Lord Hartingtoa's speech was in parts unusually vigorous and effective.
He showed that the Government had traded on the
menaces of Russia as a means of coercing Turkey, and then had Iturned round on Russia for doing what they had all along known and said that Russia would do. They had objected to ' foreign armies in Turkey, but a great foreign army was there ; they had denounced misgovernment in Turkey, but misgovernment continued. Under the resolutions, we should, at least, separate ourselves finally from the cause of Turkey, and might yet extend those new nationalities which, once released from dread of Turkey, would cease to be under the influence of Russia. He did not believe we could fight successfully, even if we would, against the laws of human nature and human progress, or restore life to the sapless trunk of the Turkish Empire. The logical conclusion of his speech, in fact, was that England should help to dismember Turkey, but he refused to draw it, and talked of the concert of Europe, which he admitted to be now impossible, as the indis- pensable condition of English action in any way more effective- than remonstrance ; and even hinted that if Turkey defeated Russia, the Christians must be abandoned till, in a generation or so, they could gather strength to rise again.
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