conflagration. Unfortunately many combustibles
happened to lie about the world at that time, and craft,
misunderstanding, dupery, autocratic pride, democratic hurry, combined
to spread the blaze.

DIPLOMATIC RIVALRIES

The story is still fresh. With the detailed history of the diplomacy
that preceded the outbreak of war between England, France, and Turkey on
the one part and Russia on the other, we have here happily only the
smallest concern. The large question, as it presented itself to Mr.
Gladstone's mind in later years, and as it presents itself now to the
historic student, had hardly then emerged to the view of the statesmen
of the western Powers. Would the success of Russian designs at that day
mean anything better than the transfer of the miserable Christian races
to the yoke of a new master?[296] Or was the repulse of these designs
necessary to secure to the Christian races--who, by the by, were not
particularly good friends to one another--the power of governing
themselves without any master, either Russian or Turk? To this question,
so decisive as it is in judging the policy of the Crimean war, it is not
quite easy even now for the historian--who has many other things to
think of than has the contemporary politician--to give a confident
answer.

Nicholas was not without advisers who warned him that the break-up of
Turkey by force of Russian arms might be to the deliverer a loss and not
a gain. Brunnow, then Russian ambassador at St. James's, said to his
sovereign: 'The war in its results would cause to spring out of the
ruins of Turkey all kinds of new states, as ungrateful to us as Greece
has been, as troublesome as the Danubian Principalities have been, and
an order of things where our influence will be more sharply combated,
resisted, restrained, by the rivalries of France, England, Austria, than
it has ever been under the Ottoman. War cannot turn to our direct
advantage. We shall shed our blood and spend our treasure in order that
King Otho may gain Thessaly; that the English may take more islands at
their own convenience; that the French too may get their share; and that
the Ottoman empire may be transformed into independent states, which
for us will only become either burdensome clients or hostile
neighbours.' If this forecast was right, then to resist Russia was at
once to prevent her from embarrassing and weakening herself, and to lock
up the Christians in their cruel prison