The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-07-04 00:00:00

no relative ties and to
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BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE.

DELIGHTFULLY COOI as may be "Miss
Marjoribanks," the conventional woman of
the world in the opening of this month's
Blackwood, we must abjure her fascinations,
and for her Thursdays substitute our own
"Coffee and Pipes f! it is Cornelius 0' Dowd
that catches our ear, for he has something to
say on electioneering. And what is it he
says? First of all, however, the knowing
Cornelius does not seem to know the reason
why some people, "from conscientious mo-
tives, remit five or fifty pounds to the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer." As if these men
—mostly business men by the way, who have
had some corresponding windfall from a turn
in the market—would do any such thing if it
could be avoided. The fact is, we believe,
that if they did not adopt the above step it
might be worse for them in penal conse-
quences; and it never is adopted from " con-
scientious motives," always from apprehen-
sions of discovery. On a point less easy of
determination, he seems however more nearL
exact, and whoever casts his eye over the
published parliamentary addresses with which
our papers teem at this moment must needs
agree with him :

THE FAMILY Or ELICTIOI ADDRESSES.
"I ahauld like to meet the man who writes these let.
ter., that we daily read, to the constituency of this
county or that borough, duly setting forth what the
candidates' principles are, whether implied in the
formula—,,e are very well as we are—we might be
better—er we can't be worse. .

--"7l;hat-i;-it—c;; in-diVidu-al man mites these mar-
vellous compositions, is a fact so clear and palpable it
requires no demonstration. There is a charming sim-
plicity in the style with that small da.h of oomplication
which is the necessary ingredient of a certain evasive-
ness. Let the candidate be ever so wary and ever so
wise, his prononciamento must still be in a great mea-
sure t leap in the dark. There are things will be in-
quired of him which he cannot possibly answer, end
pledges exaoted which, if he be only true to his word,
will reduce him tons amount of insignificancy positively
pitiable. To meet these great difficulties his address
must be written by one long conversant with human
frailty as displayed in the electoral system of this great
country." _ _ . - •

We are not so liberal in our constructions
as Mr. O'Dovc d, and from the extreme
similarity of many of the addresses we have
seen, carefully issued, however, in distant
parts of the country, we feel convinced that
printed forms somewhere exist, and are
issued from the printing offices about Great
Turnstile on the same principle as (litho-
graphed) M.S. sermons are supplied to
clergymen for 6d. or 3d. each if a little used.
Cornelius is equally. amusing on other topics
quite as congenial; but, for reasons stated,
we must press on. " Carlyle's Frederick the
Great" ought to be a great review. A re-
view in Blackwood of a great work cannot
be inferior. The critic is equal to the
occasion; and as surely as a great work of a
great living master attains its completion,
part of its success or failure is determinable
in the columns of this and other reviews
of similar standing. This was not always
so. The _Edinburgh ran down "Words-
worth," and Blackwood ridiculed " Boz."
The public rectified both. Whereas Mil-
ton's renown was never well established
till the critiques of Addison (a man of alto-
ether opposite tendencies) had done him
justice in the Spectator; and Handel would
have remained unknown to fame but for the
milk-and-water praises of timid Dublin
journalists who ventured to approve of
what the great London world of music
had ignored. In the present instance
it is not very strange to find Mr. Car-
lyle's critic setting out with the avowal
that he does not understand him. "I like
your sermons very much, Mr. Bruce" said a
good old soul to a very peculiar preacher,
"but they are too deep for me." "I don't
wonder at that, madam," was the candid re-
sponse; "I often find them too deep for
myself." Such must be the case with the
philosopher of Chelsea. What boots it then
to inquire why he writes plain history, why
he occupies five years of his time wi h
Frederick for a theme, on wherefore he adopts
any other whim or literary impulse? From
" Sartor Resartus" and "Hero Worship" to
the "Latter day Pamphlets" Carlyle's
subjects have proved as eccentric as his style,
which is a mixture of hard German and dry
Scotch, and what is the good of disputing his
tastes? If he were to write readable books
of battles and eras like Professor Creasy he
would not be Thomas Carlyle. For one
thing this critique is very valuable. It
presents a capital digest of the work. The
third part of the new novel of "Sir Brook
Fosbrooke" is well sustained. The writer of
the somewhat remarkable articles on " The
Rate of Interest" turns out to be a currency
doctor after all. He discusses a State
currency—a single bank of issue—plurality
of note issues. Freedom of banking he deems
necessary to complete the general system
of Free Trade. " Piccadilly" in its rambling
way goes completely behind the scenes in
high life; but "Slap Bang—here we are at
last"—" Mr. Gladstone at Chester"—and
"'The Past and Coming Parliament" are the
articles for us :

GLADBTONE JUNIOR.
"Apart from the extreme bad taste—to use the
mildest term we can select—evinced by his appearance
and oration,we are of opinion that, by acting thus, Mr.
Gladeione hes taken an unwise step as regards the
prospects and reputation of hie Ascanins. Henceforward
and for many years he will be pointed at as "the boy
who could not walk alone." Englishmen admire pluck,
and are not disposed to pan a severe oensure upon any
young man who makes• sufficient display of that quality
even though his talents may be small; his information
limited, and his judgment evidently immature. It
would be difficult to imagine anything more absurd than
the appearance which was made by little Lord Amberley
at Leeds, for the arrogance of his pretension was only
equalled by the sublime imbecility of his utterance;
still he evinced no slight degree of courage—or eon-
fidence, which is nearly the same thing —in facing with-
out much friendly backing or avistance, a large and
somewhat turbulent anembly; and though in all pro-
bability few of his hearers left the room with any deep
Impression of bia abilities es • speaker, or of the sound-
ness of his views as • politician, none were inclined to
deny him credit for the boldness of his maiden effort.
It remains to be seen whether or not his attempt will
be crowned with success; but should Lord Amberley be
seated as a representative of Leeds he will he entitled
1 to the credit of having won the seat by his own unaided
Impudence. Very different would have been the case
had he been introduced to the conetituency by his
venerable father in person, in a speech replete with
apologies for his lank of experience, end touching
panegyrics en his behaviour as an affectionate and
well-conducted son. We apprehend that the grimy
artisans of Leeds more fastidious and acute than
the easy voters of Chester, would at once have per-
ceived and resented the implied insult to their under-
standing. They would have let Earl Russell know that
hereditary claims can have no weight at all in the free
election of members of the British House of Commons
—that something more than illustrious and noble paren-
tage is required for such a trash—and that in any case
the candidate who solicited their suffrages must be so
much of a nian as to require none of that petting and
puffing on the part of near relatives which is sometimes
bestowed, but never very judiciously by way of
ecoouragement to a schoolboy."
"Yowl'. Gladstone may be a yety nice lad, as weal
behaved and conducted as to justify the statement made
by his sire, that of him he has never had cause, and tin-
lieves he never shall have cause, to be ashamed. Weil
hope and true* that the sante eulogy may be pasted,
with equal truth and sincerity upon many of our rieuti
youth. But we fail to see in that any substantial ground
for requesting an important constituency to sleet hint
ea their representative in Parliament."
Rather like the old days of Blackwood, is
it not? Now take a taste of

I public &Lid out of doors to habits of meor sober ,
thought; and we are very certain that when the public '
mind begins to listen to the suggestions of common
s"mos, it will soon subside into loyalty and content.
moot with the Constitution, as by Lew established in
Church and State. Nor are Wv seriously disturbed in '
this conviction by oluerring the amount of AUCCeSi
Whiall log ^geode,' Mr. Moneta* endeavour to re-open
the settlemt nt of 1829.0
The following, we resume, applies to
TISI COMING PARLIAMINT.

I"Constituencies moat consider now, not so much to
t what paiticular hands they would be willing to intrust
the tuanagetnent of public affair, as what line of policy
holds out the best reaurance of keeping the honour and
intereet of the country from damage. If tLey mean to
scoept the six pound Borough Franchise' and be lot
down by it to Universal Suffrage—if they desire to
plash free trade notions to such an extent as to throw all
the burthen of the State on realised property —if, so
farmers, they approve of the Malt-Tax, and are willing
as manufacturers and mechanicians to put themselves
under the control of trade,' unions, then let them be
imposed upon by this cuckoo-cry, end send to Perlis-
aunt the individuals who raise it But if none of these
prospects please them—if they wish to keep the Church
in union with the State - the representation of the
country with men who have • stake in it, to widen
without lowering the franchise, to maintain tranquility
at home, and honourable peace abroad, then let them
ascertain exactly a hat each candidate inears before
they vote for him, and vote for those alone who tell
them plainly that such shall be their objects in the
House of Commons. For look to what the restless
spirit of the age, and the want of an efilaient Govern-
ment, is bringing ns. Austria will enter into no
commercial treaty wish mi. France is outstripping no
in those very fabri a in which but a few years
ago we beat the whole world. And not France
only, hot Belgium likewise bids fair to become
henceforth the source whence we shall derive
our steam machinery as we are now getting it
from our friends across the ChanneL Meanwhile we
are eating dirt day after day in order to propitiate, if we
can, the wrath of the Americans, and looking back with
vain regret on opportunities presented and thrown
' away, of delivering ourselves and our children after us
from all ground of apprehension in that quarter. The
war in New Zealand drags its dull length along. The
army and navy cost at enormous sums without anything
to show that they are worth the outlay. Notoriously
we have neither cannon for our batteries and ships of
war, nor firearms in the hands of our troops capable of
contending on equal terms with those of other nations.
And all this beciaise, as Mr. Raikes justly stated,
"There has been an Administration but no Govern-
ment for the last six years in the country," We cannot
go on thus muds lenger without suffering disasters at
home and abroad, the very thought of the possible
occurrence of which may well fill us with dismay. To
vote at the coining elections, therefore, for Lord Pal-
mereton's candidate is to vote for a delusion. There is
no such thing in existence ; there cannot be. Lord
Palmerston is to all intestate and purposes off the stage,
and the choice submitted to the constituencies, there-
fore, is between Lord Derby on the one hand and Mr.
Gladstone on the other. For, cordially as they dislike,
and entirely as they distrust him, the Whig can scarcely
hope to seep Mr. Glsdstone down many weeks after
a Liberal majority shall array itself at his back in the
new House of Commons, and woe to the nation when
to him its destinies shell be committed with such •
cabinet ache is morally pledged, and, we honestly believe,
heartily disposed to gather round him."
Apart from these incisive touches of a
graver caste and character the reader of this
month's Blackwood will on the whole find it
far other than we have preferred to describe
it—a light-reading number cunningly devised
for seaside hour and lolling on the sands; the
sand for a couch and the sand for a pillow;
the sea wave for music, and the sun for
warmth and excitement; and the breeze to
temper the whole holiday enjoyment.