that she wants. She has men enough and to spare. What she wants is more arms, ammunition, food, and organisation. The moment is propitious.