The Press. — London, England, 1857-03-07 00:00:00

THE PRESS. MARCH 7, 1857. We sincerely hope that the Government will not consider itself finally bound to the decision of Sir CHARLES WooD on the subject of a new Franklin Expedition. There are a set of stereotyped phrases going about upon this, as upon many other subjects, to which people give in their adhesion without due consideration. Because it is very unlikely that Sir JOHN FRANKLIN, or any of his crew, survive, is no reason why we should not do our utmost to convert the doubt into a certainty. That the search is attended with much danger, and little hope, is no worse than can be said of all these Arctic expeditions,— with this distinction, however, that our object in the present case is the,rescue of a certain number of human lives, and was in others merely the gratification of scientific curiosity, without much idea that the result would ever benefit mankind. Further than this, the danger of a new expedition is much diminished, even if the expectation of a favourable result is not increased, by the con traction of the area over which the search is to be directed. As to saying that it is on that very area that Sir JOHN and his companions encountered those hardships which led to their destruction, this is nonsense A ship's crew arriving there well found in everything which such a situation demands, would be in a very different position from men who had just struggled there after undergoing the most desperate sufferings. We see no sound reason for refusing this final investigation, and we do trust that Lady FRANKLIN'S affectionate anxiety will meet with support from the Government of a naval and commercial people. THE IVORY GATE. Stint geminte sumni ports: quarum alters fertur Cornea; qua veris heals datur exitus umbris ; Altera eandenti perfects °aerie elephanto; bed false ad enema mittuut insomnia manes. " When, loved by poet and painter, The sunrise fills the sky— When night's gold urns grow fainter In depths of an umber dye— When the morn-breeze stirs the curtain, Bearing an odorous freight— Then visions strange, uncertain, Pour thick through the Ivory Gate." V. Smith with Persian attar His tresses thinks perfumed ; Strange hopes his fancies flatter— For he dreams that Herat's doomed. He is girt with Eastern splendour, And slaves at his bidding wait ; And eyes that are (lark and tender Glance soft through the Ivory Gate ! Lord Cranworth, who, like Saturn, His children all devours, Has a dream of a different pattern, Which gives him Lyndhurst's powers— Which gives him Brougham's decision, And Campbell's strength of pate— And at Bethell he smiles derision ; 'Tis a dream of the Ivory Gate ! Panmure sleeps on in rapture, He dreams of another war ; There are lots of towns to capture, And Dowb's provided for. He can feed the troops on refuse ; But in full Field Marshal's state He sees his various nephews— 'Tis a dream of the Ivory Gate ! Pelides, rash conjecturer Of things which are not true, Bold and conceited lecturer, Has his fair visions too. With wondrous self-possession He talks at an easy rate Of making a " good impression " False dream of the Ivory Gate ! But of dreams a strange collection Before the Premier nit ; He thinks he's the perfection Of statesmanship and wit. His zeal for England's glory, His coolness in debate, Are to lire in the nation's story— Vain dream of the Ivory Gate ! PALMERSTON'S MARCH. March! march ! plausible Palmerston ! Hapless Premier, to the country go down. March has its Ides for you; ill-luck abides fur you ; What will your " cry" be, in Tiverton town? " I've spent your rhino, men ! Shattered the Chinamen ! Kept on the Income Tax—shaken the starch Out of stiff-looking Persians ; What noble diversions!" How will they answer you ? P4VIEBSION MARCH A HUSTINGS DIALOGUE. The Aylesbury Hustings. Her Majesty's Arm] is "en evidence." An ELEcr oa advan;u7 ELECTOR.—I'd like to axe Sir Richard a question or two, if so be it's not taking a liberty like. Sir R (sweetly).—lt is my happiness as well as my duty to respond to any inquiry couched in the unexceptionable language which my friend in the leathern inexpressibles is sine to employ. ELECTOR.—Thank ye kindly, Sir Richard, and the same to you. You made a speech in the House of Commons, now, on this here Chinese debate? Sir R.—l had the honour to attempt to infuse into that debate a little irrefra gable ratiocination, and I regret that its effect was apparently inappreciable. ELECTOEL—LikeIy, Sir, likely. You told the Commons, or I'm misled, as they wurnt worth answering, but that you'd answer the Lords, and the Commons might attend to what you could say ? Sir R.—You have slightly materialised the expressions I used, m y good friend, but I will not affect to deny that you have apprehended their import. ELECTOR (to a companion).—What's he say COMPASION.—That he spoke prettier, but meant that. ELECTOR.—LikeIy, likely; I aint pretty, noways. Well then, Sir Richard, we ought to be proud to have you for our Member. Sir R.—My good friend, without vanity, for I have none of it, and without flattery, for you would despise it, I think that the representa tive of Aylesbury and his constituents have mutual reason for satis faction. ELECTOR.—There's nobody in the House of Commons as is equal to you. Sir R. (playfully).—There is no House of Commons now, my dear friend, so that your compliment falls to the ground. But, waiving a technical jocularity, I am highly gratified with your intended appro bation. ELECTOR.—There's Thesiger, now. He's nobody. Sir R.—Nay, I will not say that. Indeed he is a tall, and, for those who like that style of person, not an unpleasant-looking man. Intellectually, of course, your estimate of him and my own approxi mate. ELECTOR.—Fitzroy Kelly, now. Bah ! He aint like you. Sir R.—ln one respect he is —(smiliny)—for we are both devoid of that ornament to the top of the head which—in tact, we are both bald. As regards the internal furnishing of the head, however, I think we should require different valuations. ELECTOR.—I should say so. Then there's Mr. Walpole. Sir R —A person who endeavours, not altogether without success, to assume suavity and courtesy, but entirely unequal to mental con flict with—l will not say with myself, but with any first-class and ac• cumplished oratorical logician. ELECTOR.—MaIins, I've heard, can talk ? Sir R.—He can. So can your wife's parrot (I assume, without prejudice to your good sense and hers, that you have a wife and that she has a bird), and I should be puzzled to discriminate between their dialectics. ELECTOR.—And Cairns, too ? Sir R. (indulgently).—And Cairns, too. What more need be said? ELECTOR.—There are two Phillimores, I think, as were against your side' - Sir R.—T dare say there were. Perhaps three. A Phillimore more or less is not an integer of much interest. ELECTOLL—LittIe Mr. Roebuck is a bit of a lawyer, too? Sir R.—l dare say he thinks so, and is singular in the belief. Not that I deny him talent of a certain description, which would be avail able were he capable of seizing a proposition, or following the deduc tions from it. ELEcroa.—And there was a lot more lawyers in the Huuse in that Chinese debate ? Sir R.—Very likely, my friend. I did not squander arithmetic upon computing them, or their nothingness. ELECTOR.—I'm sure, Sir Richard, ne are all mainly obliged to you for these here particulars like. Sir R.—And I am sure, my good friend, that nothing could give me more pleasure than the imparting any information in my power. ELECTOR.—It do seem to me, and I axe my fellow electors if it beant so, a crying sin and a shame to throw away such gifts and graces as Sir Richard's upon such a set of ignoramuses as the House of Commons ? Sir R. (a little startled).—Eh? No, my good friend, it is my plea sure and duty to assist, to the extent of my ability, in the advancement of the interests of the State, regardless of the inefficiency of some of the co-operation I may receive. ELectoa.—Well have none of that there. He's too modest and self-abasing by half. We'll have no racehorses put into shafts, dang'd if we will. And since Sir Richard Bethell's much too great a man to be sent to talk to these Commons, and can find nobody fit to speak to but the Lords, I humbly and heartily move that we DON'T 11F.TC11N HiM, but reject him by way of hint to Lord Pal►uerston and the other great folk that he ought to have a Coronet. Great applause and uproar, the ATTORYEY•GES£RAL vehemently protesting that the House of Commons is quite good enough for him for the present ; but the electors will nothear tf such a eking, and rush to do him justice by voting for his opponent.) '4 - a 229