The Press. — London, England, 1855-07-28 00:00:00

THE WEEK. Taz notorious weakness of the Government—the universal conviction entertained that it is both insincere and inefficient—the difficulty with which it escaped defeat on a vital question a week ago—the reckless tone of its chief—the hasty profusion with which so large a sum as five millions is disposed of—the Commons being told that they are to have no voice in the matter, not even in the regulation of details — suggest a doubt whether Parliament, fairly looking at all the circum stances of the country, may not yet decide that it would be most dangerous to separate and leave such a Ministry at the head of affairs, and may not come to some resolution fatal to its existence before the day for prorogation arrives. We have Lord Jowl RossELL's own declaration, that a Government from the Opposition would be far preferable to one which is subject, from its very composition, to laws of disturbance and danger, from which it cannot escape. In the Cabinet there are yet the Ministers who staunchly supported the proposals Lord JOHN brought from Vienna—Sir WILLIAM MOLESWORTH, and other Members of what Mr. Rommel( terms the " herd," look regretfully back to their late venerable chief the Earl of ABERDEEN—and Lord PALMERSTON himself is tolerated by his Whig colleagues only as a convenient nuisance to be swept away at the first opportunity. To attempt the vigorous prosecution of a mighty war with such an Executive exposes us as a people to the mock of the world. In the debate on the Turkish Loan the argument was all on the side of the Opposition. If it was necessary to assist Turkey, better a thousand times vote a sum at once to aid her impoverished exchequer, than join France in mortgaging her revenues, and thus sow the seeds of infinite complications with both our Allies, and contribute to the distress—if not the ruin—of the country we are fighting to defend. The loan, with its mortgage of special revenues, was the very worst arrangement that could have been devised for the relief of Turkey. Of all forms of guarantee, the joint guarantee was the most objectionable, and the stipulation which threw on England in the first instance the responsibility of raising the money and securing the interest was manifestly open to objection. To all such arguments the Ministry had but one reply—the Convention was agreed to, and must be fulfilled. But why, then, the farce of coming to the Commons at all, and where is this system of extorting money from the House by means of Conventions to end ? If Russia had dictated all the business of this loan the terms could scarcely have been more injurious to unfortunate Turkey. The latest intelligence by telegraph from before Sebastopol is to Wednesday last. A despatch from General Paussint, inserted in the Moniteur of yesterday, announces that a sortie was made by the enemy on the French left from the Little Redan at midnight on the 24th. The sortie was vigorously repulsed, the Russians leaving eight dead and some wounded on the ground. As the lines of the allies now fast approach close to those of the enemy, it is probable that some desperate fighting will shortly take place. A powerful naval force has for some time been collecting off Sebastopol, but the destination of this force has not transpired. The Paris correspondent of the Times reports a rumour that it is destined to attack Sebastopol itself, and that an attempt will be made with one hundred vessels of every kind to force a passage through the mouth of the Sebastopol harbour, enter the port, and laud 40,000 men, while a simultaneous attack is made by land. Should any such general engagement take place it would probably be the most hotly contested that has yet taken place. Six weeks have now elapsed since the unsuccessful attack of the 18th of June. If we have been active in the interval, the Russians have not been idle. Their defences have been trebly strengthened upon every spot which our attack upon the 18th showed to be most easily assailable. Day after day convoys of waggons laden with fascines and gabions have been constantly arriving on the northern side, and their loads immediately transported to the southern, where crowds of men have been busily employed erecting lines of defence, of which as yet we are totally ignorant. We know so little of the in terior line of defence executed by the Russians, that it is hazardous to say whether, if we succeed in capturing the Malakoff and Redan, we shall be able to hold them in the face of the tremendous fire from behind which must sweep these works, and a high authority in this country has expressed grave doubts upon the subject. Yet it seems to be the recognised opinion that we must take Sebastopol now we have beseiged it. This blind adherence to a fixed idea may be natural to a populace, but is a dangerous quality in a Government or a General. There are not wanting many instances in the life of both WELLINGTON and NAPOLEON wherein the besieging of an invincible fortress was relinquished, and siege -train even aban doned, to meet and defeat the enemy in the field, as the more obvious means of attaining the object of the war. Invention and activity are far more valuable qualities in a Commander than mere dogged perseverance. It is the map which an able General explores, not the ground alone which lies within range of his vision; and we are inclined to think that we meet the enemy on exactly the terms they would themselves select when we suffer them to fight behind earthworks they have been nearly a year actively employed in strengthening, instead of disconcerting them by rapid and unfore seen movements, and forcing them to meet us in the field to prevent their communications being cut off. In the death of General TODTLEBEN Sebastopol has lost its greates hero, and the loss of this Russian General of Engineers,fron! the 'effect of a ivoiind received on the 18th of lune, is an event of no SATURDAY ) mean importance to the Russians. The ability, energy, and extra ordinary genius which the young General displayed in his defence of Sebastopol will hand his name down to posterity as ono of the most prominent men this war has brought forth. But a few months since—a poor captain of artillery—he offered to place Sebastopol in such a state of defence in three weeks as should successfully resist the operations of the allies, provided the resouzces of the town, in men and materiel, were placed at his disposal. His offer was accepted by NIENSCHIKOFF, and how he fulfilled his undertaking history will tell. For ten months the town has now resisted the operations of one of the most powerful and efficient armies modern Europe has witnessed in the field; and to say that this heroic defence is alone owing to the genius which devised and the energy and skill which executed the gigantic lines of defence around the town, is but the simple tribute due to the young General. It is creditable to the Russian system that his genius was so quickly recog nised and promptly rewarded. The great NAPOI.EON himself never showed better discernment than NICHOI.AS, in the rapid promotion of his poor captain of artillery to the supreme direction of the defence of Sebas topol, and to the post of General of the Staff of Engineers. By the explanation of the Hango massacre, in the columns of the Journal de St. Peterebourgh, it appears that the Russians wince under the odium which the very name by which this transaction is known in Europe casts on their arms. The main point of defence is that the flag of truce was not seen in the boat ; but it is obviously improbable that a boat should be watched on shore for at least an hour, a large force placed in ambuscade, and every preparation made to take the crew prisoners on landing—and yet that the white flag in her bows should not be seen. The arrangements bespeak the most careful watching, and it would be impossible to avoid seeing the white flag as the boat neared the shore. There is no doubt in any reason- - able mind that the chance was too good to be thrown away ; the white flag was ignored, and as brutal a breach of the laws of humanity per petrated as ever disgraced the name of a nation. Nothing can excuse the brutality of so powerful a force as the Russians mustered shooting down so insignificant a body of men as a cutter's crew. However rash it was upon the part of Lieutenant GENESTE to land under the circumstances, is nothing to the point. The boat's crew landed, and the Russians could have made them prisoners with ease, The Russian Government have refused to give up the prisoners ; but the statement of Lieutenant GENESTE has been forwarded to our Government, and is to be immediately published. From the stress laid upon the fact of stewards being in the boat for purposes of trade, the imprudence of this proceeding on the part of Captain FANSHAWI is made apparent. We regarded it at the time when intelligence of the " massacre " reached us as a most reprehensible act, calling for sharp censure, as such laxity iu official discipline would afford the Russians good ground for complaint. Our intelligent correspondent iu the Baltic gives us important intelligence this week. On the 11th, the fleet weighed and proceeded to sea for a short distance, when the main body under Admiral BAYNES returned to their old anchorage off Cronstadt, while four liners, French and English, and all the mortar boars, proceeded to Nargen, where nineteen of those vessels are now collected. He speaks, more over, rather confidently of some operations upon a grand scale being contemplated, and about to be put into practice. We trust that he may not be disappointed, and that whatever operations are under taken may be successful. But, at the same time, we rely on the good sense of the commanders not to make any attack for the mere sake of stopping the mouths of clamourers at home, without fair grounds of success. Admiral DUNDAS has now a powerful fleet of nearly one hundred pennants up the Baltic. If a blow is to be struck at Sweaborg, Revel, or Cronstadt itself, it must be done speedily, for u month or two more will close the sea to our ships. For ourselves, we do not anticipate any striking success. The Russians are too well defended in most of their positions by nature and art to be easily attacked, and the want of a powerful land force to co operate with the fleet will be a serious drawback to any very effective operations. Sir WILLIAM MOLEBWORTH was yesterday returned for Southwark. He of course kindly forwarded his speech to the reporters—a prudent precaution, as not a word of it could be heard, from the uproar which prevailed. Sir WILLIAM did not shrink from allusion to Lord ABERDEEN'S Government, though he prudently omitted to tell his audience that the late Premier had to the last no stauncher supporter. This is the last time the Right Hon. Baronet will sit for Southwark, and he is himself so well aware of the insecurity of his seat, that he is steadily working to secure the representation of his native county. Poor Sir CHARLES NAPIER ! What a pity that he will persist in exhibiting himself on every metropolitan hustings as the figure head of the unlucky craft—tho Defeated Candidate. If he means fighting, why not go to the poll? Of what avail is it to be eternally grinding his cutlass, without ever striking a blow? The filthy state of the Thames continues to excite much discussion in council chambers and in newspapers, and much nausea in the breasts of those who have to breathe its polluting odours. The metropolitan public is beginning to discover that Sir B. HALL'S Bill is no better than a rank sham; something worse, indeed, than no remedy at all, as it will give an excuse for doing nothing. He proposes a Board of Metropolitan Deputies, who, it is morally certain, will never act in concert. The powers granted to them for executing the de signed works are merely permissive, and five and a half years are assigned for the execution of works which might be completely finished in a year and a half. JEREMY BENTHAM once observed, that if you want a plait to fail, by all means grant a liberty of negligence and superfluity of means. Sir BENJAMIN'S Bill possesses both elements in perfection. THE PRESS. 712