The Press. — London, England, 1856-09-20 00:00:00

THE WEEK. OUR readers will do us the justice to recollect that several months ago we announced that a great change was about to take place in the policy of the Court of St. Petersburg. On the 16th of February last, when it was the fashion to rave about the barbarity and insincerity of Russia, and to insist that the pacific negotiation in progress was merely a Muscovite device to gain time, we sketched the past policy of the Emperor NICHOLAS, and showed that, representing in his person the military system of the empire, he was in a manner compelled to persevere in that system to avoid the change which the advocates of a more pacific and industrial policy desired. We are sure our readers will excuse our quoting some sentences we then penned, to show the accuracy of our information at that time : Throughout his reign, he (the Emperor Nicholas) had nursed the strength of his army as essential to the triumph of the traditional policy of Russia. Lately he perceived that that policy must be abandoned, or that a great though desperate effort must be made to abandon it. The present Emperor is the representative of an opposite system, and of more enlightened ideas. He believes that the greatness of a country depends less on the amount of its armed force than on the progress, wealth, and intelligence of its people. With great skill and judgment, he has taken advantage of events to secure that policy of peace and industrial development of which he was always the votary.—THE PRESS, February 16, 1836. These views have received remarkable confirmation this week in the manifesto issued by the Emperor on occasion of his coronation. It is emphatically a peace manifesto, and marks the inauguration of a policy destined to effect a great reduction in the military forces of Russia, and to employ on internal improvement a large portion of the revenue which has heretofore been devoted to the maintenance of excessive armaments. This manifesto relieves " the whole of Russia from every `• burden of military recruiting or conscription for four consecutive years." As it may be assumed that at least 100,000 men were taken from the Russian population each year for military service, the reduc tion in the Russian forces will amount to 400,000 men, and so much additional labour be devoted to industrial purposes. One of our journals estimates the relief at a higher figure, and supposes that the recruiting averaged 150,000 men yearly, and that the total reduction in the Russian armaments will be 600,000 men. Whichever figure may be taken, it is quite certain that the aggregate reduction will be enormous, and that a policy of peace must have been sincerely and finally determined on before the promulgation of this manifesto. The document is satisfactory on other accounts. Of all the political prisoners in the empire, some will have their condition materially ameliorated, while others will be set at liberty altogether, and will be permitted to reside where they please, except in the two capitals of the empire. To the whole of the prisoners and their children will be restored their rights of nobility. All arrears of taxes and pecuniary fines will be remitted ; and, as an evidence of the Emperor's liberal ideas, and his disposition to cultivate intercourse with other nations, the tax on passports for foreign parts is entirely abolished. The manifesto is a worthy accompaniment to the splendour of the Imperial coronation. In this country it must be received with peculiar pleasure, as it will effec tually dispel whatever doubt previously existed as to the pacific intentions of the Russian Court, will show the wisdom of that policy of modera tion which happily prevailed, and will allow us to resume that cordial intercourse and alliance with Russia which it is eminently for the advantage of both nations to cultivate. The Commissioners for settling the form of Government to be esta blished for the Danubian Principalities, have assembled at Constantino ple, and will, it is presumed, immediately proceed to business. By the terms of the treaty of Paris, the labours of the Commission should be terminated eight months after the ratifications of the treaty had been exchanged, and the term will consequently expire by the end of December next. The Commissioners will therefore have to make good use of their time to get through the work before them. The question of the union of the two provinces will be embarrassing. Turkey is known to be decidedly hostile to such union, as likely to raise the Danubian countries into an independent and powerful State. But is not this in itself a desirable object? Austria supports the Turkish view Russia, on the contrary, is favorable to union and independence, and it is believed that the opinion of France inclines to the same side. The English Cabinet has not yet declared itself. Turkey, relieved from the pressure of the Allies, is getting rid of its foreign servants as quickly as possible. Even the coal mines of Heraclea are no longer to be worked, though capable of profitable production. _ . . . The paltry affair of the Isle of Serpents has, it is stated, been settled by the withdrawal of the eight Russians from the lighthouse they came to regulate. The United States' Government has escaped from the " regular fix" in which it was placed by the refusal of the House of Representa tives to sanction the Army Appropriation Bill without a rider prohibit ing the employment of the military power to sustain the pro-slavery executive in Kansas. By diligent whipping, the Government sue ceeled in getting up from a distance some members of Congress ; a majority was secured, the bill passed, and the extra session was at once ended. No further accounts have been received from Kansas. The contest in that State has assumed the magnitude and virulence of civil war , and thi s c i rcumstance w ill t en d t o ma k e th e a pp roac hi ng Presidential struggle more animated. Colonel FREMONT is an able man, and possessed of great moral courage and firmness of principle. SATURDAY, From the important question on which it will turn, and the exertions making on both sides, the election will form an epoch in the political history of the States. The chronicler of Court ceremonies is much in the position of the Astronomer Royal, and is continually making discoveries of little planets of royalty—mere scintillas of light—never thought of before. The King of the Sandwich Islands has just gratified his people by a royal wedding. He chose for his bride a Miss EMMA RooxE, an English young lady, daughter of his Prime Minister, Dr. ROOKE. The ceremony, according to the courtly Polynesian, was performed /felon lea reyka. The ritual of the Church of England was adopted. The band played " God save the King ;" guns fired a royal salute; tie soldies presented arms; and the Humulonos—never heavily clad— threw off their garments, to cast them beneath the horses' feet of the royal cortege. As for the bride—her dress was from Paris. her veil of Brussels point lace, her wreath of orange flowers. her jewellery diamonds, and her face becomingly pale. In the evening Honolulu was illumi nated; there was a ball at the palace. The bride danced in an exqui site airy fabric of lace with marabout feathers, the company drank long life to their Majesties, and then to bed. Really, as the Sandwich Islands are progressing at this rate, Lord PALMERSTON ought to look after their Government. The Queen, like the Queen of GREECE, may think she has a right to have a will of her own, or the King may think it necessary to his royal state to keep a political prisoner or two. So fine an opportunity fur liberal propagandism ought to be duly im proved. The Portsmouth Crimean Dinner has been a great success. The projectors, taking a lesson from the errors of the Surrey garden fête, resolved very m isely to trust the provision contract to men whose experience was sound as to the extent of an Englishman's appetite. They did so, and the result was that for much the same cost as the Guards' entertainment in London, every man had a substantial English dinner, with beer ad libitum. The speeches on Tuesday were marked by a fair, manly tone, deeply sensible of the reception awarded to the army by the people of England. Our soldiers and sailors know that they deserve well of their country, and feel that their services are appreciated. The officers' dinner on Wednesday was a happy thought. It was a fine idea to gather together the young heroes of the late, and the old veterans of former, wars. The Commander -in - Chief was unable to attend, and the absence of his Royal Highness was sensibly felt. The speeches of' Sir HARRY JONES, Sir RICHARD DAC RES, and General CANNON (Behran Pacha), are remarkable for the generous praise they bestow upon all within their authority, or from whom they received support and assistance during the great campaign. There was one exception, however, to this style of reply Sir WILLIAM WILLIAMS, who here had an excellent opportunity of taring public notice of General KMETY'S letter (published in THE PRESS, of August 16th), declined the sub ject altogether, and, to save himself the odium of failing to notice the gallant Hungarian, omitted all mention of any one who had served with him during the war. This was a flimsy device, and one un worthy the character of an honourable man, or of a general. If Gene ral KMETY failed in his duty, why does not Sir WILLIAM W ILLIAMS say so frankly to the world, and so dispose of KMETY'S claims to a fair share of that reputation so lavishly bestowed upon Sir WILLIAM WILLIAMS. Either KMETY, in his position at Kars, commanding the advanced batteries throughout the siege, and intrusted with their defence on the 29th of September last, did his duty, orhe did not. KMETY protests that he did—eye-witnesses speak of his bravery, his devotion, and, above all, of his excellent arrangements on that day, as mainly securing the repulse of the Russians; and it is even recorded that Sir WILLIAM WILLIAMS himself publicly, and in the name of the Queen, thanked the brave old Hungarian for his conduct on that day. Why, then, does he refuse every opportunity to do public justice to the pact KMETY took? The obstinate silence of our gallant General is open to be construed into a mean professional jealousy, and at least is not creditable to him either as a gentleman or an officer. Several letters have appeared in the Times during the past week on the subject of legal education, i. e., for and against the present system of examinations. In one written yesterday, and signed " Experto Crede," the opponents of this system are treated with some heavy efforts at sarcasm, such as thirteen hours a day examining might be considered likely to produce. Aud some sneers are launched against the inexperience of University men, and so forth. Now, it is precisely the inadequacy of examinations to test a man's real merit, of which University men have experience. They understand perfectly that the object with which examinations were instituted at Oxford and Cam bridge was that second and third:rate men might have some motive for educating themselves, not with any idea that the number of first rate scholars would be thereby increased. Quite as many good men left the Universities before examinations were heard of as afterwards; the difference is that fewer men leave them now knowing nothing at all. But what in the world does the public care whether a young law student reads law or not? Do we not know there will always be quite as many lawyers as are wanted ? The supply of professional knowledge is regulated by the demand, which is not the case with general education. And every man who enters his name at the Temple or Lincoln's-inn knows that no attorney or solicitor will give him a case requiring a good lawyer unless he is a good one. We seldom or never hear of such a thing as a clieui . s cause damaged by the incompetency of counsel. This just the point wherein the Bar differs from every other profess" n in the country. A clergyman, an officer, or a doctor whin once admitted members of their respective professions are Halle at any moment without inquiry to be intrusted with the lives and in terests of their fellow.creatures. Some pains, therefore, should be THE PRESS. 900