The Press.
London, England, 1855-07-28 00:00:00

THE WEEK.

Taz notorious weakness of the Government—the universal conviction
entertained that it is both insincere and inefficient—the difficulty with
which it escaped defeat on a vital question a week ago—the reckless
tone of its chief—the hasty profusion with which so large a sum as
five millions is disposed of—the Commons being told that they are to
have no voice in the matter, not even in the regulation of details—
suggest a doubt whether Parliament, fairly looking at all the circum-
stances of the country, may not yet decide that it would be most
dangerous to separate and leave such a Ministry at the head
of affairs, and may not come to some resolution fatal to its
existence before the day for prorogation arrives. We have
Lord Jowl RossELL's own declaration, that a Government from
the Opposition would be far preferable to one which is subject,
from its very composition, to laws of disturbance and danger,
from which it cannot escape. In the Cabinet there are yet
the Ministers who staunchly supported the proposals Lord JOHN
brought from Vienna—Sir WILLIAM MOLESWORTH, and other Members
of what Mr. Rommel( terms the " herd," look regretfully back to their
late venerable chief the Earl of ABERDEEN—and Lord PALMERSTON
himself is tolerated by his Whig colleagues only as a convenient
nuisance to be swept away at the first opportunity. To attempt the
vigorous prosecution of a mighty war with such an Executive exposes
us as a people to the mock of the world.
In the debate on the Turkish Loan the argument was all on the
side of the Opposition. If it was necessary to assist Turkey, better a
thousand times vote a sum at once to aid her impoverished exchequer,
than join France in mortgaging her revenues, and thus sow
the seeds of infinite complications with both our Allies, and
contribute to the distress—if not the ruin—of the country we are
fighting to defend. The loan, with its mortgage of special revenues,
was the very worst arrangement that could have been devised for the
relief of Turkey. Of all forms of guarantee, the joint guarantee was
the most objectionable, and the stipulation which threw on England
in the first instance the responsibility of raising the money and
securing the interest was manifestly open to objection. To all such
arguments the Ministry had but one reply—the Convention was agreed
to, and must be fulfilled. But why, then, the farce of coming to the
Commons at all, and where is this system of extorting money from the
House by means of Conventions to end ? If Russia had dictated all
the business of this loan the terms could scarcely have been more
injurious to unfortunate Turkey.

The latest intelligence by telegraph from before Sebastopol is to
Wednesday last. A despatch from General Paussint, inserted in the
Moniteur of yesterday, announces that a sortie was made by the enemy
on the French left from the Little Redan at midnight on the 24th.
The sortie was vigorously repulsed, the Russians leaving eight dead
and some wounded on the ground. As the lines of the allies now fast
approach close to those of the enemy, it is probable that some desperate
fighting will shortly take place. A powerful naval force has for some
time been collecting off Sebastopol, but the destination of this force
has not transpired. The Paris correspondent of the Times reports a
rumour that it is destined to attack Sebastopol itself, and that an
attempt will be made with one hundred vessels of every kind to force
a passage through the mouth of the Sebastopol harbour, enter the port,
and laud 40,000 men, while a simultaneous attack is made by land.
Should any such general engagement take place it would probably be
the most hotly contested that has yet taken place.
Six weeks have now elapsed since the unsuccessful attack of the
18th of June. If we have been active in the interval, the Russians
have not been idle. Their defences have been trebly strengthened
upon every spot which our attack upon the 18th showed to be most
easily assailable. Day after day convoys of waggons laden with
fascines and gabions have been constantly arriving on the northern
side, and their loads immediately transported to the southern, where
crowds of men have been busily employed erecting lines of defence, of
which as yet we are totally ignorant. We know so little of the in-
terior line of defence executed by the Russians, that it is hazardous to
say whether, if we succeed in capturing the Malakoff and Redan, we
shall be able to hold them in the face of the tremendous fire from
behind which must sweep these works, and a high authority in this
country has expressed grave doubts upon the subject. Yet it seems to
be the recognised opinion that we must take Sebastopol now we have
beseiged it. This blind adherence to a fixed idea may be natural to a
populace, but is a dangerous quality in a Government or a
General. There are not wanting many instances in the life of
both WELLINGTON and NAPOLEON wherein the besieging of an
invincible fortress was relinquished, and siege-train even aban-
doned, to meet and defeat the enemy in the field, as the more
obvious means of attaining the object of the war. Invention
and activity are far more valuable qualities in a Commander than
mere dogged perseverance. It is the map which an able General
explores, not the ground alone which lies within range of his vision;
and we are inclined to think that we meet the enemy on exactly the
terms they would themselves select when we suffer them to fight
behind earthworks they have been nearly a year actively employed
in strengthening, instead of disconcerting them by rapid and unfore-
seen movements, and forcing them to meet us in the field to prevent
their communications being cut off.

In the death of General TODTLEBEN Sebastopol has lost its greates
hero, and the loss of this Russian General of Engineers,fron! the
'effect of a ivoiind received on the 18th of lune, is an event of no

SATURDAY)

mean importance to the Russians. The ability, energy, and extra
ordinary genius which the young General displayed in his defence of
Sebastopol will hand his name down to posterity as ono of the most
prominent men this war has brought forth. But a few months since—a
poor captain of artillery—he offered to place Sebastopol in such a state
of defence in three weeks as should successfully resist the operations
of the allies, provided the resouzces of the town, in men and materiel,
were placed at his disposal. His offer was accepted by NIENSCHIKOFF,
and how he fulfilled his undertaking history will tell. For ten months
the town has now resisted the operations of one of the most powerful
and efficient armies modern Europe has witnessed in the field; and to
say that this heroic defence is alone owing to the genius which devised
and the energy and skill which executed the gigantic lines of defence
around the town, is but the simple tribute due to the young General. It
is creditable to the Russian system that his genius was so quickly recog-
nised and promptly rewarded. The great NAPOI.EON himself never showed
better discernment than NICHOI.AS, in the rapid promotion of his poor
captain of artillery to the supreme direction of the defence of Sebas-
topol, and to the post of General of the Staff of Engineers.

By the explanation of the Hango massacre, in the columns
of the Journal de St. Peterebourgh, it appears that the Russians wince
under the odium which the very name by which this transaction is
known in Europe casts on their arms. The main point of defence is
that the flag of truce was not seen in the boat ; but it is obviously
improbable that a boat should be watched on shore for at least an
hour, a large force placed in ambuscade, and every preparation made
to take the crew prisoners on landing—and yet that the white flag in
her bows should not be seen. The arrangements bespeak the most
careful watching, and it would be impossible to avoid seeing the white
flag as the boat neared the shore. There is no doubt in any reason- -
able mind that the chance was too good to be thrown away ; the white
flag was ignored, and as brutal a breach of the laws of humanity per-
petrated as ever disgraced the name of a nation. Nothing can excuse
the brutality of so powerful a force as the Russians mustered shooting
down so insignificant a body of men as a cutter's crew. However
rash it was upon the part of Lieutenant GENESTE to land under
the circumstances, is nothing to the point. The boat's crew
landed, and the Russians could have made them prisoners with ease,
The Russian Government have refused to give up the prisoners ; but
the statement of Lieutenant GENESTE has been forwarded to our
Government, and is to be immediately published. From the stress
laid upon the fact of stewards being in the boat for purposes of trade,
the imprudence of this proceeding on the part of Captain FANSHAWI is
made apparent. We regarded it at the time when intelligence of the
" massacre " reached us as a most reprehensible act, calling for sharp
censure, as such laxity iu official discipline would afford the Russians
good ground for complaint.

Our intelligent correspondent iu the Baltic gives us important
intelligence this week. On the 11th, the fleet weighed and proceeded
to sea for a short distance, when the main body under Admiral
BAYNES returned to their old anchorage off Cronstadt, while four liners,
French and English, and all the mortar boars, proceeded to Nargen,
where nineteen of those vessels are now collected. He speaks, more-
over, rather confidently of some operations upon a grand scale being
contemplated, and about to be put into practice. We trust that he
may not be disappointed, and that whatever operations are under-
taken may be successful. But, at the same time, we rely on the good
sense of the commanders not to make any attack for the mere sake of
stopping the mouths of clamourers at home, without fair grounds
of success. Admiral DUNDAS has now a powerful fleet of nearly one
hundred pennants up the Baltic. If a blow is to be struck at
Sweaborg, Revel, or Cronstadt itself, it must be done speedily, for u
month or two more will close the sea to our ships. For ourselves,
we do not anticipate any striking success. The Russians are too well
defended in most of their positions by nature and art to be easily
attacked, and the want of a powerful land force to co operate with the
fleet will be a serious drawback to any very effective operations.

Sir WILLIAM MOLEBWORTH was yesterday returned for Southwark.
He of course kindly forwarded his speech to the reporters—a prudent
precaution, as not a word of it could be heard, from the uproar which
prevailed. Sir WILLIAM did not shrink from allusion to Lord
ABERDEEN'S Government, though he prudently omitted to tell his
audience that the late Premier had to the last no stauncher supporter.
This is the last time the Right Hon. Baronet will sit for Southwark,
and he is himself so well aware of the insecurity of his seat, that
he is steadily working to secure the representation of his native
county. Poor Sir CHARLES NAPIER ! What a pity that he will persist
in exhibiting himself on every metropolitan hustings as the figure-
head of the unlucky craft—tho Defeated Candidate. If he means
fighting, why not go to the poll? Of what avail is it to be eternally
grinding his cutlass, without ever striking a blow?

The filthy state of the Thames continues to excite much discussion
in council chambers and in newspapers, and much nausea in the
breasts of those who have to breathe its polluting odours. The
metropolitan public is beginning to discover that Sir B. HALL'S Bill is
no better than a rank sham; something worse, indeed, than no remedy
at all, as it will give an excuse for doing nothing. He proposes a
Board of Metropolitan Deputies, who, it is morally certain, will never
act in concert. The powers granted to them for executing the de-
signed works are merely permissive, and five and a half years are
assigned for the execution of works which might be completely
finished in a year and a half. JEREMY BENTHAM once observed, that
if you want a plait to fail, by all means grant a liberty of negligence
and superfluity of means. Sir BENJAMIN'S Bill possesses both elements
in perfection.