Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 2.djvu/41

 IN THE WAIl AGAINST RUSSIA. 11 fleets might enter the Dardanelles without any chap. violation or seeming violation of treaty ; and, in ' fact, it happened that this ill-omened order for the entry of the squadrons into the Dardanelles was carried into effect at a moment when a delay of less than twenty-four hours would have made their entry clearly consistent with a due observ- ance of the treaty of IS-il ; for they entered the Dardanelles on the 22d, and on the following day the Sultan, being then at war with Paissia, was released from the engagement which pre- cluded him (so long as he was at peace) from suffering foreign fleets to come up through the Straits. Baron Brunnow romonsti-ated in strong terms Baron Bnm against the entry of the fleets into the Dardanelles monsirauce. as a breach of the treaty of 1841 ; but although he was well answered by Lord Clarendon so far as concerned the mere question of right, no en- deavour was made to mitigate by words the true import of the measure ; and, in truth, it was of so hostile a nature as not to be susceptible of any favourable interpretation ; for although the apprehension of disturbances at Constantinople might be a sufficing ground for the step, the order to the Ambassadors was not made depend- ent upon the occurrence of any such disturbances, nor even upon any alleged fear of them, but was peremptory and absolute in its terms, and was made applicable, not to such a portion of the naval forces as might be requisite for ensuring