Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 1.djvu/247

 BETVVBKN THE CZAU AND TIHi --SULTAN. -2&5 It was thus that by rashness and want of mo- CHfAP. •deration men truly attached to the cause of peace. " ■ -' were encouraging the wrong-doer, and rapidly bringing upon Europe the calamity which they most abhorred. On the 2d July the Emperor Nicholas caused The Pmth his forces to pass the Pruth, and laid hold of the two Principalities. On the following day a man- Russian ifesto was read in the churches of All the Piussias.* ' It is known/ said the Czar, ' to all our faithful ' subjects that the defence of the Orthodox reli- • gion was from time immemorial the vow of our ' glorious forefathers. From the time that it ' pleased Providence to entrust to us our heredi- ' tary throne, the defence of these holy obligations 1 inseparable from it was the constant object of ' our solicitude and care ; and these, based on the ' glorious treaty of Kainardji, confirmed by other ' solemn treaties, were ever directed to ensure the ' our great grief, recently, in despite of our efforts ' to defend the inviolability of the rights and pri- ' vileges of our Orthodox Church, various arbitrary ' acts of the Porte have infringed these rights, and ' threaten at last the complete overthrow of the ' long-perpetuated order so dear to Orthodoxy. ' Having exhausted all persuasion, we have found ' it needful to advance our armies into the Dan- ' ubian Principalities, in order to show the Otto- ' man Porte to what its obstinacy may lead. But ' even now we have not the intention to commence
 * inviolability of the Orthodox Church. But to
 * ' Eastern Papers,' j»art i. p. 357.