The Press. — London, England, 1855-05-12 00:00:00

MAY 12, 1855. blindness and obdurate folly, had imperilled the success of a great enterprise, and brought discredit upon the British name. Are we giving utterance to the language of exaggera tion, are we venting the prejudices of the par tisan, when we say that it was the general belief of all classes in the kingdom that they had placed us in the anomalous position of being constrained either to prosecute an un necessary war or consent to a dishonourable peace ? The junta of statesmen who served under Lord ABERDEEN were accordingly censured and overthrown by an overwhelming majority in the Commons House of Parliament. But what was the ignoble consequence which fol lowed this auspicious event? The instability of popular feeling was never more signally exemplified than in the clamour which was raised in favour of Lord PALMERSTON. Though a prominent member of a disgraced Adminis tration, though on his own confession respon sible for the disastrous policy it had pursued, an abetter of all its folly, and a party to all its blundering, this family statesman was selected by the fervid acclaim of the community to be its foremost citizen. The nation proclaimed him the god of their political idolatry, and at his feet, amid the sounds of the dulcimer and all kinds of music, all classes bowed their homage. Never did a Minister find himself placed on a loftier eminence, or command a more extended regard. What was the first act of this triumphing tribune of the people ? How did he assert that mature wisdom and that patriotic spirit for which he need such imposing credentials? He summons to his aid the very men of whom the country had made such haste to deliver itself. Composed of the same elements as the Cabinet which had recently fallen, with a somewhat stronger infusion of Whiggism, it assumed office to carry on the policy which had made such havoc with the highest in terests of the State. There was no need that Parliament should be told that its interference had eventuated in results which were worse than nugatory. It was idle to dwell upon the apparent identity of the two Administrations, for it was openly avowed by Lord PAL MERSTON that there was no cardinal distinction or fundamental diversity between them. It profited not to remind his impetuous ad mirers that he and his colleagues constituted the larger portion of the Coalition of Lord ABERDEEN, and had therefore the opportunity of infusing life and vigour into the decrepit counsels of that senile blunderer, had they not concurred in the insensate course which he had pursued. And when by a discreditable manoeuvre, amounting to a breach of faith, the Premier found himself deserted by the Peel party, of what avail was it to show that he had lost all the talent which could give a Government strength or entitle it to con fidence, and that the Whig coterie, with all its arrogance and all its incapacity, had become dominant in the councils of the Sovereign! The name of Palmerston served as a charm to dispel all unpleasant misgivings, and dis arm all hostile criticism. His star was still in the ascendant in the political hemisphere, his reputation was untarnished, and his power unimpaired. What say his worshippers now? Not eight short weeks have passed, and behold the image fallen from its pedestal, defaced and disfigured ! Within that brief period the na tion has had its dream of hope and its awakening of disappointment. Rapidly, but surely, has the tide turned. The statesman who might have passed from the arena with a name which posterity would have recalled with admiration, has found that the crisis which raised has also dethroned him ; and those who enabled him to realise his culmi nating ambition, are constrained to witness his exposure and attest his disgrace ! LORD ELLENBOROUGIL WE are not surprised at the eagerness with which individuals in the most opposite con nections turn their eyes towards Lord ELLEN BOROUGH at the present time. What BENTHAM called " appropriate special aptitude" is the cardinal want of our War-office, and in none is THE PRESS. that faculty so visible as in the remarkable Peer on whose signal talents such statesmen as the Duke of WELLINGTON, the Earl of DERBY, Lord LYNDHURST, and Sir ROBERT PEEL have often recorded their deliberate testimonies. The interest now excited by the peculiarity of Lord ELLENBOROUGH'S position will justify an examination of his Lordship's claims to public notice. The son of an illustrious judge, who had raised himself by uncommon abilities, the Earl of ELLENBOROUGH entered into public life, at a period when the Whig satirists of the Holland house school made a most unscru pulous use of literary weapons. The most malignant ridicule, the most rancorous detrae tion, were in those days heaped upon all the rising young men in Parliament who did not hold " Liberal" opinions. The manner in which these melodious libels were manufac tured has since been revealed by Mr. THOMAS MOORE, of tarnished memory, and amongst the public characters most traduced was the eminent Peer whose energy and versatile capacity are now the objects of public hope. But, while witlings jested and Mr. THOMAS LITTLE sang about the fashion of Lord ELLEN BOROUGH'S attire, and the exact hue of his Isabella-coloured gloves, statesmen hoar with experience discerned the force of character which, with a bold and masculine eloquence, Lord ELLENBOROUGH inherited from his sire. Connected by family ties with Lord CASTLE REAGH, Lord ELLENBOROUGH was well versed in the inner history of politics; and the striking ability with which he exposed the unfortunate vacillation of Mr. CANNING, attracted the special notice of the Duke of WELLINGTON. When that great man was chosen Premier, in 1829, Lord ELLENBOROUGH was one of the first statesmen called on for his aid. In '34, Sir ROBERT PEEL in'ited his co-operation, and again in '4l, amidst the galaxy of names then at the head of the Conservative party, that of Lord ELLENBOROUGH was honourably conspi cuous. He was appointed, without a murmur of opposition, to the Governorship of India. He was the idol of the Indian army ; he re paired great disasters, and sustained a mighty empire. Though his energy as an " Adminis trative Reformer" wounded the commercial prejudices of " the Company," his services were appreciated by the Crown, and two steps in the peerage were given to one of the greatest statesmen who ever ruled an empire in the East. The lustre of the Earl's rank was en. hanced by the consideration that, while the Whigs have showered coronets on their ad herents, the Conservatives have always been remarkably choice in their titular distinctions and promotions in the peerage. Such is the man, stamped with the appro bation of successive Cabinets, whose bold designs, fearless deportment, prompt eloquence, and prolonged experience, stand out in relief against the goutitied intellect of poor Lord I'AN MURE. If we were asked to what one quality Lord ELLENBOROUGH stood indebted to his fame, we should answer, his vigour. And without vigour nothing great in design, or successful in execution, can ever be achieved. Vulgar minds cannot see how an error in plan may vitiate a whole course of action. They fasten upon obvious faults in details, not on the leading error in conception, from which all the other blunders naturally flow. Minds of vigour analyse rapidly, and therefore see clearly and quickly. Supported with personal confidence, their promptitude outstrips com mon intellects. The latter get entangled in the meshes of detail, and cannot extricate themselves; but the former buret through opposition, bound over obstacles, and by sheer force of will and prompt action go straight to the mark with the facility that force supplies, and with the success that forethought insures and deserves. And such is the nature of Lord ELLEN BOROUGH'S capacity. He has the vivida via animi which our War Department wants. Nor is his power of a crude or untutored kind, mere raw force, deficient in experience. His activity is balanced by attainments ; his speculative promptitude in design is matured and mellowed by long previous training. He has always had, also, a special faculty for deal- 439 ing with military subjects, and he has many of the peculiar qualities required for orga nisation. A strong man, and that man with a mind of his own, is the crying want of our War-office. Treble your subordinates, multiply your trans ports and your medical staffs, and your commissariat clerks, and without a proper head at the War-office there must be confusion, and a chaos of mischiefs arising from an anarchy of boards. The Duke of N was, and Lord PANMUE Lord ELLENBOROUGH would master, mould, and dominate the board. Rebels against true method and common sense, the boards have been slaves to precedent, but Lord ELI-kr:- BOROUGH, while controlling their operation, would emancipate them from the bondage of control. With such a man in the War-office, we do not assert that everything would in all places go right, but we do assert that con fidence in the capacity of the Executive would be restored, and that the common sense of the country would be left no pretence for sup porting a popular movement got up by nobody knows whc, in order to accomplish nobody knows what. But THE MILITIA BLUNDERS. IF any doubt existed as to the serious nature of the loss which has been caused by Lord PALMERSTON'S blunder respecting the reattesta tion of the Militia, it is set at rest by the de bate in the House of Commons of the 4th inst., and the official statements of the Under- Secretary-at-War. It will be remembered that on the 29th of March Lord PANMURE in formed the House of Lords, in answer to a question from Lord ELLENBOROUOIL that the total strength of the embodied regiments of England and Wales was 44,000 men. On the same day was issued the circular (rendered necessary by the pledges of Government in the preceding year) which authorised the dismissal of those who were unwilling to serve more than fifty-six days. Large num bers of the men availed themselves of the permission, and the newspapers were tilled with accounts of their departure. Of the total loss it was difficult to judge. We aro now, however, in a position to form an esti mate of its amount. Mr. PEEL states that at the present time the number of men under arms in the embodied regiments of England and Wales, exclusive of the regiments which have sailed for the Mediterranean, is 25,000 rank and file. The regiments which have gone abroad are four in number, and muster in all 3,000 bayonets. It follows that the total embodied force of the two kingdoms is 28,000 lank and file, and that since the 29th of March there has been a diminution of no less than 18,000 men. So large a loss is of itself sufficient to arrest attention, but there are considerations which give it additional importance, and which de• serve to be pointed out. Sixteen thousand men exceed the number which, according to the regulations of the service in the last war, should be allowed during twelve months to volunteer from a force of 44,000 men into the Line. To a very great extent the loss will dis able the regiments of England and Wales from contributing their proper quota for the en suing year. It has already prevented several militia regiments which were under orders for the Mediterranean from proceeding to their destinati•n and relieving the line regiments which garrison those fortresses. Thus it has materially hindered the despatch of reinforce ments of seasoned troops to the seat of war. Such is the effect on the army. The effect on the Militia service is still greater. More than one-third of its numbers have laid down their arms. Two sanguinary battles could hardly have been so destructive. A whole campaign might have been carried on without a greater sacrifice. But the moral effect has been worse than that of long campaigns, or a series of costly victories. It has been equivalent to a succession of defeats. Victories would have thinned the ranks, but they would have in messed the spirit of the troops. Hardships