The Press. — London, England, 1854-02-25 00:00:00

- FEBRUARY 25, 1854• rolled us nearer to eternity, you shall not have, under the cover of a " Board of National Edu cation," established at British cost a potent ally to the Propaganda, and have actually stopped the reformation in Ireland, that seems now providentially ordained ! But Nought can England rue If England to herself be true; and at this point we will answer the questions of those readers who may desire to know our advice upon the momentous subject of the Irish Board. All that we desire, at present, upon this grave question are strict public inquiry and vigilance. The first, thanks to the practical sagacity of the late excellent Viceroy of Ire land, Lord Eglinton, has been secured for us; and it will not be our fault if due attention be not from time to time given to the question. The House of Lords will nominate a commit tee of investigation into the whole subject ; and even already the debate of last week has renewed public attention on this vital subject. The whole question will be examined strictly upon the issue as stated in the " Petition of Patrons of National School." They have de manded inquiry into the arbitrary acts of the board, and they have required security against the religious element being extruded from the system. They request attention to the singular circumstance of books, previously approved by the board in the days of the tole rant Archbishop Murray, being now removed at the suggestion of the supporters of the ul tramontane Dr. Cullen. And here we must specially notice the con duct of the Prime Minister in the debate of last week. Audacity is not the quality that we would look for from " antiquated imbecility," but it really required excessive assurance in Lord Aberdeen to tell the House of Lords that the system of the National Board had not in, anywise suffered from the retirement of Archbishop Whately ! To support this as sertion, it was said that in 1852 the number of schools under the board was 4,953, and that in 3 ith reached 5,07 Archbishopll2 of Dub lin's retirement. But, as Mr. Burke said, " Two and two do not always make four in " political arithmetic." Was there, forsooth, no moral loss to the system on the retirement of one of its most revered upholders? Would it be said that an army suffered no loss in the fall of one of its best generals because " 112" raw recruits had been attached to it ? Or, in computing the value of his crops in one season against another, would an agriculturist only look to the numeration of acres under tillage, and pay no regard to the character of the produce, arising from the vicissitude of the season or the presence of a blight? And if, under the auspices of an Aberdeen Cabinet, the aphis vastator of Popery is to settle upon the upspringing harvest of scriptural religion in Ireland, what satisfaction, truly, will it be to learn that " 112" more fields have been tilled for the pestilence to work upon ? And, lastly, let not our readers be deceived by those who raise a cant cry of " intole rance" against the supporters of the views of the Protestant seceders from the board. Upon this point we have, in the report of the debate in the House of Lords, the conclusive testimony of the Earl of Desart and the Earl of Donoughmore to the fact, that on our side there is no intolerance. Lord Desart declared that " the real fault in the " existing system of the board consisted in " the fact that the management had fallen into " the hands of men who took a greater interest " in the welfare of the Roman Catholic Church " than in the spread of education ;" and Lord Donoughmore confessed " that for himself he " did not wish to se e the s y stem of education " paid for by Parliament out of the publ ng ic " money carried on u nder any proselyt, system, on the one s ide or the other. It will be recollected, also, that Lord Desert wir Colonial Under-Seeretary in Lord Derby Ministry, and that the Earl of Donoughmore was selected by Lord Derby as mover of the address in 1853 ; and, amongst the rising members of the House of Peers, few give more promise of practical ability than both these noble lords. To resume, we have drawn attention, first, of the anxiety exist in g u p on the question of THE PRESS. the National Board in its relations to the Church of Rome ; secondly, to the aspect of the subject under a Coalition Ministry ; thirdly, its imperial importance as a precedent ; fourthly, to the covert course of Rome upon the subject ; fifthly, to the advantages enjoyed by Irish Romanists over English sectaries ; and, rejoic ing in the fact that a committee of the House of Lords will investigate the petitions of " Patrons of National Schools," we will keep our eyes upon the inquiry. So enormous are the fallacies of " Liberalism" on the religious question in Ireland that we may take an early opportunity of pointing out certain facts, con veniently or purposely hidden by superficial investigators of Ireland and " her difficulty." Algeria. The Topography and History, Poli tical, Social, and Natural, of French Africa. By John Reynell Morell. London : Cooke. Tins is in many respects the best English de scription of Algeria that we have. Professedly a compilation, it embodies the substance of nearly all that has been written on the sub ject, well arranged and condensed into small space. A work of this kind is meant rather for reference than reading; it is more a guide book than a history ; but, among much matter of little interest except to the geographical or political student, we find descriptions and in cidents of war which attract both by their novelty and the style in which they are re lated. These Mr. Morell has had the judg ment to extract or translate, for the most part, without alteration. Of his original wilting we cannot say much in praise ; his style alter nates between bombast and slang; and if this book comes to a second edition, as it deserves to do, we earnestly recommend him to expunge a preliminary dissertation concerning things in general, on which we fear he values himself as a model of fine writing, but which to us seems flippant, conceited, and in the worst possible taste, besides having nothing more to do with Algeria than with the new Reform Bill. Who that buys a guide-book wants to be told that " the regeneration of man is " daguermotyped in characters of light, but " we are blind to God's photographic art: the " age of reason and the reign of love is mapped " out by unearthly hands on our parlour " tables, but we are deaf to the summons of " the seventh heaven"? Let Mr . Morell stick to facts, and forswear the fustian which he mistakes for eloquence. Algeria divides 'itself naturally into three belts or zones—the maritime zone, the Tell of the Arabs, reaching from the mountain ranges to the sea ; the pastoral uplands lying imme diately to the south of this ; and the sandy desert beyond. This last increases in sterility as you go farther southward : towards the northern frontier, where it borders on the mountains, it supports a considerable popula tion, the sea of sand being interspersed with an archipelago of oases. On the Mediterra nean side are no rivers of magnitude, but oc casional torrents, and water enough beneath the surface for purposes of navigation. The French colony extends about 625 miles from east to west, and from 150 to 500 in a north and south direction. Marshal Bugeaud com puted the native population at between three and four millions; but this estimate is usually . considered as au exaggeration. The use of the province—the probability of its ever re paying the vast sums expended upon it—was a subject repeatedly discussed in the French Chambers; but to abandon a conquest is often harder than to win one : sentiment forbids what reason recommends. Moreover, France requires an outlet somewhere : Africa at pre sent supplies her requirement; and a trans marine possession, distant only 450 miles from the mother country, has the advantage of being under the control, and almost under the inspection, of the home Government. It a t is poss ible that a few years mor e may see ele graph laid across the Mediterranean, and Oran and Constantine brought within immediate reach of Paris. The cost of the colony has been In 1844, a ft er the battle of Isly, the enormous. expense to Government was computed at 26,85e0 e 0,0001., against which the re was nothing to t on th credit side of the account except 2,000,000/. and of t reas ure found in Algiers at its capture a 185 rather less than the same sum, the collective revenue of fourteen years' occupation; being altogether a loss by the concern of twenty-two millions and a half. The military expenses have continued steadily to increase : Clausel in 1830 commanded 37,000 men ; Bugeaud, to whom the subjugation of the Kabyles is owing, operated with 100,000. The regular strength of the Algerine army has varied on an average from 60,000 to 80,000 of all arias. Be • sides the actual loss of money, African war has reacted unfavourably on the French character. It is, indeed, singular how large a space 'w ales and petty frontier skirmishes in Kabylia occupy iu the Parisian imagination, while our Burmese and Kaffrarian campaigns pass unno ticed in London, and the possession of India, with a population fiftyfold that of Algeria, has in no perceptible degree influenced our na tional ideas. Colonisation in its true sense remains still unattempted in French Africa. In 1850 the total European population did not exceed 126,000 ; and of these 6 large portion consist of the scum and refuse of the French towns, sent off as a riddance to the mother country, not as a gain to the colony. Deducting the civil administrators and their retinue, the camp-followers, and the population engaged in trade, it appears that the number of Euro pean agriculturists falls considerably short of the number of soldiers sent for their protec tion. Thus the caricature was scarcely an exaggeration which represented a man digging, with two others standing behind him in uni form, carrying muskets and fixed bayonets, to keep off the Arabs. It is as a scene of mili tary display and military teaching—as a Chob - ham on a larger scale—that the Algerine occu pation has answered the objects of its pro moters. Skilful generals have been formed, and daring deeds done, at the expense of a few barbarians whose murder by wholesale creates no sensation in Europe. Bugeaud belonged to an older school ; but Changarnier, Cavai gnac, Lamoriciere, Canrobert, and Bedcau owe their fame to Kabyle campaigns. With some brief notice of these we close this article Describing Bugeaud's campaigns, CesteUane says " Blows like these can only be struck by an army that has more than reliance iu its commander. It must have re spect and love for him. Such were, iu fact, the sentiments that Marshal Bugeaud had succeeded in inspiring in his soldiers. Who amongst U 8 has been able to 'forget his noble countenance and his noble heart? In their familiar way of speaking, the soldiers had christened him Pere Bu geaud. And they were right ; for his solicitude for their welfare equalled his affection for them. Easy and commu nicative, he felt happy among his troops, as iu the bosom of his family : his language, full of good humour, went at once to the heart of the soldiers. They all felt indebted to him for losing sight occasionally of his high rank ; and the respect they bore him was only increased by this con descension. It was in times of danger that ' Richard was himself again.' In those seasons all eyes were turned to wards him, being certain to find a direction and precise orders ; or, if the danger became imminent for all, common safety." The name of Bugeaud is associated with many of the most important successes of the French arms in Africa. He beat Abd-el-Kader on the Sikkak, near Tlemsen, in 1836 ; he overthrew the army of Morocc' at Isly in 1844 ; and he subdued the greater part of Kabylia Proper In 1846 ; showing the greatest decision and the most deter mined courage throughout. Marshal Bugeaud, who was created Duke of Isly after his victory, had servedunder Napoleon at Saragossa ( 1809), as we have prev u iously seen, and p re sided over Algeria as governor-general from 1841 to 1846. He died at Paris, of cholera, in 1849 . • • • • • • Perhaps the most brilliant of Changarnier's achieve ments was the forcing of the Pass of the Oued-lodha, near Milianah, in September, 1812. Never did &French column run such risks. With a thousand men he was envelope d in frightful ravines, while whol e p o p ulations of hostile Arabs and Kabyles rushed upon him. But Cavaignac was there ; the zouaves, the chaseeurs d'Orleans, and the chas seurs d'Afrique were there ; and Changarnier command e d. " Calm and impassible," says Caatellane, " Gen. Changarnie r was at the rearguard, enveloped in his little caban of white wool, a target for all the bullets ; and giving his orders with a coolness and distinctness that gave confidence to the troops, and doubled their ardour. Not a moment's wavering was seen iu that daring eye ; his heart seemed to swell with the danger. The column advanced, the mountains re-echoing to the tempest of battle. He led a charmed life amidst the showers of bullets, that seemed to increase his coolness. Seldom have soldiers shown more courage; but the chief knew how to com mand, and his men to obey." Lamping informs us (1841) that " General Changan fl ier, who commanded us , is known by she Changan e as a brave soldier. who exacts the very utmost from others as well as from himself, and who accordingly moat commonly succeeds in hie enterprises. He is more feared than loved by the men, who say, ' C'est un homme dur cc Changer nier.' He appears to be a few years above 50, powerfully built, but with a face somewhat weather-beaten by the