de commencer les hostilités sur le Danube. La Russie est provoquée au combat; il ne lui reste donc plus, se rénosant en Dieu avec confiance, qu'à recourir à la force des armes pour contraindre le Gouvernement Ottoman à respecter les Traités et pour en obtenir la réparation des offenses par lesquelles il a répondu à nos demandes les plus modérées et à notre sollicitude légitime pour la défense de la foi orthodoxe en Orient que professe également le peuple Russe. Nous sommes fermement convaincu que nos fidèles sujets se joindront aux ferventes prières que nous adressons au TrèsHaut, afin que sa main daigne bénir nos armes dans la sainte et juste cause qui a trouvé de tout tems d'ardents défenseurs dans nos pieux ancêtres. »In te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in aeternum.«< Donné à Tṣarskoé-Sélo, le vingtième jour du mois d'Octobre de l'an de grâce mil huit cent cinquante-trois, et de notre regne le vingt-huitième. (Signé) Nicolas. LXVII. Déclaration britannique pour exposer les causes de la guerre contre la Russie, en date du 28 mars 1854. It is with deep Regret that Her Majesty announces the Failure of Her anxious and protracted Endeavours to preserve for Her People and for Europe the Blessings of Peac e. The unprovoked Aggression of the Emperor of Russia against the Sublime Porte has been persisted in with such Disregard of Consequences, that after the Rejection by the Emperor of Russia of Terms which the Emperor of Austria, the Emperor of the French, and the King of Prussia, as well as Her Majesty, considered just and equitable, Her Majesty is compelled, by a Sense of what is due to the Honour of Her Crown, to the Interests of Her People, and to the Independence of the States of Europe, to come forward in defence of an Ally whose Territory is invaded and whose Dignity and Independence are assailed. Her Majesty, in justification of the Course She is about to pursue, refers to the Transactions in which Her Majesty has been engaged. The Emperor of Russia had some Cause of Complaint against the Sultan with reference to the Settlement, which His Highness had sanctioned, of the conflicting Claims of the Greek and Latin Churches to a Portion of the Holy Places of Jerusalem and its Neighbourhood To the Complaint of the Emperor of Russia on this Head Justice was done; and Her Majesty's Ambassa→ dor at Constantinonle had the Satisfaction of promoting an Arrangement to which no Exception was taken by the Russian Government. f. But while the Russian Government repeatedly assured the Government of Her Majesty that the Mission of Prince Menchikoff to Constantinople was exclusively directed to the Settlemeat of the Question of the Holy Places at Jerusalem. Prince Menchikoff himself pressed upon the Porte other Demands of a far more serious and important Character, the Nature of which he in the first instance endeavoured as far as possible, to conceal from Her Majesty's ́ Ambassador. And these Demands. thus studiously concealed, affected not the Privileges of the Greek Church at Jerusalem, but the Position of many Millions of Turkish Subjects in their Relations to their Sovereign the Sultan. These Demands were rejected by the spontaneous Decision of the Sublime Porte. Two Assurances had been given to Her Majesty One, that the Mission of Prince Menchikoff only regarded the Holy Places; the other, that his Mission would be of a conciliatory Character. In both respects Her Majesty's just Expectations were disanpointed. Demands were made which, in the Opinion of the Sultan, extended to the Substitution of the Emperor of Russia's Autho~ rily for his Subjects; and those Demands were enforced by a Threat and when Her Majesty learnt that, on announcing the Termination of his Mission Prince Menchikoff declared that the Refusal of his Demands would impose upon the Imperial Government the Necessity of seeking a Guarantee by its own Power Her Majesty thought proper that Her Fleet should leave Malta. and. in co-operation with that of His Majesty the Emperor of the French, take up its Station in the Neighbourhood of the Dardanelles So long as the Negotiation bore an amicable Character Her Majesty refrained from any Demonstration of Force But when, in, addition to the Assemblage of large Military Forces on the Frontier of Turkey, the Ambassador of Russia intimated that serious Consequences would ensue from the Refusal of the Sultan to comply with unwarrantable Demands Her Majesty deemed it right, in conjunction with the Emperor of the French. to give an unquestionable Proof of Her Determination to support the Sovereign Rights of the Sultan. The Russian Government has maintained that the Determination of the Emperor to occupy the Principalities was taken in consequence of the Advance of the Fleets of England and France. But the Menace of lavasion of the Turkish Territory was conveyed in Count Nesselrode's Note to Rechid Pacha, of May, and re-stated in his Despatch to Baron Brunnow, 20 May which announced the Determination of the Em-peror of Russia to order his Troops to occupy the Principalities, if the Porte did not within a Week comply with the Lemands of Russia. the of the 1 June The Despatch to Her Majesty's Ambassador, at Constantino ple, authorizing him in certain specified Contingencies to send for the British Fleet, was dated the 31st May, and the Order sent direct from England to Her Majesty's Admiral to proceed to the Neighbourhood of the Dardanelles, was dated the 2d of June The Determination to occupy the Principalities was therefore taken before the Orders for the Advance of the combined Squadrons were given. The Sulian's Minister was informed, that unless he signed within a Week, and without the Change of a Word, the Note proposed to the Porte by Prince Meuchikoff, on the Eve of his Departure from Constantinople, the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia would be occupied by Russian Troops. The Sultan could not accede to so insulting a Demand; but when the actual Occupation of the Principalities took place, the Sultan did not, as he might have done in the Exercise of his undoubted Right, declare War, but addressed a Protest to his Allies. Her Majesty, in conjunction with the Sovereigns of Austria, France, and Prussia, has made various Attempts to meet any just Demands of the Emperor of Russia without affecting the Dignity and Independence of the Sultan; and had it been the sole Object of Russia to obtain Security for the Enjoyment by the Christian Subjects of the Porte of their Privileges and Im-munities, she would have found it in the Offers that have been made by the Sultan. But as that Security was not offered in the Shape of a special and separate Stipulation with Russia, it was rejected. Twice has this Offer been made by the Sultan, and recommended by the Four Powers, once by a Note originally prepared at Vienna, and subsequently modified by the Porte, once by the Proposal of Bases of Negotiation agreed upon at Constantinople on the 31st of December, and approved at Vienna on the 13th of January, as offering to the Two Parties the Means of arriving at an Understanding in a becoming and honourable Manner. It is thus manifest that a Right for Russia to interfere in the ordinary Relations of Turkish Subjects to their Sovereign, and not the Happiness of Christian Communities in Turkey, was the Object sought for by the Russian Government; to such a Demand the Sultan would not submit, and His Highness, in Selfdefence, declared War upon Russia; but Her Majesty nevertheless, in conjunction with Her Allies, has not ceased Her Endeavours to restore Peace between the contending Parties. The Time has, however, now arrived when the Advice and Remonstrances of the Four Powers having proved wholly ineffectual, and the Military Preparations of Russia becoming daily more extended, it is but too obvious that the Emperor of Russia has entered upon a Course of Policy which, if unchecked, must lead to the Destruction of the Ottoman Empire. In this Conjuncture, Her Majesty feels called upon by Regard for an Ally, the lutegrity and Independence of whose Empire have been recognized as essential to the Peace of Europe, by the Sympathies of Her People with Right against Wrong, by a Desire to avert from Her Dominious most injurious Consequenand to save Europe from the Preponderance of a Power ces, which has violated the Faith of Treaties, and defies the Opinion of the civilized World, to take up Arms in conjunction with the Emperor of the French, for the Defence of the Sultan. Her Majesty is persuaded that in so acting She will heve the cordial Support of Her People; and that the Pretext of Zeal for the Christian Religion will be used in vain to cover an Aggression undertaken in disregard of its Holy Precepts and of its pure and beneficent Spirit. Her Majesty humbly trusts that Her Efforts may be successfull, and that, by the Blessing of Providence, Peace may be reestablished on safe and solid Foundations. Westminster, March 28, 1854. LXVIII. Circulaire du comte Nesselrode, adressée aux Représentants de Russie, le 17 février 1855, contre la Sardaigne. St. Pétersbourg, le 5 Février 1855. Monsieur, partagera, nous n'en doutons point, le jugement que l'Empereur porte sur la politique de Sa Majesté le Roi de Sardaigne au moment ou ce Souverain, sans motif avoué, sans grief légitime, sans l'apparence même de la moindre lésion des intérêts directs de son pays, vient de mettre à la disposition de l'Angleterre un corps d'armée de 15,000 hommes pour envahir la Crimée. En prenant cette détermination, le Gouvernement Sarde paraît avoir réservé aux feuilles publiques le soin de nous avertir d'une agression qu'il u'a point entrepris de justifier par une déclaration de guerre. Nous comprenons le motif de ce silence. La Cour de Turin, nous l'admettons, aurait eu de la peine à reconcilier sa politique avec le sentiment national de son pays; elle aurait éprouvé une égale difficulté à mettre sa conduits présente en accord avec les anciens souvenirs de la Maison de Savoie. En consultant les annales de son histoire, elle pourrait citer Fexemple d'une armée Russe, franchissant les Alpes; mais c'était, il est vrai, pour défendre le Piémont, et non pour l'envahir. Dans les conseils des Cabinets de l'Europe, sous le règne de l'Empereur Alexandre, de glorieuse memoire, c'est encore la Russie qui a prêté son fidèle appui à l'indépendance de la Sardaigne, lors du rétablissement de la maison de Savoie sur le trône de ses ancêtres. Faut-il rappeler enfin, qu'à la même époque, si Gênes a été réunie au Royaume de Sardaigue, c'est parce que le Cabinet Impérial reconoaissait la necessité d'assurer à la fois, et la prospérité commerciale et la grandeur du pays que les armes de la Russie avaient contribué à affranchir d'une domination étrangère. Aujourd'hui, livrant à l'oubli les enseignements du passé, la Cour de Turin va diriger contre nous, de ce même port de Gênes, une entreprise hostile que la Russie a la conscience de n'avoir point provoquée. L'attitude ainsi prise par le Gouvernement Sarde, sans déelaration formelle de guerre, comme nous l'avons constaté, nous laisserait même dans le doute sur le nom qu'il faudrait donner aux soldats auxiliaires destinés à envahir nos frontières sous les drapeaux d'un pays avec lequel nous avons continué jusqu'ici à vivre en paix. Cependant, si la Cour de Turin, perd de vue les principes et les usages, consacrés par le droit des gens comme la règle immuable des relations internationales des États, l'Empereur, pour Sa part, tient à les observer. Dans cette intention Sa Majesté Impériale croit devoir déclarer la paix comme rompue, de droit et de fait, par l'acte d'hostilité flagrante dont le tort retombe sur le Gouvernement Sarde. Nous lui en laisserons la responsabilité devant l'opinion de son pays; devant le jugement impartial de l'Europe entière. Il appartiendra surtout aux Puissances amies d'apprécier la conduite de la Cour de Sardaigne, lorsqu'elle a jugé opportun et loyal de tourner ses armes contre nous, au moment même où le Cabinet Impérial entrait à Vienne dans une délibération destinée à ouvrir la voie au rétablissement de la paix. Les voeux qui tendent vers l'accomplissement de cette oeuvre de pacification, sembleraient avoir été étrangement méconnus par le Cabinet de Turin! En effet, tandis que les Gouvernements du centre de l'Europe interposaient sagement leur autorité légitime pour empêcher l'une des Puissances belligérantes de recruter ses légions au sein des États qui tiennent à faire respecter leur neutralité et leur entière indépendance, le Gouvernement Sarde, moins avare du sang de l'Italie, consent à le verser pour une cause étrangère aux intérêts politiques et religieux de sa nation. Car, de bonne foi, on ne prétendra point, qu'en déployant sa bannière à côté de celle du croissant, la Maison de Savoie tienne à honneur de servir la cause de la Chrétienté. i On n'affirmera pas non plus qu'elle ait eu à coeur de défendre le faible contre le fort, lorsqu'elle réunit ses armes à celles de la France et de l'Angleterre! C'est cette dernière Puissance, si nos informations sont exactes, qui prend les troupes Sardes sous son commandement; nous ne dirons pas à sa solde, car nous nous abstiendrons de blesser le sentiment national d'un pays avec lequel nous allons, à regret, nous trouver en guerre. Malgré cette necessité, l'Empereur saura sauvegarder encore les intérêts privés des nationaux Sardes qui entretiennent avec la Russie d'anciens liens de commerce. La faute de leur Gouvernement ne retombera pas sur eux Leur propriété sera D |