The Press. — London, England, 1856-08-09 00:00:00

THE WEEK. THE Eastern Question is yet far from settled. Through want of that precision which diplomatists, of all men, should exercise, the negotia tors at Paris did not accomplish their work so well as could he wished. Nothing was said as to the Danubian fortresses Ismail and Kilia being restored to the Turks with their fortifications intact. Lord CLARENDON supposed that the fortifications would " of course " not be destroyed before surrender ; the Russians more naturally thought it their duty "of course " to make the possessions they yielded to an enemy of as little value as they could before resigning them ; and the Turks came into possession of only ruined towers and dismantled walls. No exact time was fixed for the evacuation of Kars, and the Russians hold that they have a right to occupy it till they learn that the evacuation of their soil is complete. A more serious difficulty concerns the Isle of Serpents (Firdonisi), some five and twenty miles from the Sulina mouth of the Danube. As this island was previous to to the war in possession of Russia, and as no mention whatever was made of it in the Treaty or at the Paris Conferences, the Russians have occupied it, and contend they have a right to its possession. On the other hand, Austria, who seems to have moved most actively in the matter, maintains that as the freedom of the mouths of the Danube was one of the main points always contemplated by the Allies, Russia cannot hold an island so near the Danube without glaringly violating the terms of the Treaty. The British Cabinet, it is reported, has taken up the subject so warmly as to transmit au order to Admiral LYONS, commanding in the Turkish waters, to enter with his fleet into the Black Sea. The matter in dispute is so trivial in itself, that it is scarcely likely any such order has been given. The island is a mere rock, scarcely larger than the area of St. Paul's Churchyard. It is on every account to be regretted that such petty points of dispute should be suffered to exist, as the desire of this country is, now that the war is finished, to cordially shake hands with our enemies and forget past disputes in amicable relations. This also should be the wish of Russia; and we cannot help thinking that her authorities in the South will go beyond the instructions of their Government in hindering by any means the complete bona-fide execution of the Treaty. The weighty business of framing a form of government for the Danubian provinces remains to be adjusted. The most important point to be settled is, whether they shall have a joint or separate administration. The former plan would seem every way preferable, as, united, the Principalities would form a considerable State, and be able to resist the intrigues of their powerful neighbours. The fertile soil of Wallachia and Moldavia, with their favorable position at the mouth of the Danube and Euxine seaboard, would. with a really national administration, in all probability soon raise them high in the scale of industrial prosperity. The people do not lack either intelli gence or enterprise. We are pleased to receive the first number of a well-produced journal, L'Etoilo du Danube, published at Jassy, and printed in French, intended to make the European public acquainted with the internal wants and wishes of the Roumain people. This journal advocates with zeal and distinguished ability the union and self-government of the Principalities. The Commission has not yet began its labours. The British Commissioner, Sir HENRY BULWER, is at present in Paris, settling, probably, with the French Government the leading ideas to be followed. With the surrender of Saragossa the insurrection in Spain may be considered at an end. Marshal O'Dosszu. is master of the situa tion. The blood freely spilt in Madrid and Barcelona will probably prevent any attempt at rising elsewhere. The French Government regards the proceedings which have taken place and the energetic action of the Marshal-Minister with entire complacency. The Moniteur, in a communication from Madrid, maintains that " matters, " as far as the Clown is concerned, have followed a perfectly con " stitutional course." The Duke of VICTORY is blamed for his obsti nacy in refusing to co-operate with the Marshal. This remarkable article may be regarded in some measure as a manifesto against the Liberal party. It is declared to be " fortunate for the Peninsula that " the ultra fraction of the Progressista party should spontaneously have " led to its own destruction, and afforded an opportunity of bringing "to a close a system of disorganisation and anarchy." Mention is made of the " progress of Socialism " during the last six months, and of " the false ideas which prevailed in the Cortes." It is evident from the whole tenor of this article, that the French Government is determined to support the Royal authority in Spain, and to watch with a most jealous eye any future insurrectionary movements which may take place in that kingdom. The latest arrivals from the United States indicate that Colonel FREMONT is gaining ground as a candidate for the Presidency. The New York Herald has curiously calculated the relative strength of the candidates by summing up the newspaper support they command. It states that FREMONT has in his favour 188 newspapers, representing a total circulation of 474,968 ; BUCHANAN 172 newspapers, with 294,793 copies ; and Fli.utoae 58 journals, circulating 95,391. Of the journals for BUCHANAN, 104 are in the north, and 88 in the south ; of those for FREMONT, 182 in the north, and only six in the south. This is an indication of the principle on which the contest will mainly turn. In the excitement of the coming struggle foreign polities aze little thought of ; but we have every reason to be satisfied with the manner in which the settlement of the foreig n enlistment squabble has been re ceived. The United States' journas ridicule the idea of a war between the two countries, and give Great Britain full credit for the modera- THE PRESS. SATURDAY, tion she has displayed. So far as the spirit of the States' people is concerned, there is nothing to prevent a speedy and satisfactory settle ment of the Central American difficulty. The alarming number of railway accidents throughout the king dom during the last two weeks, and, with only one or two exceptions, resulting from the negligence of the signalmen, suggests the neces sity of some alteration either in the signal code, or a radical change in the system of railway signals. Possibly the necessity for this change may never occur to the railway mind till SIDNEY SMITH'S roast Bishop comes to hand; but meanwhile, as every one in the community is interested in the best arrangements that can possibly be made to insure certain safe travelling on railroads, it is only fair to ourselves and pleasant to the Episcopal Bench that railway com panies should be forced to take in time such steps as might in some degree save the lives and limbs of the public, and pre vent the occurrence of so fearful a calamity as a roasted Pre late. The question has been taken up this week with its usual ability by the Times. A writer to that paper suggests that the whole system of signals should be reversed—a change easily effected at a trifling cost, and one to be recommended by common sense and every prin ciple of security. The present system of signals is "affirmative," that is to say, the signal of " safe " is the normal condition of the sema phore—it is always flying ; and in case of obstruction or accident at a station—the moment, of all others, when confusion is sure to arise— if the signalman forget to alter this signal the semaphore shows " safe" to the approaching train; it dashes in and then makes a butcher's bill which it would be considerably to the satisfaction of the shareholders and the convenience of the travelling public to avoid. This it is proposed to do by simply making the normal signal of semaphores one of "danger." The result is evident. The memory of the signalman will only be taxed when everything is safe, and the worst result of his negligence will bo in the stoppage of a train when the line is clear. Thus at least the most fruitful cause of railway accidents, collision, will be to a great extent removed. We shall get into a train with a tolerable certainty that, so far as human prudence can effect, every precaution has been taken for our safety, and we shall feel at least that our lives and limbs are no longer dependent on the memory of a signalman or the vigilance of a station-master. At present, in addition to the sufficiently nu merous risks from mechanical causes, we have these two monstrous hazards to contend against, and the result is seen in seventy per cent, of railway accidents. The public should stir in this matter. The directorial mind will do nothing without pressure ; and if Mr. MALINS and his Railway Reform Association were to make this one of their prominent points of Railway Reform, they would confer an immense benefit upon all classes, and earn a good claim to public support. Sir GEORGE GREY has decided that there are no grounds for extending mercy to DOVE, and the wretched culprit will accordingly be hanged in front of York Castle at noon to-day. No other result was to be expected. Sir GEORGE GREY is not the man to resist the clamour which has been raised for the blood of this most misera ble being. So all the evidences of his mental infirmity, of his incura bly destructive tendencies, the testimony of lunacy doctors, the recom mendation of the jury, and the prayers of DOVE'S mother, pass for nothing. His fate is not worth discussion, except as it illustrates the uncertainty of death punishments. Men have been saved from the gallows with less presumption of insanity in their favour than this wretch, and his execution will leave it more doubtful than ever in what cases the plea of insanity should be received. The reluctance of jurors to pronounce a verdict which they know must lead to death is productive of inconvenient consequences. At Bodmin, this week, a. man charged with the murder of an infant had evidence produced. against him which left no moral doubt of his guilt, though it was pos sible that the main witness might have deposed falsely. What was to be done ? It would not do to let the man go free on a bare supposition of his innocence. The jury cut the knot by finding him guilty of manslaughter. The Judge was puzzled. If the jury believed the evidence, they should have found the prisoner guilty of murder; if they did not, they should have acquitted him. The Judge, however, could not refuse the verdict, and the prisoner escaped the extreme penalty. Cain, recently tried for the Burnopfield murder, owed his escape, we arc inclined to think, more to the extreme scrupulosity of his jury than to defect in the evidence. Under the existing system the penalty for murder, even when the guilt is brought home to a prisoner. is a lottery, and we aro by no means sure that a certain penalty of civil death 'would not have a more preventive effect than an uncertain penalty of corporal death. In such case, a sepa rate prison, washed by the sea, as one of the Orkney islands. might be appointed for murderers alone. They might be kept under strict discipline, and be for ever secluded from all contact and intercourse with the outward world. To society they would be dead when their conviction was pronounced. Such plan would save us from much embarrassment, as there would be no ground for treating lunatic murderers in any other manner than those who are a few degrees more sane. All might expiate their awful crime by this living death alike. A commencement might well be made, without alteration of the law, with such reprieved murderers as CORRIGAN and CELESTINA SOMNER. The numerous and frightful murders of our time are against the argument that the death penalty is preventive of the crime. In one class of cases death is braved through despair, as in the instance of BOUSFIELD, who sought the police that he might surrender himself after his crime had been committed; in another class of cases the penalty is disregarded through firm belief in ability to escape detec tion. Whether more murders would be committed if the penalty were changed is matter of speculation. They are numerous enough at present, and seem on the increase. Greater certainty of punishment is desirable, and we know not how it can be secured except by chang- 756