The Press. — London, England, 1855-05-26 00:00:00

498 THE PRESS. "adversary," said his Lordship, " desires me to walk, I find It com " paratively easy to answer him--I say, Waik-er.'" (Roars of laughter, and the meeting Jo k e up.) THE CRIMEAN MEDALS. Oh, the glorious May morning when the Sun's unwonted splendour With a halo seem'd to gild the giant city's misty crown, When the softened summer air seemed fraught with feelings high and tender, And eyes now flashed with patriot pride, now tearfully looked down, When the clarions' shrill blast, and the bright pennons gaily flouting, And the trampling of the horsemen, and the cannons' brazen peal, And the honest English welcome which the multitude was shouting, Told us that the Queen was coming—and our wounds began to heal. Oh, the loyal love we bear her ! oh, the deep and strong affection ! Ye at home but faintly echo who ne'er heard the thrilling words That she spoke to cheer her soldiers in their hour of fierce dejection When with fever-glaring eyes we lay too weak to grasp our swords. To some it came again, the strength to grapple with the foeman, A nobler and a holier strength than we had known before ; To some the loving accents of that true and Royal woman Made beautiful the rugged couch from which they rose no more. And now they rest in glory ; we have mourn'd them late and early;— In the silent thoughtful bivouac, and in the noisy fray, Their spirits still were present, ever mingling with us nearly, And bidding us be true of heart and valorous as they. And tho' with mortal eyes we might not scan their airy essence, We knew they still were with us on that glorious May morn ; That shadowy band of heroes, blessing with their spirit-presence The Queen they died to honour and the friends who live to mourn. We knew the gallant Cathcart with his living comrades blending, And the ghost of brave old Strangways, noble as when still in life ; And as Cardigan rode past, the air the while with tumult ringing, His perish'd horsemen followed him as in the deadly strife. SATU RDAY, First Winter's martial form We saw, the scar upon his forehead, And proud high smile as when he bore his fourfold foemen back ; Fitzgibbon, who had perish'd where the carnage wax'd most horrid, Still urged his fiery charger fast upon his leader's track. A pale young form but beautiful with gallant Maude pass'd onward— The very plunderers had turned with stricken hearts aside From the brave boy, Arthur Waleham, who had perished in the van ward, And left the stripling hero unpolluted where he died. Monck's pale spectre strode in silence by brave Troubridge, whose devotion Had added yet new glories to his old ancestral fame, And whose martyrdom of anguish wrung with sorrowful emotion His gentle Sovereign's heart us his sad litter onward came. Sayer's equipage was tended by the noble ones departed— Old Chester, gallant Wynn, brave Young, soon severed from his bride— Their spirits living still in that young soldier so stout-hearted, With stalwart frame so raek'd by pain, but eye still bright with pride. Nor alone this summer morning were the chiefs and men of station Assembled round their Sovereign to meet their high award ; Sturdy peasants, handicraftsmen—thews and sinews of the nation— On their loudly-beating hearts bore the same blazon as the lord. And a countless host of perished men, whose deeds we are enshrining For a people's adoration, passed amid the living ranks ; Manly loving smiles they wore—upon their brows no pale repining; For well they knew how England to her heroes paid her thanks. That her guerdon to the living, for the dead her tender sorrow, Are not all she has to offer—that the lone ones left behind, Through their filmy mist of tears and gusty grief, shall hail a morrow When a nation's loving care their spirit's wounds shall gently bind. TERM S OF the 1Pre00: Per Annum .. 111 6 0 Half-Yearly .. • .. 013 0 Quarterly .. • .. 0 6 6 Payable in advance. Subscribers are requested to send their Orden through tbel- Nevis Agent; if direct to the Oftioe, accompanied by a Remit. anoe. MoneOrders to be made payable to Mr. ALFRED IYE, 110, Strand. London. TO It is impossible to acknowledge the mass of letters we receive. Their insertion is often delayed, owing to a press of matter, and when omitted, it is frequently from reasons quite inde pendent of the merits of the We cannot undertake to return not avail ourselves. Ccmmunications should alvayi be legibly written, and on one side of the paper only. If long it increases the difficulty of finding space for them. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authentieated by the name and address of the writer, not necessarily fur publica tion, but as a guarantee of his good faith. Advertisements sent from the country must be accompanied by a remittance or a reference for payment in town. of which we do ci:lis 2p) vrxig+ LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 1855. POSTSCRIPT. HOUSE OF LORDS.-FRIDAY. Some conversation took place on a motion by the Bishop of Oxford for the production of an address from the Canadian Legislature, on the subject of Church property in that colony. Earl GarY then brought forward the resolutions of which he had given notice. Assuming, which he denied, that the policy of entering into the war was right, he argued at length on the impolicy of the Government in rejecting the grounds offered to them for negotiation. He recapitulated the objects and principles with which the war commenced, which Were not only realised, but Russia had, in the con cessions already made, gone far beyond them. He went through the Vienna Conferences to show how much they had given to the Western powers, and approved in many points of the conduct and argu ments of Russia, and defended her interpretation of the third point. If Russia did not intend to keep faith, nothing could he more easy for her than to evade the conditions of the allies, even if she agreed to them. He then adverted to the last Austrian proposition, which was of sufficient importance to cause the retirement of M. Drouyn de Lhuys, and the objections to which came mainly from the English Government. He proceeded to discuss our future expectations—professing that he could not under• stand what they ware, now that we had secured the objects of the war—all beyond was vague and un certain. He characterised the continuance of the contest as caused by an unjustifiable animosity against Russia, caused, in great measure, by the indiscreet language of members of the Government. He went through the whole conduct of Russia, from the dispute about the Holy Places, and vindicated the moderation of that power up to the occupation of the principalities. Ha thought that if the English Government and embassy had exercised the same discretion the war Would never have broken out. He discussed the conduct of the embassy at the commencement of the contest, which he characterised as negligent, unjust, and reckless. Lord CLARENDON said that the noble lord appeared as an advocate of Russia. He forgot the uniform aggressions of Russia on Turkey, and that the late Czar had considered that country as past hope; and the object of the Menschikoff mission was to give it the coup de grace. Since the outbreak of the war we had become better acquainted both with the de signs of Russia and the means she possessed of en forcing them. Europe was, in fact, standing upon a mine without knowing it. Russia for years had been permitted to interfere and to encroach by the culpa• ble negligence of the European powers. But for Prince Menschikoffs imprudence Russia might in a few years have realised all her plans, who was creat ing a fleet of war steamers, and creating military railroads, which would have more than doubled the means of offence. The policy of Russia was still the same, and her unbending pride the first cause of the war. The Russian defence of Sebastopol, excluded E as she was from the sea, was a proof of the resources of Russia; and the same accumulation of military stores they found everywhere, from one end of the empire to the other. As to the excuses of Russia, taken from the possible aggression on Turkey of the Western powers, she herself knew their futility. The Russian proposal for opening the Straits would have placed all the Greek territories at her mercy. Under such an arrangement the independence of Ttirkey would always be in danger, at Russia's own time and convenience. The Western fleets would never be able to arrive in time for a well-organised attack. Russia still claimed her right to be a standing suc cour to Europe, and she had no right to say, by her concessions to German interests, that she had ful filled her duty to European interests. . _ The Earl Of MALMESBURY supported the policy of the Government against the resolution, asserting that the real objects of the war were not obtained, nay, were not even sufficiently touched on in the nego tiations at Vienna. He warned the country of the danger When such opinions as those of the noble earl, and others who thought with him, would be quoted from one end of Europe to another. He then replied at some length to the speech of Mr. Glad stone in the House of Commons. He thought the limitation of her fleet was no degradation to Russia, as it was reciprocal to her and other nations. He approved of the plan of making the Engine a sea of peace, and wished for a success which might draw the teeth of Russia. The Duke of ARGYLL said that Russian concessions were always wrung from her, and never conceived in the spirit of conciliation. This country, he said, had been conciliatory throughout. Lord LYTTELTON supported the motion. The Bishop of OXFORD justified war under certain necessities, as an appeal to the tribunal of God. But such war should be on strict principles of self defence; and he proceeded to argue that there could no longer be any principle after the concession of Russia, and the successes we had obtained. The limitation plan would be no protection to Turkey, and a direct insult to Russia. He lamented that anything should be said in Parliament which would throw difficulties in the way of settling the last point. No peace would be lasting which reflected ou a great power a degradation incompatible with its greatness. The Duke of NEWCASTLE opposed the resolution in a short speech, as irritating to the country. The Earl of DERBY admitted that Russia did not desire war, provided she could obtain her object without war. He would not undervalue the conces sion she had made, but was of opinion that instead of having asked too much, we had asked too little. We had a right to a return for all our sacrifices. A material alteration had taken place in the prospects of the war since it had been made aggressive; from that time we bad pledged ourselves to weaken the power of Russia, and limit her means of aggression. Conditions of this kind must from their nature be humiliating, but to that we pledged ourselves when we entered the Crimea. After the declaration that Sebastopol was a standing menace, after a seven months' siege, with all its efforts and glories, to retreat from that fortress would be an act of humi. Ration, for which he did not believe that any pro position at Vienna which Russia could have ad nutted would have been a compensation. He agreed that the limitation would have been easily evaded, and not satisfactory; but the counter-proposition of Russia gave to Turkey nothing more than it possessed by the right of nations—her offer was nugatory and ridiculous. In the interest of peace itself, he scarcely regretted the failure of the Vienna Conference. We must conquer for peace, and to do so we must show a fixed determination to go through what we have undertaken to an honourable con clusion. Earl GruNvimar, after complimenting the debate