The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-09-04 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

and confirm the belief in its fulfilment; for, it, would be no
easy matter to reconcile the voluntary demonstrations of re-
spect, paid on all hands to our QUEEN, with any other °Pi-
nion than that the French viewed the visit of our sovereign,
not merely as paid to their EMPEROR, but through him to
the French people.
Neat to the gratifying details of the royal visit to France,
the subject which has most exclusively occupied attention has
been the war. Not because intelligence of unexpected victories
has fed the public ear, but because all classes and ranks of
the people feel alike convinced that the season for great under-
takings in connexion with it is rapidly drawing to a close ; and
even the most callous put the question to themselves, are our
brave countrymen and allies to be exposed to the horrifying
rigours of another Crimean winter in the trenches ? Are our
ships to be once more subjected to the fitful and fatal wintry
tempests of the Euxine ? Various circumstances conspire to
justify an affirmative or a negative answer to these questions,
according to the huinour of the respondent. Recent state-
ments made on authority have been exceedingly meagre, yet
on the whole comforting. The works of the besiegers, we are
assured, as we have beenlor the last ten or eleven months, are
making satisfactory progress. True, the progress has been but
slow ; still there is reason for thankfulness in the fact that it
has not been retrograde. This latter circumstance• must be
looked on as the more gratifying and surprising, when it is
contrasted with the serious blundering which first and last has
hung like an incubus upon all the incidents connected with
the siege. Even the last and most vaunted achievement of
the campaign, the battle of the Tchernaya, appears to have
been forced upon the allies under circumstances for which
they were not prepared. Like that of Inkermann, it turns
out that the battle last fought and won was thrust unex-
pectedly upon the French and Sardinians, by the Russians,
as was that of Inkermann upon the British. Such a sur-
prise was greatly culpable, and might have been fatal in either
case ; yet, singularly enough, no one seems to have been held
accountable for it any more than for the others: Judging by
past experience,•the blundering seems so inveterate, that one is
more at a loss to conjecture in what form it will aext' display
itself, than expectant of its cessation. The Crimean campaign
itself has been, on good authority, stigmatised as a-blunder;
but as that has been traced to the conflicting counsels which
prevailed at Downing-street, and as an official revolution has
taken place in the establishment there located—and as it is im-
possible to turn from that' expedition, or to escape from its
responsibilities—present discussion relative to it would be un-
profitable. Not' so, however, with those singular and fatal
errors of detail which have oftener than once imperilled the
safety of the army, and placed in serious jeopardy the honour
of the allied arms. Such were the disastrous glories of Bala-
klava and Inkerman, in the last campaign. Such were the
misfortunes attendant on the combined, or rather uncombined,
actions of the I6th of June, in which no readiness was shown
to take advantage of a British brigade having unexpectedly
obtained a footing within the wails of Sebastopol, mid which,
after being held for several hours, it was - forced to abandon,
not on account of any vigorous measures adopted by the
enemy, but simply because no effort vtai made on our part to
profit by the heroism of our troops. Want of energy; self.
possession, and presence of mind, appear' to be characteristics
of the commanders la all their changes; This is true of both
nations. If the memory of Lord RAGLAN iS to be impeached
for want of due precautions, leading to theegallant though un-
profitable actions of Bala.klava and Inkeeman, these seem
folly balanced by the misconceptions -and contretemps,
of 'General PELISSIER, in his attack upon--the Malakhoff,
and his more than queetionable state of tuspreparedness on
the-16th of last month, to repel the attack of the Russians
on his position at the Tchernaya. It is certainllzat the attack
was ultimately repelled with great loss to the enemy ; but
good military critics maintain that, with the= army and the
position which he held, and' with the warning he had pre-
viously received, the Ruseians ought never t©_ have been per-
mitted to cross the aqueduct., uor to have carried the Sardinian
outposts. These scrutineers- are positive in their averment
that, with such dispositions as General-Pm ,issisen had it in his
power -to make, the Russians never colild have 'forced the
bridge of Traktir. In Parisian military circles, the conduct
and result of this battle are 'M many points severely censured.
On the other hand, it is. generally adni itted, that the ad-
vantages gained in the victory:. although probably not all
that could have been desired, or even alt that might have
been made to flow from it, are neverthele-ss great and im-
portant. No room exists for- doubting tinet the attack was
meant fora decisive one, any more than for questioning that
it has signally failed.- The day for makini ;.the attack was
deliberately. fixed. The general plan of the baltle was sketched
out by Prince GORTSOMAICOPP himself, and carried into one-

ration without mistake or hesitation, all except one cf the pro-
;1 visions of the intended action._ This was 4a sortie, in cowl-,
I derable force, from the garrison of Sebastopol, to be made
simultaneously or nearly .I.,..itaneoustY with tte.. grand'
.attack, so as to distract the attention of the) Allies, and pre-
-vent them .from acting with promptitude in a combined en-
, <deavour to. repel the intended advance. Here, as on other oc-

,easions,. the hardy and indomitable bravery of the. allied
soldiery stood the army and the cause in better stead thanthe
g eneralship and prudencA3 of their leaders..
The effect of this victory, like most of its predecessors in the
Crimea, essentially a soldier's battle, must be great upon. the.

morale of bath, armies- It haa:taught the •Russians, once

more, the bitter lesson that in. the open field they-..are: no
match for the higher diiciplinectsoldiers of. the.west —that the
stubborn. courage of the serf is-an. inferior element in: war,
when confronted with the intrepid .zeal and.ardent heroism: of
the free soldiery of. civMized Europe. Another matter of no
small consequence in ccinnexion. with:this victory willlefound
in the fact that the tro ops engaged and.beaten were .obviously

of a higher military ctiaracter than these previously. encoun-
tered. This is attests Iby the circumstance that the arms and
appointments found upon the battle field by the•victers- were;
of a superior, kind to those generally met with on similar cc:-
casions. Whatever the grade of the Russian army, whetb er,
veterans or raw, conscripts,. 011,03 feature of their warfare -ap-
pears attached alike'to ali—a merciless and savage habit of
firing among masses of their. countrymen, if it afford the
chance. of slaying their opponents while slaughtering_ their

friends... At the battle of the -Tchernaya, as on previous .occa-
sions, thcir artillery poured showers of round.shot, shell, and
grape among the French and Sardinians, who were endeavour-
ing to succour and rescue the Russian wounded. Cruel as the
usages of. war must inevitably be, these Russians have thus
added a new and horritting feature to its ruthlessness and
hatbarity.
Auother disheartenlng feature of the war, as a war conducted
on a great scale, has.been the sad neglect of the opportunity
afforded by the co-operation of peopleslostile to Russia.. The
European ,allies. of Turkey have evaded and postponed,. if . they.
have not absoluteky lost the opportunity of striking a vital:
blow at the .Itassian avarice of territory, by re-establishing_the
nationality of Poland, and thus paralysing the enemyby creat-
ing within.his own boundaries a. formidable foe.. Policy of a
similarlg.sinister_character has,operated in the councils of the
Turka themselves, who, instead of availing themselves:of the
invaluablo aid they might have derived from gallant though
irregular warriors of Cireassia, have held aloof from them
in sulky suspicion. A vigorous and hearty co-operation
on the part of these latter would have rendered the Geor-
gian campaign of the Uussians not only: abortive but disastrous.
Jealousy, however,, instead of amity, has been fostered
between the PORTA and the followers of SCHANYL, and the
natural consequence has ensued.. What at first promised to be
a feeble .and ill..supported campaign. on. the part of Russia, has
turned out hew only success. At first the Turks had the superi.
ority. Theemouest of Fort St. Nicholas was as promisingto their
arms in Asia as the action of Citate was upon the Danube, and if
duly followed up must have been attended with signal ad-.t.an-
tagea, The. Asiatic campaign has been treated as a secondary
matter, and the Russians have reaped the benefit of sounwise
a policy ; the Turks have become enfeebled and disheartened;
not only has Kars been invested, but Erzeroum itself is thieat-
ened. Fortunately it is not yet too late to remedy this state
of matters, although probably too late to render the change of
great importance during the present campaign. OMAR. PAsliA.
has at length been appointed, and has consented to lead a
large body of his veteran army against the Russians in Arme..
nia. • The landing of this force at Batoum will at once check
the Russian advance upon Erzeroum, as it would enable him
to raise the siege, if that be attempted, and also to cut off the
retreat of any Russian force which may have ventured so far,
This view is, no doubt, so far consolatory, but still the formi-
dable question remains behind,—Why has it been so long
delayed ? Has the Turkish like the' English cabinet been
also Pampered in its motions by the suicidal counsels of a
" peace-at-any-price party ?"
From the north-west no further expectation seems to be en-
tertained, and the second great naval campaign in the Baltic
appears to have ended in the smoke of Sweaborg. A gallant
action in itself, no doubt, though only half performed from
want of proper means to perfect it ; but, like the destruction
of Bomarsund, sadly inadequate to the cost at which it has
been achieved. The amount of damage inflicted on the enemy
in the last exploit is estimated at upwards of £2,000,000, but
the fleet which accomplished that achievement has cost Joan
BULL and his French ally £20,000,000 to equip and send iteut,
showing a considerable balance on the debtor side of the
transaction ! This costly enterprise has, in truth, resulted in
a large and triumphant experiment in pyrotechny ; but
it hat also—if anything could have done so - demonstrated
to the Russians that the race as well as the name of our
NELsoNs and COLLINGWOODS is extinct,and has no representr,
tive heirs at present in the British navy. Now-a-days we
hear of nothing but the magnificence and power of our
incomparable fleets, but this ground of joy is speedily re-
moved by the next stave of the naval chant, whih consists

entirely in pointing out the impropriety of exposing such
fine ships to risk ! In days of old, our Admirals, if they were
not entrusted with such model fleets, were at least expected
to work them. Without going back to the days of naval
glory, when NELSON, in the same Baltic Sea, stood boldly in
and dared the conflict with stone walls at Copenhagen, a briefer
memory suffices to show that at Algiers EX3LOUTII moored
his ships not two miles oil', but within less than two hundred
yards of batteries. The old lumbering tubs, as they were
called, were not considered too good to risk against batteries
bristling with cannon, and those who commanded and
manned them did not expect they Should come out of
such tussles without having some of their beauty tar-
nished, lightly as that beauty may be esteemed in modern
eyes. Nay more, instances are numerous in which thdof! same
despised ships have sailed right into an enemy's harbour,
fighting his batteries and his shipping both at the same
moment, and doing both considerably more damage than they
themselves received. Now the care seems all for the in-
strument; then it was devoted to attain the object for which
the instrument was made.
The din of distant battle, and the prospective closing of
another year's campaigning, have almost entirely absorbed
the public attention, to the exclusion of most other subjects.
One of the few which still divides consideration with those
mighty topics, is that propounded the other day by Lord
STANLEY, for an earlier opening and closing of the par-
liamentary session. The suggestion is not entirely a new one,
but the tact with which his Lordship has brought it forward
has done as much to ensure it a favourable reception as it
could have desired from its intrinsic merits. His arguments
are terse and telling, and they are cogently put before the
public. He handles his case like an unconcerned spectator,
and, having secured his audience in the belief that it is a "
matter of indifference to him, he has awakened their earnest
co-operation. What may ultimately come out of it, it is no
easy matter to predict, but it is something to have secured an
attentive and indulgent audience in the public, and that
Lord STANLEY has-effected in• part through the goodness of
his cause, but more by his judicious treatment of it.

The newspapers, and mostly without comment, intimate
that on Thursday last FERGUS CocCoxsoa died of paralysis.
For two years part, the life of this- once reckless and noisy
agitator has been a-blank, he havingfor that length of time
been under the care-of Dr. TO-RE, at Chiswick ; about a week
before his death, which was obviously fast approaching, he was
removed thence by his sister. The deceased, whose politica,.
eccentricities, to call them by the mildest name, rendered him,
notorious and dangerous-for a considerable-period, was a mem-
ber of an 'ancient Irish family, which for many years has been
settled at Fort Robert, in the county of Cork.
Amusements of all sorts have of late, :as is customary at this
season, become retiring, or -at - all eVents unobtrusive. The
theatres may be denominated;spectacles of woe;- their radiant
stars of " bright-particular " Instre having - travelled into the
provincial or other spheres for the time being. This brings to
recollection the absence of a very glittering star. Some of
your readers may remember that about a year ago -Mr. G. V.
Baoodcz, crowned with factitious laurels'and heralded by an
incongruous blast of penny trumpets, took • his oft-repeated
leave of British auditeries, and winged his way to the anti-
podes. In Australia his advent was, hailed by a similar chores
to that which inaugurated his departure hence. Newspapers
gave essays- columns long anticipatory of his merits -and
his triumph; ..: but alas for the brevity of human joys! At
. Sydney his- success- has been so- poor, that he has had
to prematurely terminate his engagement there ;.- his
Brummagem- tinsel not answering the purposes- of
the pure - ore.- - To- return from foreign to domestic
entertainments, . it: is- somewhat pleasing to -observe that,
notwithstanding: ts early- unpopularity, Mr. BUCBSTOZTE. is-
making -head with his Olympian "Muddle," which still keeps -
the stage, and even promises to be popular.. The great Nimrod
of-modern days,_Mr. GOSIDO7 CIUMMING,-has betaken himself,
to lecturing on his "'travels' history." Standing in his well-
filled gallery in Pieeadillyr surrounded by- trophies of his- skill .
and daring, and. leaning over an old saddle which serves him
fora reading-desk, hee-reeounts " the story of his life," wherein
it is-indeed his -me_

To speak of antres vast and deserts•idle.

In biz' interesting:though- not very well delivered lecture;, ne,
tells how, when a mere• boy,. he began a, hunter's life among,
the craigs and tarns-andmountain solitudes of his native land:;.
how, when a lad, le" harried the eagle's eyrie, and carried.off
the eggs. of other birds which do not build, among finches,
though:they soar above the lark. In his- narrative of Africr.n
adventure he is particularly interesting,, illustrated by a per:
feet museum of the natural history of Africa. Mr. Gonnox
CUMMiNG'S -lecturing exhibition, which -is already popular,
and is rapidly growing. more so, is at once entertaining and,
instructive, exciting and- amusing. Another• of our popular.
lectnrirg authors, Mr. .TILACSICiAIC, la announced to give a
series of lectures on the " Four Georges," at the Mercantile;
Literary Association, New York. His lectures will, it is under-
stood, be prepared especially for the atmosphere of the United
States. If so, it cannot be difficult togness.the kind of season,.
tug with.which they will be spiced.

PHILHARMONIC COSTUME.