The Press. — London, England, 1855-09-15 00:00:00

AiY2 tions against Lord PALMERSTON brought by Lord GREY and his friends. But finally, on account of his acts in the Foreign office, the present Prettier was removed from his post by his colleagues in the Russell Cabinet ; and in return for their conduct, when opportunity arose, the vindictive Viscount returned them a " Roland for their Oliver," and upset the Whig families. At such a crisis as the present it is of im portance to remember these facts ; for we be lieve that the causes which have led to these constant schisms on foreign policy amongst the Liberals still exist, arid in the course of the next few months are likely to be actively developed. Political as well as personal reasons are continuing to raise a great diffi culty in the continuance of the present Cabinet at the head of affairs. The Liberal party in this country has always been much divided by its aristocratic and democratic portions. A certain deference to the traditions of power, a courtly regard for established maxims, and a secret dread of de mocracy, have always influenced those Liberals connected with the landed interest. On the other hand, some of their number have been Urged on to covet the platform popularity of political agitation. Those commercial classes enrolled in its support have wavered between the patrician leaders and the popular de claimers. This course of things can even now be seen very plainly in the internal condition of the Liberal body. They are becoming divided on the point "How far, and for what, "is the war to be carried on?" We have always thought that few subjects could be of more political interest than to observe how the modern commercial interest of England would endure diminished profits, less enter prises, and high taxation. Its Parliamentary power has been vastly increased by the Re form Bill. Mercantile members abound in the House of Commons, and the convictions of a large section of them have been represented by Mr. LAING, and others, who seem inclined to follow the standard of the Peace party. The personal reasons which foster schism 'amongst the Liberals are very numerous. Earl GREY is pining to regain his former influence and station in the party, and Lord JOHN RUSSELL is only biding his time to make the Premier feel that the brother of the Duke of BEDFORD does not intend to be a cypher out of office. Any ono who knows the moral temper of these two ex- offielal Whigs, could never believe that they would tamely succumb to a statesman of such unparalleled incon sistency as Lord PALMERSTON. We may, also, be assured that men Bo fond of popularity as Mr. COBDEN and Mr. Bimini. would not act in their present fashion if they did not know that they were supported by many of the com mercial interests in their neighbourhood. In the next session of Parliament, the foreign policy of England will be the question of the time, and its consideration will be seriously complicated for the Liberals by the intestine discords of their chiefs, the ambition of indi viduals in their connection, and the litter want of confidence in the intriguing politician whom mere chance has made for the time a Prime Minister. Such difficulties might be mastered by a Walpole, or a Chatham, but Lord PALMERSTON is only a clever man in a great position. To command a discordant party is beyond his conventional cast of character. Recollecting, therefore, how questions of foreign policy have always broken up the Liberal Cabinet, let our Conservative friends through the country be prepared for any political emergency in the coming year. The present Cabinet cannot last. While some PREYS are in it, the principal person in that family is out of it, and Woburn Abbey is now discontented with Downing-street. As was Said in our columns last week, "a combina " tiott of the essential Conservatism " of the country will be required to carry on the . ueen's Government with dignity and power. e reserve to another day some further con siderations on this subject, but we desire that our readers ivduld bear in recollection the undisputable fact, that in modern times the Liberal party has constantly split its strength on subjects of foreign policy, which by the naturp of things cannot be left " open sub jects" in a Cabinet. THE PRESS. NASMYTH'S WROUGHT•IRON ORDNANCE. WE noticed the subject of monster ordnance in our impression of the 25th ult., and then ex pressed an opinion that it was impossible to produce wrought-iron mortars of such sizes as the public were led to expect by Mr. Nssmrries promises. Our opinion was formed upon a firm conviction that the difficulties con nected with the construction of such masses of iron could not be overcome. The result has pro‘ ed all we advanced ; but no doubt there are men to be found who, with fine words and little practice, will declare that the cannons and mortars so long in hand can still be sue cessfully finished. However, we hope no countenance will be given (or rather no money spent) by the Government in endeavours to perfect the manufacture of " big guns." Several letters have lately been addressed to the Times upon this subject : among them we have noticed one by a writer, " W. IL," who sets forth by questioning whe ther it is indispensable to forge such a huge mass of iron, and asks—" Why not take a " finer quality of iron, and forge it into " a band or strip, and roll it round and weld it on a huge mandril ?" and ends by declaring he thinks this practicable. The writer may think this practicable ; but we can assure him that it is not. What does he mean by iron of a finer quality? If he means iron that has had more work upon it, and which is consequently of a closer fibre than that which he supposes has been used, we differ from him in the outset, for the more refined iron becomes by working the less applicable is it for reworking into bands or strips, and the subsequent welding into a huge rifle-barrel. Besides this, we should doubt how he is to handle the mandril with a ring of iron from eight to ten inches thick, and upon it a mortar (the size of Mr NARMYTH's) of fifteen to twenty tons weight. His next proposition for several longitudinal pieces fastened with huge iron rings is worse than the first. No practical gunner would listen to having seams inside the barrel of the ordnance. Another letter from Professor Nola) demands notice; and while admitting the strength of his argument, as regards the crystalisation .of axletrees, we entirely disagree from it with respect to the manufacture of monster guns. If he had been content to rest his opinion of crystalisation upoh the vibration among the particles of iron in a cold state, we could have agreed with him so far; but the learned Professor goes further, and attributes the crystalisation of NAsIMYTH's gun to long-continued hammering. He must be aware, when adducing railway axles as an example in support of his argument., that the shocks they receive are taken when in a cold state, whereas the blows are given to the gun when the latter is, the greatest part of the time, in welding heat ; and that for the hammer (however large it may be) to make the least progress towards the completion of the piece, it must be when the iron is very (red) hot. 'or our own part we believe that the crystalline flakes are not produced by the hammering, but from a widely different cause, the burning the iron in the furnace. If we set forth this proposition of ourselves, who cannot be expected to know the in tricacies of iron manufacture, we may be thought presumptuous ; but we have the opinion of those who all their life have been engaged in such work, and who have made iron their chief study. How is it possi ble that a piece of iron which is increased piece by piece, and has to be kept in a weld ing state for weeks, can be kept from burning while a large portion of its bulk is always ex posed to an immense heat ? When we consider that about twenty-five per cent. of all that is welded upon it is melted from the bulk again, and reduced to cinder by the fire, can we wonder that the piece should be burnt, and the nature of the iron's pertinacity be destroyed? In a word, we are quite satisfied that no annealing process will restore fibre to any of the pieces or to the bulk of NABMYTA's gun. We therefore adhere to our originally expressed opinion that Mr. NASMYTH's idea is impracticable, and that large masses of wrought iron for gnus and mortars cannot be successfully produced. SAttilWAt, THE TRANSATLANTIC IRISH. IT is now a considerable time since Irish affairs were recalled to our notice, and it is a significant fact that we hear of the Irish through America. Faction has died out in the " Emerald Isle ;" Mr. DUFFY is departing for Australia; Young Irelandism is extinct, and the priest, are quiescent at least for a season. Mock patriotism is at a discount, and the recent success of the British arms in the East was in no place hailed with more enthu siasm than at Dublin, Belfast, and Limerick. It seems, however, that some persons igno rant of the feelings now existing in Ireland have got up an " Irish Platform" at Massa chusetts. From what we have heard and read on the subject, we believe that the association is more local and sectarian than political or " Irish." Yet we always foresaw, when the Irish element became powerful in the United States, a strong reaction must take place against Celts and Roman Catholics. The Pope and his Clergy became formidable in the American States, and " Know Nothingism " was organised to counteract the Irish influence. Under the pressure of numbers and of strong popular opinion, the Irish for a time suc cumbed, hut since then they have Made a rally, and set on foot another political society, with the intention of having a permanent " platform " in the United States. The address from these " men of Massa chusetts," reports the old cant of " Young Irelandism." Opposition to the " Know Nothings" is evidently the object of the society. A hope of disturbing Ireland cannot animate the hearts of its organisers. They must know that " Young Irelandistn " is quite extinct in Ireland, and that " Tenant Right " is exploded. Their purposes must principally be to give some social strength to the Irish minority in the United States against the power of the majority. They are acting, perhaps, under the influence of some of their clergy, who acknowledge the remarkable fact that hundreds of thousands of Irish Roman Catholics have conformed to Protestantism in the United States. We do not suspect, how ever, that their priests would openly commit themselves to so liberal an Association. It is also quite possible that some Russian influence has been used to force these Trans- Atlantic Irish into getting up a " platform." But the calculations on such a scheme are egregious errors. It is only fair to say that the universal sentiment in Ireland scouts the notion of making " England's difficulty Ireland's opportunity." The war is popular in Ireland with all classes ; and the Irish may well ,be proud of their gallant officers and private soldiers in the Crimea. The glorious alliance with France has also utterly con founded all fomentors of discord in Ireland, and conspiracy would be actually ridiculous in the sister island at this crisis. We look, therefore, on this Massachusetts Association as merely a local society, incapable of political influence in our realm, and pro bably destined, like all its Irish predecessors, to come to an early extinction amongst the quarrels of its organisers. — Mimeo the French machinery exhibited in the Paleis d'lndustrie is a very ingenious and simple mode of cutting stone, constructed by a man named Chevaliere. He causes a wire to run at a high velo city over the surface which he wishes to bisect, and, by dropping on it a mixture of sand and water, the operation is rapidly completed. The hardest granites yield so quickly to this process that the in. ventor can, with one-home power, separate it at the rate of a square foot per hour, the wire running at the rate of forty feet per second. Using the ordinary saw, the same amount of work would require three horse power, and would expend 15f. worth of mate• rial instead of If., which is all that the wire costs. There is also another novelty of appliance, somewhat resembling this in its character, but used for sawing wood. It is shown by an exhibitor named Perrin, and is simply an endless band of steel serrated at one edge, which, moving rapidly round rollers placed vertically, saves all the time lost in the back action which is usually given to saws. The riband of steel is so narrow that any form of cut may be followed, even to the most intricate and complex mouldings, and the operation is performed with marvellous rapidity and ease, the band travelling at the rate of 4,500 feet per minute. In this way from sixty to seventy superficial metres of moulding can be cut in abottt ten hours.