Page:Wallachia and Moldavia - Correspondence of D. Bratiano whit Lord Dudley C. Stuart, M.P. on the Danubian Principalities.djvu/21

 that she may dare everything with those who dare nothing; and that she has only to recoil bravely, whenever they think of making head against her.

Now, at the point which things have reached, what is going to happen ? Assuredly nothing which the cabinets of England and France can desire. Their humiliation and abasement, and the servitude of Turkey—or war! If we may judge by what has always been done in like circumstances, France and England will themselves agree that Russia has advanced too far to bo able to beat a retreat without obtaining anything. Say probably then, without taking count of the rejection of the Russian ultimatum, the negociations will be resumed, and Lord Stratford and Monsieur de Lacour will engage the Porte to yield, and at the same time intreat Russia to abate somewhat of her pretensions ; then they will congratulate themselves on their cleverness and the conciliatory disposition of the Russian envoy. When he ceased to be insolent, was not his moderation ad mired ? Whereas, in reality, they will only have managed to compromise still more the existence of the Porte, by legitimatizing, to a certain extent, by their intervention, the usurpations of Russia.

In such a case, Russia might well close the account, by having all she desired to have: namely, a great increase of prestige for her power in the East, a stricter means of action on the Greek Christians of the Turkish Empire (that is to say, on a very great majority of the inhabitants of Turkey in Europe), and perhaps even the eventual occupation of the Danubian Principalities. For as to her project of renewing the Treaty of the Unkiar-Skelessi, a project of which there has also been question, and her relinquishment of which is so much applauded, she has never dreamed of it. What! had Russia any serious intention of demanding from the Sultan the privilege of bringing her fleets to protect him in the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, to the exclusion of every other power; and that at the very moment when the Sultan, pointing his finger at Russia, was crying out Help ! murder ! Truly, the trick is so gross, that it does little