Excerpt from Private Letters on the Eastern Question: Written at the Dates Thereon, First Published for Private Circulation

The French and English Governments have been engaged to mediate, because they were bound, by treaty, to preserve the integrity of the Ottoman territory, - to which treaty the Russians were a party. The Russians violated that treaty by the occupation of the Ottoman territory, in order to force the Sultan to con cede certain things demanded by the Russians. The French and English Governments made propositions for the establishment of peace, which were rejected by Russia in one in stance, by Turkey in the Other, and by Russia at a subsequent period. The Mediators did not pretend to have a right to enforce upon the Russians or upon the Turks the acceptance of such an arrangement. As may suit the Mediatorsf That would be, in the first place, an arbitrary despotic act of power, and a prin ciple, if admitted, which would justify the coercion that a strong State might think fit to employ against a weaker. It would, in the next place, be an act of extreme partiality to the Russians and of Oppression exercised asto the Turks. The latter have been assailed with a military force by the Russians, without even a pretext that has borne a colour of right they have been forced to defend themselves, and war has ensued.

Every writer upon International Law de clares, that a war puts an end to treaties between the belligerents the treaties by which Russia has from time to time emascu lated Turkey. Will the Mediators force the Sultan to reanimate those destructive Treaties wrested formerly from the weakness of the Turks, and made for the purpose Of ensuring the continuation Of that weakness, so as to enable Russia to repeat her aggressions?

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