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THE FOREIGN POLICY OF GREAT…

WHAT THE WAR WILL HAVE DONE…

I THE CAMPAIGN IN ASIA.

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THE CAMPAIGN IN ASIA. The Czar Alexander is reported to have said, on be- holding from the northern forts the ruins of his beautiful Sebastopol, that those ruins had made peacc imposil!le, If the statement be tnH', aid if the sentiment it conveys be translated into plain language, it means that the hour has passed when the ruler of Russia might have been induced tA Ecton 7 -1 ..L_ L.I- "J l.I"ÖLi\t:U destroyed, he can be swayed by no arguments higher than those ignoble ones which have their source in wounded pride, and the desire of vengeance. If this be the state of the Imperial mind, peace, we are afraid, is yet far distant, and may possibly not be assured even on the day when Cronstadt shall lie as low as Sebastopol, and a vic- torious British fleet shall be thundering at the arsenals and Admiralty of St. Pdersburg. If we could imagine that the Emperor, finding the world against him, and kno\7in that inevitable defeat and disgrace were before him, if he persisted in braving the opinions and the justice of man- kind, were anxious fur an opportunity to retire with com- parative credit from a false and untenable position, we might see in the surrender of Kars that salvo to his self- love which might prepare the way for satisfactory negotia- ti,)n. But there is nothing in his character, or in that of his nation, to justify such a calculition and, on their part, the Allies have not done sufficient to convey the sa- lutary lesson of their invincibility. They have not put forth their whole strength as they might have done. They have but goaded the wild beast, whom it ought to have been their object to have disabled and have been cutting away at a serpent's tail when they ought to have been aiming at its head, or striking at its heart. The British people will not undervalue the importance to Russia of the surrender of Kars. That even, lifts the fortunes of the Emperor from the slough of despond in'o which the miscalculating ambition of his late father had sunk them, and will inffatc the spirits and exasperate the ferocity of his whole nation. It is for the Allies to he prepared to confront this new danger, and to awaken to the full knowledge of the fact, that not in the Crimea and in tho Baltic alone is the fight in whiell they are engaged to be fought. Hitherto, whatever may be said of the Frcnch, it must be confessed that the British have been deficient in generalship We have neither had first-rate sailors nor soldiers in command. If our Admirals had been equal to their duty, they have been thwarted, insult- ed, and rendered worse than useless by the pettifogging interference of pragmatic martinets at home whilst ou r I Generals-whatever may have been the advantages or dis' advantages of the system under which they were nomina- ted,—have either not shown a capacity for great command, or they J\H been oH'rshadoweJ by ?l,.e superiority of their allies both in mi\it;uy experience and in the fuice at their disposal. Our brave soldiers and our gallant subalterns have vindicated in every respect the ancient renown of their country and their race but we have had no Gener- al, except in Asia. If there be one name which stands out more prominently and more gloriously than that of any other Englishman in the war, it is that of General Williams. The British people, who were not slow to ad- mit the ability and to honour the courage of the brave Gortschakoff at Sebastopol, have not been less ready to recognise the eminent genius, the consummate skill, the unflinching heroism, of General Williams and the true- hearted comrades which fought with him at Kars, and de- feated for a whole season by their resistance the utmost available strength, and all the plans of the Russians. Hard terms have been imposed upon them by their con- querors-conquerors who would not have conquered if the noble garrison had had brea to eat and water to drink but for a few days lop-ger but they will carry with them into captivity the homage of all Europe and we venture to adcl, the espect even of the Russians. To have lost even for a time the services of such a General and of such an army is indeed a calamity. It would be btd taste as well as bad policy to underrate it. The triumph of Russia may not be wounding to the self-love, but it is damaging to the interests, of England. It is for the British Government to turn the disaster to proper account. The past cannot be recalled, but it can throw a li-jht upon, and serve as a guide or beacon to, the future. The Asiatic campaign is one that particularly interests this country. It is of far more importance to us than it is to our ally, and lla3 been neglectcd and mis- managed too long. France has no great Indian empire at stake as ire have, and Asia Minor is not on the high road to any of its possessions. Between the outer limits of Asia Minor and the borders of Hindostan, as well as in Hindostan itself are tribes, populations, and states that yield nothing to love, but everything to fear-that h,nc no allegiance for any ruler, no respect for any neighbour that is not physically superior to themselves. We cannot afford to let these populations believe that we are inferior in fair fight to the nussians, or that we can be outgene- ralled, outmanoeuvred, or defeated by them. \Ve owe India a victory in Asia. We owe it a campaign that shall make amends to our fame for the temporary check we have received at Kars-a check which we would not have experienced if during the last summer we had known how to make usc of such a soldier as Omar Pacha, and had been guiltless of the folly of detaining him in the Crimea, where he was of no service, and got nothing for his loss of time but snubs, discouragement, and bitterness of heart. If, in consequence of our dilatoriness, or want ùf èliill and foresight, the army of Omar Pacha-as, unfor- tunately, is but too probable-should be caught in a trap by General Mouravic-ff, and taken prisoners -en masse, II it will take a very splendid and final victory on our part before we can expect to recover the prestige which we have lost. Surely Marshal Pelissier and the Sardinians are suffi- cient to drive the Russians from the Crimea ? Let thrm have the danger and the glory of the achievement and let England open the next campaign with a great fleet in the Baltic and a great army in Asia. If Russia has her point of honour, so also has England. Inkerman was a mistake, but it was a victory. We cannot always expect such fruit from such trees. We have no right to go on calculating that our blunders will somehow or other be turned at the last moment into successes or that we can fight a desperate and cunning enemy without adequate preparations on every possible side. Turkey herself is not so deeply involved as Great Britain is in the result of the next campaign in Asia. The winter may prevent General Mouravieff from turning his triumph to immediate account. If fortune so far favours us, it is for the Go- vernment of this country to take care that the spring shall not find him in as good a position as that in whith he now stands.—Illustrated London News.

THE HOPE AND TIIE DESIRE OF…

NOTES AND QUERIES.

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