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Leader (1850-1860), 29th October 1853, Edition Country of 2, Page 4, BRITISH OPINION ON THE EASTERN QUESTION....

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      Fine Art Projects. Mk. Hrnuy Coiik, Tho ...

      and enlist the strongest motives to produce the highest excellence ; whilst , on the other , it would enable the Government to adopt the result as a national work without incurring the risks of a failure . A charter should be granted to a public company , conferring the pr ivileges of carrying put the erection of the buildings , and the decoration of them ; the laying out the grounds with terraces , fountains , and sculpture , and the formation of certain collections , including all that ought to be comprehended in a National Gallery of Painting , Sculpture , and other decorative Arts . As respects the few paintings already national property the Government xoight lend them , and agree to pay a fair rental for the space occupied hy them . The Company should be the sole iuderes of the scale of its expenditure

      and the execution , of the works . When the structures and collections were sufficiently complete to be opened to the public , the Government , in return for its assistance , should have the right to determine whether the public should be admitted , gratuitously or by payment . If it were determined gratuitously , then the whole works would be purchased for the nation at a fair valuation , upon principles previously settled . If the Government declined the purchase , then the public should be admitted on payment , so successfully tried at the Exhibition of 1851 , and the Company would undertake the future management , Governthe

      ment still reserving the right of purchase at expiration of certain periods of time . The Company mi g ht also contract to provide buildings for private institutions . Space jn the buildings might also be provided to exhibit the existing Government coEections of Sculpture , & c . under certain conditions ; but these at present form a small part of what systematic collections of Art and Science would become by the energies of private enterprise , which would create galleries as extensive as those of the JJouvxe , as systematic as those at Berlin , and as rich in illustrations of the decorative Arts as the Historical Collections in theZwinger and Green Vaults at Dresden . "

      10$0 The Leader.- [Saturday,

      10 $ 0 THE LEADER .- [ Saturday ,

      British Opinion On The Eastern Question....

      BRITISH OPINION ON THE EASTERN QUESTION . ME . BOTTVEEIE AT . KILMAB . NOCK . Afl Member for the Kilmarnock Burghs Mr . Pleydell Bouverie made his appearance at Kilmarnock on Friday week . His object was to give an account of his political conduct during the past year ; but of course he went beyond a mere retrospective glance at the chief subjects of recent legislation , and touched on the Eastern question , and the probabilities of war . Here are his views . First he contended that our large armaments are necessary to our security ; and that the Peace party rather overlook the fact that security , above all things , is essential to trade and commerce . But war is coming . " Now , the war which is likely to take place is a war between Turkey and Russia . I for one confess I like neither the Russians nor the Turks . Russia is a vast

      country , with an enormous territory , with a great population scattered over it , governed by absolute despotism , and with an enormous army . For the last 160 years it lias extended its empire in every direction , and it is one of the questions which the future will have to solve , how far and to what extent that great empire is to go on increasing ? Probably the time has now come for the solution of that question . I don't like Russia . I confess the conduct of that Power has been , as far as I con judge , destructive of liberty , equity , and justice , and has been solely prompted by that which is Baid to be the object of all princes—the possession of more territory and people . None of us , I apprehend , as citizens of a free country , can very much admire a pure despotism . We don't know Avhat a thing it

      is in this country . I may relate to you a short anecdote which I was only reading lately in connexion with llusaia , and which will show you this . There is a very strict censorship of the press in Russia , and it is so fitrict that tho words freedom and liberty are absolutel y forbidden . Well , a learned scientific man , who was publishing a book containing , among other tilings , an account of a particular machine , said the parts were bo connected that they worked freely togethor . The censor struck out ' freely' from tho book , saying ho could not possibly admit that word . ( Laughter . ) That is an illustration of the totall y different ieoling ana spirit which exist there and in thin country , and , therefore , I say I have no sympathy with Russia . I cannot say I am fond of the Turks either . In tho first Christian

      place , they conquered a groat country 400 years ago—for it is exactly 400 years since Constantinople wan taken from the Greek ompiro . They are a barbarous , uncivilized , ignorant , and persecuting people * , although our sympathy is excited for them now because they havo boon most unjustly treated . It is only thirty years nineo the Greek revolution took p lace ; and when tho Greeks first , rose in insurrection against their sovereign , tho Sultiui of Turkey , ho issued an edict ordering that every Christian in his dominions should bo massacred . Aii < l , whether ho issued it or not , within a few weeks something like < M ) , 000 Christians in tho Turkish dominions worn masHomnl in cold blood , and the Patriarch of tho Greek Church avuh dragged in ignominy before a Court and hung in front of Afl another of what harbarouH

      his own church . . proof a people they aro in tlmir feelings and practices , I may mention that , at tho thrao of that groat contest :, there was a Greek general defending tho ancient pass of Thormopylui . a pass onco defended b y another Greek uguinNt an invading foo- Ho was taken before the pasha , who nuked him if ho would enter tho Turkish sorvico . 11 o replied , ' N « ver ;' and what do you think they did with himP Why , thirty years ago—a period in the memory of many of those who are now about , mo—ho wan ordered to bo impaled and roasted » Jive before- « . slow fir « : and ho ho wan . Now , I don ' t nay these things to oxcifco on odium against ; tho Turku , but I tell you them to show that they aro i \ barbarous savage race , who havo roally none of tho civilization und improvements which wo havo ju this country , and who are animatod by pnaajuraa and footings which wo must moat

      heartily detest ; and , therefore , I have no sympathy with the Turks . All we have to trouble ourselves with is our own best interests , and the interests of Europe . Now , It is a greed on all hands that it is of absolute importance that the Russians should not get possession of Turkey . All the statesmen of this country are agreed upon that , and think that it would be in a great measure fatal . It is agreed also that the Turks are aggrieved in this case , and that the attack upon them is of a most unprovoked and unwarranted description . If my sympathies are to be given at all I must give them to the party unjustly treated . If I see a big man licking a little boy I don't stop to consider whether he is a bad boy or not , or whether his past mode of life has hpfin fivil . I see an act of injustice done towards him , and

      I say to the man— ' You are ill-treating that little fellow , you are very unjust , and you shan't do it . ' ( Laughter and cheers . ) Well , that is very much what the two great Powers , France and England , have been saying to Russia , and we seem likely to be embarked in a war in consequence . It necessarily follows , if you interfere with a party , what argument have you to use with the stronger , except saying , If you don't give up the attack I will compel you . ' My illustration of the little boy comes in here again , and I would say to the man , If you don't give up beating him why I will fight you myself , and see whether I cannot give you a licking . ' " You have no other argument to use with the Russians unless they submit to you as an arbitrator ,

      but to say , ' You withdraw the aggression on the dominions of Turkey ; don't carry out the attack which you meditate , or , if you do , we shall be obliged to make you withdraw . ' Force between nations is the court of last resort , and nothing but force can be appealed to . Hence we have no alternative but to be plunged—though Heaven forbid—in a European war . As I said , if that takes place—if there should be a general European war—nobody can tell the consequences , or what may take place throughout Europe . As I said , I hope to Heaven that every effort will be made , consistent with the best interests of Europe , to secure us against the dire calamities of war , and to promote the great blessings of peace . "

      We take the report from the columns of the North British Daily Mail , and leave that journal responsible for the indications of popular feeling .

      METROPOLIS . The inhabitants of Pimlico met in great numbers on Tuesday , in the Lecture Hall of the Athenaeum Literary Institute , and passed resolutions condemning alike the aggression of the Emperor of Russia and the policy of Lord Aberdeen . There was some opposition on the peace side , but in vain . The people of the Tower Hamlets leld a meeting on "Wednesday , Captain Mayne Reid in the chair . Captain Reid showed that both the Russian and Turkish armies are eating up corn which would otherwise have found its way to England . The salient part of his speech was an attack on Lord Palmerston for betraying Hungary : —

      " Some persons may ask , Are we to suspect our Cabinet Ministers of trifling with English honour ? Suspect ! ay , more than suspect , and I draw my reasoning and my conclusion from the conduct of this same Ministry but five years ago , when Hungary was struggling for independence . ( Loud cheers . ) I dare boldly pronounce upon this platform—and I will not announce what I cannot prove— -that in tlie struggle of Hungary the oligarchical Ministry of this country did as much to crush Hungary as the Russian despot . The blue-books , doctored and mutilated as they are , prove that to be the case . I can prove , from Lord Palmerston ' s own despatches , that he had counselled Turkey to take no part in tho work of Hungary . I can show that tho Principalities were used to organize the

      armies of the despots ui their attacks upon Hungary . I can go further , and show that when the representatives of Kossuth and the Hungarians at Constantinople obtained permission from Turkey to bring 200 , 000 muskets up tho Danube , they were prevented from going by English influence . I will go further with respect to Lord Palmerston , and say that he had no hand whatover in rescuing Kossuth and his brave companions from tho fangs of Austria and "itussia ; that his despatch to the Sultan did not reach Constantinople until two days after the Sultan had given his answer to tho Czar ; ana I can prove that the demand for assistance in this country remained unanswered for tlurtocn days ; and that , ia tho man , some say , to save our country . " ( Loud cheers . )

      Mr . William Newton , Mr . David Uxquhart , Mr . Howell , and others , addressed tho mooting . The following resolutions were adopted : — " That the invasion of tho Panubian Principalities by tho Emperor of . Russia is a wanton and unjustifiable aggression on tho territories of Turkey , and a violation of international law , calculated to endanger tho interests , and imperil the liberties of Western Europe ; and that it is therefore the duty of thi « country to afford olfectual assistance to enable Turkey to repel this aggreHsion , and to abstain from diplomatic ; intercourse with Russia until satisfactory reparation has been made;—That t . lio conduct of Mhunters has been' characterized by a want of energy , which has mainly contributed to bring about tho present

      crisis ; that ' tho people of this country cannot havo any confidence that the foreign relations will lie administered with that good faith and energy tho occasion demands , so lonpr ' iw they are under the uncontrolled guidance- of the present Cabinet ; and that tho position now oeeupiod by Ruhniii could Only have been brought about by the collusion of the English Government;—That it if * time tho foreign attaint of a great nation like England wore conducted Ntrai tf htlbrwurdly and openly , and not through the tortuous channels of secret diplomacy ; and this mooting in of opinion that Parliament , should bo immediately summoned , ho Unit tho roproHontaUvou of tho nation may decide on the course which ought to be pursued . " TIiobo opinioiiH woro to bo embodied in an addreaa to tho Quoon .

      Letters From Paris. (Fbom Otf Jt Oww Cor...

      LETTERS FROM PARIS . ( FbOM Otf Jt OWW CORBEBPOffJJEIir . ) Xbxxbb . XCYI . Paris , Thursday Evening , Oct . 27 , 1868 . We are still in the thick , of arrests : it is worse than ever , this bout , and if ; appears the arrest of Charles Delescluze has done all tne mischief . More than 400 persons in Paris have been thrown into prison ; and in the later batches of arrests there have been a considerable number of working men . In the provinces , too the arrests have been on a large scale . At Tours ' about 40 ; at the Croix Rousse , the "workmen ' s quarter

      at Lyons , some say ; nearly 300 . Charles Delescluze is reported to have had 15 , 000 copies of a pamphlet by Ledru Rollin , with him ; they were all seized ! Even in the little town of Epernay , ten working men were arrested in the act of Jhawking this brochure There have been strange rumours of a conspiracy , re ^ sembling the affair of the OperaComique , which was to have broken out at Compiegne . Bonaparte was to have been shot out hunting : the authors of this plot are , it is said , arrested , and it is seriously proposed to convoke the High Court of Justice to try them . As

      to the affair of the Opera Comique , the 7 th of next month is still fixed as the day for the trial before the Cour d'Assises . A thousand contradictory reports are afloat on this subject . Some pretend that the affair is very grave , and that the accused will be sentenced to death ; others assert that the prisoners have defended themselves strenuously , and that it has been found impossible to establish against them the slightest proof . It is again affirmed , that the conspirators were betrayed by one of themselves . As the trial is about to come off , we shall soon know the worst .

      At this moment we are suffering a recrudescence of severity in a regime already severe enough , in all conscience ! The press , it may be conceived , has its full share of these blessings : during the last three weeks the provincial press has received twenty-five " warn ^ ings , " Corn riots are still apprehended in some departments . The severest orders have been transmitted to the Prefects and to the commanding officers . In every garrison the soldiers carry sixty rounds of cartridge in their knapsacks , so as to be in a condition to march at a moment ' s notice . The prospects of the peasants are not pleasant : it is fair , perhaps , they should enjoy some of the sweets of the regime they founded : I don't pity them .

      The scarcity , the financial crisis , and the alarms of war , have nearly paralyzed all business . Complaints are universal . Nothing is talked of but deputations to His Majesty . The trade of St . Quentin has opened the ball . It has sent the President of its Chamber of Commerce to Compiegne , to ask Bonaparte whether the Eastern Question would soon be settled . The speaker added , that the fear of war paralyzed commercial operations , and that it was important to put an end to such a state of things as speedily as possible .

      Brave fellows ! '' muttons" worthy of Panurge . Bonaparte , you may imagine , contented himself with uttering a few evasive words , and went out hunting again . Hunting and fetes in the forest of Compiegne have been " our" principal occupations of late . Perhaps he is right : liis time may not last long ; he does well to get what he can—on account . There have been all sortsot entertainments , dejeuners , and divertissements . Ine other day , the whole field was dressed in Louis XVcostume . Bonaparte . I suppose , was Louis -X . V .,

      and his wife the Marquise de Pompadour . It was on that day that the accidents occurml of which you liayo seen accounts in the newspapers . The stag , hotly pursued , threw herself into » sort of Jianyar , and tliero stood at bay . Bonaparte was on the point ol nrwfe at the poor animal , when Edgar Ney rushed fcrw « W in his capacity of Grand Huntsman , to kill the stnfc with a knife . But Edgar Ney was too nervous to iuu ddened beast

      —he only wounded the stag . The ma dashed round , and struck the horse of Madame JJiav "' Tho horse reared up , and threw Madame Ihayoi- ju » in front of a carriage going at full trot . J-ho wn « passed over her thigh , and fractured it in throe P ^ Jj . ¦ At the same time , M . de Nieuworkerque waa wowwt in the arm , and another rider broke Lis log . . days afterwards there was another hunt , a * n "

      had happened . , , j ^ ] . This evening news from tho EtiBt ia expected , viceft from Vienna Hpoak of hostilities commencea , repor t that the Turks hiul taken possession oi « inlands in the Danube after driving the Kussian » It in alno stated that a Russian fiold-ofhcor had » ^ killed with a cannon-shot , through hia ?™ t ffifi iWT taking river soundings in spite . of tho caution Pacha . On tiiu other hand , -it ib know » tj » Russian army at Byohawwt had quitted that t ^ ^ was concentrated opposite to Jioutaolioiuc . dt , l 0 rumour hufl readied us > ; il « o through ^"" U ui , 0 at 22 nd . It is that the Turks had passed the lm ^ Oltornyza , and beaten the Kiwbijuim . * " , coU 1 < 1 place , iiH then , were no RnHHianHat Oltouix « V jt ttny not be beaten then , If the Turks havo fo « £ < ^ ongagomont at that H ]> ot , it could onflr ' j to against pome inHignificaut dotwohinont mul , li . •„ watch tho movement * on tb VTf ' in tomotJiintf &* liigh time tfuit tho Turks . nhouM . ^ J ^ jg no ? ^ thoiwiW for tito two ^ i ov orxuaente of **»»

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 29, 1853, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_29101853/page/4/