The Press. — London, England, 1856-07-19 00:00:00

peculiar manner in which his Lordship de- Borted himself towards Mr COBDEN and Mr. RIGHT, confirmed the country members to whom we allude in their views of Lord PAL MERSTON. But there are some " smart" people who say, " Oh ! the age in which we are living is " one of Toryfied Liberalism, and my Lord " Pam is just the man for the situation" Indeed ! So, then, a popular party, the joint forces of the great Whig connection and of the " friends of progress," is to be worked in honour of the incarnation of Toryfied Libe ralism ! In other words, the Premier is to do the work of the Conservatives, while pretend ing to be a Liberal ! There is a show of plan sibility in waiters on Providence taking such a suspicious view of the pretensions of Lord PALMERSTON, but their bare statement of their reasons for adhering to him convicts the pro gressive Liberals of utter f..11y iu supporting such a politician. Other persons, also, of no small importance are beginning to think that it is not an agree able thing to be used as mere catspaws by " clever Henry John." Doubtless it is adroit in his Lordship to play upon so many instru ments together, but it is rather silly in sen sible persons to allow themselves to be mani pulated and cajoled by the gay deceiver of Parliamentary connections. It is now recol lected that a dozen Members of the House never asked Lord PALMERSTON to become their chief; he never, until now, headed a party, and, canting with the cry of the hour, he has never, during life, taken that plain course which is respected by Englishmen. But besides, even supposing that " an age of " Toryfied Liberalism" was a right construing of the time, still such a period would empha tically call for vast administrative energy. Now, it is well known that, with great oppor tunities, Lord PALMERSTON was the least suc cessful Home Secretary that was seen for many years. A truly great man, even if liable to the various reproaches of inconsistency, levity, and want of fixed creed to which Lord PALMERSTON is obnoxious, might make amends for his shortcomings ; but who will affirm that Lord PALMERSTON is a great man ? Owing to the circumstances of the Crimean contest, and with the help of " the jobbery of Liberalism," Lord PALMERSTON has for a time kept the Liberals quiet ; but we fear very much that the result is likely to be purchased dearly by a tremendous reaction, which will carry the Liberal party infinitel3 further than if it were left to the constitutional metaphysics of Lord JOHN RUSSELL. We sincerely believe that, in such a point of view, Lord PALMERSTON is a most dangerous Prime Minister. Such a state of things demands more than ordinary vigilance on the part of the Conservatives. BISHOPS' RETIREMENT BILL. THE House of Lords has carried the second reading of a bill for enabling the Bishops of London and Durham to resign their episcopal charge. This is a novelty in the history of the Church of England ; but the necessity of " something being done " has latterly become so apparent, and so urgent, that any measure indicative of a real desire for reform may be received with hope. At the same time, there can be no doubt that if the Government had tried they could not have introduced a less satisfactory measure than the one in question. It merely provides for the passing hour, makes no sort of arrangement for similar cases in future, and treats the modification of a radical principle in the Church as a mere ephemeral event. We ourselves are disposed to believe that the right method of strengthening the British Episcopate is to be looked for neither in such a bill as the present, nor yet in the scheme which has been lately mooted of dividing the larger sees. It is decidedly inexpedient that important bishcprics, such as London and Durham, should be without representatives in the House of Lords; which will be the case whenever the present holders of them shall resign ; and is an event likely to recur much oftener, if resignations are encouraged. Be sides, it will further complicate an already sufficiently complicated question, by raising the THE PRESS. point of episcopal privileges—whether, that is, the retired bishops are to retain their seats in the Uppei House ornot ? A question we are cer tain fi uitful of much future difficulty. The other alternative of the division of sees will simply have the effect of multi plying the number of bishops who are not peers, the existence of whom, even as matters now stand, we have always thought an objectionable anomaly. But the system, if carried out as proposed, will end in all the most vigorous members of the Bench being outside of the House of Lords, and all the most feeble ones in it. Why not, there fore, recur to the system of suffragans? A man who is disabled by accident, or any spe cial malady, from the physical labour of hold ing visitations and such like episcopal func tions, may still make an excellent ruler of his diocese. NV hat a pity that he should be com pelled to resign while still in the full vigour of his faculties! All this might be prevented by the creation of dignitaries who should be the repre sentatives of the bishop and authorised to per form all his spiritual duties. Suffragans are found to work admirably in the American Church, and funds exist in our own sufficient to meet the expense of them, even if our present cathedral bodies were left in the enjoyment of their sinecures. But we believe there are many Deans in the Church would be glad of more active employment, and we think such a use of them as we have indicated would be a far more beneficial measure to the Church than any that have yet been proposed. There are persons whose Attie of the Church is exactly in proportion to their ignorance of her real working, to whom the retiring pension of these two Prelates has seemed excessive. We can only ask such persons how far they would have felt ready to sacrifice 20,0001. a year which they might have retained ; or how far, on the other hand, 6,0001. a year can be deemed too large a pension for one who has, according to the Loan CHANCELLOR, spent as much as 15,0001. a year in charity for many years past? On this showing, it is quite impossible that he can have made any provision for his family, and the coarse gibes of the Times are hereby shown to be as wholly unfounded as they are void of taste and good feeling. LIBERAL INEFFICIENCY AND THE NECESSITY OF CONSERVATIVE UNION. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRES 3." Sir,—The results of the session cannot but be most unsatisfactory to all who candidly inquire what has been done, and who aro not satisfied with the mere response that Lord Palmerston has been kept in and the Conservatives kept out. For neither have any useful, still less any important, Government measures been carried ; nor has the Cabinet shown an inclination to take in band any of the great social and administrative questions which are ready for solution. Trifling, procrastination. and arrogant incompetence, have marked the domestic policy of the session. It is even worse in foreign affairs. For, though we may regret that so much vallable time has been waste.' on undigested and crude bills, and measures which the parents knew could never grow to maturity—whilst practical legis lation, for which the times are ripe, on army, ad ministrative, and legal reform, has been neglected —we can console ourselves with the reflection that they are only shelved for the time, and that those who have undertaken their advocacy will soon find the public mind less listless and unsympathising than it has of late been. But the same consolatory reflection is not ours in respect to indecision and remissness in external policy. There a false step is not easily retraced, an inconsistent course inflicts an injury on the character and fair fame of the country, long atter the sinning Minister or Cabinet is dis placed. And seldom, if ever, has there been a time when our foreign relations required more to be conducted with a firm hand, and in an open and candid spirit, than at the present moment: as seldom have they been intrusted to men so deficient in these requisites as Lords Palmerston and Clarendon. An ambiguous line of conduct, exasperating and defying the power ful without cause, and then yielding to them without dignity; exciting the unfortunate to rebellion by professions of sympathy ; then leaving them to their fate with a cold discourse on the folly of their struggling; and avenging itself for the humiliations it receivel from the mighty, by converting its differences with the weak into excuses for persecu tion—such has been the unvarying tenor of the belauded Palmerstonian policy. A love of under- SATURDAY, .7 hand shifts, and an absence of manly, English straightforwardness; a petty " h aggling " about trifles, and a carelessness about great prin ciples ; a stubborn pertinacity when in the wrong, till what might at first have been given up with grace, was conceded without honour, combined with an inordinate love of making hi s despatches as long and as galling as possible —these are the qualifications which our Foreign Minister brings to the settlement of such deli cate questions as Italy, the Bay Islands, the Principalities, and Turkish regeneration. All our foreign relations are in a ticklish state!;..... the fruits of the inconsistencies of our policy for nearly thirty years are coming upon us now. Those foreigners most kindly disposed to us—such as the Count de Montalembert and M. de Remusat—join in condemning our eccentric and irritating policy, and would fain call back the loyal England of the past. But, if we would have a straightforward policy, we must have different Ministers ; and as the re_ cess, which gives almost despotic power to the Government, will also afford us time for consoli dating our ranks and drilling our forces, let me now add a few words on the necessity of Conservative union. I will, with your permission, in a subse quent letter, state what steps are necessary to give greater organisation and Parliamentary weight to the Conservative phalanx. The unsatisfactory aspect cf affairs abroad, and the proved unsuitableness of our rulers to deal with them, are facts too patent even to Ministerial followers, and to none more so than to such as myself, who at an early period advocated that peace which they concluded. And why? Be cause Lord Clarendon and his Ministry did not ob tain, as they might have done, and as Englana's relative position enabled her to ask, that neutralisa tion of the Black Sea which ought to have been in sisted on as a preliminary to any conference, and which might have been attained at Paris by a deter mined Minister; whilst he compromised us by his unworthy and uncalled-for concessions, respectirg the rights of the Belgian press, and our maritime right of search. The honour of the country is not safe in such hands. Nor does the character and position of the Premier and his subordinates war rant us, if we can help it., in leaving the helm of State any longer in their hands. Lord Palmerston is at the head of an army consisting almost entirely of irregulars and Bashi-Bazouks, bolding no com mon creed, professing no attachment to their chief for the nonce—held together only by the fear that the patronage which provides for their relations, and keeps them their seats, should fall into more honest hands. The questions of Church rates, army reform, education, and finance, call for speedy settlement ; but our rulers will not under take them, dreading to utter's, decided opinion upon them for fear of offending some of their heteroge neous followers. It is time for such a state of things to end. The Conservatives have chiefs, whose names are identified with all the great ques tions of the day —statesmen worthy to lead the way in useful reform and social progress. The country is sick of sham " Liberalism," has learnt thoroughly to despise clamourers for reform, and endures its present misrule only because the legitimate heads of a national policy are backward in enunciating it. Surely, then, it is the duty of all to do their utmost to unite for active purposes the scattered members of the Conservative body, that so the present dead lock" in practical legislation may be put an end to, and England once more possess Ministers who will make their country trusted and respected abroad, and not neglect the duties of Government at home.—l am, sir, yours, &c., H. L. VIsCOUNT PALMERSTON and Earl Fortescue were invested with the Blue Ribbon of the Garter by the Queen on Saturday. THE EARL OF WESTMORLAND has been charged with a special mission to congratulate the King (1f the Belgians on the twenty-fifth anniversary of his reign, and the prosperity of his people. His lordship lett town yesterday (Friday) for Brussels. THE CABINET COUNCIL held on Saturday afternoon, at the Foreign-office, and at which all Ministers in town attended, sat for two hours and three-quarter , . THE COMMITTEE OF THE LORDS appointed to Con sider the present mode of carrying into effect capital punishments have reported as follows :- 1. That executions should in future be carried into effect within the precincts of the prison, or in some place scouring similar comparative privacy. 2. That a certain number of official witnesses be present at the execution, and sign a deposition to having wit' nessed it. 3. That such other spectators as the local authorities see fit to admit be also allowed to be present. 4. That the exact time of the execution be made known to those without, as, for instance, by the tolling of a bell, which shall cease at the moment of execution, and the hoisting at the same time of a black flag. And the committee have directed the minutes of evi• dence taken before them, together with an appendix thereto, to be laid before your lordships.