The Press. — London, England, 1857-05-16 00:00:00

• ,•/"Zr7• t rt,6l+ No. 211.—VoL.V. LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 16, 1857. STAMPED ....SIXPENCE. UNSTAMPED..FIVEPENCE. rtss. pointments solely on professional grounds. Shortly afterwards the selection of Mr. Baron WATSON proved that political services were not without their weight, and the elevation of Mr. Sergeant CHANNEL (whose legal attainments are undisputed) made the whole Bar doubt as to whether the Ministry had any fixed rule for legal promotion. The state of business in Parliament, tl paucity of measures introduced by the Minis try, and the little likelihood of their few bills being passed by the Legislature, show that the Right Hon. Member for Bucks was right in his prophecy that we should " waste a year." The Legislature is to have a " Holiday Ses sion," and one might expect some crotchety Liberal to bring in a short measure for enact ing that grouse-shooting should commence on Whit Monday. His majority seems of as little use to the Premier as if he were bent in a pleasant humour on realising CHARLES TOWNSHEND'S de scription of" a lute-string Ministry, only fit for "summer wear." G.►Y's epitaph on himself might answer for the titlepage of a history of the Palmerston Ministry. He has got his majority ; he toys with it, and hopes to preserve it in health and spirits by keeping it from air and exercise. Measures would cause debates, and debates would produce differences of opinion, and the majority might get shaky on its Parlia mentary legs. It might sink down in prostra tion, or walk into the wrong lobby ; or, while the Minister proceeds with as little of " what " appeals to the eye as is practicable," the• majority might be deaf to Hayterian cadences in the dark, and think that" Bobbing Around " was the right tune for it, since the Premiet himself had been dancing to it for so long a time ! LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1857. A 'PEW days since, when some dramatic artists were playing in the provinces, the light went out, and performers and audience were left in total darkness. The manager of the entertain ment came forward and denounced the gas for " behaving in so unwarrantable a manner." After declaring that he could devise no remedy, he raised the previous question, and asked the audience, " Shall we proceed in the dark ?" The audience took the hint from the Minis— (we should write the manager), and then proceeded to introduce as many songs as possible with "as little appeal to the eye as " was practicable." These doubts were angrily expressed when it was known that the Recorder of London was nominated to the office of Solicitor- General. Against that Honourable and Learned Gentleman we do not say a word ; and if we were inclined to offer any disparagement, his ill-health would interpose. But, in the course of the last few days the circumstances under which the appointment was made have been severely commented upon, and regret has been expressed that a gentleman with the physical and mental vigour of Mr. Baron BRAMWELL had not been chosen to aid a Government in difficulties on Law Reform. The simple fact is that Lord PALMERSTON never cared to think about Law Reform when nominating Mr. STUART WORTLEY to the high post of Solicitor. General. It is singular that such parallel passages should simultaneously occur in the career of a Prime Minister and of a theatrical manager; but the Premier has always had much sym pathy with histrionic performances, and the actor in the provinces might have been one of thoseplastic beings called" Palmerstonians." It is certain that the First Lord of the Treasury is entirely in favour of going on in the dark, and when we look at the list of his measures of domestic legislation we see that the Noble Viscount entirely approves of " as little appeal "to the eye as is practicable." The manager would really have wished for the lights to born, whereas the Prime Minister in his reply to Mr. LOCKS KING on Tuesday eagerly de clared his preference for turning the gas off. The actor, also, was able to satisfy his audience by musically addressing their ears ; it is a question for Parliament to any whether the Premier's performances without lights deserve applause or condemnation. For at every step of Lord PALMERSTON'S pro gress the fact becomes more palpable that the Noble Viscount has no policy. Twelve months since, on Mr. MIALL'S motion, Lord PALMERS TON made a strong speech in defence of the Irish Church, yet on Thursday night his Lordship gave his full consent to Mr. FAGAN'S " Ministers' Money Bill," which is only the Appropriation Clause revived in another form. A. principle of the highest importance is involved in this question; but Lord PALMERS TON treats the subject as if it were merely a piece of parochial legislation. Of Law Reform it is already plain that there will be no performances in this session. Lord CRANWORTH is not likely to improve as a legislator, and the Attorney-General totters under his official labours. The unfortunate illness of the Solicitor-General, and the in aptitude of the Noble Lord on the Woolsack, constitute great obstacles to all practical im provements. The caprice shown in the distri bution of the legal patronage cancels the Ministerial merit in some of the law appoint ments. When Mr. Justice WILLES and Mr. Baron BaAmwEm. were elevated to the Bench, it was boasted that the Cabinet made its legal ap- ATEST EDITION. This " praying in the dark " by Lord PAL miterozi cannot possibly please. Musicians too confident in their capacity sometimes produce enraged audiences, and sibillation only could follow a Dutch concert between such a trio as the CHANCELLOR and the present Crown lawyers. People will not forget the ready abilities shown on this important sub ject by consummate jurists like Sir FITZROY KELLY and Mr. NAPIEh, not to speak of the large legal reforms vigorously carried out by Lord ST. LEONARDS during his term of the Chancellorship. So also in his Ministerial nominations the Prime Minister's mode of managing cannot be clearly seen. Sir JOHN RAMSDEN is un questionably a young politician of promise, but the War-office, one might suppose, is not exactly the quarter in which the Honourable Baronet's abilities would be best utilised for the country. In the Colonial Department Mr. CHICHESTER FORTESCUE iS chosen to fill the post vacated by Mr. BALL. The Member for Louth is an ardent " pro-Catholic " in Irish politics, and there have been strong complaints in recent years that the Roman Catholics of the Colonies have been indefatigable in pro mating the interests of their Church. When Lord JOHN RUSSELL filled the office of Secre tary for the Colonies, the Noble Lord showed some vigilance with regard to Roman Catholic progress ; and we observe that in the current number of the Dublin Review the Prime Minister is lauded for his liberality towards the Roman Catholics, while the official favours given by him are gratefully enumerated. The Dublin Review rightly estimates the Premier. He would walk into Westminster Abbey with Lord SHAFTESBURY on one arm, and Cardinal WISEMAN on the other He is for episcopal appointments in England show ing the merits of "high blood" and "Low Church." He is for invading the principle of the Establishment in Ireland, and for con firming the hopes of the Roman Catholics by choosing the pro• Catholic Mr. CHICHESTER FORTESCUE to succeed Mr. BALL, who was an avowed Roman Catholic How culpable is the vacillation, or how ridiculous is the incon sistency, of a statesman who makes appoint ments with such carelessness of con sequences! LIBELLOUS JOURNALISM. " Liberty of criticism must be allowed, or we " should neither have purity of taste nor of " morals. Fair discussion is essentially ne " cessary to the truth of history and the ad " vancement of science. That publication, " therefore, I shall never consider as a libel " which has for its object not to injure the " reputation of any individual, but to correct " misrepresentations of fact, to refute sophis " tical reasoning, to expose a vicious taste in. " literature, •n• to censure what is hostile to " morality." Such, in a leading case, were the remarks of a Judge distinguished no less for the vigour of his intellect than for his legal attainments; and subsequent experience has fully justified the practical wisdom of the rules thus laid down by Lord ELLENROROUOII. And what gives additional weight to this masterly opinion is, that Lord ELLENBOROUGH was a great magistrate, sternly opposed to all anarchic licentiousness aping the spirit of true liberty. But although the right of fair and free dis cussion is now clearly established, as well in questions of literature and taste as in politics, the law of libel is still, in one point of view, notoriously defective. We allude to the rule as exemplified in a case recently tried before the Court of Queen's Bench, .rhii journalist from reporting - what occurred at a public • that meeting may have virtue of an Act of Pail BELL has very properly the Legislature to this things, and a committee has been appointed with a remedy. We believe ' inquiries must lead to a, upon the point in questi, In fact, it. is now one of the recognised tione of the public press to report the - 1 7 1 h'7 a~ ch, which prohibits a t o "i VaIyA N ng, except at L;1. 0 : rneeting,e • 0 - pa.LIT - 1, e been su • c 4 r l "*l'.' - -(4 0 ,rliament. :12 0 3 4 1.‘,. :-7 called the; 11 1 .1!"- -- ' : : ilk 3 anomalo. .....r-ireif, ee of the • • 7:i•%. 4 1":fq 7i, h the vier ;r -4 ' ll' ‘" - ' Ins -40 i 44.) 6‘ ..., 4 0 that there.. - ~‘__., ._,.--- ' all alterati • . 16 -a' ' '"•w : Lion. sed hum. proceed,