The Press. — London, England, 1857-12-19 00:00:00

THE PRESS, DECEMBER 19, 1857. of Europe and America would appear to be rotten to the core The great city of paper licked by the flame of a crisis has collapsed with an explosion and left nothing but ashes behind. Reckless specu lation and dishonest over trading never can stand tho test of kard ti m es. The original vice is detected at last and the culprit exposed. To be sure he may only be subjected to a little harmless banter from his creditors, and a resolution expressive of their sympathy and regret may be carried at the winding-up meeting of his affairs, but that will not compensate a man for having to recommence the world in middle life. The great inconvertibles by this crash and theirs, have at length received a practical application of their theory, from which it may he hoped they will draw sounder conclusions than heretofore upon the distinction that exists between capital and currency. That the paper theorists have received a tremendous blow by this crisis is undeniable, It is perfectly fair to apply to them the only practical test ')f the sound ness of those principles upon which they conducted their business and study their balance-sheets. Take the case, for instance, of 13Exximet TwErmates, and RIGOE, reported this week; and what do we find, but that this firm, established in 1849 with a capital of 9,4101. on the 9th December, 1857, is in that favourable position which aggregate com mitments of nearly half a million, and actual liabilities to be provided for to the extent of 257,6941., can he supposed to represent ? To what may this be attributed, hut to over-trading? Messrs. BENNOCH were merely silk-agents. In the first few years they had realised a rapid profit ; and assuming a brilliant future, they became connected with a house in Derby, and a house in Coventry, and a house at Leek. These houses draw on the London house, accommodation paper becomes plentiful, the branches drain the parent stem, a commercial crisis occurs, and the great paper building falls at a touch. It is a melan choly picture, but it is an inevitable result, 'hen men in regular trade and with small capital by means of paper seek to achieve a rapid fortune. Our readers will recollect being told about the new Echeme which had been this year inaugurated at Rome for the government of the Roman Catholic subjects of the Queen of ENGLAND. When Cardinal WISEMAN made his aggression, care bad not been pre viously taken to enter into an arrangement with the Roman Catholics of Ireland. Accordingly, sonic of the Roman Catholics in that country refused altogether to be bound by the acts of Cardinal WISE MAN, and the consequence was that the " leadership " of the Roman Catholics in the important session of 1851 was thrown into the hands of the " Sadleir ites ;" and as events progressed the Papal party was stained again and again with all the scandals of the connection into which it had flung itself at the very time that it had contemptuously thrown overboard the assistance of the "Liberal Protestants" of Ireland. Cardinal WISEMAN, Archbishop CULLEN, and their intriguing confe derates, have since learned more caution. " A compact and alliance " has been entered into between certain Romanist ecclesias tics and political persons in Ireland, and a steadier game is now being played. In all directions and by every available means it is sought to sap and undermine the power of Protestantism in Ireland. In the internal management of the Roman Catholic Church in this realm, Ultramontanism is established ; and for external objects it is sought to grasp the Queen's judicature, to supervise the police, and to annihilate " mixed education." It is a chief point in the ambition of the Papal advisers that the twelve judges of Ireland should be half Roman Catholics and half Protestants, although it is notorious that the overwhelming proportion of the talent and learning of the Irish Bar is in the hands of the Protestants. The Roman Catholics at the Irish Bar have many honourable gentlemen and respectable prac titioners amongst them ; but there is no Roman Catholic advocate standing upon so high a level as Mr. NAPIER, Mr. WHITESIDE, Mr. BREWSTER, and Mr. FRANCIS FITZGERALD. We do not know the name of a single Roman Catholic practitioner at the Bar in Ireland who has been taken special in any leading case of high importance. Yet every effort is made to fill up the Bench with Roman. Catholics, and to pro mote them over the heads of Protestants with superior claims. And it is Ultramontane influence which deliberately ordains that any Roman Catholic shall find no difficulty in obtaining a seat in Parliament if he have the most moderate claims to judicial elevation. In education the Ultramontanists have not stopped until they have done their best to weaken to the lowest point whatever existed of the Protestant element in the " National Board." The Daily News , ‘f Thursday has made statements on this subject of a kind similar to W t; t has appeared in our columns on previous occasions ; and there can be no contradicting the fact that a most influential Romanist aggression is now being urged on with extraordinary energy. The system of conciliation and peace represented with such ability and so much Christian spirit by the late Archbishop NIURRAY is entirely cast down, and a new one of sectarianism and of propagandism has been established. The manner in which the Dublin police has been placed under the "direction" of the Jesuits is a step in the same road. We have already commented on that bold manoeuvre, and there are other important schemes now set on foot by the same intriguers upon which it will be our duty to comment another time. 1129 that his mistress could do no wrong, are highly refreshing. Seriously, we do not in the least pity Grum.or, who seems to have been a man of the Angelier stamp, and to have deserved the worst that could befall him. In the case of SAMUEL WALL. and PHILIP CLARE, the principal point worth noticing seems to be the unsatisfactory character of the medical evidence. The jury seem to have come to the conclusion that the unfortunate young woman, ELIZABETH HOPLEY, drowned herself, because there was no mark of a deadly blow upon the head. But we believe that a blow which produces death by what is known as " concussion " —i.e., instantaneous death—produces no mark whatsoever, but that, nevertheless, the blood-vessels in such a case would present an appearance entirely distinct from that which ensues from drowning. The medical evidence then should have been able to determine whether the woman was struck dead or not before she was immersed ; and this point decided, the credibility due to WALL'S evidence would have been determined in a much more satisfactory manner. The barbarous and cowardly assault at Torquay, for which a ruffian named JONATHAN ROOSE was sentenced to penal servitude for life by Mr. Justice WILLgs, is a frightful instance of absolutely bestial ferocity. The monster had first of all seduced his hapless victim, JANE STONE, then endeavoured to get rid of the consequences by another abominable offence, and finally, finding this to be a failure, enticed her to a lonely spot, and beat her face to a jelly. The verdict of the jury was unduly merciful; but the Judge, we are happy to say, stretched the law to the utmost. One signal defect of the Treaty of Paris is coming slowly to light. When Lord CLARENDON'S request for the demolition of the Russian forts on the eastern coast of the Black Sea was " adjourned" by the Plenipotentiaries at the Paris Congress, and the Noble Lord mildly acquiesced in this diplomatic evasion, and shrunk from the rediseussion of an awkward question, he not only accepted au alternative dishonourable to England, but he committed a grave blunder. As a question of policy, it was of the utmost consequence to England, in her effort to secure the integrity of Turkey at all points, and to repress the aggres sions of Russia, that, in providing for the neutralisation of the Black Sea, she should effectually secure the freedom of the Circassian coast, and, by consequence, the independence of the tribes of the Caucasus. To the coast of Circassia Russia has no just claim ; but that coast is the key to the conquest of Circassia, for if that coast be blockaded the conquest of the Caucasus by Russia is but a question of time, and the Caucasus once conquered Asia Minor is at the feet of Russia. Hence the signal blunder of Lord CLARENDON when he failed to insist upon the freedom of this eastern coast of the Black Sea, and agreed to the insertion into the Twelfth Art. of the Treaty of Peace of those provisions for customs and police regulations on the littoral of the Black Sea, which enable Russia at this moment to blockade the entire eastern coast with the exception of those three ports which she thinks fit to keep open under certain restrictions. We are now reaping the benefit of this blunder. Russia has issued a circular declaring that "in consequence of the internal state" of the provinces of the Caucasus, Anapa, Soukhoum-Kaleh and Redout- Kaleh are the only three ports that can be opened at present. " If hereafter," continues the circular, " circumstances shall permit " the establishment of customs and quarantine authorities at other " points of the coast, where foreign vessels can be admitted, due " notice will be given of the fact. In the meantime the " approach to the ports, bays, and harbours, with the exception " of the three above mentioned, is interdicted to foreign vessels." Is this the pacification of the Black Sea ? Is this throwing open to us the trade of that sea? And lastly, is this securing the integrity of Turkey, the object of that great war which cost us so many millions and shed so much blood? This blockade of the Circassian coast reduces the position to the status quo ante bellum ; the war will soon rage once more between Russia and Circassia, and a second alleged infraction of the coast blockade by Turkey may lead to a second Treaty of Adrianople and the complete restoration of Russian influence and power at Constantinople. Two of our ablest civil lawyers, Mr. BOWYER and Mr. Routinxi.t. PALMER, have stated as their opinion that the 58th Clause of the Divorce Bill, by which clergymen are obliged to throw open their churches to interlopers, is rendered inoperative by a previous Act. If this be so, a respite will be gained of considerable duration ; and one of the most obnoxious features of the Bill rendered harmless. We shall return to this question on a future occasion when we have more space to do justice to its importance. It would certainly be a curious circumstance if the arrogance of Govern ment were thus to recoil upon itself, and the precipitancy with which the Bill was hurried through the Commons to justi f y the braggadocio of Lord PALmz.its•rox should turn out to have rendered nugatory the achievements of which he was so proud. Old ladies with a good appetite for their murders have this week _ • _ enjoyed an unusual treat. The three leading species of homicide — ___ AD NENAM SATRAPEM DE BITHOOR. the romantic, the mysterious, and the simply brutal—have each been adequately represented. The case of Madame DE JEUFOSSE, who Fidimus augurio : qui magna ex fronte* vocatur sought to vindicate the honour of an ancient family by depositing Qui gerit et chives f nomen et omen habent. sundry leaden sings in the os coccygis of a wealthy and villainous Quique dahas alios infandie, perfidc, ccedi, parvenu, wil excite more commist.ration than horror in all well- To vocet ad propriani mama, Nena, nccem regulated minds. This outburst of feudal vigour in the nineteenth century, and the fidelity of Oa° ancient reta i n er who believed fully • *tireathed. , y Liavelook.