The Press. — London, England, 1857-03-21 00:00:00

MARCH 21, 1857. striking. Divine sorviee was performed on Sunday morning, the 11th January, on board all the ships. The Admiral attended. In the afternoon the ships' companies were employed fitting out the boats for service on Monday morning. At daylight next morning, the 6maltarm men and marines were landed to burn the suburbs. The long narrow streets were fired in every direction. Thousands of wretched Chinese fled from their houses ; a few fought and attacked our men, three or four of whom .they shot down and decapitated. Mean while the Dutch Folly Fort opened fire with carcases upon a portion of the town. The place was soon in flames ; and the fire raging there and in the suburbs, we are told, when once fairly lighted, was kept in trim" by red.hot shot and carcases from the ships and the fort. At present it is impossible to divine Admiral SEYMOUR'S object for this barbarous act, because he retired down the river the next day, relinquishing to the Chinese the English ground at Canton, and the Dutch and French Folly Forts. The Chinese. notwithstanding the horning of their town, ere fitting out a powerful fleet of junks, and are resolved, it is said, to effect a descent upon Bong Kong. The appointment of Lord ELGIN as Plenipotentiary to the Court of Pekin, has been received most favourably by all classes. The appointment of the Noble Earl is unexceptionable, but the real point for consideration is what instructions will the Noble Lord bear with him. We are said to be not at war with China. The question at present appears to be a simple quarrel between the Governor of Hong Kong and the Viceroy of Canton. . The Governments upon either side have not yet met upon the question. We have yet to learn, then, whether Lord ELGIN receives such pacific instructions as shall permit him, supported by a powerful force, to heal all differences, and place our relations for the future upon a solid and satisfactory basis, or whether Lord PALMERSTON, freed from the control of Parliament, will, as is his custom in similar cases, insist upon such exorbitant terms that nothing but a successful war can enfc rce. After Lord GRANVILLE'S congratulatory speech on Monday night, when he complimented the country especially upon the close, satisfactory, and friendly relations of her Majesty's Government with the Cabinet of Vienna, the announcement that Count PARR is upon the eve of being withdrawn from the Court of Turin comes with peculiar emphasis. We are assured by the Austrian journals that the step will result in nothing more than the cessation of diplomatic relations. But this is ever the first step towards the commencement of hostilities. There is a famous old regiment in our service called " The Die hards." In Whig warfare, Lord JOHN RUSSELL is fit to be colonel of a party with such a name on its colours. In spite of all attempts to write him down, the Noble Lord was received on Thursday with rounds of applause, several times repeated. His speech was firm in its tone, and with gallant defiance he threw down the gauntlet to his foes. Some parts of it fully sustained his reputation for severe hitting and adroitness in debate. The paltry indirectness of the mode adopted for excluding him from the representation of the City was exposed by him with manly and contemptuous scorn. Here and there his Lordship's old fondness for epigrammatic hints was shown, and the supposed dialogue of the unfeeling master turning away with out any notice his old servant " John," and informing him that " a young man from Northampton had been engaged in his place," told upon the audience with lively effect, and has been accepted us one of the best mots of the present squibbing season. So, also, the thrust at L9rd PALMERSTON, " who declared very explicitly that he was not for a "comprehensive reform, and that he did not approve of bit-by-bit " reforms," went through its object. Still better was the racy way in which the false charge of 4 . coalition" was exposed. " Several persons " may combine in order to break into a house ; but, on the other hand, "several persons may combine in a jury-room to find them guilty of " burglary in so doing." In his exposition of his political creed, Lord JOHN RUSSELL went over ground often trod upon. He is still resolved to push the question of " Reform" further; and though he says that if the choice is to be between Lord DERBY and Lord PALMERSTON, that he will support the latter, it is evident that it would be only a desultory assistance, not to be relied upon by the Prime Minister. As yet (with one or two exceptions), the Liberals who gave an Opposition vote are not in danger of being worsted, though " Mr. Hayter is to run a " candidate in every constituency." In the "wordy war" of the week, Lord PALMERSTON has had the worst of it. The opening of the schools for poor children in Golden-lane on Thursday last, under the auspices of Prince ALBERT and the Prince of WALES, is calculated to make a most beneficial impression on the minds of all who were present. Golden-lane, not very far from the Charter House, is one of the most filthy, populous, and poverty stricken localities in that part of London, which those who know it well will admit is saying a good deal. These schools have been erected, capable of accommodating 900 scholars, at a cost of 5,0811.; and a still more gratifying circumstance is, that there is a most ready influx of scholars. The chief promoter of this noble work is the Rev. Mr. RooEns, who now acts as treasurer to the schools, and who had the honour of reading an address to his Royal Highness previous to the announcement of the opening. Mr. ItooEns gave a brief and very interesting sketch of the rise and progress of this and other neigh bouring schools, to which the Prince Consort replied in a speech full of feeling and good sense, and expressing his happiness at being an instrument of forwarding so good a work. The young Prince of WALES, we are told, was an object of considerable interest and curiosity to the juvenile population around, and doubtless must have driven away from the scene with some new sensations excited in his briast, which let us trust will bear fruit in his manhood. THE PRESS. THE NEWEST WHIG GUIDE. " Believe me, trail those endeai tog young charms. Winch I gaze on so loudly to day," So.—Tor Mooas. " Relieve me, when all those ridiculous aiiw, Which you practise so pretty to-day," he.—Loan P/LMILItiI Believe me, when all that mere vapour of fame, Which makes you notorious to-day, Shall have vanished, 'twill leave you exactly the same— The political Vicar of Bray. You will still be a rat, as a rut you have been, Though Premier of England no more; And the jokes that delighted the world in 'l5 Are in '57 only a bore. It is not while Downing-street still is your own, And the vessel of England you steer, That your true popularity well can be known— Who loves Pam—and who loves the Premier. Oh ! the fool who is truly so never forgets, But still fools it on to the close ; And the nonchalant Viscount will be, when he sets, Just the willing he was when he rose ! CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COUNTRY. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." Sir,—The qualifications of Sir John Bowring for his high and important post have been much discussed of late, and Cabinet Ministers have loudly proclaimed their faith in his "judgment," " ability," " modesty" (!) and " discretion." In Mr. Raikes's published Journal I find this entry : Extract from Raike's Journal, vol. 1., p. 245, June, 1834. Of all the men high or low, Dr. Bowring is the most presuming and the most con. ceited. He is the fit charlatan for Whig employment ; pus:ling and overbearing in his manners, and, like other parvenus,assuming official importance which is highly ridiculous. Some years ago he was arrested by the French Government at Boulogne, and his papers seized. Irritated at this embarrassment. he wrote a most violent letter to the police in Paris, in which, after bitterly complaining of this infraction cf the law of nations, be concluded by saying that the Bourbons had committed an act on his person which might hurl them from their throne. Mr. Raikes was a shrewd man ; and the opinion which he formed of our monomaniac Doctor twenty-three years ago is, in my humble judgment, much more correct than that expressed with so much solemnity a fortnight back by our Premier in the House of Commons, and with such graceful modesty by the Duke of Argyll in the House of Lords.—l am, sir, your obedient servant, Crankholme Manor, March 20. THOMAS FOGY. PS. (in a lady's handwriting)—Oh ! my dear Mr. Editor, us papa is writing to you about some STUPID politics, I can't resist the tempta tion of JUST raising the wafer of his envelope and adding a line to ask you why in the Times of one day last week the postponement of Lady Derby's Ball was printed in such VERY small type, and inserted as an advertisement, whereas ALL announcements about Lady Palmerston's soirees are conspicuously printed, and appear among the other items of news as ordinary newspaper paragraphs. There are such a number of young ladies in this neighbourhood who can't go to town this spring, because our papas WILL stay down here to canvass for the Colonel,. Of course we are anxious to know all about the balls and parties in dear London, from which we poor Peris are, for the present, excluded ; but this affair about Lady Derby's Ball appearing as an advertisement, pit.7:les us ALL WOFULLY. The Colonel, who is a dear man, but who loves to MYSTIFY young ladies, says it is because Mr. de L-- is not invited to Lady Derby's parties, though he is a regular attendant at Lady Palmerston's reunions. But this explanation only adds to our bewilderment. Who is Mr. De L-- ? And how on earth can his going or not going to either of those ladies' houses explain the tea4ing MYSTERY of that odious adver tisement Do tell us in to-morrow's paper. I hear papa coming. Good bye. Yours distractedly, SELINA FOGY. A MODEL LETTER TO " THE R-D." Mr. Editor,— Spurgeon rants and bawls ; Why shouldn't he preach iu the nave of St. Pauls? Spurgeon can gammon like any brisk cabby ; Why shouldn't he preach in Westminster Abbey think for a change the age is ripe; So please put my letter in leader type. HAM AN IN SICCe. 277