The Press. — London, England, 1854-08-12 00:00:00

THE PRESS. AUGUST 12, 1854 . COALITION CANDOUR. " It strikes one as rather strange and unaccountable that there should be so little accord be tween Ministers in one House and in the other. • • • There has, to be sure, been a great deal of candour this session—of that candour which none can show so well as the members of one Cabinet, and so we presume the candour of this proceeding is only a proper requital for the candour displayed on several other occasions."—Tiptes, Tuesday, August 8, 1854. " Save, oh save, me from the candid friend!" So candour's the phrase in these delicate days When sharp accusations are bandied ; And if statesmen consort one another to thwart And discredit, they're perfectly candid. Some persons might think it was slander. Oh no ! It's reciprocal candour. All the way round Scandals abound In the name of reciprocal candour. If their bills are all lost, and they're one and all cross'd, Till none can tell what he shall drive at, And they all have recourse, as a matter of course, To abusing each other in private, Some persons might think it was slander. Oh no ! It's reciprocal candour. All the way round Scandals abound In the name of reciprocal candour. Of his Premier and head a subordinate said, At the close of a noted discussion, Though he fain would deny what his words must imply, " Aberdeen is less English than Russian." Some persons might think it was slander. Oh no ! It' reciprocal candour. All the way round Scandals abound In the name of reciprocal candour. When the same person swears the contempt which he bears For his Papist allies is immense, While Keogh declares that John's Protestant airs Are only a sham and pretence, Some persons might think it was slander. Oh no ! It's reciprocal candour. All the way round Scandals abound In the name of reciprocal candour. When his colleagues say Wood is of no earthly good, Or that Graham will speak in a wrong key, That Osborne's a rough, or Molesworth a muff, Or Argyll a ridiculous donkey, Some persons might think it was slander. Oh no ! It's reciprocal candour. All the way round Scandals abound In the name of reciprocal candour. When Pam they accuse of " incendiary " views On our national institutions, And he gaily remarks that Peel's former clerks Are a handful of " Lilliputians," Some persons might think it was slander. Oh no ! It's reciprocal candour. All the way round Scandals abound In the name of reciprocal candour. When even Lowe sobs over Newcastle's jobs, As threatening colonial disruption, And Hayter observes that his own steady nerves Are appalled at St. Gladstone's corruption, Some persons might think it was slander. Oh no ! It's reciprocal candour. All the way round Scandals abound In the name of reciprocal candour. When O'Flaherty, Lawley, and Co., Come as whets to the whitebait collation, And Britons and Teagues reproach their colleagues With reciprocal degradation, Some persons might think it was slander. Oh no ! It's reciprocal candour. All the way round Scandals abound In the name of reciprocal candour. A STOCK-EXCHANGE SAINT. Quoth Lawley, iu grief, to his sanctified chief, " Dear Gladstone, how little devotion avails! To Stock-Exchange barter I'm sinking a martyr, So pray canonize me, St. Francis of Sales !" THE WHITEBAIT DINNER. (FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) 757 THE usual Ministerial whitebait dinner, which announces the close of the session, took place at Greenwich on Wednesday. All the Ministers were present, with the unimportant exceptions of the Premier, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the First Lord of the Admiralty, and the Attorney General. Lord Palmerston took the chair, and for the first time was " supported" by two of his colleagues, Lord John Russell being on his right, and the Duke of Newcastle on his left. He was opposed, as usual, by Sir William Molesworth. Mr. Wilson was kind enough to attend to the hats, and ticket them. The dinner did credit to Mr. Mainquarter's establishment. The usual loyal toasts having been disposed of, Lord PALMERSTON said that they must not forget their absent friends, and he proposed the healths of Lord Aberdeen, Mr. Gladstone, Sir James Graham, and Sir Alexander Cockburn. He had no doubt that very sufficing reasons kept them away that day. Lord Aberdeen, he knew, had never been quite well since the attack on the Crimea had been announced, Mr. Gladstone had probably been upset by the Lawley and O'Flaherty disclosures, Sir James Graham was possibly suffering under affliction at the ldches of his protege in the Black Sea, who let the Russians do as they please there, and Sir Alexander Cockburn very likely did not consider the sitting down among a batch of unlucky colleagues as much in the light of a " refresher " after his labours. But he was sure that there amid be nu doubt as to the degree of esteem in which every one present held the four subjects of the toast (it was, said his Lordship in an under tone, a case of Le Diable a Quatre), and therefore he would give, with all the honours, their absent friends, and ask Sir W. Moleswortb, as the most absent man among them, to return thanks. Sir W. MOLESWORTH, in reply, recited an exceedingly neat essay on the origin of governments, and their gradual adaptation to social purposes ; and entered into an elaborate comparison of the various forms of administration which have obtained in modern Europe. Lord PALMERSTON then begged to propose the Leader of the House of Commons, and assured him of' his sincere sympathy for the unexampled humiliations Lord .1. Russell had sustained during the past session. He strongly recommended him to take a coronet while he could ; for stormy times were coming, and the House cf Lords was a snug harbour of refuge. At the same he, himself, should always be happy to act as a breakwater, as he had done this session, provided he could take that course consistently with his sense of duty. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that he had found from history that many great men had met with misfortunes, and therefore he should not repine. He could not avail himself of his Noble Friend's advice, because—he said it in all sincerity—he did not believe that the House of Commons could go on satisfactorily without his guidance. Who, if he departed, would there be to indicate the purposes of Providence, and so keep the divisions right? The session had been disastrous, but he was reminded of the title of a dramatic work by one of the greatest writers who ever lived—he alluded to Shakspeare—who had said that all was well that ended well. They had kept office. (Loud cheering.) And they were safe until February. (Renewed cheering.) Lord PALMERSTON said that in the absence of Mr. Gladstone he would propose another eloquent and lucid Budgeteer—Sir Charles Wood. He had not had the advantage of hearing the Hon. Baronet's masterly address on Indian finance on Tuesday, but those who had been there—a jury of twelve he believed—declared that they never heard anything like it. Sir CHARLES WOOD said that India was a large subject,—he meant that the subjects there were very large—large in number, of course, he meant, though, indeed, he believed that some of them were very large men. (Laughter) So that ho was right after all. (Cheers.) He had had the honour of bringing forward the first Indian budget, and hoped to bring forward many more, for it was really very little trouble, the clerks arranged his papers in bundles neatly, and gave him a list of references, so that his speech was, he might say, cut and dry. Lord PALMERSTON had glanced at the reports. It was obviously cut most liberally, and was particularly dry. (Laughter.) He would next propose " Success to the War," and couple with the toast the name of the new Secretary of State. The Duke of NEWCASTLE said that he had not much to say ; but he hoped that by the time the war was over, or indeed sooner, if it should be protracted many years, he should begin to see his way a little ; but he assured his hearers that the bother of being expected to make speeches and understand details too was something appalling. He took his ducal title from Newcastle-under-Lyne ; but he began to be sadly afraid he was Newcastle-out-of-his-Line. (Applause.) Lord PALMERSTON then proposed the health of Mr. Wilson. He did so the more cordially because in Parliament they were as much opposed as their relative positions would allow. Mr. Wilson certainly talked sheer nonsense, but then he talked a great deal of it, and quantity made up for quality. And, in further proof of his feelings towards that gentleman, his Lordship would mention that he had ordered a very fine proof of Landseer's "Dignity and Impudence" to be framed and sent to Mr. Wilson, as a small token of respect and esteem. Mr. WILsoN said that he accepted that proof—and was ready to accept any other proof of the regard of his superiors—with gratitude. If he had been so unhappy as to differ with Lord Palmerston, it was only because the latter had been educated at a period when nothing was understood ; and those who were instructed in the enl ighten 4 d principles of the present day must make allowances for their prede cessors. He should be happy to give the Noble Lord lessons in --S I 1 y .1