The Press. — London, England, 1854-10-28 00:00:00

THE PRESS. OCTOBER 28, 1854. ANOTHER REFORM DINNER TO NAPIER. [We received the following letter just as we were going to press, but out of consideration for the writer we obligingly make room for it, at the price of displacing a summary of our Baltic triumphs.] Tax First Lord of the Admiralty presents his compliments to the Editor of the PRESS, and begs to protest against the unwarrantable assumption at the close of a recent leading attiele in that periodical. The F. L. has, of course, not seen the article himself, not being in the habit of reading newspapers, but he has been informed of it by the Noble Earl at the head of her Majesty's Government, who devotes con siderable attention to the journal the F. L. has the honour of addressing The writer in the PRESS states that no dinner will he given at the . Reform Club to celebrate the return of Sir Charles Napier from the Baltic. The F. L. begs to give this statement the most unqualified contra diction. It is in the contemplation of several members of her Majesty's Government to arrange a festivity, in celebration of Sir Charles's return, which shall entirely eclipse the memory of the affair of which so much unwarrantable use has been made by the Opposition press. The Government intend, by means of this new demonstration, to show that they are entitled to the confidence of every member of the House of Commons by whom Liberal opinions are held. The dinner when Sir Charles departed was chiefly intended to conciliate that por- tion of the Liberal party which, while devotedly attached to civil and re ligious liberty, free trade, and the other essentials of the creed of en lightened men, has a lingering belief in the traditions of the honour of the country, our duty to our allies, and similar pardonable, if pitiable, delusions. In the conviction that this portion of the party would be alienated by any apparent indifference to the prosecution of the war, the firstßeform Club demonstration was arranged, and Sir Charles Napier was dismissed to the Baltic with exhortations to effect wonders, which he, of course, neither could nor was intended to achieve. The object of the Government was answered, and at a critical juncture it obtained credit for being in earnest about the war. The juncture being no longer imminently critical, it appears to the F. L. and some of his colleagues an excellent opportunity for making political capital in another direction. The victor of Bomarsund will be invited to meet the leading mem bers of the Manchester School and of the Peace Society, and it will be the duty of the Ministers who may attend at such banquet to con vince their guests that the real principles of commerce and progress have been most effectually promoted by the Baltic expedition. The F. L. is apprehensive of trespassing upon the valuable space of the PRESS, or he would enter at some length into this view of the sub ject, It will, however, be the duty of himself, or of the Chancellor of the Excheuer, to enter into the question in the course of nethe first debate up o n the war. He will, therefore, only indicate the li which will be adopted. Messrs. Cobden, Bright, and others, opposed the war because it would interfere with commerce. The Government wiil be able to show, from incontestible evidence, that though, as matter of form, obstacles were placed in the way of Russian exports from the ports of the Czar, no appreciable diminution has taken place in the quantity of merchandise transmitted from Russia. It will also be shown that a healthy stimulus has been given to the currency at home, inasmuch as English gold has been flowing into Russia in far greater quantity than heretofore, the price of all goods purchased by us having risen one half. To the members of the peace party who objected to our prepara tions because they tended to foster in our population a lov evi e of warlike display and glory, it will be proved, by the incontestibledence of the whole press of the country, and by the sentiments expressed at public meetings and elsewhere, that Cue nation is so thoroughly dis gusted with the Baltic expedition that there is no small danger of the naval service becoming most unpopular. A greater amount of con tempt was, perhaps, never entertained by England for the exploits of any armament that has left her shores than is now expressed for the feats in the Baltic. To those who objected to war because one of its essentials is the killing a large number of persons, the bloodless expedition affords no subject for regret. To those who desired extreme economy the explanation will be be pe r fectly easy and satisfactory. The present Government cannot fairly chargeable with t he extravagant preparations Derby's Ministry. It was no fault of the F. L. if, in coming into office, they found that the costly and enormous fleet now coming home was so far advanced that to have abandoned the work won d l have th ey exposed were them to universal condem nation. They did, therefore, what compelled to do ; but the absence of gun-boats from the Baltic will be a triumphant proof that they did no more, and will at once evidence the determination of the F. L. to enforce economy, and of the head of the Cabinet to prevent any operations which should really damage Cronstadt. These are among the principal arguments which will be adduced at the banquet which it is intended to give to Sir Charles. The time at which it should take place was unsettled ; but a fortunate circum stance so clearly indicated this that the F. L. has no longer any hesi tation in fixing it. The intention of the Emperor of the French to visit this country is now formally declared. His Majesty (whom the F. L. has no hesitation in saying that he always regarded as the model of men and of Sovereigns) will, o . f course, be invited to a splendid entertain ment by the City of London 1021 At this banquet the Ministers of the Sovereign will naturally be expected to attend. But inasmuch as certain language used by the F L., by his friend Sir Charles Wood, and by some other members of the Government at the time of his Majesty's happy accession, was misinterpreted into foul insult to, and ungentlemanly abuse of, his Mtjesty (though really nothing could be further from the F. L.'s intention, whatever that ,50.. his colleagues might be), it is possible that the public might think it somewhat indecent that men who are supposed to have recently lavished course insult upon a Sovereign should be asked to sit down in his presence. An admirable excuse will therefore be found for the absence of the F. L. and one or two of his colleagues from Guildhall. The banquet to Sir C. Napier will be fixed for that day ; and if the world is spiteful (the F. L. has found it so, to his wonder, having nothing of the kind in his own composition), it may say that certain Ministers took refuge in the society of the Admiral they had stultified from that of the Sove reign they had insulted. ODE TO SEBA.STOPOL. BY THE PREMIER. Your friend the Scot, Sebastopol, The news that come so fast appal ; But trepidation lends me rhymes, At which I'm slow at other times, To mourn thy fate, Sebastopol. To shatter thee, Sebastopol, Would we had never cast a ball ; If I could help thy being mauled, By Jove ! "Athenian " as I'm call'd, I'd even spend my last Obol. Above thy roofs, Sebastopol, The war-smoke bangs so vast a pall, Old tragedies are out of date ; Compared with thy impending fate Medea and Jocasta pall. If thou shouldst fall, Sebastopol, Crim Tartary's devastable ; And God knows where the war will end .► If Europe finds that my " old friend " The Czar, is fiabbergastable. ~ii'+i~ , . , ‘.7tgi.l II 2 11j,04, " Let's raise thy siege," Sebastopol, If I could get the mass to bawl, 'Twould spite " that person" Louis Nap, Preserve the European map, And save me from a vast hobble. ,Npos; For this, indeed, Sebastopol, „, t 1 404 Pay, patronage, I'd cast up all ; I'd put my colleagues on the shelf, And almost sacrifice myself, Though, nigger-like, " de last ob ~ '+Ft ) , ott o'l A !Of IVA 0 qlllB,t 1 *4 ALlidaf M. THE FRENCH FAREWELL TO ALMA. "At daybreak on the morning when we marched from Alma the French sent up all he drummers and titers in their army to the summit of the highest peak around, and there they executed a wild flourish, which was answered by the trumpets in the camp below, and thus they bade farewell to Alma." —Correspondent of a Morning Paper. The fight was won ; no more was heard the rush Of legions on the hill of fire and death ; But when the sky was fleck'd with morning's blush Arose the trumpet, drum, and fife's wild breath. Mourn low with the muffled drum, Weep long with the wailing fife, For the brave men cold and dumb Who have perished in the strife. With a soldier's sigh and a throbbing swell Give them a solemn and last farewell ; And the answering trumpets' tones shall tell To our hero-dead we say farewell! ~~ ~i: C r • Vosti Vol lam ' 11. But strike on the rattling drum, Ring shrill the piercing fife. Let the foeman know we come, For enough are left in life. With a threatening crash, wild, deep, and shrill, Tell him we hide not on Alma's hill And the answering trumpets' blast shall tell We will conquer on other hills as well! It ceased—that wildly proud and martial strain — But on the winds it wandered far away, And swept by stately cities of the main, And scared the eagles on the wing that day. 4 Ars 'I sib t# v I img•iii•mminoMMlNl Eng