The Press. — London, England, 1853-05-28 00:00:00

MAY 28, 1853. TO 00/3RESPONDENTS. L.S.D.—Our limited space renders it impossible for us to invert my but a very small proportion of the letters which are sent Si us; hut, though Ono communication MUst be included among •ur omissions, we cannot put it aside without an expression of our *sots to the writer. ytt lortgg. LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 28, 1853. HOUSE OF LORDS---FutnAv. THE AFFAIItS OF T ummy. The Earl of MALMESUURY iuter►Ogated the Foreign Secretary on the subject 4)1 the negotiations pending between her Majesty's Gove►nment and the Govern ment o 1 Turkey. Having referred to the current rtunours on the subject, he inked whether it was t►ue that the Emperor had demanded of the Sultan, through Prince Menschikoff, that &convention should be signed by the Emperor and the Sultan securing to the Greek subjects of the Porte all those privileges and immunities which had been enjoyed previously to the reig►► of the present Sultan? The effect of such it convention would be to make Russia the arbiter between the Sultan of Turkey and a portion of his subjects. He wished to know whether such a propoaal had been made an uniumtunt by the Russian Ambassador, and also whether the Ambassadors of France and England were acting in concert with each other, and from their respective Governments►. The Earl of Cr.mteseos, pending negotiations, declined to enter at length into the subject. The last despatch of Lord Stratford de Redclitfe was dated the 9th May. No doubt a treaty was pre sented by Prince Menschikoff for signature on the :►th May, but not in the nature of an ultimatum. What the answer was to be to that proposal had net been intimated. On the 10th May her Majesty's Government learned by telegraphic despatch that a change had taken place in the Government of Tur key, and that Redschid Paella had been made chief Minister. The most perfect cordiality existed be tween the Ambassadors of France and England on these affairs ; and the Russian Ambassador was still at Constantinople on the 10th May. The Earl of HARDWICKE deemed the above expla nation most unsatisfactory. Lord BeAumotir went at some length into our rela tions with Turkey ; but, on Lord lluouuttAm depre cating, protracted discussion on negotiations still pending, The subject dropped. The Earl of MALmEsurftv then moved for a select committee to inquire into the probable effect of ex tending to the case of successions to real property and property under settlement the stamp duties now payable in respect to legacies. He considered the question to be one of great difficulty, and one he be lieved very little understood, if be might judge from the debates elsewhere. The measure proposed by the other house he characterised as unjust and inex- pedient. The Earl of ABERDF.F.N opposed the motion, as being obstructive. The n nent were fully pre pared to stand by the wisdom and justice of a tax on successions. The Earl of REMIT said that their lordships would not fulfil their duty if they merely registered the de cisions of the other house. It was their duty to judge of measures for themselves. They were bound to consider such measures on their merits ; and, judging by this standard, the succession tax had no ground whatever to stand upon. Earl GRANVILLE supported the tax on successions as a perfectly just and expedient tax. Lord ST. LEONARD'S, on the contrary, regarded it as one detrimental to the interests of property. The Loan Cluscwon supported the tax, to which Lord Frrzwitmx also gave a qualified support. The Duke of AUGNI,T, denied that the land was un fairly dealt with by the present imago,. Their lordships then divided, when the numbers were-- For the motion 1.26 Against it 139 Majmity against the motion —l3 Their lordships then adjourned. 1-101.75 F. OF COMMONS—FarnAv. Mr. liEvriNo signified his intention, when the evidence recently taken by the dockyards appoint ►nents committee should have been fully considered by the house, of submitting a motion on the subject, not with reference to the conduct of particular indi viduals, but of the late Board of Admiralty with re gard to the subject of patronage. RUSSIA AND TITREV. Mr. DISRAELI drew attention to the state of our relations with the Ottoman Porte, referring to the demand of Colony Rose at Constantinople for the presence of the English squadron there, and the sub sequent withdrawal of that demand, and concluded THE PRESS. by asking whether the English and French Afuhas sadoN at Constantinople were at this moment acting in concert together, and, if so, whether there would be any difficulty in communicating to the house the general scope and tendency of the instructions under which those ambassadors were thus acting in concert ? Lord JOHN Rresrte seidthe facts were these. The English Government had been informed by the Government of Russia that the Empemrhad thought it necessary to despatch a special leis: to cm stantinople with a view to obtain a confirmation of certain concest,ions on the subject of the Greek Churelt and the holy places in Jernsalene They were lammed at the same time that the Emperor evey ilaitted that the former concession had hem with drawn. or materially modified, by the Sultan. and required some security against the withdrawal of such concessions for the future. The terms of such secu rity, however, were not stated. The Russian Ambas sador arrived at Constantinople, and the Turkish Vizier applied to Colonel Rose for the assistattee of our fleet in the neighbourhood of the Dardanelles. That request was forwarded to Admiral Inmilas at Malta, who forwarded it to the gover n ment at home. Two or three days after the original request, however, the Turkish Minister recalled it, and Colonel Rose sent another despatch to Admiral Pandas stating that the presence of the fleet was not necessary. The negotiations between the respective parties went on, and Lord Stratford de Redeliffe was enabled ma terially to promote them, by aiding Prince Menschi kotf in obtaining sufficient declarations from the Sultan. It was hoped that the differences in this respect. would thus be settled, and the mission of the Russian Antbassiutor cease. But other proposals followed on the part of Prince Mensehikoff to which our minister could not agree, as he considered them dangerous to the interests of the Porte. Lord John 'Russell added that the muscat perfect concert pre • • veiled between the Ambassadors of France and England with regard to the protocol or convention which should he agreed to. In the present state of the negotiations it would not he consistent with a sense of public duty to furnish the instructions under which Lord Stratford do Redefine ac ted. ma h o might state that the general spirit of the instructions under which he acted was to maintain inviolate all the faith of treaties and the integrity of the Turkish Empire. Although the British Government had received no official information on the point, and notwithstanding appearances, they trusted the Russian titwernment would seek for no other secu rities from Turkey thorn were consistent with the dignity of the Sultan and with the maintenance of the integrity of the Turkish empire. The house then went into committee on the N- I come-tax Bill. Clauses 1. 1, :1 and 4 were agreed to. Considerable diseussi arose on clause 5, which re-enacts the machinery by which it is proposed to assess the tax, and incorporates parts of eight previous acts. It was objected by several Irish members that this wholesale re-enactment of past provisions was unfair towards lreltutil, which was now to be taxed for the first time. Mr. MIGHT and others suggested the !impiety of one consolidated bill on the subject. On a division, the clause was carried by a majority of tNi to 2fi. The remainder of the evening was consumed in the Ilisenssion of the subsequent clauses. Clauses up to 25 were agreed to after some dis cussion. On clause la, Mr. llt vrT moved the exemption of incomes between MIL and trot O. After a brief discussion Mr. Butt's amendment was negatived on a division by /IC) to 49. The CHAIRMAN having reported progress, the house adjourned. TI'IIKF.Y. The follooing telegrnpltie 414'4001+ 1144 been re ceived from Vienna, tinder date of 'fhttntolay evening, the :Vali inst. Like other itin.lligenee arriving by the same route. it requires confirmation : " Prince MeuseMkt ft tool his suite have left, einn• staittinople. " Itnss►sm subjects tit Constantinople are pliteed under the protection of the I tallil4ll AlUlWOUttlinr. " Tli, Fretielt..tleet is said to have received per to pass the I tarthmelles." THE TURKISH QUESTION. We have received a communication, dated Con stantinople, May the .20th, stating that the negotia tions •which had been opened with the Divan by Prince Mensehikoff have fallen to the ground. Prince Mensehikoff gave out that he would leave Constantinople that night. Nevertheless, it was not believed that he would carry his purpose into execution. literature. Memoirs and Correspondence of Charles Jams Fox. By Lord John Russell. Murray. (second Notice.] THE question has been often asked, why a man of Fox's great talents and high connec tions was not more succemsfUl in his political careee."rhe answer to that inquiry is to be found in the fact that his modes o f lif e , an d protracted dissipation, created strong preju dices against him amongst the people at large. ' To know why he failed as a statesman, we must know how he lived as a man ; uud, as the work before us is deficient in artistic form and graphic felicity, we will take upon our selves the task of painting the life of Charles Fox for a day front the materials in these ye lames, and those in our own possession. Our Oct ure will not bo a fancy one : no titets or statements shall be made which we cannot authenticate. We must of course suppose that we have rescued a cloak of invisibility while we exercise the pri ileges of Asmodetis for— A OAY WITH CHARLES FOX. About the noon of a summer's tiny wired 1 . 047.8), sauntering along that " sweet shady side of Pall-mall " sung of by Captain Morris, the Jitney seizes us to visit Mr. Fox, whose orations we have read with delight, of whose marvellous talents we have heard such won tiers. Accordingly we prtweed to one of the innumemble remitlenees that he occupied during the vicissitudes of his career. We find him living in second-irate lodgings, in the neigh bourhood of St..lantes's-street. and the medio crity of his abode strikes us 55 contrasting with the splendour of his fame. Ascending to his sitting-room, we are face to titee with a great histories' character, and our breath is in suspense while with eager curiosity we gaze in him retirement upon the idolised hero of Party Winship. Lounging over his late breakfast sits one whose personal appearance alone would rivet the attention. Ills figure in robust manhood shows none of those trams of dissipation that. we might have expected front the life of a roys toren His swarthy complexion recalls to Us his niektutute—" Niger'; and the thick and bushy eyebrows, with something of a saturnine aspect, mtnuigely blended with the signs of a passionate temperament, remind us of his Stuart blood through the Lennox tinnily.* There is the "Charley Foxy' of White's and Ahniwk's—the " Mr. Fox' of aristoenttie Whig coteries—the " Fox "of history's page ! With what an easy, indolent air he sips his chocolate, while he glances over some piece of French trash, in which 1111110U11 4 , b4Ol t/10fiti, MCIMINIMithollt the Faubourg St. Germain, and pedantry from the law basin are jumbled to• gether in the friottaire style of French liters titre. There is a good-matured look of stride lity about (ME statesman that conciliates gisal will ; and yet that compressed mouth and beetling brow, with its occasional heavy frown, tell of one whose temper can be wrathful, and whose soul can be impassioned with the fire of genius. The carelessness of the whole man RM seen in his character is one of the most true and signitivant signs of his nature. Here is nn formal bookcase with variurnia classics and standard essayists. His books aro as miscellaneous as his acquaintances. and, like his other friends. range from giaal to had. A stray volume of Tacitum is beside the l ast Ita lianl opera—the new " Racing Calendar "is carelessly tossed over his old Eton copy of Thucydides. His valet brings in more letters to him, in addition to the unopened pile o n the table , and we can see that the a si lra i ny t d of all that he has to read daunts the man of ease. The variety of his life is attested by of his letters. !fere the tifoirtnemaulP:ll:7kiliyilliaZ of a money-lending usurer. There is a trumpery letter from a tuft-limiting democrat, proud of writing " My dear Sir" to the nephew of the Duke of Richmond. He • 111.4 mothrr was I wily Oporglns CelOUne Lennox, eldest flatoghter of Ow m•ronil Nuke of Hichnited. Lord Holland (p. 4, vol. i.) talks of the nnnnnnnnn at Court Maw a dukes daughter marrying a rommuner not of illustrious family, hut he mita to state that the marriage Irns an eklirmost 1447 Cardin. Ful rag greatigratiddaughter of Wog Charles 11. i