The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-08-07 00:00:00

FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT,

MONDAY MORNING.
THE parliamentary session of eighteen hxm,:zed and fifty-
five has now beer brought almost to a close. Ministers,
having obtained nearly all they desire in the way of access to
the national purse, have consented to relieve the collective
wisdom of the country from more than a few days' sittings at
HER MATE3TY'S Palace at Westminster. They have appointed
Wednesday next, the day after to-morrow, as that on which
the "white-bait high finks" is to be celebrated, -at the Tra-
falgar in Greenwich. Established habit has rendered this
symposium indispensable to the Ministerial enjoyment of life.
The wines of the Trafalgar, like the fabled Lethe of old, are
presumed to wash away the sorrows of the past, and to lubri-
cate with the oil of forgetfulness the cares of the future. On
Wednesday, then, the jocular PREMIER and his trembling
colleagues will pledge each other in bumpers of sherry and
champagne, and thank their stars that there are now no
more awkward questions to answer. Honourable members,
disregarding the fashion set by the feathered tribes, looking
out for discordant mates, have made pairs is the autumn, and
disposed themselves as units in different portions of the
country. Saturday appears now fixed, by general consent, as

the day.on which our legislative halls shall be closed for the
season, and between now and that day the business transacted
in either house will be almost strictly confined to routine.
The session, it is understood, will not at its close be graced by
the presence of HER MAJESTY, who, secluded in the retire-
ment of Osborne, is at present enjoying the luxury of
domestic and family quiet.
The session which is about to close has been, on the whole,
a very remarkable one. Few of its predecessors can vie with
it in the power it has exhibited of tearing the mask from
pompous imbecility, decked up to simulate the statesmanship
of the patriot. Since its ominous opening, how many of our
public men, of supposed note, have been swept away in its
surging tide ? Where are now the leaders on whose rounded
periods and frothy oratory seemed to hang not merely the
safety but the very existence of the state ? Look for the
names of those who at its commencement were high in office,
and to all appearance higher still in public estimation, and
where shall we discover them ? Who now endeavours to find
the oracles of finance in the involved and labyrinthine sen-
tences of GLA.DSTONE ? What section of the commercial world
turns, as for authority, to the exploded statistics of CARD-
WELL? Will any one who now wishes for information on
subjects connected with the navy appeal to the experience or
satisfy himself with the explanations of Sir JAMES GRAHAM ?
If the conduct of the war is brought under discussion, who
will seek to shelter or fortify his opinion by quoting the
authority of SYDNEY HERBERT ? The Duke of NEWCASTLE
seems forgotten ; the Earl of ABERDEEN has been trans-
ferred to the obscurity of political Hades ; Lord JOHN Rus-
SELL has shrunk to such tiny dimensions as to be scarcely
perceptible ; and Lord PALMERSTON himself sustains his
position in the public eye chiefly as a waspish joker, quite as
much feared by his friends as he is dreaded by his opponents.
How different is the position of all these men at the close,
compared with what it was at the opening of the present

session.

But yesterday the word of these men mieht
Have stood against the world : now lie they there,
And nine so poor to do them reverence.
The rude wind of national adversity has blown upon them, and
they have been shrivelled by its withering influence. Wise
councils and brave deeds were required from them, and it
was found they had only words and foolishness to offer. The
indignant breath of au earnest and energetic people has
swept them from their place of pride.
If the closing session has been a remarkable one for un-
masking pretence, it has not been greatly distinguished by the
display of legislative wisdom, nor will it be in any great de-
gree entitled to the veneration of posterity for the vindication
of our constitutional rights, or as reflecting honour on the
dignity of our national institutions. The time it has been in
existence has been so wholly taken up with explosions of per-
sonal and party venom—so entirely devoted to vituperative
and querulous individual criticism, that the public business
was forgotten or postponed. The government of Parliament
and the management of the national affairs have been almost
entirely surrendered into the hands of Mr. JOHN ARTHUR
ROEBUCK, the generally accusing member for Sheffield ; a
gentleman who never in his life attempted the introduction of
even a Turnpike Bill,—whose legislative skill has not been
solicited by any one to aid in the preparation of one public act,
or enlisted in the furtherance of any measure of general uti-
lity—whose whole parliamentary career has been but one un-
broken example of barren criticism and unfruitful talk—who
represents no principle of action—no section of political com-
bination. Yet such has been the tame unresistine
..-rnat into the an of tins some-
what antiquated parliamentary novice nearly the whole legis-
lative time of the session has been delivered. The result of
this unbusiness-like apathy has been, that even the measures
indispensable -for keeping the machine of Government in ope-
ration have been delayed till there was no time to consider any
of their propositions in detail. Estimates for carrying on the
civil service of the State bearing date the 27th of Marsh were
introduced into a committee of Ways and Means, considered,(?)
and passed in hot haste so lately as Thursday night last. Some
of the votes treated in this manner were of deep national con-
cern ; such, for example, as a proposed grant for the encourage-
ment of art and science ; others were no doubt mere matters
of routine, but still, as they involved considerable outlay, they
were without doubt entitled to consideration as to principle,
and examination as to detail far more elaborate than could by
possibility be bestowed on them at the fag end of a tedious
and disputatious session.
Conspicuous among the multiform items which underwent
a professed discussion on the night referred to, was the peremp-
tory refusal of Lord PALMERSTON to pledge himself not to
conclude. a peace with Russia without first submitting the
terms of it to parliament. In doing so, of course his lordship
took his stand upon the constitutional principle that the con-
clusion of peace or the declaration of war is a prerogative of
the Crown, and as such is a power wielded by the Ministry
for the time being. He further, in his customary and smart
manner, reminded the house that if not disposed to entrust
the affair to Ministers, themorelegitimate way would betoadopt
a course of action which would result in ejecting them from
office. The taunt implied in this was sufficiently evident ; its
justice, however, was not by any means so apparent. His
lordship cannot have forgotten how nearly his own adminis-
tration was drifted into a peace which all of them now con-
demn as unsatisfactory, and reprobate as unworthy of the
national character; and, with this recollection strongly in his
mind, he was hardly entitled to sneer at the anxiety mani-
fested by a respectable section of parliament, and by a large
portion of the British people, that a similar risk of staining
the national honour may not be again incurred. The subject
received further discussion, and the practical danger of trust-
ing implicitly to the discretion of the present Ministers was
more pointedly illustrated on Friday evening ; on which occa-
sion Mr. LAING complained that at the meeting of Ministerial
supporters, held some months ago in Downing-street, the
I whole truth had not been told to them. In the course of a
discussion which ensued, it appeared that there is a hankering
after the generally condemned "four points." The question
appears therefore to stand somewhat in this position : A sus-
picion is prevalent in the country that a compromise may be
entered upon in reference to the conclusion of the war which
the general voice of the people would condemn; a desire to
frnm this suspicion is widely participated in, but
the assurance which would dispel the suspicion is pertina-
ciously refused by Ministers, who, while relying on their pre-
rogative and vaunting their responsibility, forget that they
have themselves created the suspicion and voluntarily forfeited
the confidence which they thus superciliously demand.
One blunder is often the fruitful parent of many, is an ob-
servation which has received frequent illustrations during the
present session of Parliament, and it had one further demon-
stration on Thursday night. On the occasion in question, Mr.
FREDERICK PEEL, in answer to an interrogatory, stated that
Lord GEORGE PAGET had been rewarded by an allowance of
£lOO per annum, as a " good service pension," as the senior
regimental colonel of cavalry engaged at Balaklava. The pro-
priety of such a grant to his lordship having been called in
question, Mr. F. PEEL said no choice could have been made in
the matter, as, being the senior officer, to have passed him
over would have been indirectly to submit his conduct to cen-
sure. Further doubt having been expressed as to the pro-
priety of the grant, the PREMIER himself undertook an ex-
planation of the case, and stated that the selection of Lord
GEORGE PAGET for the reward was entirely the act of the
Commander-in-Chief, whose right of judgment he strenuously
defended. Here, then, we have the chief and his subordinate
at issue : the latter charges the act, good or evil, praiseworthy
or entitled to blame, upon the greatly abused shoulders of
routine ; the former lays it at the door of the Commander-in-
Chief. The case with doubtful adjuncts is clearly put by the
Times. " The PREMIER and the SECRETARY-AT-WAR evi-
dently don't agree on the subject. The one refers us to blind
routine, the other to discretion. The one thinks there is no
help for it, and Lord GEORGE must have his good-service pen-
sion, the other that the COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF is the best
judge." Common sense, the least common, apparently, dell
the senses, in Ministerial composition, refuses to see the pro-
priety of deciding good service by mere seniority ; and vio-
lently repudiates the absurdity of fixing desert under parti-
cular circumstances in obedience to mere routine. Throwing
the affair over upon the responsibility of the COMMANDER-IN-
CHIEF does not go a great way in removing the absurdity.
Without in any degree impugning the gallantry of Lord
GEORGE PAGET on the occasion and in the circumstances re-
ferred to, it is impossible to perceive any particular claims

that can be urged in behalf of his lordship, which may not
be adduced with equal propriety in favour of every one who
engaged in and survived the fearful " death-ride" of that
dreadful day. The undltaking, it is agreed on all hands,
was the result of an error; and a fatal and deadly one it proved.
The troops engaged in it, one and all, behaved with the most
gallant devotion; but no one has pointed out that Lord
GEORGE PA.GET did more or did less than his brethren in
arms ; and it seems rather more than questionable to bring
him so prominently forward for reward. If passing him over,
in awarding a good-service pension, would be to imply cen-
sure on his conduct, what does the peculiar prominence be-
stowed on him imply to the rest of the heroes who braved
and like him survived the dangers which he shared with
them ? When such rewards are bestowed in a manner so
liable to misinterpretation, can it be wondered that they give
rise to jealousy and dissatisfaction ?
The death of the Earl of SEFTON, which took place on
Thursday, at the family mansion in Belgrave-square, places at
the disposal of the government the appointment of Lord
Lieutenant of the county of Lancaster. Considerable specu-
lation in respect to this matter has been raised among the
clubs. Some maintain that it is an opportunity of conferring
a conciliatory distinction upon the Earl of DERBY which Lord
PALMERSTON should not let slip, as an act of courtesy which
would reflect credit on the magnanimity of the PREMIER'
without placing any real power in the hands of his rival; and
that at the present time it would read like an acknowledg-
ment of the forbearance with which the noble Earl has treated
the ministerial difficulties of the cabinet on more occasions
than one. The same parties further aver, that the passing
over the claims of the present Lord DERBY at the death of
his lordship's father was an act of party narrowness of spirit
which reflected no honour on its perpetrators ; but that, now'
the opportunity is again offered, it might be converted into
capital of a kind which the present Government stands greatly
in need of. On the other hand, it is stated that such appoint-
ments are generally looked on as honours to which the sup-
porters of an existing Ministry may at all times aspire as
legitimate rewards for undoubted services—that giving them
away to political rivals may indeed look magnanimous, but
that in reality such a deed is more'Quiaotic than praiseworthy.
These latter consider that the selection of even a lukewarm
supporter to fill such an office is a political crime which ought
not to be forgiven. Probably neither of these conflicting
views is the one likely to be acted on; and a generally well-
informed section of adherents to the present Administration
speak of the Earl of ELLESMERE as a nobleman who would
be in all respects unobjectionable to any portion of the Lan-
cashire community..

On Wednesday last, an event took place at the London
Tavern which is generally looked on as of great interest to'
the community of the British Islands, but which is necessa,
rily of more importance- to a commercial and shipping district
than to any other. That was the farewell banquet given by
the Directors of the East India Company to the newly ap-
pointed Governor-General, on the eve of his departure for the
East. The banquet was in all respects a sumptuous one, in-
cluding amongst the guests ministers and ex-ministers, officers
of state' and other official dignitaries. The whole resources of
the celebrated restaurant were called into operation to do
justice to the occasion, and the banquet was in all respects
princely and worthy of the occasion. The chairman, Mr.
ELLIOT MACNAGHTEN, chairman of the honourable company,
in proposing the toast of the evening, the health of Viscount
CANNING, the new Governor-General, made pointed yet taste-
ful allusion to the unfulfilled appointment of the noble Viscount's
father, the right honourable and celebrated GEORGE CANNING,
to the same office, remarking on his brilliant talents and great
ability as a statesman. In reply to the toast, the noble Viscount
glanced rapidly yet comprehensively at the condition of our
Indian empire, and felicitously pointed out the moral policy
by which alone it can be governed with safety and in CORSO-
'lance with the intelligence, the iategrity, and the dignity of
this great and enlightened country. He made a beautiful and
striking allusion to the value of that high moral training
enjoyed by the civil service and the army of India, remarking
of those men that they have redeemed their countrymen from
charges of rapacity and selfishness, saying admirably of them
—" They have enabled you to exhibit to the world a spectacle
of which the world's history can show no similar example—
that of 150,000,000 of human beings, and a continent teeming-
with wealth, governed by the dominion of" strangers and of
aliens, but the yoke of whom is' so easy and. so light, so com-
bined with security for the present and promise for the future,.
that no rule of any native prince which their land has seen
can compare with it." So true and so well•deserved an enco-
mium of British sway is one which does honour to its utterer,.
and gives bright presage of a wise and tolerant, yet firm and
useful career. It formed, also, a fitting proem to his wen
_-
t _
.. • e hie lordship's
immediate predecessor, whose policy of peaceful firmueSs ana
educational progress he declared his admiration of and his
resolution to, follow out. The noble Viscount concluded by a
touching and eloquently-expressed reference-to the compliment
paid to the memory of his-father, and expressive of the stirring'
emotions with which he was animated by a recollection of his-
parent's appointment to the same responsible office which he-
himself now held, saying—" The recollection of that event is-
an inspiration as strong as could rouse the energy of any man-
in his struggle for success, and I shall, indeed, consider there.
is a blessing on my work if it be granted to me to justify by
my own acts the- preference that has been shown to the name
I bear, and to vindicate my right to bear it."
National attention is still kept painfully- alive and on the
rack of expectation by the tantalising accounts which, we,
from time to time, receive as to the progress of the war iu the
Crimea. Day by day we are favoured with. intelligence of
advancing approaches towards the enemy's stronghold; of
frequent conffiete„ which lead to nothing but barren laurels
and fruitless yet dearly-purchased successes;: of vast exertions
and enormous sacrifices incurred in the anticipated achieve-
ment of some crowning victory,
Which, like the circle bouneingeartli and skies,
Lures from afar, yet as we follow flies.
Months of preparation and of toil have succeeded months of
suffering, disease, and death, since our brave countrymen and
their gallant allies sat down before the fated and fatal fortress
of Sebastopol. Exertions almost superhuman have been made
for its capture ; and in its attack and defence rivers of blood
have been poured out with a profusion which, in reference
to water even, might have been considered prodigal and waste-
ful, yet still the mighty stronghold offers sullen defiance to
our efforts for its subjugation. The Russians threaten to de-
fend it to the last stone, and, the indomitable courage with
which they have hitherto combatted all the attempts made
against it justifies, in no small degree, the threat. They point
to the numerous system of forts of which the place consists,
and which they maintain can be worked. es so many separate-
or combined points of resistance. Their military authorities.
refer with triumph to the fact that the plate has never been
invested—that being open to the north it has endless supplies,
of men, and exhaustless stores of provisions and munitions of
war to supply and maintain the garrison. On the other hand,
the allied generals continue to express themselves sanguine of
ultimate and not distant success. On their side everything
seems all but fully prepared for a great and final struggle, in
which the pent-up and harrassed garrison must yield to the
overwhelming force by which they will be assailed. Favour-
able augury is also drawn from the attention directed by
Russia to the non-investment of the place, which, coming from
them so late in the day, may not unfairly beinlookedie points
sas
ruse to withdraw attention from the really yiteraz
of their defence, and, by causing a diverting of object on
the part of the allies, to secure opportunity for repairing,
strengthening, and augmenting those defences which, under
present circumstances, have become obviously untenable. In
this state of matters, every rumour and suggestion are eagerly
laid hold of by the public, whose interested curiosity is kept
painfully on the alert. Renewed rumours, not easily traceable
to any definite source, have again become common to the
effect that it is intended to convert the siege into a blockade.
This rumour seems to be chiefly built upon an article which
has found its way into the Constitutionnel, in which the
value of fortifying Kamiesch is strongly insisted on, and
which the writer describes as being capable of "holding
Sebastopol by the throat," and as in fact " completely nullify-
ing" the stronghold. Added to this is an asserted declaration
on the part of General PELISSIER, to the effect that, if un-
successful in his next attack on the Malakhoff, ho will raise
the siege, and lead his army into the field. How far either or
both of these averments are worthy of credit, it is no easy
matter to determine. The article in the Canstitutionnel may
be penned with the same purpose of deceit as there is strong
reason for believing that in the Invalide Russe was inspired by
when pointing out to the allies the importance of cutting off
Russian supplies from the north; the condition requisite to
confer value on the pretended declaration of General PELIS.
BIER has not occurred. He has not, so far as the public are
aware, failed in his second attack on the Drlalakhoff. Affairs
in the trenches before Sebastopol are so advanced that a crisis
is obviously impending and cannot long be delayed. Each
hour seems fraught with destiny. The next attack upon the
IVlalakhoff will in all likelihood prove decisive—if successful
the place will soon be ours—if again repulsed, the more
lingering process suggested by the French editor is still within
reach of the allies ; a few hours, or it may be minutes, will in
all probability set this point at rest.
Consideration of the war and its perplexing incidents has
so completely monopolised the public mind, that objects of
mere domestic interest are almost lost sight of ; notwith-
standing which, and the lateness of the parliamentary session,
it is gratifying to learn that improved attention has been
bestowed by our Legislature on the affairs of the National
Gallery. Lovers of the fine arts will learn with satisfaction
that iu future a sum will be annually voted by Parliament

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.