!Jr IltrInruttun uf War.

(FRO31 THE SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE OF TUESDAY,

3IARCII 28.)

DECLARATION.

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 peace. 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 Aus- tria, 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 Empe- ror of Russia on this head justice was done, and her Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople had the satisfaction of promoting an arrangement to which no exception was taken by the Russian Government. But, while the Russian Government repeatedly assured the Government of

her Majesty that the mission of Prince repeatedly to Constantinople was exclusively directed to the settlement of the question of the Holy Places at Jerusalem, Prince Mensehikoff himself pressed upon the Porte other demands of a far more serious and important character, the nature of which be 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 Sub- lime 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 mis- sion would be of a conciliatory character. In both respects her Majesty's just expectations were disappointed. Demands were made which, in the opinion of the Sultan, extended to the substitution of the Emperor of Russia's authority for his own over a large portion of his subjects, and those demands were enforced by a threat ; and when her Majesty learnt that, on announcing the termination of his mission, Prince Menschikoff 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 cooperation 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 refrain- ed from any demonstration of force. But when, in addition to the as- semblage 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 un- questionable 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 ad- vance of the fleets of England and France. But the menace of invasion of the Turkish territory was conveyed in Count Nesselrode's note to Redsehid Pasha of the 19th (31st) of May, and restated in his despatch to Baron Brunnow of the 20th of May (1st of June), which announced the determina- tion of the Emperor of Russia to order his troops to occupy the Principalities, if the Porte did not within a week comply with the demands of Russia. The despatch to her Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople, authorizing him in certain specified contingencies to send for the British fleet, was dated the 31st of 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 Sultan'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 Menschikoff on the eve of his departure from Constantinople, the Principali- ties of Moldavia and Wallachia would be occupied by Russian troops. The Sultan could not accede to so insulting a demand ; but, when the actual oc- cupation 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 Empe- ror 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 enjoy- ment by the Christian subjects of the Porte of their privileges and immuni- ties, she would have found it in the offers that have been made by the Sul- tan. But, as that security was not offered in the shape of a special and se- parate 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 offet- ing to the two parties the means of arriving at an understanding in a be- coming and honourable manner.

It is thus manifest, that a right for Russia to interfere in the ordinary re- lations 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 High- ness, in self-defence, declared war upon Russia : but her Majesty, neverthe- less, 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 pre- parations 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 un- checked, must lead to the destruction of the Ottoman empire. In this conjuncture, her Majesty feels called upon, by regard for an ally, the integrity and independence of whose empire have been recognized as es- sential to the peace of Europe, by the sympathies of her people with right against wrong, by a desire to avert from her dominions most injurious conse- quences, and to save Europe from the preponderance of a Power 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 de- fence of the Sultan.

Her Majesty is persuaded that in so acting she will have the cordial sup- port 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 successful, and that, by the blessing of Providence, peace may be reestablished on safe and solid foundations.

Westminster, March 28, 1854.

DECLARATION.

Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire- land having been compelled to take up arms in support of an ally, is de- sirous of rendering the war as little onerous as possible to the Powers with whom she remains at peace.

To preserve the commerce of neutrals from all unnecessary obstruction, her Majesty is willing, for the present, to waive a part of the belligerent rights appertaining to her by the law of nations. It is impossible for her Majesty to forego the exercise of her right of seizing articles contraband of war, and of preventing neutrals from bearing the enemy's despatches; and she must maintain the right of a belligerent to pre- vent neutrals from breaking any effective blockade which may be established with an adequate force against the enemy's forts, harbours, or coasts. But her Majesty will waive the right of seizing enemy's property laden on board a neutral vessel, unless it be contraband of war. It is not her Majesty's intention to claim the confiscation of neutral pro- perty, not being contraband of war, found on board enemy's ships. And her Majesty further declares, that, being anxious to lessen, as much as possible, the evils of war, and to restrict its operations to the regularly-organized forces of the country, it is not her present intention to issue letters of marque for the commissioning of privateers.

Westminster, March 2S, 1854.