The Press. — London, England, 1853-12-10 00:00:00

DECEMBER 10, 1853. putation or its fortunes is legitimate matter of inquiry for them. This would be the ease even if Professor MArnicee inquiries were considered upon the whole successful. But they may question their success. There will be found in his writings many things which most people think novel, though their author finds them in the Bible and the Creeds. There is a view of the Athanasian Creed, of the Atonement, the Judgment, and Eternal Life. These weighty topics are beyond the cognisanee of a newspaper. but not of the conned. Mr. MAURICE'h theory of them may seem to that body vague and indefinite ; or. where definite. erroneous. If such is the result they have arrived at. the public will hardly fee'. that iu acting upon their decision the council have in any way compromised the Church of England or exceeded their fnctions. Most men will probably overlook the yOlBOll4 which Dr. JEEP' has put forward to get at broader and safer standing-ground. They will accord to the directors of a great place of education the right to maintain its efficiency by all moral and lawful means, without raising the cry that "the Church of England is in danger," when the latter see fit to make a change in the stall of their professors. THE BURMESE WAR. Wa do not say, with many of our contempo raries, that the third Burmese war has begun, for in truth that into which Lord DALHOUSIE SO hastily rushed has never been concluded, and the state of armed inactivity which now prevails is more harassing to the troops em ployed than open and decisive hostility. We have written •' more harassing"—we might have added, •' afore tidal;" for the mind affects the body, excitement wards off disease which inaction fosters, and the loss in a campaign would probably have fallen fur short of that which pestilence has wr►ught in an equal time among listless, unoccul►ied soldiers. t nu. success in the ensuing struggle may be hoped for rather than counted on. British armies are untrained to guerilla war the South African air was felt to be blundered, though no one knew exactly how to lay his finger on the blot ; on the Afghan hills we have been held in play by robber-tribes, on whom we ►aut make nu impression. Will it be otherwise in Bulimia!' ? But, in the event of success, where is all this to end? It was a just criticism on AtEx- ANDER weeping that he did foolishly, for that he had more glory to gain by consolidating his empire than by extending it. This task remains for England. With Indir a ► railroads completed, a third of the Anglo-Indian army might have been disbanded, the maintenance of 100.000 awn saved, and a fund created wherewith either to reduce the debt now ex isting, or to early on fresh works of territorial improvement. But these pr►jects, lately prac ticable, are now visionary. Setting aside the cost of conquest, and looking at the matter in purely commercial point of view, a new terri tory cannot be annexed without considerable outlay. Such outlay may or may not be re paid in the end—our recent experience is not encouraging on that score—but the original loss is matter of certainty. We do not here allude to Pegu, but to Ava, and the upper valley of the Irrawaddy ; for let no one imagine that, having subdued Burmah, we can do otherwise than appropriate it. The thing is impossible. Our pr►tectorate has always ended in annexa tion. Lord DALHOUsIE only avows whet many persons think when he says that it ought so to end. The course of attars is well-nigh in variable. A native sovereign left on it tributiny throne either anion its to our rule or plots against it. In the former case he loses the good will of his people, is conspired against, possibly de throned ; British bayonets appear is the dis tance. the insurrection ceases, order returns, and things are replaced on their old footing— minus the King; it being found more conve nient to govern directly than by proxy. If the mock Monarch be himself an enemy in disguise, the affair becomes more complicated. In that case the revolt is better planned and better timed ; probably embarrassing for a season, perhaps even dangerous. Still its THE PRESS. occurrence. sooner or later. and its final result. are both events that may be counted upon. If Ilurmah be permanently occupied, it must be annexed, let the expense and trouble of the ' process be what they may. " But why not march to Ava," say some, "if that measure of intimidation be necessary ; hold it for a few weeks it. terrurem, and then retire ?" We answer, because, in all likelihood, such a step would result in nothing except renewed hos tilities, with increased exaspt ration. A mere foray on the Burmese capital proves nothing as regards our power. It must he held, if only for a time. But once let an occupation by at foreign army begin, and two parties are immediately formed among the natives of the country occupied. The prudent and time serving speedily make their terms with the new comers. he more patriotic hold aloof. anti devise plans of liberation and vengeance. Between these two a deadly feud arises. When the occupying force retires. those who have taken its part remain destitute of defence, and exposed to the most terrible retribution. COllllllOll justice. common humanity. forbid that they should be left unprotected. An illustration is not far to seek. Our enforced retreat from Afghanistan caused the death, torture, or plunder of every Afghan chief who had sided with our protege, Shah SOOJAII. In Seinde, until lately, the return of the Talpur dynasty was dreaded for the mune reason. Hence the impossibility of a short occupation, not to mention that, in Asiatic eyes, to retire from a point once (templed is always and neeessanly a sign of weaknes. The conclu sion follows readily. Invasion is useless with out occupation—occupation will do more harm than good to our influence unless it be permit neat—permancut occupation implies a pro tectorate—and a protectorate, under whatever Willie it begins, must end in unne%ation. To this we have come, almost without option or alternative ; fur, be' the justice of the quarrel what it may, claims of self-preservation are pantmoant, and 111Ac , :alAVE1.1.1 WKS right when he counselled his prince either to eonciliate by kindness one whom he had injured, or else utterly to destroy him. Fur the former course it is now too late; the second alone remains We are tighting—it is idle to deny it—in a cause as bad as that of the Russian Czar ; yet the English nation may find some partial ex cuse in its habitual apathy where Indian ques tions are involved, in the studied secrecy of its diplomacy, and in the still defended and prolonged irresponsibility of the India-house. CUSTOMS REFORM, AND "A FORMER CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER." IN the City article of the Times on Thursday last a statement was made commendatory of the report which the committee of merchants have issued on the subject of Customs Reform. Our contemporary remarked that this report showed the unwillingness "of a former Chancellor of the Exchequer " to adopt improvements. " The leading journal of Europe" takes pride in exactitude : its columns are alwa y s open to correct mistatements which have appeared la its pages. May we suggest that the latitude expression in which it has indulged on this occasion is almost equivalent to a mistatement y " A former Chancellor of the Exchequer " is rather indefinite ; it may mean any one of those Ministers who have flourished within " the wide and comprehensive" limits of this generation. We will dispel our con temporary's studied ambiguity. The following is the passage to which he refers " In the month of June, lM 11, a deputation from the St. Katharine's Dock Company, including some of the first names in the City, waited upssn the then titans...llov of the Exchequer, to ripest the request of r thorough investiga tion of the charges against that company. awl were told with considerable sharpness by Sir I - hails* wood, that the Case was with the law °Meets of the ers.wn, and must go to a juts.•'' From another " former Chancellor of the Exche quer" the committee received different treatment.. Him also we will take the liberty of identifying : "The deputation had the satisfaction of learning from Lord I►,'rl , y, and Mr. Itisraeli, then t•haneellor of tits. Ex• cherp►er, that the consolitintion of the law was in proitremN. and that a Treasury minute upon the Customs would, in all probability. be laid upon the table of the House before Christmas. The Ministry, howe‘er, defeated on the budget. ►reigned, and the ezpeettt' of the committee of being able AO anon to congratulate the eommervial com munity upon the fultilment of the laborious trust they hail undertaken was disappointed." 747 Into the revolt we will not enter; its length pre vents us doing it justice, 111141 it 41111 lie obtained gratuitously ; I it , we may rein Ark that the gentlemen from whom it emanates are a isominittee appointed by eight hundred nierehants and traders, repre ss every party in polities." (If the xerdict of such a jury in favour of the administrative capaeity of the late 0.0 - eminent their leaders may well ha prowl. sir Cii ss with considei able r,lerreil the committee to his Attorney - front Lora 1 1 1.:It14% . and Mr. " the% haul the satisfaction of hearing that the eon - of ills law was in progress." Well, "the " Chairmen ot Quarter Sessions " hail, alter all, aomething ill them ;at lea-t they could attend to figues, Ai-vomits, tea, sugar, tobacco, and ledger,. They could attend to the wants of the mereatitilo community. This the point in whit+ a man of genius" CitAitt.r.s Wool, ! is a lw a ys de ficient. lint he has so much to 114. pnanl of that tha Tinter mig . it mimed hits. The present fees' dent of t'i s It.uiril is as easy to print as " a former of the Exelietier; - emelt 110.1 the merit of alliteration, and, as a iiittetititin of literary eiimisisition, there is not 1111101 to elloOse littgiVeen ; besides, ill the midst Of share lists and vulgar frael .11s critical niceties are out of phiee. 'l',l a Man of genius like Sit' CH 1111.1.% Wt.tli , , the brilliant au thor of 111:111% eolliposed ill %ii %holt .parr aif lime, to be 4ietivielll in I: d. and I 3 WOlll.l I.i• no discredit --it is what inight lie expected ; whereas it would hate liven only justi c e 1 0 w h i m that his successor, it' he could not vie with Sir Cii %it'll illit.lteA elotillellee, could prove himself, ut all et ems, a man of hnsinrss com)ietent to itimiliirge tho of chancellor of the Exche quer in a great mereantile RI'SsIIN slill'S ANI► DESERTERS. A t vT%I.t iv attaches to the battle of Navarino. Not only w:►, it su " untoward event " in itself, lint the arrival of the Russian ship named after it with a comp:a:lion nt Portsmouth may he similarly SOllle of the crew deserted: when within twenty miles of London they were overtaken by a Russian iitlircr Kel . l 0'111)8'14.41 by a im.lieelll6lll of POrt. , lll4.llth, Uhl, brought theta back to the ships. Si line persons in this country, represesittl by Boxy os, an attorney, o'itained • writ of Imbeds corpses, which writ way served upon a Hayslett Aker, lie being then on board the Victorious, an ship. The piece of parchment, it is said, he treated with contempt ; the s•iloilt were ktionteit, and thus, for a time, the matter has ended. It is easy to talk of serfs, and Toast that " the instant " the slave, AT.," conies to England he iv free ; belt we cannot tor a moment admit that Hessians are slaves in the ordinary sense of the word, or that, even if they were, sailors could be regarded in the same light as other slaves, or that the Russian officer on whom the writ wits served is outswerable for the production of th.' 111011. At the time he r• ceived the writ they w'ei'r in the custody of his supe rior iitlicer. The isiliee Pi.rtsminsils rendered assistanee us equating the men tinder a conventiesi between England mill Russia, binding us to ;cite such facilities to prevent di srrtiuu ; f o i st it would Is• MI 111 time to !weak treaties now, when we are in sisting that Russia should observe awns. i me e tin board the Russian ship, the power of the Hessian supa•nor officer over the filets was absolute : onr own naval eiasitsianders have similar power, and oreatiionally reviirt to cogent measures to recover deserters. Lately, in a Chinese port, an English captain would not m.miit any vessel to move, or send a boat ashore, until wane 'seamen who had "nut " were given up to him. If it be negml that our men enter the navy vithintarily, and, therefore, having made a bargain, eats iw comiwilrit to abide by it, but that the Russians are forced into their navy, what, we ask• would be said of Well its pressed? Impressment is Clot quite so out of date as the reek ; the ballot fur the militia i tint very unlike it ; snit it the argument that the..e men were forced into the Russian navy be &theodolite'', and dm general allegation that Hessians are serfs is fallen hack on, then our Russian merchants may close their trade ; for MI Russian ship—and many ensile to our north-eastern ports- -would tench on a shore where any one might deprive her ot• her cr.•w by a piece of parliament and at speech commencing " the moment the slave, &v.,' and ending with "manumitted." 1;1' Itl.l N 4 iTi is .1101:SE. ►it I: rea.turs are i rihably aware BUlrilligke• 11 , 01•••• be Sal, ftnd that 41).4111104w% are already 1, 11 . Cr pulling it dn►►u , yelling t h i tun+ tiny, anti letting the ground Out wheel% it %taint.' 'the 'wild and well built • •••••••••••••Ig