The Press. — London, England, 1856-11-01 00:00:00

THE PEEL AND NAPIER CORRESPONDENCE. [The following letters, in continuation of correspondence already published, have been sent to us. with a request for their insertion, and we comply, though at some inconvenience, in consequence of the late hour at which they were received, and certain orthographical impediments which will be discerned by the reader. Press Office, Saturday Morning.] SIR ROBERT PEEL TO SIR CHARLES NAPIER. Sir,—Having perused your letter in the Times, in reference to my speech at Stafford, I beg to inform you that it is of no consequence to you whether I spoke in a Ministerial or a private capacity, and that your raising such a question is an infernal liberty. What I said I said, and 1 abide by it, a thing you did not do by your ridi culous and bombastic threats made before you set sail with the fleet for the Baltic. T adhere to my opinion that if you had known how to make a stroke, you would have pocketed the Russian fleet, but you do not seem to understand the common cannon, and it is my believe that any luck you may have had in earlier life has been a fluke. You talk of Nelson--he'd have given you what you liked, and beat you with his one arm. As for your calling the Grand Duke Constantine a liar, that is lan guage that might be expected from the pet of the dirty snobs of a suburban borough; and, as fur your skulking behind the French admiral, it is all of a piece with your remarkable prudence. Hoping to hear no more of you, I am Sir, Your obedient servant, Friday, Elcven o'clock. ROBERT PEEL. THE PRESS. NOVEMBER 1, 1856. primary requirement of all, as we have often said, is the existence of Party The influences of Government are at the present day so widely ramified, that the Ministry for the time being are always cer tain of being at the head of a very considerable and compact body of supporters, always far more than enough to resist any attack upon them which an " independent member " can organise ; so that, provided a Ministry had nothing to apprehend but the isolated and fitful opposition of Parliamentary cliques, their lease of power would terminate only with their lives. I : then the country would not see itself delivered over to the dicta tion of some half-dozen individ•aals, or completely at the mercy of any one whom the Crown may select as Prime Minister, they must have a party out of office sufficiently numerous and united to make head against the party which is in. That is a wall against which " independent members " may knock their heads till they ache, as Mr. LAINo seems to do. But that is all that will become of it. Party can only be resisted by party ; and unless the English people have such faith in the Liberal leaders as to give them a carte-blanche for their policy, and surrender the power of resistance even to measures which they disapprove, they must admit the necessity of a vigorous Conservative party. WE are threatened with another Kaffir war. It certainly seems to us that the Government of this country have acted a very negligent part in not providing ere this against the possible recurrence of such a calamity. Sir C'EORGE CATHCART'S despatches from the Cape three years ago, pointed out a ready and an economical method of restrain ing the African hordes in future—merely by the establishment of a chain of military villages stretching across the British frontier. Our Government are only just now preparing to carry out this suggestion, and it looks very much as if even this were being done less because three were colonists to be defended, than because there were Germans to he provided for. In the meantime, a great wizard has arisen, who has pi ophesied unheard-of blessings to all who will join Providence in exterminating the whites; and the fanaticism of this people once being aroused may prove the source of the most troublesome war we have yet encountered. Whether he is in league with the Kaffir chiefs we do not know, but they will hardly be able to control their subjects on this matter if he is not; and we are disgusted to foresee the probable continuance of imposts, relief from which had seemed now to be near at hand. It would be better to leave the borderers to fight it out for them selves, in spite of the cruelties they would probably exercise, and which, have hitherto formed the ground of our performing the duty instead than to plunge into another barren contest, and sacrifice such men as Colonel FORDYCE, not absolutely fur nothing, because the Boors make an excellent thing out of it by the hire of their cattle and waggons to the British troops. At present they gain more than they lose by a Kaffir war. And what, therefore, is the probability of a per manent peace 1045 Emperor, and then come home and Abuse a brave sailor for not doing Imposibilies. I could no more take Cronstadt without gunboats than you could play billiards without aQ. Now then. Friday, One o'clock. SIR ROBERT PEEL TO SIR CHARLES NAPIER. CHARLES NAPIER. Sir,—l find I reckoned without my host in expecting to hear no more from a Napier. Your allusions to any memba. of my family might have been spared. They wound me deeply, and it is little worthy of the manly character of a British sailor to strike at the dearest and most cherished of all ties, the domestic affections. lam almost prepared, now, to hear you speak slightingly of my brother. Strike on, sir ; I must struggle for fortitude. If you think that the misconduct of others is an excuse for your taking too much to drink (a most objectionable practice), and annoying society by bad taste and swagger, I can only say that I pity you ex imo pectoris. But such an excuse is akin to your defending your lachete by the inaction of the French admiral. T never heard, however, that the latter made signals to his sailors, such as Aifilez le coutelas, et allex a tenfer, or issued any other message tending to the scandalisa tion of the Baltic sea. I tell you what it is, Sir Charles, I have seen something of nauti cal danger, having swum from a wreck about ninety leagues one night, and the fact is that in naval affairs hearts are trumps, and it strikes me that you have had none in your hand lately. As for gunboats, Vernon took Portobello with six ships only. You never took anything but Portobello oysters, and they had to be opened for you. Yours respectfully, ROBERT PEEL. Friday, Three o'clock. SIR CHARLES NAPIER TO SIR ROBERT PEEL. Sir,—Has for your billiard•marking slang, this Comes to let you know that I do not valley it the valley of a haporth of Tar. Your father would have knowd better things than to Insult his betters and yours, but I suppose you think that as he Took off all duties, he took Off your Duty to behave like a gentleman. Has for the Reform Club dinner, that's Neither car nor there. Its Eton and gone, and there's an end of that. Other folks beside an old Salt get baccy plenus, and perhaps you would ask Jimmy Graham who Slapped a Party on the back, and said he was to Go it, and, when the time came for Going of it, took d—d good care he should n't. Put that quid in your cheek, and keep it there. Who the Devil are you to give jaw about the Grand Duke Constantine? Who was it that got up in the House, just a few months ago, and protested that nothing would Satiate your love for gore but the utter prostration of the forces of Russia? They are Prostrate, of course, and you can go over and pay your Comps. to th e SIR CHARLES NAPIER TO SIR ROBERT PEEL. Sir,—Touching your family I said nothing to give you offence, and it would be a good thing if you would Imitate the Napiers, and avoid bringing your family name before the public unless absolutely necessary so to Do. I fancy that both our Reputations are too well fix'd lefore the Public eye, to be disturbed by anything that can be written. I, how ever, owe it to my Constituents, who may he snobs, but who know what they are about, to inquire of the Viscount Palmerston what were his special reasons for admitting you to the Administration. If subordinate members of the Government are to go about slan dering distinguished members of the service, it is time for Parliament to interfere. Friday, Five o'clock. SIR ROBERT PEEL TO SIR CHARLES NAPIER. CHARLES NAPIER. Sir.—Your insolence is not worth my notice. I told you that you were no admiral, and the best answer you can make is that I am not fit to be a Minister. The shot is as harmless as any of those which you discharged at places where the Russians wero not. I recommend you to give up your seat in Parliament, and go and grow turnips, which in moments of excitement you can imagine to be cannon-balls, and batter your pigsty with them. Yours, admiringly, ROBERT PEEL. Friday, Seven o'clock. SIR CHARLES NAPIER TO SIR ROBERT PEEL. Sir,—Pigsty be d--. You bed—. Turnips yourself. Here's your Health, no, I don't mean that. Here's bad luck to you, and * * * damage * * Karacter * * * Brave Sailor, d—. ( The concluding M S. is unfinished and slightly obliterated.) THE PRIESTS' TOAST. As we've done the confessin', and likewise the blessin', An' sent Paddy home wid his sowl in good state, We'll sit at our aise now, if your Riverinees plaice now, An' moisten our lips wid a dhrop o' " the nate." But befi - re ye begin it, jist hould still a minit, And I'll give yiz a toast that ye'll all dhrink, I guess— Here's, from every true Ca.thlie, that's son o' St. Path'rick, More power to ould Granny—bad scran to THE PRESS. They gave us this grant, sirs, be the sowl of my aunt, sirs, As to a bould beggar a trawneen ye'd pitch ; And we'd nothing to say thin, as they went on their way thin, But to lie, maybe die, in the bould beggar's ditch ; It's out o' believance, they left us no grievance, We were trated quite purty—l'll say it, sir—l. We'd nothing to howl for, or stir Paddy's sowl for, Till ould chanticleer gave us this illigant cry. NVid that to the fore now, an' frinds in galore now, We'd have made, before endin', good use o' the row; For ye'll mark, more by token, contintment was broken By these anti-Maynoothites ;—there's that, any how. And thin, what much more is, it split up the Tories, And stifled that scandal of Sadleir—bad eess ! 0211 ! if it were prastely, I'd say it was bastely To have our game spoiled by the sinse o' THE PRESS. F)r this Journal, persayvin' what we were consayvin', Sez, " Don't be desayviu', but give what is right There is worse, in good Booth, than the grant to Maynooth, Don't quarrel thegither, ye've plenty to fight. 'Tis this the disgrace is, to see Irish places To the lowest and loudest all free of access." So it sez—an I'm thinkin' you'll therefore be dhrinkin Luck, bedad, to ould Granny—bad man to Tux A _