The Press. — London, England, 1857-09-26 00:00:00

lowering the efficiency of the British army. The value of this class as volunteers would probably be very considerable. Of that we say nothing. We are only speaking of service in the line, and for this we believe it unfit. There are reasons at once why the middle class would not like tho army, and why the army would not like the middle class. It seems to be assumed that if promotion from the ranks were generally adopted, that would be a sufficient bait to draw the middle class into the army. Now, from this view we entirely dissent. First and foremost stand those veteran obstacles, pounds, shillings, and pence. Who can suppose that any sensible young man, with a chance of success as a farmer or a tradesman, would be allured by the prospect of dying a retired major, with 3001. a year? If it be urged that not the money: but the lift in the world, the rise on the social ladder, would be the attraction, the answer is easy. If the middle class habitually entered the army, it would at once cease to be an elevation. The so-called boon would destroy itself. The ensign would find himself still among companions of his own station, and infinitely worse off than the cousin or the brother who had stuck to the plough or the counter. Trade and agriculture are thriving pursuits in England. In point of comfort and enjoyment, the young farmer and the " young squire" are almost on a par. People do not sufficiently consider this ; they take a bird's eye view of Europe, and make jaunty compa risons between continental armies and our own. But they quite forget that what is luxury to a foreigner is often looked on as starvation by a Briton, and also that in the greater continental empires the army is con fessedly the readiest, if not the sole, channel of advancement in the world. Something has lately been said of the British yeomen at Cressy, and a wish ex pressed that our armies could now be com posed of the same material. We think it neither necessary if possible, nor possible if necessary. It is not necessary, because the movements of modern armies are entirely mechanical, and the nearer their approach to mechanism the greater their excellence. This kind of precisi.m is as easily acquired by a labourer or artisan as by his superior ; and for mere animal courage, relying on itself alone, and deprived of the confidence inspired by regimental organisation, Inkermann can testify that the present style of British soldier cannot well be surpassed. It is not, on the other hand, possible, because in our opinion members of the middle class would never sub. mit to that dull, monotonous discipline which alone insures the efficiency of modern English armies. The very consciousness that they could buy their discharge when they pleased would make them careless. And if you de prived them of this liberty, you would never get a man to enlist. Nor do we see that they could bring us anything in exchange for what we should lose. English characteristics are not those of the French, and if we cannot have the elan of the Gaul, we must fall back on the solidity of the Briton. On this, as on other subjects, a great deal of cant has lately been both written and spoken. A morning contemporary, remarkable for the modeAition and good sense which it fre quently displays on social and commercial subjects, has the following precious passage on the subject in question: — Such are the results of that system which has nothing to refuse to money, nothing to grant etcept to money ; which draws a gulf practically impassable between the ranks and the mess-room, and prefers a force composed of patricians who rise by the purse, and proletarians who never rise at all, to a noble and national institution which reflect' every phase of ;the society it is established to defend, where all ranks find a place, where every avenue to advance. ment is thrown open, and the highest honours are within the reach of the highest desert. Why, what arrant nonsense is this ? At the same rate, why should not the police force reflect every phase of the society it is estab lished to defend "? and a gentleman sit down to dinner in his dining-room at six o'clock, and descend the area-steps to share its cold re mains with the cook at ten o'clock the same night? Why should not firemen represent every phase of the society they are established to defend, or pickpockets every phase of the society they are established to rob? The fact rHE PRESS, SEPTEMBER 26, 1857. is, such phrases as those used by our contem- I porary are mere words built up into an im posing sentence, but one doomed to fall to pieces at the first breath of practical know ledge. Our most earnest desiro is that this question should be fairly ventilated. We are, upon this subject at all events, totally unprejudiced. All we hope is that the confusion of a crisis like the present will not be turnel to bad ac count by either the friends or the enemies of reform ; that the aristocracy will not use it as a pretext for preventing improvement, nor others as a pretext for gratifying their dislike of the aristocracy. Let facts be appealed to; let the reality of certain loud professions be tested ; let private or sectional feeling be for the time discarded, and much good may arise from the present agitation ; but while it is made a vehicle for assaults on classes, nothing but mischief can flow from it. THE PREMIER, LORD CANNING, AND LORD ELGIN. A PERSONAL discussion of much interest has grown up in the last few days. Is Lord PAL MERSTON a great War Minister, and is he the best man for the Indian crisis? Supposing that the Indian mutiny is speedily crushed, is the Premier best suited for the future legis lation applicable to the case? That is the first question. There are two others connected with it—namely, as to whether Lord CANNING was a proper appointment for a Governor- General of India, and why Lord ELGIN had not been named fir that post? As a War Minister Lord PALMERSTON has been ridiculously overrated. His sole point is to be regardless of expenditure, and to trust to the spirit of a House of Commons for over looking profuse outlay. Hectoring one set of opponents to-day, and hushing up a batch of jobs to-morrow, the Premier has jobbed on with a superficial amount of reckless clever ness which imposes on the vulgar. He has created nothing which will band his name down; his system of Foreign Policy has been overruled decisively, and is now discredited In leading the House of Commons, although he is most attentive to his duties, and though occasionally he is extremely dexterous, still his political guidance wants depth, force, and breadth of political effect. That he has been through life a personal success, nobody dis putes ; " clever Henry John" has had a pleasant draught of existence from first to last ; the lees of the cup has never been handed to him, and he has never enjoyed such a bitter portion as Lord jOIIN RUSSELL has swallowed for the last two years. His Pre miership has been a fortunate accident for himself ; it may yet turn out an unlucky event for the country. We agree with those who think that a states man of more weight and experience than Lord CANNING should have been chosen fur the Governor -Generalship of India. We are unwilling to criticise him harshly, though some facts might be severely pressed against him, but we recollect that some of his prede cessors were extremely to blame. We could sincerely wish that the Noble Lord enhanced his father's name, but we cannot forget that in home politics the Noble Viscount had been undecided in his tone and views. The Daily News of Tuesday has a singularly severe article against Lord CANNING, in which it says, "Lord CANNING, by Lord Aberdeen's " desire, refused the offer which Lord DERBY " made him to enter the Cabinet, &c , &e." We shall not quote the paragraph in extenso, but we may say that the influence which Lord CANNING permitted Lord ABERDEEN to use over him was unworthy of his father's son." The responsibility of the appointment was vested with the Premier. Lord PALMERSTON did not forget that Mr. CANNING first gave himself a seat in the Cabinet at a time when the Duke of WELLINGTON (to use his own phrase) thought our present Premier " a small bird." The feelings which led to the appointment might have been graceful and grateful, but ought tney have been exercised in an appointment of such magnitude ? Lord ELGIN has been called " the handy man;' and his arrival at Calcutta justifies 931 the appellation. Symptoms have appeared that some persons wish that Lord ELGIN should be " written up." As journalists we are opposed to the system of " writing up " or " writing down." A system of puffery is as vilifying to the public press as a system of detraction. As events progress we should not be surprised at a shower of invectives against Lord CANNING, to be followed by a fall of panegyrics on Lord ELGIN We shall dis regard both, and judge by facts. Lord ELotx is almost avowedly " a professional states man." Lord ELGIN has been before this time taunted by more than one political connec t tion with guiding himself on the principle of " Wha wants me ?" And it would be amusing, should this question be asked by him at Calcutta, if GEORGE CANNING'S son, with a spice of his father's humour, were to answer in the same dialect, " Nttebody." CHINA. WE are all familiar with those curious circum stances which take place upon the stage, whereby gentlemen are led to doubt their personal identity, and adventurers almost succeed in walking off with heiresses and ob taining the fortunes of old gentlemen by a talent for imitation and a considerable gift of impudence. This contrivance, indeed, is not without some foundation in fact. If a person were to go about the world resolutely assert ing that he was somebody else, he would always find people to believe him. And if his pretensions could only be disproved by writ ing out old documents, he might very likely carry his imposture to the grave. This is the game which the Government organs are play ing at the present moment on the subject of China. The public has been dreaming for the last six months, and is but now awaking to tho truth. It turns out that it was the Opposition, Mr. COBDEN, Mr. DISRAELI, and Mr. GLADSTONE, who were SO clamorous for hostilities with the Celestial Empire, and Lord PALMERSTON and his friends who warmly de precated them The latter are of course de liOted to find out how totally useless they have proved, and point to it in confirmation of their own sagacity with wonderfully natural exultation. "China is shelved." The war was superfluous—could be taken up and laid down at any time. We told you so all along. Were we not right? Are we not always right? Such is their language now, and we willingly admit that it is of a piece with their general behaviour. But for all that John Bull, we think, will take a little more convincing yet, and will he very apt to mutter, like Christopher Sly, something about " small beer." There is a class of persons especially nu• merous among the weaker sex who, Kapp, what may, have always one exclamation ready, " that they told you how it would be," no matter that the occurrence may be entirely attributable to themselves ; that they can forget at their convenience, and with a mar vellous appearance of sincerity claim credit for their wisdom in foreseeing what they pro tested before heaven and earth would never bo the case. If Materfamilias suggests a transition from the blue room to the brown, and Paterfamilias catches cold in consequence, " she told him how it would be." If the hus band objects to bad cookery, and the wife is indignant at his sinfulness, when indigestion ensues, " she told him how it would be." To this style of ejaculation there is of course no logical reply. A man who says that grass is blue cannot be argued out of his opinion; and the best that can be done with such persons is to treat them like wayward, but harmless, children. The case, however, is somewhat changed when this style of procedure is in• troduced into public affairs, and Government acknowledges or repudiates its own policy according to its success or failure. A cele brated caterer for public amusement one) travelled through a foreign country with a lady who took part in his performances. Whenever she produced a sensation he pro claimed her as his wife ; whenever she failed he disowned that particular connection. The