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

NOVEMBER 11, 1854. 1069 THE FUTURE TIME. Looking broadly at the results, it would be useless to disguise, and unfair to deny, that the Russians have sustained the attack with a greater vigour of resistance than was anticipated, and that the defences of Sebastopol, even towards the land, have been rendered very formidable indeed. How much of this strength is due to the nature of the ground, or how much to the efforts unflinchingly made during the interval allowed for preparation, we shall probably learn at some future time.—Times Leader, Nov. 7, 1854. Who is to thank for the struggle intense By which we are suffering dearly ? And who has prolonged our state of suspense, By doubling the Russian means of defence, As the Times admits pretty clearly? Here's an announcement to put in our rhyme, " We shall learn this, perhaps, at some future time." Who warned the Russian to be on his guard So considerately and freely? And who, as it were, left a national card To tell him we meant to press him hard, And he'd better look out—ho had, really ? Here's an announcement to put iu our rhyme, " We shall learn this, perhaps, at some future time." Who is so sparing of surgeons and lint, And of gun-boats for Baltic shallows ? And who, again, supplies without stint The Russian arsenals and Mint By the purchase of Russian tallowy? Here s an announcement to put in our rhyme, " We shall learn this, perhaps, at some future time." Who was it got up a sham blockade For the Greek and Prussian traders ? By whom was our gold to Russia conveyed I To be sent back for bullets English made To pick off our English invaders ? Here's an announcement to put in our rhyme, " We shall learn this, perhaps, at some future time." Who is the innocent of the piece Whom some accuse so unfairly, Whose woes with his victories increase, Who wages war while intending peace, And who plays the " imbecile ' rarely ? Here's an announcement to put in our rhyme, " We shall learn this, perhaps, at some future time." Who is this person beyond our ken, Of "Great Unknown " the cheapest ? When History marks with her iron pen The faults and follies of modern men, Whom will she brand the deepest? Here's an announcement to put in our rhyme, " We shall learn this, perhaps, at some future time." SPECIMENS OF THE NEW HISTORY ENGLAND. his immortal ancestor (who did not take Barillon's money), that " Popery was advancing in this land," and he fearlessly addressed a letter to the Bishop of Durham, which, with his world-famous courage, he immediately repented. This was the man to whom the eyes of Whitehall were directed. But he was above the sordid notion of seek ing office. Warwick was a kingmaker, and Russell desired to become ministermaker ; and, to show how truly adventurous ho was, ho pro posed to make a Minister of Aberdeen. This poor, who had achieved the desirable distinction of having done nothing, was eminently the man for that mighty crisis where place is to be had at every hazard. Ho was bound to no opinions, for, with an enlightened perception, ho had allied himself to Peel. He was also well affected to the great Northern powers, which signified one power only, and which was destined to right tho balance of Europe. Ho knew enough to recollect that the cuckoo was a bonnie bird that made no nest, and that the alliances of his predecessors were more creditable than his own, and his maxim about Turkey was that of his countryman about a goose, "It was a foolish bird, too much for one and nae enoo' for two." (What follows here we omit, as being disagreeable to the people of Edinburgh.) THE "CROWNING MERCY" AT SEBASTOPOL. [The following dislocated collection of words is signed T. Carlyle, and la supposod to ha Intended se a supplement to " Past and Preeent.") " Sevastopol was taken ! So said the Tatar and his friend the much-thundering-and-deeply-on-3tamp-returns-insisting Times! And yet by Capel-court the-well-beloved-and-peradventure-handsomely paid-Tatar declared the thing that was not. Glorious, much sounding, hero-glorifying as in truth his news had been if true, the Tatar lied in his throat. Sevastopol was not taken ! Now, to me, much revolving, thou half-asleep reader ! appeareth it among the strangest of what the dilletanti Greek-speaking pseudo- Englishmen call phenomena—(foreign-language-pedlars as they are) — that if we had taken Sebastopol, or Sevastopol—(variously so spelled, but how pronounced who shall decide ?)—that if we had taken, I say, this variously-spelt and no-warpronouncable city or citadel, or whatsoever they call it, who wear red coats and send in butchers' bills—we could not know the fact, if, indeed, there is aught that can he called a fact in this galvanic generation of electric misrepresenta tion and telegraphic flams. If Sevastopol or Sebastopol was " taken," as the grammarmongers say—or " took,' as the great heart of the people persists in expressing it—or " has fallen," as with (who shall tell what) waste of capital letters the evening and morning papers sold b boys much bawling asserted—why could not, I say, the Duke Newcastle have said so at once, plain, open, roundmouthed, an English? For it behoved' us—that is, good reader, you and me, an such small deer, who earn our bread by, net improbably, doing nothi at all—to assert the right of our order I say the right of our ord to know whether or not they had taken the town, or city, or citadel.' Now, in past times how did they this? There was one young man e not very large in stature, nor in structure strong, the son of a curate, pitifully paid for gospel-shop-keeping at Burnham Thorpe, in the county of Norfolk (the county where the late Mr. Blomfield Rush asserted natural right against one Jenny), and this young man, by name Horatio Nelson, was used to let us know whether he had lost or won. That was the PAST. Look at the PRESENT! They took the words even of Oliver—of Oliver surnamed Cromwell—mighty in the line of king disposing-of, though in the vulgar art of brewing-at-Huntingdon. beer not quite successful. They gave us a " crowning mercy " that - - - talc - the mi. of had not .en place ! Could they - not have let alone _Le worn.. Oliver till they had heard of his deeds—as at the Alma, where not un- THE FORMATION OF THE COALITION. rivalled might the Ironsides themselves have been? Not Mink,- " [This specimen is signed T. B. Macaulay , but not on this occasion dated from " Windsor Castle. Italian-expeditions, nor Vienna-miscarrying-conferences — not armed The account of the promotion of Aberdeen, and the same author's history of the death of neutralities, nor Austrian-occupa ion-on-behalf-of-both -sides, but Charles it., will be selected by future judicious compilers as elegant extracts from this chiefly-their-own—were Oliver's mode of going to work ! Yet cometh a writer.) voice, I say, crying that what never happened was a " crowning mercy." Tun morning of the 27th day of December 1852, arose upon an awakened Doubtless, and who will deny it? that captures that don't take place are and exasperated people. The conspiracy by which Derby, Disraeli, and the proper crowns for the mercies dispensed daily by Aberdeen ; but Malmesbury had endeavoured to ally the nation with the new Empire meddle not with the words of Oliver! When he spoke of "crowning of France—reckless of Cressy and Poictiers, of St. Bartholomew and mercies ,, not dark-conjecturing, nor on Tatar not-confirmable the Boyne—had been discovered. All England as one man woke to announcements, nor steamers spoken random-ways at sea—did he, the fact that Napoleon was to be conciliated and the malt tax to be ' -.-• o much-thinking great-acting of-his-times.the-man rely. HI. reduced. Those who know the English people in their indig nation . may conceive the awful national convulsion that followed. O ne full y r HE APPEAL TO PRIVATE BENEVOLENCE TO PROVIDE dozen of cabs drove up to Chesham - place — and t he y were no common SURGEONS. men that stepped out of them and chaffered with the drivers. Among [This specimen has the postmark "canoes" t aV ß. i . s j seated with a Baron's coronet and $ the first was the venerable Graham , who wore on his face the traces unmistakable that he came of the debatable land. His very shirt- Is it not, I say, beyond all human conception—astounding, amazing, collar expressed an unbending determination not to be put down by and unparalleled—that even the notorious, undcnied, and undeniable his ears. It was a solemn moment when he stalked into the narrow patience of the people submitted to this? There were—let not posterity hall. What did he reek on what principle the Derby domination was be appalled !—Ministers not only of War, but Ministers at War, and yet to be broken up? Did they want Whiggery, Liberalism, Chartism? had was there no Minister whatsoeverfor war ! Soldiers without surgeons! he not won the laurels of 1830, and kept his head steady amidst all Trierarchs who provided no tents! A Government—yea, actually a body the whirls of Peel? Such a man was Graham, unworthily assailed by of men who called themselves a Government—did apply to the people hireling pens because his mighty mind perceived that he could best to provide, not according to their means, but according to their gene serve his country by serving himself, and the time for such a man rosity—who taxed the liberal, and allowed the niggard to escape ; and was come. His meeting with Russell was one of those events that that Government!—some insignificant and dwarfish portion thereof — painters will delight to paint at that remote day when the Houses of called itself by the historic name of Whig ! Whig ! Was this the Parliament are finished and the acts of Parliament are codified. name of Shrewsbury of the Revolution? of Shaftesbury of the Habeas Russell—the poet, historian, statesman, and polemic—had passed, Corpus? Had they never heard, had it never once been suggested decidedly, his grand climacteric; but no additional acerbity was in to them from the most remote corner of human intelligence, that there his countenance, as, indeed, there could not well be. He had studied was once dened some subterfuge for lazy Governments called " The legislative mankind in all their shapes mores homimu m multorum vidit Lo y alt y Loa n?" And what was the conduct, fearless and uncompro et urbes. If he so successfully reformed the representation of the mising, of the Whigs of that day ? Did not Brinsley Sheridan, inde country he had studied it at Stroud and Tavistock. Did he wish the pendent even in his drink, move the resolution " That for any body of liberation of the Jews, did he not know the liberality of Rothschild? " men to raise subscriptions from the people for political purposes, Did he achieve laurels and obtain verdicts of manslaughter in the " saving the King. Lords, and Commons alone, WWI unconstitutional Irish famine, had he not held the representative trust of Bandon- " and a grievance"? And yet, in the face of this recorded motion, bridge ? In religion, too, he was an uncompromising reformer. He these men went a-begging, and called themselves, not mendieants, bat denounced all " mummery," and legalised it: lie saw, as the words of a Government 1 OF DIRECTED BY LORD JOAN RUSSELL TO BE WRITTEN. THE PRESS.