The Press. — London, England, 1855-07-14 00:00:00

656 and make it ridiculous for "a season," and then afterwards " cut" it with contempt. But Administrative Reform does not come in the shape of a parvenu, pushing for intro duction into high life, and atoning by parasi tical servility to rank and title for degrading compliances with vulgar clamour. The Con servative Cabinet of Lord DERBY, through the lips of its Leader in the Lower House, was the first to proclaim the principle of Administra tive Reform ; and enough has been stated in Parliament by Mr. DISRAELI to show that the Conservative leaders were determined on a practical and vigorous amendment of the official system. The public is now becoming thoroughly alive to that conviction ; and the Conservative party, according to its principles, will be prepared to maintain the Constitution, while removing the blemishes which consider ably detract from the vigour of the Executive of England. OUR BALTIC FLEET. Fon effective purposes our fleet has now been up the Baltic more than two months, and as yet our tri umphs are summed up in a few score of wretched coasters, some sixty-odd infernal machines, the honour of having had a shot or two fired at us here and there, and a boat's crew massacred at Hango. These are the substantial results of a two months' undisputed sway over the waters of the Baltic, from Cronstatlt to Copenhagen. The fleet left the Downs on the 9th of April for Wing() Sound and Kid, and after a protracted stay at these places, owing to the lateness of the ice up the Baltic, on the 3rd of May left Kiel for Faro, and from thence, on the Bth, to their old anchorage at Nargen, off Revel. For sixteen days they lay off Revel, reconnoitring the place, examining first this point and then that, and finding out, after all, that nothing could be done. Towards the end of the month they steamed up to Cronstadt, made an im posing display of force for fourteen days, exercised the crews and the gunboats, and then suddenly, on the 14th of June, steamed back to Seskar, some thirty miles distant, and ar suddenly, on the 20th, re• turned, once more, accompanied by the French Admiral and three liners, to their anchorage off Cronstadt. From that date to the present they have done as much as they did before, taken a few wretched coasters, fit only for targets for the fleet, made some three or four careful "recon naissances " of Cronstadt and its defences—which they have discovered, as every one anticipated, to be amazingly developed since last year—and nearly killed one of their own admirals with an infernal machine. This is but a meagre result after an absence of three months, during two of which the enemy's ships have wisely contented themselves with taking refuge behind sunken piles and granite forts. But it is not our fleet which should bear the blame. The men and officers of that fleet are thirsting for an opportunity to distinguish themselves; but our Go vernment., with its half measures and its tardy pre perations, is the real cause of these inglorious results. For a whole year the Admiralty have well known that gun tied mortar boats are the only vessels which can successfully combat against the Russian bat teries. At first they pooh-poohed at the fact, hut a mouth's experience last year up the Baltic convinced them it was true, and nine months, from September to May, were left to fit out and prepare a flotilla worthy of the work it had to perform this year. The nine months have passed, and find the Russians, not us, fitted out with a flotilla of steam, gun and mortar boats, with vast fortifications and intrenclied camps rising up on every side, with clouds of Cossacks and dense bodies of troops massed upon every available spot, and moreover upon every spot which last year was open to attack. Upon our side what have we done? We flt out and send the same fleet we did last year, more or less, with a batch of a dozen or so of gun-boats, to take a place difficult by nature, almost impregnable by art, and rendered trebly so since last year. It is no use bewailing lost opportunities : the only way to remedy the evil would be to grapple with it boldly at once ; but delay seems to be the curse of this war, from Balaklava to the Baltic. And we shall have to endure a second fruitless campaign in the North, because the Admiralty have throughout neglected their duties, and the Government have never yet decided on their policy. What we had not got in the Baltic with our fleet last year, and what would be wanted this, was so plain to the understanding of any man who asked himself the question, that it seems incredible a whole fleet of gun and mortar ships is not now swarming in o every bay and creek on the slams of THE PRESS. the Baltio,—bombarding towns, shelling camps, and harassing the enemy perpetually from one extremity to the other. But the Admiralty contented itself with building a dozen or two gun-boats, and with ordering the construetiou of some floating batteries, which have now been nearly seven weeks out of the contractors' hands, and have not yet left their moorings, because the Admiralty is unde• cided to whom to give the uncommissioned vessels, and has not yet made up its mind whether those which are commissioned, fitted, manned, victualled, and have been ready for sea for the last week, shall venture to sea at all. Without claiming any singular powers of prevision, we foresee that we must rest content with a war of blockade in the Baltic this year, enlivened, perhaps, now and then with a little harmless firing at stray Cossacks on solitary forts. The Government and the Admiralty are alike determined that nothing shall be ready at the right time. Should the war last, the destruction of Cronstadt will only be effected at a price of blocd that will scarcely bear consideration. THE BOARD OF HEALTH AND THEIR BILLS. Soma weeks ago we published In our correspondence two letters upon the "Metropolis Local Management Bill," and we have since waited patiently in the hope of seeing its provisions settled by the committee of the whole House ; but on Monday last the Bill was recommitted, and is not yet reprinted, so we can, therefore, only surmise its enactments. It is said that the Board will have unlimited powers of raising money. But it is also said that they cannot spend 50,0001. without the consent of the Govern ment, nor 100,0001. without the consent of Parlia ment; so that all plans for new bridges and tunnels, sewers, &c., will have to wait upon the consent of Parliament before a brick can be put into the ground. It is said, moreover, that all persons whose property will be interfered with by the Bill are to be amply compensated, so that a heavy charge may be ex pected by the ratepayers of the districts. One of the three Bills which was to be secured this session, the " Public Health Bill," has been relinquished already by Sir BENJAMIN HAIL; a second has been so modified in every clause that its opponents are quite satisfied ; and the third is, we understand, to be smuggled through on Monday in the dark. Sir BENJAMIN HALL represents this Bill as "highly popular," but, for our own pact, we should certainly prefer a clear week for a consideration of its clauses ; and we trust that it will not only be printed by the House, bat that the third reading will be fixed for the following week. FROM the announcement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer last night it is to be presumed that he pro. poses to raise some new taxes, as he has additional estimates to bring forward, and is precluded from raisingimore money this year by way of loan. He makes mention of a Committee of Ways and Means, which we may therefore take to be nearly equi vaknt to a demand of "Stand, and Deliver:" THE ENLISTMENT FOR THE FOREIGN LEGION IS at last proceeding with some activity. Among the corps to be raised are 10,000 Germans, 5,000 Swiss, 5,000 Italians, and 20,000 Turks. Beatson's Irregular Cavalry is to consist of 4,000 sabres. Junior: will not be done to Lord Raglan's memory until his private despatches are given to the world. He had enormous difficulties to contend with, not the least of them being the ignorance of the Government at home of his real position. Lord Panmure signalised his accession to office by a letter to Lord Raglan, so irritating in its tone as to draw forth from the Commander-in-Chief an eloquent despatch, at once an explanation and a protest, stating the real facts of his position, and the motives which influenced his conduct. There can now be no hesitation in stating that the inaction of the allied forces during the early part of the year watt mainly owing co the scruples of General Canrobert.. IN the correspondence between Prince Dolgorouki and Admiral Dundas, relative to the future recep tion of flags of truce by Russia in the Baltic, three places are given by the Prince at which such flags in future will only be received, viz.:—Cronstadt, Sweaborg, and Revel. The reason for this unusual proceeding is asserted to be the "manner in which the English make use of flags of truce." Admiral Dundas in his reply begs to be informed of the cir cums.tances in which his officers may have acted contrary to the laws of war; and, as the allegation is broadly made by Prince Dolgorouki, we have no doubt that the strictest investigation will take place. SATURDAY, 6orrts t ponttntr. LOUD PALMERSTON AND THE SECRET SYSTEM. TO THE EDITOR Olr " THE PRESS." Sir,—Allow me to request the correction, in your next number, of two errors of fact which appear in the notice, in your last, of a correspondence lately published between myself and Lord Palmerston. It is stated that the grounds of indignation are " totally mistaken." The " mode of seizure "of the impostor, and " the indignity " she suffered, are stated as the actual grounds of indignation. With out inquiring whether the dignity and feelings of spies and impostors are the things to be consulted in reference to tile exposure of such ornaments of society, it is only necessary to state that the alleged " mistake" is, at any rate, refuted by the well-known fact that I had nothing whatever to do with the proceedings taken against the woman. On the con trary, I strongly recommended the taking of a course, for the exposure of the imposture, which in volved no criminal or other technical proceeding at all. A different course was thought by the imme diate victims of the imposture due to themselves. They took it, declining to adopt the course urged by me. You further speak of an " action " against me. There never was any such action. One of the points expressly stated in the correspondence itself, to which your notice refers, is, that I had no concern in the actions arising out of the matter, and "could there fore take no means to defend myself, and could not prevent the mi.management of the case." Of course, not being myself a party to any action, it was safer (though less honest) to attack me. These attacks were only . at length stopped by the threat of criminal proceedings against two newspapers, both of which thereupon immediately retracted. The actual matter involved is purely a public question, though a very serious one ; namely, the abetting, by the English Government, of the spy system, in subservience to a foreign Government, and the abetting of a foul imposture in order the better to carry out this spy system. I regret that there was no locus standi for getting out the facts without allusion to the gross personal wrong done to me. But such having thus become necessary, and misrepresentations having—however unwittingly— appeared in your paper on this point, I appeal to your sense of justice to insert this communication in your next number, with the same prominence in which your notice of the correspondence itself ap peared last week.—Your obedient servant, Highgate, July 4, 1855. TouLmii SMITH. A CONSCRIPTION UNNECESSARY. TO THR EDITOR OF 66 THE PRESS." Sir,—A correspondent in your journal of the 7th inst. urges that a conscription is necessary to raise our army to a proper standing for the exigencies of the war. England, I think, would not tolerate such a breaking up of homes, and what may also be termed an invasion of the liberty of the subject; but England would not grudge her wealth to be ex pended in securing her honour; therefore I would propose that the House of Commons ♦ote sit millions sterling to be applied as a bounty to all whet enlist. This sum, at 201. per man, would raise 800,000 soldiers.—l am, Sc., .1. T. 0. July 10, 1855. WE have to record the death of Snt Roan? ABERCROMBY, BART., the Chief of the Clan of Aber eromby, which took place yesterday week, at Forglen house, the family seat in Banffshire, N.B. The deceased was son of Sir Geo. Abertramby, fourth baronet, by the eldest daughter of the seventh Lord Banff. He was born in 178.4, and was eonsequently in his 71st year. In 1816 he married Miss Douglas, only daughter of Mr. Samuel Douglas of Netherlaw. He is succeeded in the baronetcy by his son George, born in 1824, who also inherits the large family estates in Banffshire and Kirkcudbright in Scotland, and Fermoy in Ireland. AMONGST the passengers by the Eusine, which arrived at Southampton on the Bth with the India mail, was the son of the celebrated Whampoa, the rich tea-merchant, of China. He is sixteen years of age. and has been sent to England to be educated. - THE GOVERNMENT are stated to have resolved upon appointing a commission to inquire into the subject of decimal coinage, to be composed of Lord Monteagle, Mr. Hubbard, and Mr. Norman. Two of the five new Manchester daily newspapers, the Manchester Halfpenny Express and the Man chester Penny Express, have already laces discon tinued.