The Press. — London, England, 1857-01-10 00:00:00

THE WEEK. Tun Eastern question at length appears to be settled, and more completely than we had ventured to anticipate. Not only are all the points connected with the boundary dispute settled, but it is arranged that the forces of Austria shall evacuate the Principalities and 'the squadron of England withdraw from the Black Sea by the 30th of March next. The clearness of the terms of the settlement, and the short time allowed for its execution, prove that the Conference was earnest in its work, and resolved to let no further obstacle arise to the fulfilment of the Treaty of Paris. With the arrangement of this important matter, the probabilities of a pacific solution of the Neufchatel quarrel are greatly strengthened. It appears that the Emperor of the FRENCH is exerting all his influence to compose the dispute. By the accounts received, it appears pro bable that the Swiss Confederation will agree to the release of the pri soners on the understanding that the independence of Neufchatel shall be recognised. By this arrangement tho Court of Prussia would save the point of honour for which it has contended. The release of the prisoners is claimed, because the sovereignty of Prussia in the canton had never been renounced ; but as experience has shown that the maintenance of the claim is inconvenient, and attended with chances of collision, Prussia may well resign her pretensions, more especially as since I t4S they have been purely nominal, and plainly could not be enforced without resort to the chances of a desperate and doubtful war. The release of the prisoners—as they were captured while the de jure sovereignty of Prussia existed—would be properly preliminary to the recognition of Neufchatel independence, which would prevent all such troubles in future. With the settlement of great Continental questions, the public mind will be directed more intently to the serious nature of our quarrel in China. The official papers received this week have created a painful sensation, as they tend to show that the circumstances of the dispute did not call for that recourse to hostilities which in all cases of quarrel should be the last means resorted to for obtaining satisfaction of wrong. It does not appear that the English authorities were right, even as regards the original point of dispute. The licence of the lorcha had, by the express admission of Sir JOHN BowiuNo, expired on the .27th of September, and from that date she had ceased to have any claim to British protection. The vessel was not boarded till the Bth of October, so that she was, beyond all doubt, amenable at that time to Chinese jurisdiction. Sir JOHN BONRING, however, reasons that as the Chinese authorities were not acquainted with this circumstance, they cannot plead it in defence of their seizure. We apprehend that on this point the law of Sir• JOHN BOWRING is as bad as his logic. In this country the plea of ignorance is held to be no valid defence for the Commission of wrong ; and it would be strange indeed if punishment could be demanded for the ignorance which committed right without knowing it. The special pleading of Sir JOIIN is, on any fair view of the case, inadmis sible. A man may through pure malignancy give his neighbour in charge for stealing his watch ; but, on search, should the watch he had lost be discovered in his neighbour's strong box, would it be held that the thief could recover damages for false imprison• went' If it is conceded, as it is most distinctly, that the Chinese authorities had the right to board the lorcha and seize the men, we cannot understand how Canton could be justly bombarded because they acted rightly without being certain that they were right. The charge of hauling down the British flag is denied by the Chinese authorities ; and in all such cases it is usual to receive the denial, no offence being taken when it is clear by the denial that no offence was intended. This would be the course pursued, we are assured, were the dispute with France or the United States ; and there is certainly no reason why we should have one code of honour to regulate our intercourse with powerful States, and another to regulate our intercourse with weak States. The twelve men were returned on the 22nd October before hostilities commenced, and Mr. PARKES represented to Admiral SEYMOUR that perhaps the resti tution of these men, and the explanation of Governor YEH, might be considered sufficient The Admiral, however, had changed his ground. He now regarded the original cause of quarrel as insignificant, and demanded that Canton should be opened to the admission of foreign officials, according to the Treaty of 1849, that they might have direct intercourse with the Canton authorities. A question is thus raised whether the Admiral was justified in going beyond the original cause of quarrel without reference to his Government. There was no immediate necessity for action—neither the lives nor property of British subjects were at stake—and if it was advisible to enforce the demand lie made, it might have been done much better with the authority of the British Government than on the responsibility of the Admiral and the Governor of Hong Kong. The precipitancy of Admi ral SEYMOUR is hardly to be accounted for, unless we suppose he had some assurance that the course he decided on would not be unaccept able to his Government. Iris to be feared that the loss of life in Canton has been very great. As the Chinese were incapable of resistance, they were massacred by the bombardment, which, after all, did not induce them to submit ; and before proceeding further, the Admiral took that step which we certainly think he should have taken in the first instance, and sent home for further instructions. The publica tion of the official papers has, so far as we can gather, produced an impression unfavourable to our authorities in China. A French squadron has sailed for the China Seas, that it may act in concert with the British naval force iu the steps necessary to by taken w settle tills painful affair • * SATURDAY, The return of Mr. BAILLIE COCIIRANE for Lanark is highly grati fying. Mr. COCHRANE'S speech to the electors was enlightened and statesmanlike. Conservative in principle, he is still in favour of pro gressive improvement; while his opinions on foreign policy are strongly against, the Meddling intervention of the present system. We cor dially congratulate the Opposition on the accession to its ranks of this able, consistent, and high-principled politician. The income tax question is assuming a definite character. The feeling against the tax is daily strengthening, and the people in all parts of the country are calling out for the abolition of the war tax after the sth of April next, and the total abolition of the income tax after April, 1860. The question is becoming one of great importance. Nothing now will satisfy the country but a financial statement that will make plain the intentions of the Government. With the return of complete tranquillity to Europe, the country demands that its financial affairs be placed upon a settled basis. The speech of Sir ROBERT PEEL at Birmingham has been happily characterised, by a journal not prudish in its own language or favour able to Russia, us a compound of the vulgarity of the Coal-hole and the indecency of the Casino. The stinging comments of the Daily News are the more welcome as they show that Sir ROBERT'S malignant foolery is indignantly repudiated by his own party. The speech is as full of falsehood as of vituperation. To give ono in stance : Sir ROBERT asserts that the Imperial Crown fell from the Empress's head at the coronation. Had such an accident happened, it would have been vile taste in a member of the English Embassy to have brayed it forth as an ill omen. But the assertion is false. We know from one who was by the side of the Empress during the whole ceremony that nothing of the kind occurred. When the crown was placed on her Majesty's head it was found not to set firmly, and her ladies•in-waiting, after adjusting it, fastened it to her hair. This was all that occurred. Poor Lord GRANVILLE, who is really a gentleman, is greatly to be pitied for having had this bear in his leading-strings. The appointment of Lord NAPIER to the post of British Minister at Washington is so far satisfactory that it will re-establish diplomatic relations between the two Governments. The appointment was first offered to Mr. CHARLES VILLERS—a slight to the whole Corps Diplo matiquc—but declined by him. Celebrity has its pains, as well as its pleasures. Amongst the former may be enumerated the excessive freedom occasionally taken with the family history of a distinguished character. It often happens that when an eminent man dies, his personal antecedents are dis cussed with the most reckless disregard of the respect due to a re • cent grave, and to the private feelings of surviving kindred and sor• rowing friends. A remarkable instance of this indecorum has recently appeared. Scarcely were the remains of the late Father MATHEW cold in their grave, when advantage was taken by an anonymous writer of some trivial errors in a kindly obituary notice of Father MATHEW, which had appeared in a leading organ, and under the plea of coffee• tion, most invidious mis-statements were placed before the public. It was asserted that " Mr. MATHEW'S father was the natural son of old " Major MATHEW, and Was a bailiff on - Lord LLANDAFF'S estate." Such was not the fact. The father of the great Temperance Advo cate was an independent gentleman-farmer, honourably born, who married respectably, and reared a numerous family of sons and daughters, many of whom are now closely connected with several families of great worth and consideration in the south of Ireland. It was also insinuated by the same writer that no relation ship with Father MATHEW could ever have been acknowledged by the Llandaff family. That statement also was most erroneous. Many interesting memorials, honourable to those who gave and to those who received them, attest the contrary ; and with the sisters of Mr. MATHEW (both of them most accomplished gentlewomen) the late Lady Elizabeth MATHEW maintained up to the period of her death a very close intimacy, as her correspondence proves. Other assertions were also made that could be easily refuted ; but such matters are of a purely personal character, and are not fit for newspaper controversy. They should be left to the responsibility of a biographer. A memoir of Father MATHEW is likely to be given to the world in the current year ; and we should be glad that a competent pen would trace a fair and interesting account of that eminent philanthropist, whose amiable life and long services to humanity ought to shield his memory from insulting references, which give greater pain to his numerous admirers, because they are founded in error and misconception of the real facts. The lamentable number of wrecks distinguishing the first week of the new year, and the many painful circumstances connected with the loss of the vessels, would seem to suggest the necessity of some better provision for such exigencies around the coast. We want more har bours of refuge, and a more extended scale of lifeboats. Harbours of refuge are works of time, expense, and Parliamentary consideration ; but there is no reason against a lifeboat being established at every fishing village on the coast. The loss of the Violet on the Goodwin ap peals to have resulted less from the effects of the gale than fiom one of those fatal errors the most experienced seamen make at times. The master would scent to have mistaken the Gull Lights for those of the South Foreland; and bclicvinghe had made his distance,tohavehauled up for the coast, and run the Violet stem on to the fatal sands. The tremendous sea raging shut out all hope from the unhappy crew. The bodies of three stokers, two days utter, were found lashed to a lile-buoy, but no further traces beyond the mail bags and a small leather u•unk bearing the name of the only passenger, " Arthur kojendie," have yet been found. A miter to the Timed suggests buoy ing these terrible bboals with a thousand bell•buoys, that shall ring THE PRESS. 36