The Press. — London, England, 1854-11-18 00:00:00

NOVEMBER 18, 1854. THE LEAP IN THE DARK. The jealous and exclusise policy of the Emperor of Russia has been so far crowned with success that our great enterprise, the invasion of the Crimea, has beau rendered necessarily a leap in the dark.—Times of Thursday. Yes ! slighted or smothered, the warnings of years That were spent in professions, "remembrances," notes, " Love of peace," and of place, and the delicate fears Of the loss of the Czar, or the worse loss—of votes ; The waiting for allies who meant not, to aid, The senile endeavour to tread out the spark In each true English heart, 'gainst the tyrant arrayed, Quoth the organ, has led to—" a leap in the dark." We've " gone farther than Malta," made more than " a show," The bourne of his sway to the Vandal have told; And the Cross of St. George and the Tricolor flow Where nor Gordon nor Herbert e'er wished them unrolled. But the want of intention brought energy's want— Those who mean no invasion no fortress remark— So the end of the scheming, timeserving, and cant, Is to tell our brave captains to " leap in the dark." But little concealment St. Petersburg found When our rulers declared we would fight but in jest, That but halfway to battle our navies were bound, That our armies were meant for show-soldiers at best. So when, lest 'mid the hisses of Europe at last The world's scorning finger our placemen should mark, Remorseful and slow, they the Dardanelles passed, 'Twas, their organ informs us,—" a leap in the dark." Ali! the darkness of Russia was light in excess, She rested correctly on favours from friends ; " Exclusiveness" ne'er did her prying distress, Nor " jealousy " jostle her way to her ends. In that sorrow—when England her mandate gave forth — Which our statesmen (by courtesy) sought not to hide In the weary delays of the East and the North, In the tents unprovided and gun boats denied ; In the shrill squeak of " peace," 'mid the cannons' deep boom, In the corpses of Varna in pestilence stark, In our Premier's forebodings of misery and gloom, Can we wonder our foes saw " a leap in the dark?" RUSSIAN VERSION OF THE GUILDHALL DINNER [From the Journal of St. Petersburg, Nov. 18th.] [We have authorisation to make public a document which has bcen'received by the Chan. eery of the Empire, and which is considered to bear incontestable marks of genuine. ness, although not formally accredited to our Government. It purports to be such an account of the proceedings at the recent banquet at London, upon the occa• sion of the coronation of the Lord Mayor of the City, as the head of the English Government would desire should be circulated throughout the dominioha of his Imperial Majesty. Our gracious Sovereign having no doubt as to the feelings with which that English nobleman regards the present blasphemous and audacious invasion of Russia, is pleased to permit him thus to set himself right with our millions.] " THE annual ceremonial of inaugurating the Lord Mayor of London took place upon Thursday, the 9th of November. But it was little re garded by the inhabitants of the metropolis. Ordinarily, they assemble in myriads to gaze upon the gorgeous procession; but upon this occa sion a few scattered and melancholy-looking groups represented the accustomed crowd. The grief and shame felt by the nation finding itself unhappily at war with the subjects of the wisest and most beneficent Sovereign in Europe prevented their taking any interest in the spec tacle of the day. As if in unison with the national feeling, the weather was wretched in the extreme, and the rain descended in torrents from an early hour in the morning until long after the close of the whole ceremony, while a dense fog (like that which endured during the whole time the French Guides were in England, cementing an unnatural alliance) rendered objects imperceptible at the shortest distance. The river was unusually troubled and turbid as the magistrates embarked upon it, and its waves produced effects upon them nearly akin to sea sickness. It was also remarked that the judges who received them at Westminster had all colds in the head. Nothing, in short, could be .nore dreary or ill-omened than this day usually so consecrated to a mirthful nationality. " The procession, little regarded, wended its melancholy way, and its progress was marked by a series of lamentable accidents, most of which were fatal. The ponderous wheels of the Mayor's coach, hurried on its terrific speed by the monster dray-horses - harnessed to it, in several cases struck down and crushed wretched petitioners, who, beggared by the war, came to implore Lord Moon to use his influence for peace. A Russian officer on parole, who had been induced by motives of curiosity to watch the spectacle, rushed daringly forward upon one occasion when the wife and family of a Manchester mer chant, kneeling to ask for peace, were in imminent peril, and with his single arm arrested the colossal machine, and saved the helpless suppliants. " The customary banquet was prepared at the Guildhall, butthe wilding was hung with mourning, sand oypress and yew along the 1093 tables took the place usually allotted to flowers. The figures of Gog and Magog were shrouded in sackcloth. A large transparency, de signed by a celebrated undertaker, was placed over the Lord Mayor's seat, and represented Britannia, Caledonia, and Hibernia, weeping ovet an urn inscribed " Russian Alliance," a likeness of the Premier of England as chief mourner, with crape round his hat, exciting much approbation for its lugubrious fidelity. The guests assembled tardily and reluctantly, the only one who manifested any pleasure was the malicious Palmerston, whose spirits were felt to be so manifestly out of place that all opportunity of further exposing himself was withheld until the close of the evening, when he was permitted to propose a trivial toast. There was an entire omission of the ordinary music, but the chorus of British prisoners, from Fidelio, was given during the dinner, and the overture to the Exiles of Siberia was played while the dessert was placed. " The usual loyal toasts were given with the appropriate formali ties, and that of the Army and Navy was received in silence, partially broken by murmurs. Lord Harding() attempted to say a few depre catory words, but was instantly put down by the indignant feeling of the audience. The representative of the navy, which has taken com paratively little part in the war, was somewhat better received, but was inaudible. The Lord Mayor then gave the health of the Ministers. " Lord Aberdeen, on rising, was received with enthusiastic plaudits, waving of hats and handkerchiefs, showers of bouquets, and other demonstrations, and, by preconcert, his lordship's crest, under which was the word " PEACE," worked in dove's feathers and olive leaves, was hoisted on a standard at the lower end of the hall. This was a signal for renewed cheering, which lasted nearly an hour. When silence was restored. his Lordship proceeded to return thanks. He said that they had met upon a melancholy occasion. (Cheers). Last time he had addressed them there, war was most improbable. (Lord Palmerston, " Had began.") Lord Aberdeen said that his noble colleague—he would not say friend—for how could he call a man a friend who was the enemy of Russia—(loud cheers)—had not understood the signs of the times he alluded to. He might have thought that the beneficent Emperor of Russia meant real war, but he (Lord Aberdeen) happened to know that his sending armies across the Pruth meant peace. (Applause.) However, let them not by any shew of acrimony mar the melancholy sentiments of the day. They had been forced into war, he would not say how, and by whom— execrations)—and he could honestly say that lie had done his best in the first place to avert it, and in the seeond to render it unpalateable. (Cheers.) It was not his fault that the noble ritual of the Greek Church was not at that moment being performed in the Church of St. Sophia, at Constantinople, However, " man was like Don " Ferdinand°, and cannot do more than he can du"—(laughter)---and for the time the war, which was a deserved chastisement upon us for our want of confidence in the wisdom and goodness of the Emperor Nicholas, must continue until that just and powerful Sovereign choso to accord us peace. He (Lord A.) had written to his Imperial Majesty with the freedom his Majesty's condescending friendship allowed, and had asked him as a personal favour to make peace, and he was not without hopes that ho might succeed, but he could not say. (Cheers.) He promised them, however, that the war should be conducted in the same spirit in which it had hitherto been carried on—they understood him—(Cheers.)—and ho hoped ere long that the Emperor Nicholas, who was the most forgiving of men, would announce in that very hall that he had pardoned England. (Loud and renewed cheering.) " After several other toasts, Lord Palmerston rose to propose the health of the ladies, but all the ladies present instantly left the hall in disgust, and the banquet broko up in great disorder, Lord Palmerston with difficulty escaping the fury of the people." THE PRESS. ABERDEEN STRATEGY; OR, COALITION TACTICS. FOR the effectual prosecution of war with an enemy, send a large fleet to anchor in his neighbourhood, but with positive orders that no more injury be done to him than is perfectly unavoidable; and then remember that you receive a proper excuse or apology frum the commanding officer for any act of the kind. Bear always in mind to send ships drawing a depth of water too great to enable them to near the enemy's forts, so that your guns may never be of injury to him. If an army be sent, he sure that your cavalry be sent in the smallest possible quantities, taking especial cure that the superior officers may not sail untii long after the troops which they are to command. Let your army be sent to any point where disease most exists, never allowing them to be employed (luring the time it is there. Then without inju►y to the enemy, they will soon decimate by death from mere indolence, and not from the highly objectionable collision of contending forces. When, however, the survivors should be duly debilitated, send them to engage the enemy ; but on no account before you have given him every precaution to reinforce his army, time to strengthen and increase his fortifications, and to sink ships across his harbours. Let it he a golden rule of your warfare, never to begin any siege or attack until the year is far advanced—never to allow any tenth or covering to your army during autumnal nights—nor after any loss, however great, by disease or action, to think it needful to send any reinforcement until your army be nearly destroyed. Above all, remember that the sinews of car►ying on the war by the enemy be furnished by yourself, and that ho may never be crippled from want of them, as long as you have money to purchase and pay for his produce,