The Press. — London, England, 1853-09-03 00:00:00

410 Sir CHARLES NAPIER lived to be the most distinguished member of a family so eminent as to have called forth a parliamentary tribute from a Minister who was usually sparing of eulogy. In reverting to his career, we are struck with the extraordinary contrasts in his character. Personally brave even to heroic in trepidity, and seemingly courting danger for the " rapture of the strife," his earlier military life in the Peninsula and elsewhere discloses a series of acts of personal daring and endur ance for which we must seek a parallel in the deeds of the fabulous heroes of romance. When, in later years, he was removed to a sphere of action where different qualities were demanded, Sir CHARLES NAPIER proved that dashing bravery and daring intrepidity are not incompatible with the coolness and calculation of a military chief. His career in Scinde stamped him as possessing a rare military genius. Every General-in-Chief on a dis tant mission must be a Dictator and a Proconsul. Sir CHARLES NAPIER was eminently qualified thus to concentrate in his sole person the various elements of government. He could negotiate as well as conquer, and administer the territory ho con quered. Heroic as he was in his personal bravery and passion for danger, he was equally so in his justice and clemency to the fallen enemy. He achieved by his civil rule a second victory over those who had yielded to his mili tary prowess. Like WELLINUTUN, he was great in poke us well as in war ; and it is difficult to lay in which he most excelled—as a soldier, a commander, a negotiator, or an adminis trator. Called from his retirement by the general voice to go to India at a moment when our empire was threatened, he arrived only to see his destined work accomplished by others ; but there was much to be done in the reform and reorganisation of the army of India ; and he set himself to the task. He was a discipli narian of the right school, holding that duty and subordination level all distinctions, and demanding from the officers the same rigorous submission to rule that was exacted from the privates. In his eye, too, bravery in the held equally levelled distinctions ; and in his despatches he did justice to the valour and good conduct of the common soldier as well as of his superior. His rigid regulations as to matters of discipline, his resolute war RtfltillSt the luxurious impedimenta of an In. dian marching force, and - his plain, blunt re proofs of the vices that had crept into the service, recul in their spirit, if not in their lan tTage, some of the memorable proceedings of WELLINOTON in the Peninsula. In his des patches and general orders he dashed at truth through conventional language, as in the tight he dashed at the enemy through all impediments. Sir CHARLES NAPIER was of an order of men necessary to great states. It is often their fate not to be fully appreciated by their con temporaries ; but it is well for mankind that their memory should be cherished and honoured. The fame of their deeds is the heritage of posterity, who profit alike by the fruits of their valour and wisdom, and by the emulation they inspire. THE DUNGARVAN ELECTION.—MEssRs. MAGUIRE AND O'FLAIIERTY. NEARLY every week reveals some fresh scandal about the " Irish Brigade." When we last alluded to Mr. EDMUND OT LANE KTY'S appoint went we had not before us the very suspicious circumstances relating to the recent contest at Dungarvan. It appears that Mr. 6 KOROE HRNRY MOORE AS Member for Mayo) drew up an :agreement. between Messrs. MAauIILE and CYFLAtutc•ry, in which it was arranged that, on condition Vtf Mr. O'F LA 11 KIIT Y with drawing a petition o ggainst Mr. MAO uiRE, the latter would accept Ole Chiltern Hundreds, so as to give Pdr. 011.aisavy an opportunity of again contacting the borough with him. Mr. OTLAHRIITY, not many days since, eagerly pressed Mr. MAGUIRE to carry out the agree THE PRESS. ment ; the latter did so, and, to his amaze ment, found himself opposed at the hustings, not by Mr. O'FLAHERTY, but by Mr. GREGORY, his old opponent having in the meanwhile become a placeman ! This transaction has a very ugly look about it, and Captain GREENE has not much improved matters by writing a letter, saying that " Mr. O'FLAHERTY has been justified (?) in any step he took by the advice of men of the highest honour." It appears, further, that there is a threat made to upset Mr. MAGUIRE'S triumphant re election, on the ground of his having compromised the pre vious petition with Mr. O'FI.AIIERTY. But we may doubt whether the Brigade would have the temerity to put in force a ruse that would stamp with disrepute all persons profiting by it. His friends must find a seat for Mr. GRE GORY by some other means than the " sharp practice" of forcing Mr. MAGUIRE to a new contest, and then impeaching the act of com promise to which Mr. O'FLAHERTY had been a consenting party. We are opposed to Mr. MAGUIRE'S politics, and strongly disapprove of some of his speeches and votes ; but we can say that, while he has given promise of be coming effective in debate, his bearing in the House of Commons has been that which, even in an adversary, commands our respect. What ever his defects as a politician may be, his in. dependence at least creditably distinguishes him from those low-class Irish " Liberals" who look to St. Stephen's as a market for their votes, caricaturing the parts of Trish " patriots" with their truculence upon the hustings, and their miserable servility in the House of Com mons, where they tremble under the lash of the inexorable whipper-in. CHRISTIAN LIBERALITY IN SPAIN. As a compensation for our failures at Constan tinol►le--where, according to a Government organ, we are hated as hypocrites and des• pised as imbeciles British diplomacy has achieved a triumph at Madrid. The conces sion of the Spanish Cabinet may partly be due to genial recollections of past times—for we really did something to save Spain from French rapacity, when she was little able to help herself—and partly, perhaps, to the knowledge that our people have advanced some millions of hard-earned money to Spa nish Governments, which they have appro priated to their own use in the very spirit of SHERIDAN'S retort to a troublesome creditor— " It's not my interest to pay you your prin " eipal, nor my principle to pay you your in. " Wrest." But, to whatever cause it may be owing, we have, after half a century of hard diplomatic fighting, so far gained a victory over national prejudice and priestly bigotry as to be allowed the privilege of burying the bodies of British subjects who may die at Madrid in a piece of ground to bo set apart fin• the purpose. Lest we should presume too much on this concession, it is carefully fenced round by restrictions : No church, dispel, nor any other sign of a temple, or of public or private worship, will be allowed to be built in the aforesaid cemetery. All acts which can give a►y indication of the pe►form ance of a►y divine service what►oever are prohibited. In the conveyance of the dead bodies to the burial gnat's' any sort of pomp or publicity shall be avoided. The plain meaning of all this is that our dead bodies must be smuggled out at night from what was their home to their last rest ing-place ; as if the very ease containing them was so hateful to sight, and such a kind of moral contagion was imparted to it from its contact with heretic flesh, that infinite mis chief must result to the faithful from the mere view of it. Further, that when the burial ground has been thus stealthily reached, the bodies are to be thrown into the ground with. out one word spoken over them indicative of joyful resurrection—without one whisper of those Divine promises which take from. the SATURDAY, grave its sting and from death its victory, and which raise humanity above the condition of the brutes that perish. Such sepulture as we allow to cat or dog—such hygienic rules as are needful to preserve carrion flesh from stinking above ground, burying it in the earth to preserve the atmosphere from infection — the most Christian Government of Spain will allow to the subjects of England, and no more. There are pangs in the last parting from friend or relative, child or parent, wife or husband, brother or sister, Heaven knows, hard enough to bear. One, and one only, consolation the bereaved can know ; and that consolation the rulers of Spain, with a refinement of barbarous cruelty which shames the tortures of the Inquisition itself, decree shall not be spoken over the grave ere it finally closes over the loved and lamented form of humanity. Now, we will not quarrel with Spain for not regarding us as Christians,—we may deserve that for persisting in reading and distributing the bible ; but we think we have some right to complain that she will not regard us as human beings. Good Catholics, in her acceptation, we may not be ; but surely we are not dogs. We walk on two legs, and are not feathered. We have feelings of affection, and we are not insensible to insult and wrong. We doubt whether it is worth while to accept this con cession, flung at us as a stone is flung at a barking cur. Lord HOWDEN, with manly in dignation, gives vent to the anger which such degrading and contumelious conditions must excite in every honest English heart. But will our Government dare to back him, and tell Spain, as ho does, that there are limits to endurance which it is not safe to transgress ? What, then, would the little knot of Irish unionists, Messrs. SADLEIR, MONSELL, and KEoOU, say, and how would our good ABER DEEN again be able to soothe their jealous sus ceptibility? In connection with this subject we notice a couple of paragraphs which furnish a further commentary on the Lion of St. Jarlath's war against English bigotry and oppression, and on Cardinal WISEMAN'S lectures on the superior liberality of Romish principles : " It is stated that Lord Londeshorough has completed the purchase of the Selby estate for 270,(1(X)I. front the Hon. Mrs. Petre, widow of the Hon. E. Petre, of Selby. Mrs. l'etre, who was left sole executor to her husband, with the whole property at her own dispt sal, has taken the veil in France ; and the whole of her property will, of course, go to the fonds of the nunnery which she has entered."—Don caster Chronicle. "On Sunday last her Grace the Duchess of Hamilton assisted at mass in the Hamilton Catholic church, which was fitted up in magnificent style by means of gifts fur nished by her grace on the preceding evening. The Rev. M. Condon acknowledges with gratitude the following princely presents from her grace, viz., a statue Madonna and child ; one set of altar charts ; six vases with flowers ; one magnificent altar cup, of solid silver; six large candle. sticks, ditto ; two cruet-stands and cruets, also of silver; one silver bell ; a silver ciborium, thurible, monstrance, and incense-boat anti spoon, ke. Her grace was met at the church-door by the Rev. M. Condon, and conducted to her pew in front of the altar, and, after mass, the choir, with organ, poured forth a Te Drum of thanks for the con version of this princely benefactress of the Hamilton mis sion."—Glavou, Free Press (Roman Catholic paper). What fools must we be thought in Spain for tolerating such proceedings. Our liberality must be ascribed to weakness, and inspire contempt for our understanding rather than respect for our principles. THE IRISH POOR LAW. TILE Report of the Irish Poor-law Commis sioners is so far satisfactory that it places, if possible, in a more striking point of view than before the vast social revolution fraught with temporary suffering to individuals, but productive, as we firmly believe, of the best results in the long run—which the last few years have brought about. We know not that we can better illustrate the truth of our words than by the simple and sure test of officially authoritative sta tistics. 1