The Press. — London, England, 1853-08-06 00:00:00

. 44 d) 1/4 Q , ',- A', #4 • ttli6 No. 14.—VoL. I. itte rtss. LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 0, lEi53. THE funds continue falling—the journals, especially those under the influence of Lord ABERDEEN, keep scattering doubtful or despair ing voices—every day the news from the seat of war is more alarming, and every night the speeches of her Majesty's Government more bellicose. Our commerce is disturbed, and our finance is paralysed. And yet we are in formed that, in their private and confidential eheles, the Ministers declare that there is not only now no danger of war, but that the peril, ii it ever existed, has been long averted. It seems that the propositions formally forwarded to St. Petersburg, and the return of which is awaited by the nation with so much anxiety, have been previously approved by the Emperor; and while the British. Government, in public. countenance a tone which is exercising a deleterious influence on the trade of the country, in private they treat the panic as at hoax, scoff at any idea of war having ever been seriously contemplated by any power, and speak of the misunderstanding in question as " a thing that has 'been settled these three " weeks." What does all this mean? What is the mystery of all this conduct, apparently at once both profligate and inept? The propositions now at St. Petersburg, and which were approved by the Emperor before they were transmitted to St. Petersburg, in volve a complete concession by Turkey to Russia of all those demands, a resistance to which brought about the present war between these two countries. Those demands were resisted by the Porte under the counsel, and at the special instigation, of England and France. By the advice, and at the special in stigation, of England and France, those de mands, according to this project, are now to be complied with. True, there is some change of form by which the dangerous and humi liating surrender is to be accomplished. But there is nothing material in that change, and the Russian Government, as was afterwards shown, would have cheerfully acceded to the alteration without the interference of the allies of Turkey. The Emperor of RUSSIA, in virtually establishing his protectorate over the great bulk of the population of European Turkey, is to declare that, in so doing, he has no wis h to impugn the sovereign rights of the Sultan. Magnanimous admission ! It is about a month ago since we ourselves became acquainted with this project. Our readers will find it referred to in the number of our journal of the 9th July, when we stated that "something ignominious was impending." It is in itself a surrender at discretion ; and the question naturally arises why, if Lord ABERDEEN and his confederates were prepared for such a conclusion, they should have en couraged the Porte to a course which has cx hausted the resources of the power they wished to preserve, has inflicted incalculable injury on the commercial interests of Europe, and dangerously agitated the political passions of every state ? LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1853. But then it is said that we are to be com pensated for this humiliating concession by obtaining the evacuation of the invaded prin cipalities. Let us see how this is. if the concession of the Russian demands was deemed by us injurious, if not fatal, to the in tegrity and independence of Turkey kfore the invasion of the principalities, the withdrawal of the Russian armies from those countries will only restore us to our original position. Turkey will be in the same state as she was when Prince MEssenixoys thundered at the Divan; and we thought that a condition of peril, not to say of contingent ruin. But ad nut that after so many complications, after the revelation of so many designs - , so many dangers. and so many weaknesses, the retreat of Russia, however partial or voluntary, from any object, may bring some degree of tran quillity, if not of triumph, to the " great powers," what reason have we to believe that that retreat is about to be aeeomplished ? It is understood that when the" ignominious" project was first planned, the evacuation was not made a condition peremptory, but was left to be a spontaneous suggestion of the invader. France, whose Minister is the only statesman throughout the affitirwho has shown. a becoming spirit, would not listen to this cringing scheme, and insisted on the evaeua tion being a condition not only peremptory, but precedent. The pulse of the Emperor was felt on this point, and his Imperial Majesty with a smile made no difficulty of the evaeua tion becoming a condition, and even a condi tion precedent, of the solution. And it. is upon this incident that the gifted body of individuals who fill the council chamber of our Queen, and monopolise all the abilities and discrimination of our country, have built their conviction that the " atlair is settled, and has been settled for weeks." The formal answer of the Emperor of RUSSIA to the propositions cannot be long delayed. What if, while it admits their principles and apparently embraces their spirit, its adroit and ambidextrous phniseology renders time chief condition impossible ? The resources of Russian diplomacy are not easily exhausted. It has never yet deigned to anything so obvious as a straightforward answer. What if, while it accepts concessions, it accompanies its expiatory act with impracticable details ? Where will Loud A BEUDE EN be then? What will he do? Will he still wish to negotiate? There is reason to believe that France, under such circumstances, will defer no longer to " antiquated imbecility." There is reason to believe that she will act, and instantly. Are the Ministers, who hold that " all is settled." prepared to eo-opi.rate with her ? is the French fleet to be in the Black Sea, and the British fleet to remain in Besika Bay? It is to be hoped that the news may arrive during a naval review at Spithead. What a salute will greet and honour the Minister of England! THE oBSCURANTISTS IN IRELAND, &v. IT is not at all improbable that events now oc curling behind the scenes at Dublin may lead to political consequences of importance. The National Board of Education has never been popular with the ultramontanists. The system was not fr red by its founder, Lord DERBY, as the most perfect that could be de vised in theory, but as the only one that the PRICE SIXPENCE. State could eousistently establish in Ireland To educate the Roman Catholics through the old Protestant schools was manifestly impos• Bible, especially after the act of 1529. On the other hand, for the State to found Roman Catholie schools, and to allot public money for their separate support, would be enacting a rule that would, in its working, prove a lever for overthrowing the Protestant Church. It is obvious. however, that this is the point that Dr. Cuti.rm and the ultramontanists are aim ing to rea c h. This is the end to which they are desirous of arriving by circuitous ap proaehem. They attack Archbishop WHATELY ostensibly in order to damage the Board ; and, as soon as they shall have destroyed that, they hope upon its ruins to erect an ascendancy over educational influences in Ireland. Nor are they without hopes of obtaining English allies in what. Lord ions BussEL'. would have called, three years since, " their " insolent and insidious" schemes. On Tues day last a journal, notorious amongst the daily press for its scarcely-eoneealed patronage of their intention, exulted at the approaching obsequies of the National Board. Its invidious lingerie was displayed in innuendoes against what it was pleased to " colourless Chris " tianity" and " negative religion," while it went the length of asserting that the Board was expiring of " menility." It happens, in deed. that, owing to deaths and official changes, the National Board within the last five years has reeeived a reinforcement of several new members, amongst others Mr. Mearillf (the Master in Chancery), Sir THOMAS ItainNoToN, and the Roman Catholic clergyman, Dean MErum ; while, in respect of its efficiency, although it is no 1114)151 than twenty-three years old, it has now half a million of children attending its schools. ivith nearly six thousand teachers ; and with this vast machinery it requires for its purposes in the present session of Parliament a grant of no less than 1,13,000/. We tunice these imputations upon the effi ciency of the National Board, not, however, for their importance, but as the symbols of a policy yet unrevealed. For our part, we be lieve the choice lies between the system founded by Lord Maar and Obscurantism. awe up the national system, and the °barn nudists must triumph. The Irish Roman Catholics are too poor to build schools and support teaclors. They did not do so when their country was more prosperous than now, and it is absurd to suppose that Parliament would give nearly two hundred thousand pounds yearly to en Irish educational system presided over by the priests. At the seine tirrae tt would be rash to under-estimate the audaeity of the allies of Cardinal Whentss in the Cabinet. We may, possibly, yet hear of the appropriation clause in another shape— viz., that of separate sectarian education in Ireland, with the sanction and support of the State. It is not improbable that some plan of the kind is now bona elaborated under Cul lenian auspices to be advocated in due count' with tibulsbutiatti subtlety. In ISM, at the somouncement of certain propositions, the Whig party was rent asunder, and Sir JAMES intunm " knows the cease,' why." He and his colleagues may require to be refreshed as to a similar inquisitive disposition in the public, if they palter with proposals which tend in the same direction. The proceedings of Thursday in the Ho-so of Commons furnished two more instsme..* of the prevailing disposition on the M; isteeial (