FOREIGN SUMMARY.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 772, 7 September 1853, Page 2

FOREIGN SUMMARY.

(From the Sydney " Erapir'.”) -p n!r Tjßb On looking through our heavy files of journals by the steamers Osiiwnli, Argo,o& _ san, we have taken up the foreign inteliqpn _ a our last previous dates, with a view to g connected summary down to the departure last mail from London, the 9th May. The Aggression upon Turret. The “ Turkish difficulty,” as it is ca chiefly occupied the attention of Europe 0

this interval. It is curious now to observe the distorted views that were given of it for party purposes at the commencement. So far back as March last the Times, in its unrelenting hostility to the popular cause in Europe, and the cause of Hungary in particular, sought to lead the English people to believe that it was a band of revolutionists were at the bottom of the disturbance. «£ r£ o produce war in this quarter,” says the Times, tt j s n ow a favourite scheme with the promoters of insurrection in Hungary and Poland, and it is pneouraged by many of the renegades in the miliSy service of the Porte.” another very distorted reason is assigned for the aggression of Austria in the affairs of Montenegro : —“ The Austrian Government required that the operations against Montenegro should cease, and that the deserters and fugitives from the Imperial armies who have entered the Turkish service and embraced the Mahometan faith, should not be offensively paraded in arms a loi,<r tlie frontier, where it is doubtful whether their object is to defend their new country, or to attack their old one.” Such motives as these were assigned for an ag-o-rission which, within a few months nearly terminated in a general war in Europe. The next report from the East of Europe brings us a considerable step farther. Montenegro was supported in insurrection by Russia and Austria, until that province was established in a nominal state of independence, under the protection of these two Powers. Then we find the scene of their operations transferred to Constantinople. It is stated:— « The demands of Austria, and still more the way in which they were made, appear to have excited the astonishment of the foreign diplomatists, as well as the Turkish Cabinet. The French and English representatives spoke to the Austrian envoy of intervention ; he drily replied, ‘ that he was a soldier who was directed by his sovereign to bring hack positive answers to categorical questions, and that all intervention was, therefore, inadmissible. He added that, being no diplomatist, he must even decline entering on the merits of the case. It is also related, that when the Austrian general was admitted to the presence of the Sultan, the Turkish courtiers were scandalized at the tone and manner assumed by the giaour. M. d’Ozeroff, who seemed as much surprised as the English and French Ministers at the nature of the Austrian propositions, for a time held back, but he subsequently received instructions from St. Petersburgh to give all possible support to Austria.” A new envoy was then sent by Russia, Prince Menschikoff, to make peculiar demands on behalf of that power. Certain privileges claimed by the Greek Church, in the Holy Land, were the ground of claims of privileges on behalf of the professors of that creed, and these privileges were demanded at the expense of others which the Porte had ceded to France, for the benefit of the Roman Church, consequently an issue was raised between Russia and France. But, instead of allowing the Porte to remain neutral, by ceding equal privileges to both, it was demanded that the Emperor of Russia should have the control of th® Greek. Church in the kingdom of Turkey. The bearing of the Russian Ambassador, ami his defhands, were described as being intolerable. The chief ports of Turkey on the Adriatic had to be closed, the consequence of which was, in a great measure, to exclude British commerce from the kingdom. After the continuance of arrogant demands, the envoys of England and France became alarmed, and Europe was startled by the danger of a gener 1 war, meditated by the despatch of English and French fleets to the Bosphorus. The power which Russia has attained and exercises in the East of Europe is thus described in the Times : —“ In every part of the Ottoman Empire a member of the Greek Church, who Is illused, seeks protection or demands redress by means of the Russian Consul. By this powerful engine, Russia can give at pleasure an irresistible impulse to the Sclavonic and Greek population at the East. She could proclaim, if matters came to extremities, a religious war, which would instantly rally myriads to the standard of the Cross. The whole Christian population of the East is perfectly aware that in sending a solemn embassy to assert the privile es of the Greek Church at the Sanctuaries, Russia is practically defending a cause which is not to be measured by the object in dispute. And this is probably the chief result which the Emperor Nicholas proposes at this time to attain.” On the arrival of the English ambassador, Lord Stratford, at Constantinople, on the 4th of April, from Paris, where he had been residing, he assembled the English merchants and residents, assured them of peace, and encouraged them to carry on business as usual. From this period, affairs began to wear a more pacific aspect. A correspondence in the Times , of the 7th May, states :—“ A great change has been observed in Prince Menschikoff’s manner of proceeding since the arrival of the representatives of the Western Powers, and their assurance that England and France, far from being inclined to leave Turkey to its fate, would do their utmost to maintain its integrity. Prince Menschikoff is now at great pains to have it understood that the Russian Cabinet never intended to make any demands which were not compatible with the dignity of the Porte. He represents his mission as being of the most friendly description, ‘as he has no special demands whatever to make.’ All that is remiired is, that the Porte shall pledge itself to Russia, as the protector of the Greek Church, not to make any concessions to the Catholics without previously coming to an understanding with that Power on the subject.” The Home News, a London journal, published for circulation principally in the colonies, gives another version of the state of affairs, representing it as far as ever from a settlement. However, tne most reliable information represents the prospect of a peaceable settlement for the present, at least. The question of the Holy places, which was the first subject of difference, is positively stated to have been wronged. Two other points remain at issue—the influence and protection which Russia claimed over the patriarch of the Greek Church, and the independence of Montenegro, Having practically separated this province from Turkey, it appears now that Russia and Austria are somewhat jealous about the result, both claiming to exercise supremacy, and Austria being the nearest, using every means in her power to incline the population favourably to herself; but the Emperor of Russia was unceremoniously taking the exclusive management and protection upon himself. The prince, who has been raised up into a petty potentate, is thus described by a correspondent of the Times on his appearance in Vienna. “ Prince Daniel, of Montenegro, who has been (here for some days, has excited much attention by the peculiarity of his costume. Many persons who knew him when he was studying here, shortly before his uncle’s decease, had some difficulty in recognizing in the gaily-dressed, sinewy, daring-looking chieftain, the quiet, unassuming, individual who nightly repaired to the ‘Pipe,’ in the Gold-schmidt-street, to take his dose of ‘ heavy wet.’ ” Aggression upon Switzerland. The despotic Powers arc manifesting in the case of Switzerland what they would do in the case of England if they could. Austria is the prime mover in the matter. The danger of an invasion of the republican customs has now been in hearing for some time. When Mazzini’s last attempt at insurrection was made in it appeared that two of his colleagues in the government of Rome during the Roman Republic of 1848 were in the Canton of Ticino awaiting the outbreak in Italy, whilst he himself was somewhere else inside the borders of Switzerland. As soon as the insurrection was known the Ticinese, to free themselves from the charge of being anticipators in the disturbances of another territory, expelled the Italian refugees. Nevertheless, we find from a statement in the Times that the Austrian army would have been marched into the canton at that period but for the intervention of I ranee and England. Austria appears to have been on the watch for an opportunity of agressmn, anti some time afterwards, when the Capuchin Friars were expelled the canton of Velino, the charge of being opposed to education, receiving a salary for three years, as an idemnity, Austria retaliated by expelling the Swiss from the neighbouring Austrian province in Italy, and con-

fiscating their property. The consequence is thus described , —“ According to private accounts, the sufferings of the poor people who were sent out of Lombardy were great. The roads, which ware in a miserable state, were crowded with women and children, who could hardly get along. It would be difficult to say whether the banishment of the Ticinese, or the confiscation of the property of the Italian exiles, has produced a worse effect.” An appeal was made by the canton to France and England, and to the Federal Council of Switzerland. The result of the appeal to the Federal Council Is thus stated—“ The Council addressed a note to Austria on the subject. The note, b ys the Augsburg Ga~ctte , represents the cruelty of the measure, and the Federal Council is resolved to consider it an act of hostility, not only ’to Ticino, but to the whole confederation. It is positively demanded that the order be revoked, and things placed on the same footing as before. The note concludes thus :— * The Confederation has not considered it advisable to employ the same system of reprisals as Austria; but if its demands are not acceded to, it will take the necessary measures for the protection of Switzerland, and of Ticino in particular.’ ” The Austrian Minister at Berne, Count Marnicki, was instructed to reply on the 16th of March, to these Helvetic remonstrances; and he did so by stringing together a long list of cumulative charges against the Government of Tessin in particular, and the Swiss Confederation in general. The Times says, “ To this rambling indictment, the Federal Council of Switzerland returns a firm and positive answer, based on the reports of a commissioner despatched by the Executive Government to verify the facts on the spot.” A correspondent of the Times gives the following intelligence, from which it would appear that a combination was formed against Switzerland, and that the late Conservative Cabinet of England had acceded to it. Private letters from Berlin “give some information as to the proceedings of the King of Prussia in the affair of Neufchatel; and this will afford an opportunity and a pretext of intervening in Switzerland, and of seconding Austria in her designs on Ticino. It is already known that the rights of the King of Prussia on the canton of Neufchatel were recognised by Austria, Russia, and England, who were parties to the protocol signed on the 24th of May last, and to which France has given her adhesion. Two secret articles were added to the protocol—one of them demanded by the late English Cabinet, which, for reasons arising out of its internal situation, desired that the affair should not be opened with Switzerland until after an interval of some months; perhaps the elections had some tiling to do with the delay. The other secret article referred to the means of execution which Prussia is authorised to employ to enforce the recognition of the King’s authority in the canton. It was agreed that the King of Prussia should, whenever he thought it most convenient, notify the protocol of the 24th nf May to the Swiss Government, and call upon it to have that protocol admitted by Neufchatel. If the Swiss Government accepted, of course the affair was at an end; if not, or if Neufchatel resisted, then Prussia is authorised to proceed to a military occupation of the canton, which she will not fail to do. Thai occupation Prussia would execute by means of her own army, or by demanding the intervention of the Germanic Diet, and the co-operation of the contingent of the Germanic Confederation. It is probable that Prussia will demand that intervention, or if she does not demand it, that the Diet itself will propose it. The accord of Austria and Prussia leaves no doubt of the assent of the Germanic Diet in all the measures that may be taken with reference to Switzerland, and of the active co-operation of the Diet itself. Switzerland is consequently menaced with a German as well as an Austrian invasion.”

Again, In the Times of April the 7th, we find it announced—“ A coalition of the Southern German States, for the purj ose of establishing a blockade against Switzerland, is seriously thought of.”

A quotation from a Government journal in Vienna, published in the Times of the 18th April, still continued to threaten the aggression of Austria and Prussia upon the Swiss cantons. In the Times of the 3rd May, we find it stated—•‘The Federal Council has received a telegraphic despatch. This despatch announces that the Austrians have established a military post near Stabbio, on a territory which is considered as belonging to Switzerland. On the receipt of this intelligence, the Council assembled at once to inquire into the affair.” This was the state of affairs at the date of our latest intelligence, but a meeting of the Emperors of Austria and Russia, and the King of Prussia, was appointed, when new measures concerning the state of Europe, it was expected, would be agreed upon.