The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-01-22 00:00:00

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1856.

FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.

MONDAY MORNING.
THE Court continues its sojourn at Windsor Castle, where
HER MAJESTY, in the proper exercise of her privilege as a
constitutional sovereign, has been dispensing the royal hospi-
talities to a numerous circle of distinguished guests, uncon-
trolled by the operation of political feeling. Conspicuous
among the courtly festivities of the week was a dramatic enter-
tainment, given at the Castle, on Thursday evening, by com-
mand of HER MAJESTY. The piece selected for representation
was GEORGE COLMAN, the Elder's, celebrated and popular co-
medy, " The Jealous Wife," compressed into three acts. The
character of Mrs. Oakly was sustained by Mrs. CHARLES
REAR, the rest of the dramatis persona being also ably repre-
sented. While the Court remains at Windsor, the metropolis
continues, in a great measure, deserted, and, notwithstanding
the approach of the time for opening the Parliamentary cam-
paign, the West End is still in a state of social desolation. A
week or two, however, will entirely change the face of matters
in that respect. By the time Parliament meets, which will be
in about ten days, many leading members of aristocratic and
fashionable life will have resumed their places in metropolitan
society. Belgravia will be restored to its usual gaiety. The
parks will be again filled with glittering equipages and dash-
ing equestrians, and the shopkeepers and other tradesmen, who
minister to the wants of fashionable life, will exhibit their
usual flow of good spirits, stimulated by the cheering influence
of reviving trade. The other day, a circumstance, trifling in
itself, but yet of some consequence as a matter of Court gossip,
gave currency to a considerable amount of small talk among
the retailers of Court and fashionable news. This was the fact
that the PRINCE of WALES occupied the chair on a public oc-
casion. The PRINCE, it seems, is a frequent, if not a regular,
attendant at Professor FARADAY'S lectures, and, on the occa-
sion referred to, PRINCE ALBERT was to have presided. From
some cause, however, he was unable to ba present—the chair
was destitute of an occupant, and must be filled. The occasion
was urgent; the boy PRINCE was solicited to take the chair.
He consented, and, to the surprise of many, conducted himself
with modesty and good sense, without compromising, by affec-
tation, the characteristic buoyancy of demeanour appropriate to
his years.

The past week has been one singularly fertile in topics on
which to exercise the ingenuity of the political gossip, and
to aid in the mysterious operations of the Stock Exchange.
Tuesday morning dawned tardily upon London, unexpectedly
put in possession of the long-looked-for official message
usually delivered to Congress by the PRESIDENT of the
United States ; and Thursday morning supplied the numer-
ous inhabitants of the metropolis with the still less expected
intimation that the CZAR of Russia is at last anxious for
putting an end to the hostilities which for so long a period
he has waged with such unrelenting pertinacity and ill-
success. The first of these had been looked for with much
anxiety on the morning of each of the four preceding
Mondays ; the second was an announcement as unexpected
as it at first sight proved satisfactory. The Presidential
Message, notwithstanding its long delay, in obedience to a
formal practice of the Republic, to withhold its delivery till
after the election of a speaker, and the due constitution of
the Congressional Assembly, was nevertheless delivered
informally by the PRESIDENT'S Secretary, to the infinite
disgust of the Rowdy orators who contrived to defeat the
formal constitution of the assembly after somewhere about a
hundred ballets. The document is a manifesto of the
customary magnitude, and it contains the usual amount of
" tall asseveration." The present time offers a conjuncture
in our affairs which the ultra democrats in the American
Republic deem fitted for an ostentatious display of their
dislike to our sober monarchical institutions. Singular though
it may appear, these lovers -of freedom in excess demonstrate
the consistency of their political views by adopting the
quarrel of the CZAR. The extreme of affected social liberty
fraternizing with the extreme of social despotism,
a spectacle which enlightened politicians and sedate
legislators on this side the Atlantic are not prepared to
look for and cannot understand. A similar incapacity of COM=
prehension on this subject is also prevalent in the minds of
intelligent Americans. This was clearly evinced in the fer-
vency
with which the feeling of America espoused the cause
of Hungary, so mercilessly trodden down while struggling for
freedom. So, in like manner, the feeling among the intelligent
classes of America may be—indeed is, in favour of our cause,
as opposed to that of Russia ; but the voice of intelligence has
been overpowered, and its dictates have been set aside by the
louder bellowing of the democratic thunder throughout the
UNION. This conflict of reason with violence is manifested even
in the Presidential message. Trivial points of difference exist
between the governments of the two countries ; and it is sin-
gular to witness the exaggeration to which both sides of the
dispute are subjected in Mr. President PIERCE'S Message.
The one side he exaggerates, to suit and stimulate the angry
passions of the democrats.; the other, with greater study and
sobriety of purpose, as well as in more measured phraseology,
he exaggerates in such a direction as to make it appear that the
language used on the opposite side has no real purpose or
offensive meaning, while still assuming the swaggering tone of
one who feels that he is addressing two conflicting parties,
each of which, he wishes to believe, enjoys his whole sympathy
and affection. The purpose of such tactics is too obvious to escape
detection from even the least observant. He is a candidate
for re-election at no distant date, and votes from both sections
of the public are essential to maintain him in the position he
covets. Hence his anxiety to stand well with both parties.
But thinking men of every shade of political opinion see
clearly the degradation and danger a community must be ex-
posed to, where an application of such unworthy means is
requisite to maintain its first magistrate in power, in-
stead of being, as it ought to be, the direct instrument
to denude him of office, as it unquestionably deprives him of
moral influence. It cannot be other than deplorable that the
government of any great country should be so constituted,
that the chief of its executive, instead of frankly expressing
the will of its people, should feel it indispensable to enunciate
the principles of its state policy in the ambiguous and
captious phraseology of an electioneering adept—one to whom
the permanent interests of the nation ere decidedly secondary
to his own temporary and individual objects. The financial
and domestic concerns of the American Union are so tenderly
or rather so lifelessly touched upon 'by General PIERCE, in
his Message, as to have already secured for it among his
out-spoken countrymen the contemptuous epithet of the
" Stump Message." The subject of annexation is briefly and
rather obstinately than vigorously touched upon ; and the
settlement of that question is inferentially postponed for
consideration at some contingent and distant opportunity.
Not so with the dispute about British agents recruiting in
the United States. This happens to be one of the points
towards which inflammatory language may be applied with a
certainty of being understood by the vulgar. It is, therefore,
a subject -of especial value to stump orators and the con-
coders of clap-trap manifestoes, and could not have been
missed in the compilation of a " Stump Message." The
project was as unhappy as it was unsuccessful, and it was
speedily abandoned and withdrawn. Explanations as to the
complete absence of any intention of giving offence, and an
expression of regret that any such step should have been
adopted, were promptly made by the British Government ;
yet Mr. PIERCE finds it convenient to state to his country-
men that he is seeking "reparation" for the injury, well-
knowing -that no injury was intended or sustained; and
equally well aware that further reparation is not likely to be
demanded or conceded. Such a course of proceeding in a
solemn state manifesto cannot conduce to good. It is to be
hoped that our transatlantic brethren will ere long make
their good sense the means of rescuing their country from the
obloquy implied in adopting such inflated pretension as an
expression of the national sentiments.
The impression produced upon the public mind by the con-
tents and arguments of the American PRESIDENT'S Mes-
sage was destined to a brief duration. The early part of the
week was given up to
rumours of the peremptory
coemptoarity. and absoluteropod
refusal of Russia to treat for peace on
the ns
tel:se
i
one
to
o
by Austria. These rumours Were speedily supplanted
intentionlan
to the effect that the CZAR had signified his
accept the most important points of those proposalus,pinheelruding
the neutralization of the Black Sea and giving
pre-
tended claims upon Bessarabia. On Thursday, however, the
Metropolis, and, judging by the accounts received from all
quarters, the country also, was taken completely by surprise
when it was announced first, by a telegrapic despatch pub-
lished in the Times, that Russia had " unconditionally
accepted'the propositions of the Allies." The value of which
intelligence was considerably impaired by a recollection of the
important fact that the " Allies" bad made no propositions.
In course of the same day, however, the Morning Post
issued a third edition, stating that Ministers were in receipt
of telegraphic despatches from Sir HAMILTON SEYMOUR,
stating " The Russian government accept the Austrian pro-
posals as a basis of negotiation." This, besides bearing the
stamp of authority, being also intelligible, was at once
adopted as a point of general belief, and great was the joy
manifested on all hands. In an incredbly brief period of time
the Funds rose three per cent. As may be easily believed,
many of those patriotic ,gentlemen, who take careful heed of
the national well-being as that is indicated by the fluctuations
of the Stock Exchange, lost no time in parting with their
stake in the country, to allow some others equal opportunities
with themselves of rejoicing in the public good fortune.