The Press. — London, England, 1853-10-29 00:00:00

OCTOBER 29, 1853. future Froissart will have to 'venni like the first that an English general reconnoi tring a town at night, and finding it too strong to be attacked in a regular way with success, " yet resolved to let them of the town know that he had been there ;" and that he accom plished his resolution by the mildly-emphatic process of setting fire to the suburbs and to a monastery in which were :►OO monks who were all burnt to death. Nor will another Schiller have to relate a slaughter like that at Magdeburg. when TILLY put to death men, women, and children—all he could find—to the number of 30,000. Yet, because the footstep of war will in its march no more be marked by useless at►oei ties, the impress of war when it does come in the lands over which it passes may not be the less terrible nor the less indelible. En tered into, not from sudden impulse, not in gusts of passionate fury, but from an abso lute conviction that it is indispensable for the future security of the world, it may be carried on with all the rigour and the dignity of a proceeding that has its foundation in prinei pie, not in violence ; and it may assume the character with the dimensions of a judicial proceeding in which united nations after sit ting in judgment pronounce and enforce, with out inflicting unnecessary pain on the cri minal, a severe sentence on a nation or their rulers. LAGOS. Finn Toto has again occurred at Lagos, and, though we have not now to deplore the serious loss of life that was sustained in the former affair, still British seamen had to fire shot and shell, and amongst the natives much blood was sited. On the sth of August. last Commander GARD►NER, of the Watertriteh, having heard that civil war had broken out, proceeded up the Lagos river in a boat to the residence of the King ARATot. The King and Commander GARDNER differed as to the course which it would be best to adopt, and in the meantime two rebellious leaders attacked the town, half of which they destroyed by fire. Through the intervention of Commander GARDNER and the British Consul, an armistice was concluded which was to last until the 9th. t►n the Ith the King was reinforced, in consequence of which the rebels sent to request the aid of KosAso, a pre tender to the Lagos throne. Finally, KosAtio, with tost armed men, and some large canoes, several of which carried six guns each, were routed by the boats of the Penelope and Polyphemus, both of which ships it is said arrived "very providentially." The English then withdrew for a short distance, and AKATOI . B reinforcements began to burn and plunder: even the property of the Europeans was not safe. On the 3rd of September King ARAtot died, and was succeeded by his son DocEsto. KosAxo again claimed the throne and blockaded Lagos, but was again roused, and Lieutenant STRICKLAND, of the Polyphemus. had commenced building a wall across the ►sland on which the town stands, for its defence. These atfrays arise out of treaties which we have entered into with the kings and chiefs for the sup. premsion of the slave trade ; and, having made those treaties, we are bound of course to abide by them. If they are firmly maintained, and if order is preserved along the coast, legitimate trade will in time spring up, and, when once the natives have discovered the superio r advantages arising from that, there will be no danger of a revival of the slave traffic. The only practical conclusion we can come to is, that., having interfered, faith must be kept with the kings with whom we have made treaties ; and, as affrays like these will recur, we should always have within call on sus pected points a respectable force such as we appeal to have had—but only just in time—at Lagos. MR. COBDEN AT BARNSLEY. Mn. COBDEN has been this week not inappropria lecturing at Barnsley on ignorance as a source of vice, and on artistic education as of importance to manufacturers. Having taken occasion at the same time to repudiate the imputation that l►e wished to see newspapers without leading articles, the Times relentingly discovers the merits of his lecture in other respects, and sets an entire leader to the refrain of "xi sic omnia." There was, indeed, even more of the same description in Mr. COBDEN'S speech than the Times, with all its lenity. discerned. Apparently he has withdrawn his anathema from THCCYDIDES, for he held up to admiration the example of Athens. "We don't read," says Mr. CoBDEN ► in ancient THE PRESS. "Greece, when she sent forth her colonies, that " they became the teachers of the mother country. "No Athena always remained the teacher of " the whole world." Hence Mr. COBDEN infers that England ought not to be beaten by American manufacturers, as if pre-eminence for compara tively mechanical products were as permanently tenable as superiority in arts and literature. "The " chiselled l'arian of Athens always commanded the " colonial markets—then why not the cottons of " Manchester ? " To this implied reasoning there may be an answer humiliating to Mr. CoaDEN, and those who, like him, have always placed their chief reliance on our purely material advantages. STRIKES AND PALE ALE. THE Strike at Preston still centimes. The only change we have to notice is that the sneering tone in which a powerful portion of the press spoke of the weavers and mechanics, and on which we commented last week, is softened down into remonstra►►ce and advice. With Mr. Cosner, too, we can for once on an isolated point agree. In his address at Barnsley, which we have above referred to, in alluding to the strike, he said, nearly in the words we used last week, that if proper means were adopted—if the men, and also the master manufacturers—wore properly instructed in the relations which profits, prices, and the state of the labour market bore one to the other, these unhappy conflicts would never occur; but here Mr. ConoEs stopped. lie did not go ou to propose a practical mode in which instruction could be con veyed. This is a blank sheet, on which, if any one ambitious of fame honestly acquired could succeed in writing his name, he would go down to posterity as a benefactor of his country. It is remarkable that those who have sneered at the mechanics have adopted their strategy with re spect to hotel-keepers and brewers. At Burton the brewers have given notice of their intention to raise the price of pale ale, on account of the rise in the price of malt and hops ; and the public censors of the brewers now recommend the drinkers of pale ale to abstain from consuming it —or, in other words, to "strike." It certainly is a new and singular fea ture in our social economy that tradesmen and their customers cannot be left to manage their own affairs —that supply and demand should not be allowed to regulate prices without the interference of the free. trading journalist—and we certainly think that that portion of the press which does so interfere, in what ever light we may regard its function, occupies much the same position relatively to these questions as the professional agitators with regard to strikes, and may be twitted with the axioms of their own extempore Economics. llt ISH M ETA P H YSICS. THE titular " Bishop of Meath," who rejoices in the suggestive name of Cantwell, has declared his in ability to comprehend how, since his "Lordship" is not acknowledged by the law, the Income-tax Com missioners can recognise the fact of his annual in come ! Ile raises a metaphysical question on a plain matter of fact, and poor Mr. PothAnn l'INI'• HART seems as completely bewildered by Dr. I'ANT ww:s queries as if it were a revived controversy between the " Nominalists," represented by the titular prelates of the Roman Catholic Church, and the " Realists," supported by the Income-tax Com missioners. In Dr. CANTWELL'S anxiety "to know the reason why," we are snpprised that he did not apply to Sir JAMIN 61tAlIAM, the opponent of the "Aggression Hill;" or to Mr. Nr.ooa, the Irish Solicitor-tieneral. This Roman Catholic prelate has also been scandalised at the income-tax circular having been addressed simply to the " Reverend Doctor Cm:mt.:Lt.," leaving out the prefix of " Right." He would appear to think that, in this case, he may claim the benefit of a certain stereotyped aphorism ; and that, since his episcopal property has to pay " its duties," the owner should also be entitled to "its rights." Commissioner O'Fi.mtEarv, we pre sume, is in fault for not consulting more carefully the requirements of his coreligionist. THE BONES OF ST. THEOPOSTA. Os Tuesday, the 11th of October, the ceremonies con sequent on the reception of the bones of this saint at Amiens, her native place, commenced. In the Tablet the account occupies nearly eight columns. From it we learn that it is principally W the Cardinal Arch bishop of Rheims that Amiens is indebted for the inestimable blessing it thus enjoys, and of that emi nent Cardinal the Pope has spoken in terms that eammt be repeated before him for fear of hurting his modesty. St. TILE usrs's bones were obtained on terms of fair exchange, inasmuch as they were bar tered for those of St. VIATott. The transaction, of which a formal procis-tvrbia was drawn up, took place at Genoa, and certificates, identifYing the skele ton*, were duly exchanged. The box in which St. TuEoloosts was packed for transit having been opened, the citizens of Amiens spent an hour in con. tetuplating their illustrious compatriot," and then the hex was again closed and waled. "We need not say," says the chronicler, " how beautiful and &fleeting this ceremony was iu ita majestic St. TncooostA was not ungrateful for the honours done to her bones. She wrought a miracle the day they were entombed. A Scotch mist prevailed all the morning, but, by her miraculous intervention, ceased at noon, at which hour it is universally known to the weatherwise that no change in the weather ever occurs. At ttttt tgst the Cardinal Archbishops we notice, in pleasing alliteration, the name and title of WHIEMAII and Westminster ; and our old acquaintances of 'Tam and Dublin are cheek by jowl with Babylon and Bogota. The Saxon is not, we presume, respon sible for the insult to Ireland implied in the arrange ment by which Babylon and Bogota preceded Tuam and I/Wolin. Certain Saxons were, however, present, and among them says the Tablet," we observed a great " many English of distinction. We shall name Lady " Dorottry and Miss thulium Messrs. WHESIX and " Scorr MURRAY, Mr. and Mrs. MoSTEITH, of Carstaire " (Mr. MONTEITH bore the train of his " Cardinal Gorssrrt, Miss GLAPiToNE, sister of the " Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. and Mrs. stump, " Mr. and Mrs. IlEmssta, two Misses Gorizia, MM. " JimART and I/irony:ls [sic), Mr. and the Misses " Evsvos." In return for the compliment im plied by one of the names on the list, it would only be becoming in St. Tnconosta to assist in certain cow vemions for the benefit of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. JUNIUS. TO Tur. Ennui' or " THE Mtn." Sir, —Though, from reasons which I am not at liberty t►► disclose, I feel it imps►sible to comply with the suggestion of ,our correspondent " Rogattw," I gratefully acknowledge the err►r he has p►inted out of the substitution► of Lord Ge►rge Cavendish's name for that of Loral George W►ckville. The inaccuracy certainly was not one of those, qua. ineurig .faindit : it is rather attributable to the con fusion which is sometimes almost inevitable when writing under the distraction of a variety of conflict ing engagements; and at the moment when 1 last ventured to address you the fortunes of the lirst m►entioncd nobleman very forcibly attracted my attention. I avail myself of this opportunity to allude to • striking passage in the letters of Junius which I do not remember to have seen remarked on by any commentator. Towards the close of his correspon dence with Sir William Draper he says, with studied emphasis, " 1 believe, sir, you will never know me. A considerable time must certainly elapse before we are personally acquainted." Were those expressions merely random ambiguities thrown out to perplex inquiry, or hall they reference to any contemplated emigration t , ► son►e of our distant settlements in India or North America? I remain, sir, with distinguished respect, your 11111 . 11i1 . 11t ►u►d obliged servant. VIVAI3II. P.S.—" litigator's " quotation from a letter with the signature of " Domitiont" strengthens the conjecture that would em►ssly the shadow of a great name in the person of Thomas Lord Lyttitlton, who, notwith standing the many blemishes in Isis character, is universally allowed to have been eminently •ecom• TIIE EN QUEEN am 7111: FItENCH intends to prolong her residence at Geneva for two or three weeks. The health of her ex-Majesty is the cause of this delay of her journey into Italy, having, in consequence of her advanced age, rimmed serious uneasiness to her family and suite. A Ptu►ctAnAra(' was issued at Monday's Privy Council for the election of a Scotch representative peer, in the room of the late Lord Saltoun. l'ArriiN jct.u•4 Roticicni, of the Royal Marine Artillery, well known in the scientific world, has started for Salisbury, in opposition to General Buck- ley. Captain Roberts comes forward mi independent principles. The Speaker's writ for the new election was issued on the 114th. Toe French Minister of Agriculture, Coniraeree, soil Public Works ham addressed a circular to the tioverument engineers, in which he recommends them in their opera tions to pay the greatest possible respect to private pro• port y—tiot taking pisuwasi 111 l of any without having obtautt•d all the necessary autliorisathms and observed all dor for malities—and carefully retro; ' g from committing any newness injury on property which they may require to occupy temporarily. The circular recommends also that the engineers of companies that have obtained comes- NiOnti of public works or of railways shall act in the woe way.