Stronger neighbours! Russia's aid-Russia forced to bring up her last resources ;* the Hungarian armies still unsurrendered :—a single movement of the Turks in advance taking the Russians in the rear calling the Cossacks and the Poles to independence,— this is the story of Poland over again.

Austria defeated and requiring

When charged in the House of Commons with having stopped the preparations of Sweden, Turkey, and Persia, to support Poland, and with having rejected the proposals of Austria and France to the same effect, he answered (1st of March, 1848), “I saved them from a useless and a fatal step, for Russia was stronger than Sweden, stronger than Turkey, stronger than Persia, as she was stronger than Poland.' Of course, it was to be inferred, though it was not stated, that she was also stronger than Austria, and stronger than France: she was so, but it was by his means. The argument, however, was An aggregate of strength is an accumulation of weakness by this argument fell, first Poland, and then Hungary,―the fall of the one prepared the way for the fall of the other: they have been laid prostrate not only by the same logic, but by the same logician.

:

I have already mentioned the mission of a Hungarian agent to Constantinople:-the circumstances, as they were related to me, respecting it are too remarkable to omit :-if true, they require to be known and if false, contradicted.

His arrival, I have been informed, was hailed with delight by the party in the Divan for war, who, though not strong enough to carry such a decision, were able to obtain not only that communication should be opened with him, but also that practical aid should be afforded to the Hungarians by a supply of arms, and by suggesting to them the occupation of the fortress of Orshova, which, standing on an island of the Danube where it breaks through the chain of the

*A month later he himself writes: "THE WHOLE DISPOSABLE FORCE OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP TO TAKE PART IN THIS WAR."

Carpathians, is the Padlock of Hungary on the side of Wallachia, and which, if held by the Hungarians, would have prevented the entrance of the Russian troops, and so far preserved Turkey's honour and "Neutrality." A person of character and distinction was therefore selected to communicate with the agent, who, without circumlocution, informed him that 200,000 stands of arms would be landed on the left bank of the Danube, which the Hungarians would pay for in raw produce; and further, that the fortress of Orshova was at that moment occupied by only a few troops. The Envoy rushed to communicate this unexpected success to the British Ambassador, who, in his well-known zeal for Hungary, disdained to be outstripped, offered to place England in the position which Turkey was about to occupy, and named an English house at Constantinople (Messrs. Hanson) for the management of the speculation. The agent rushed back again to inform his Turkish friends of his "golden achievement" (J'ai fait une affaire d'or), and to his astonishment perceived that his joy was not shared; the Turkish Government instantly withdrew its proposals, within three days it was called to account by the Russian and Austrian Embassies, and of course no muskets were shipped from the Thames.

These facts I give as I have received them; I have them under no pledge of secrecy. Certain it is that at this period rumours were generally spread of arms to be furnished by Turkey to the Hungarians, and of her being on the point of declaring in their favour. The name of the agent is Mr. Browne, cousin of Lord Stanley of Alderley.

When the affair is quite over, a day after the demand of Extradition has been despatched from Warsaw, Lord Palmerston indulges in a safe epigram on Turkish Neutrality, which he transmits to the agitated consul at Bucharest ::

"I have to observe to you that the laws of neutrality require that equal measures should be meted out to both of the contending parties; and that either both or neither should be allowed to enter and to make use of the Turkish territory"

This is the "Neutrality" of the Dardanelles-all nations are equally excluded, but the Russians are inside.

There now remained only to exchange the congratulatory notes between Downing Street and the Bedford Hotel on the restoration of "order and peace ;" and so closes one chapter of the "union of England and Russia to maintain the peace of the world.”*

*Declaration of Lord Durham.

CHAPTER V.

Extradition of Refugees.

TWENTY days after the offer of Mediation has reached Vienna, Sir Stratford Canning writes (28th August).

"TO-DAY, the Austrian Minister has presented a strong official note demanding the extradition of all refugees, without entering into any distinction of offences.

"In point of fact the Porte's neutrality has been sacrificed in a far greater degree to the military operations of Russia and the unfortunate necessities of Austria THAN to any partiality for a people having many traditional claims to their sympathy and goodwill, &c. Under these circumstances I only anticipate your lordship's opinion, when I submit that the Ottoman ministers are fairly entitled to support in continuing to carry out a principle' [what principle, -neutrality, or its sacrifice?] which it has been my duty, and to all appearance that of General Aupick also, to inculcate."

Any negotiations with respect to this matter had to be carried on in London with the Representative of Austria, or at all events at Vienna; and if anything was to be done not a moment had to be lost. The Despatch reached London on the 9th of September. The matter was one which presented not the slightest difficulty of judgment. I have already stated the case; not only were the Treaties clear, but there were precedents in point. The intelligence had reached London long before this communication of Sir Stratford Canning; the former demand had been expedited from Warsaw on the 14th of August, as from Vienna news could reach London in half the time that it took to travel to Constantinople, the demand must have been known to Lord Palmerston before it could be so to Sir Stratford Canning.

If not, of what earthly use can Ambassadors be? Still even Sir Stratford Canning's communication is left unanswered for thirteen days, and then not a single line is addressed to Vienna,―the reply reaches Constantinople after the matter has been settled at St. Petersburgh.

This single statement disposes of the whole case. The "bottleholding" is simply reduced to being out of the way. It was not for nothing that Kossuth said and repeated so often, "Read the Blue Books!" But the difficulty was to find readers. Of what avail would be the publication of logarithms for a Nation that did not understand arithmetic? No one in England studies Diplomacy, or knows anything of diplomatic action, and then they are knocked down with "Blue Books." The contents are nothing, the volume and cover everything. It suffices then to say, "Take my word, or read that." No one knows better than the English Minister that the printing of ostensible Despatches is not the way to enlighten a Parliament or instruct a Nation, and that for that purpose explanation and exposition are required, and not precisely of that nature with which a Finsbury deputation is content. Here are the words he once used when in opposition ::

"We should know what have been the principles upon which our Government has acted,—what has been the spirit in which the influence of England has been exerted,—what objects have been aimed at, and by what means we have sought to attain them.”

These words were uttered in leading an opposition against the Government of which Lord Aberdeen was Foreign Secretary, because it was not sufficiently Russian! A man must know what is right, in order systematically to practise what is wrong.

I arrived in Turkey, a few days after the demand of Extradition was made. I was confidentially informed of it by one of the local governors intimately connected with high Personages, who all considered war imminent, and urged me