The Press. — London, England, 1856-02-02 00:00:00

THE WEEK. NOTHING has occurred during the week to change the aspect of the great European question. The pacific negotiation makes steady progress. Paris is the capital fixed on for the approaching Congress. and the Plenipotentiaries of the respective Powers have been nomi nated. M. WALEWSKI (whose pacific tendencies are well known) will represent France, and Lord CLARENDON has announced in the House of Lords that he will appear on the part of England. Austria will lay the peace propositions before the German Diet, with a view to obtain a representation of Germany in the Congress; and Sardinia, if we are to believe the Paris papers, will only occupy a subordinate place in the Congress, and not be permitted to discuss questions which do not affect her interests. The forms of diplomacy will not, we fear, allow very rapid progress to be made, and it is therefore of the more im portance that a good understanding should be come to between the parties chiefly concerned, as to the principles of settlement. Turkey, we must suppose, fully concurs in the expediency of a peace on the proposed basis, as she has authorised her Ambassador at Vienna to sign the protocol, embodying the acceptance of the preliminaries by Russia. The Ministerial speeches on the Address in both Houses were of a reassuring character Lord CLARENDON, in particular, expressed his belief in the sincerity of Russia, and his conviction that there was not a point in the proposed terms which she might not accept with honour. " A peace degrading to Russia," he said, " could neither be safe nor " permanent." It is singular that in face of the fifth article of the propositions, reserving to the Allies the right to introduce new condi tions. he should have stated that the terms were made as precise as possible, to prevent any future misunderstanding. This statement must probably be read as meaning that Russia was informed of the nature of the reserved stipulations before signifying her acceptance, and that hence there is little danger of rupture on that ground. We imagine that the armistice which Lord CLARENDON announced as im pending will speedily be agreed on, as the opposing forces will, with the knowledge that terms of peace have been arranged, feel themselves most awkwardly placed until they are authorised to suspend hostilities. Parliament has opened most auspiciously for the Conservative party. Ministers were completely cast into the shade by the splendid eloquence of Lord DERBY, whose great effort on Thursday night was one of that accomplished orator's most successful displays. Not less effective, though in a different style, was the admirably judicious speech of Mr. DISRAELI, whose address was eagerly looked for. From the tone of both these remarkable speeches, the Conservatives throughout the country 1611 see that their elected leaders have assumed the patriotic tone worthy of the grave emergency. The Crown will be loyally and heartily supported, and all means given to support the honour of her Majesty's arms ; but while thus acting in support of the national interests, it will be seen from the important remarks of Lord DERBY, that certain blunders of the Cabinet must be explained, and that no fictitious plea about " embarrassing the Govern ment " can be accepted as a shield from impending discussions and perhaps " exposure "of the leiehes of the Ministry. The calamity at Kars, as our readers remember, was strongly persisted upon by us as one demanding the most rigorous scrutiny. Even after what has been said and written upon it, the extraordinary neglect of that stronghold looks still more culpable after considering the speeches of Lord DERBY and Mr. DISRAELI. The language of Lord DERBY in allusion to the fall of Kars was worthy of a Chatham. "If my Lords," cried the Noble Earl, " the name of Kars reflects immortal "honour on its heroic defenders, it equally reflects eternal shame and " reproach on those, be they who they may, by whom this important " post was left to fall unsuccoured, and even unavenged.” The language of Mr. DISRAELI in connection with the same topic was not less eloquent, and drew down tremendous cheers. We direct the special attention of our readers to it, and we can fancy the thrill of pleasure with which it will be read by the brave Englishmen who were so cruelly betrayed. In the event of the return of Mr. WALPOLE for the University of Cambridge, there can now be no doubt of the election of Mr. WARREN for the vacant seat of Midhurst. It is gratifying that the retirement of Mr. MACAULAY on the one side should be speedily followed by the entrance of so distinguished a literary man as Mr. WARREN on the other. His successful canvass at Midhurst has resulted solely from his high literary qualifications, his eminent abilities, and a character distinguished for truthfulness and integrity. It is useless to inquire for what good purpose Providence has or dained that so able a man as Mr. BRIGHT should be lost to the service of his country. It is seldom we road a speech evincing greater ability than the one delivered by him at Manchester on Tuesday last. It is seldom we read one so wholly, so irredeemably, given up to narrow views—and narrow views without anything to recommend them but their narrowness. Mr. BRIGHT will have it that nobody can be right but himself. Everybody who is opposed to the Hon. Member is either corrupt or effete, or incompetent, for some reason or other. Cotton alone can save the world. We have heard of men catching at a straw, but Mr. BRIGHT would have us all catching at a thread. This gentle man seems to have some intellectual or moral impediment ivhich for. kINIIMENN==;=•• THE PRESS. SATURDAY, bids him to gaze upon any question whatever except through the spectacles of trade. He tells us in his speech how many men, and how much money, the war has cost; and then calculates how many factories we could have built with it, if we had not spent it. Now, no doubt it is a good thing to have money in one's pocket, or money in.. vested in factories. Yet, after all, money is but a medium. We do not eat it, drink it, or wear it ; we spend it in order that we may eat, drink, or wear something else. And we are sometimes obliged to spend a little more, that we may do this in peace and quietness. Carry out Mr. BRIGHT'S principle to its legitimate extent, and every penny spent upon bolts and bars—unon policemen or firemen, &c.— would be utterly wasted. We must remind our friends again that the contest for Cambridge University is no mock struggle. The Reform Club is busy at work ; and we must urge upon the constituents that it will be necessary for them to go to the poll, unless they desire to fall into an ingenious trap. Nothing is more unfair than the conduct of the Liberals. They get up a false cry that " party is dead," and yet, in connection with Cam bridge, they oppose Mr. WALPOLE, perfectly unacceptionable as a scholar and gentleman, merely because ho is a Conservative. We know the efforts that the Liberals are making to seat Mr. DENMAN , and we must say that, at such a time, it is extremely unfair to make a mere " party" display against so excellent a candidate as Mr. WALPOLE. The Conservatives, therefore, must be active. We must not be out witted, and we must show that we are not apathetic. The rank which Mr. WALPOLE holds in the great Conservative connection entitles all his friends to call upon the constituency to poll up for him. The polling days aro fixed from the 7th to the 12th of February, but the first and second days will almost certainly decide the contest. Let Mr. WALPOLE'S supporters make up their minds to record their votes early, and there can be no doubt of his return. They must bear in mind that apathy on their part will really be aid to his opponet. The friends of Mr. DENMAN are active ; they are well-organised, they have large resources, and they are determined to spare neither exertion nor expense to secure his return. To defeat Mr. WALPOLE would be to deal a heavy blow to the principles which he represents, and to throw the representation of the University into the hands of the Reform Club and its unscrupulous agents. We know that we have many of the electors among our readers, and we speak to them plainly. Fulfil your duty as members of this important constituency, and you will succeed. Neglect it, and you will give a signal triumph to your opponents. The tone of the American papers on the Central American difficulty is not encouraging. They appear to think that a point of honour is involved, and that nothing but a dissolution of the Palmerston Ministry can prevent hostilities. The only practical point at issue is whether the two islands of Ruatan and Bonaca belong to the State of Belize or the State of Hondurus. If they belong to the former, then our occupation of them is not in contradiction to the terms of the Clayton-Bulw•er treaty. If they belong to the latter, it is. The ques tion itself is not worth arguing ; but Great Britain stands pledged to the maintenance of certain rights from which she cannot well recede— such as the protection of the Musquito Indians and of the town of Greytow•n from the aggressions of the State of Nicaragua. These matters, though strictly speuking they have nothing to do with the real point at issue, have naturally become implicated in it, and are likely to demand the most discreet management in order to avoid a rupture. As the scheme of a canal through the isthmus has been now abandoned, there is no reason in the nature of things why matters should not be as they were before it was proposed. That, however, seems to be im possible, owing to the national jealousy ; but we most sincerely hope that this trumpery quarrel may not he fanned into a blaze by inju dicious politicians on either side the Atlantic. PERFECT SINCERITY. " Nisi sineerum est vas," &c. lam willing to believe that Russia is perfectly sincere. . . On the part of her Majesty's Government I wish to give the most emphatic denial to the assertion that in undertaking the negotiations for peace they have been influenced by any other feelings then those of perfect sin• ctrity.—Lord Clarerulon in the House of Lords, Thursday, Jan. 81. My Lords, we have boggled and blundered, Shifted round as the current was shifting, Drifted first into War---and then wondered To find that towards Peace we were drifting. But, amidst all the crooks in our lot, And in spite of Dame Fortune's asperity, I most fervently pray you will not Feel one doubt of our " perfect sincerity." Hard names on the foe we've been heaping, We called him a trickster and shuffier, A braggart—a Jupiter Scapin— A faker, a prig, and a huffier. Yet, when even this Muscovite Zeus, This fuliginous Nephelegerata, Undertakes to cease playing the Deuce, We confide in his " perfect sincerity." So while we, too, are slaving like millers To untie our unfortunate tangles, To prop up Europe's sore-shaken pillars, ' And harmonise some of her jangles— While Diplcmatists busily pen a New Treaty of Peace and prosperity, Pray forget all that passed at Vienna, And rely on our " perfect sincerity." 108