The Press.
London, England, 1855-03-17 00:00:00

MARCH 17, 1855.

If we can place confidence in the authen-
ticity of the papers published in the " Port-
folio," Austria and France were both anxious
to engage England in a negotiation for the
restoration of the kingdom of Poland. We
know that Louis Philippe, at the meeting of
the French Chambers, declared "the nation-
" ality of Poland shall not perish." But, with-
out trusting to any source of information in
the slightest degree doubtful, we have Lord
Palmerston's own declarations of the view he
took of this last desperate struggle of Poland
for independent existence. It was Poland, he
contended, which firstresorted to hostilities

However the question of the right or the wrong of
Russia in her violation of the Polish Constitution may be
decided, the first act of war proceeded from the Poles, and
not from Russia. They who think 'he Poles were right,
will, of course, consider that they only made a justifiable
resistance. It is not necessary for me to give au opinion
upon that point at present.—(H. of C., August 7, 1832.)
Yet while the struggle was in progress he
evaded all demands for information, and
" begged the house to excuse him from en-
" tenng into any explanation of the conduct
pursued by the Government in these transac-
" tons. The Government of this country
" was not blind to the rights conferred upon
" us by the treaty of Vienna."
Unfortunately the Polish aristocracy never
understood their true interests. They kept
their serfs in a state of wretched bondage, and
among this part of the population of Poland
the Russians found rather allies than enemies.
The policy of the Emperor Nicholas was more
enlightened and humane, and, whatever blots
may rest upon his name, to him must be accorded
the praise of paving the way for the complete
emancipation of the Russian peasantry. When
the contest was over, and " order reigned in
" Warsaw," Lord Palmerston defended the in-
action of England by stating—
that it would not have been judicious for the British
Government to have taken a step which must have led to
a general war, in the hope and expectation of rescuing
Poland from destruction.
He had previously declared that the treaty
of Vienna gave England an undoubted right
to interfere in the affairs of Poland, and on the
9th of July, 1833, he said
The contracting parties [to the treaty of Vienna] had a
right to require that the Constitution of Poland should not
be touched. This is an opinion which 1 had not concealed
from the Russian Government The Russian
Government, however, took a different view of the question.
Further, he informed the house that—
no vote of that house would have the slightest effect in
reversing the decision of Russia.
When the subject was again discussed, on
the 26th of March, 1834, he said :
The mere fact of this country being a party to the treaty
of Vienna was not synonymous with our guaranteeing that
there would be no infraction of that treaty by Russia.
A statement which reminds us of the answer
of the Milanese to the Emperor Barbarossa :
" If you have had our oath, recollect that we
never swore to keep it."
Poland having fallen, the free town of Cracow
shortly shared the same fate. In 1836 a mo-
tion was made in the House of Commons for
an address to the Crown for the protection of
the commercial interests of Great Britain in
Turkey and the Euxine, and also to send a
diplomatic agent to Cracow. Lord Palmerston
informed the house that this motion was quite
unnecessary as the Government had " already
" determined to send a consular agent to Cra-
" cow." He added :
Her Majesty's Government has no desire or disposo n ition
ot
to submit to agreuion from any power.
.. I d
stand here to expound or explain the intentions of Russia.
. . . It is enough for us to look at facts, and deal with
events that have actually taken place.—(H. of C., 10th Feb.
1836, and 20th April.)
'The promised agent was never sent. Her
Majesty's Government did submit to aggres-
sions they had declared their intention of re-
sisting.
On the 22nd of March, 1837, Lord Dudley
Stuart oalled upon Lord Palmerston for an
explanation why a consular agent had
.not been
.
sent to Cracow, according to the promise given
by the Governmental ast year. Lord Palmers.
ton, with that good-humoured bluster "
which he occasionally displays in the House
of Commons, coolly replied:—
He had altered his intention, and had not sent a consul or
it was o
no at present his intention to
agent to Crasow, and
do so.

THE PRESS.

These passages disclose Lord Palmerston's
tactics. While events are pending, all expla-
nation is resisted, but hopes are kept alive by
promises intended not to be redeemed ; such
as :

Between Austria and the British Government the ques
tion of the evacuation of Cracow remained vulva yutotion of
inae.—(-1. of C., July 13, 180.)
And as :

He had too high an opinion of the sense of justice and
of right that emit animate the Governments of Austria, of
Prussia, and of Russia, to believe that they can feel any
disposition or intention to deal with Cracow otherwise
than Cracow is entitled by treaty engagements to be dealt
with. . . . On the part of the British Government,
everything should be done to insure a due respect being paid
to the provisions of the treaty of Vienna.—(H. of C., 27th
August, 1848.)
The Parliament which was dismissed with
these fine sentiments and specious promises
had the mortification to hear, from the lips of
her Majesty, when it assembled in January
1847, that the independence of Cracow was at
an end !
We must do the Liberal party the justice to
state, that, though they have never seriously
resented Lord Palmerston's desertion of the
" oppressed nationalities" they professed to
have so much at heart, they have sometimes
expressed their sentiments to him with great
frankness. Mr. Hume once said :
If the Emperor of Russia had an agent of his own in
the British Cabinet, he could not do his work better than
it is done by the noble lord.
And Mr. Gaily Knight, in 1840, neatly epi-
tomised Lord Palmerston's policy :
There is something curiously inconsistent in the pro-
ceedings of the noble lord when Russia is concerned.
. . . . On the subject of Poland the noble lord has
disappointed us again and again. Remember when he was
pressed to exert himself in favour of Poland, then he ad-
mitted the justice of the cause—the justice of our com-
plaints; but he said, " only restrain yourselves at present,
there is an ambassador fast setting out, of known liberal
sentiments. You may be sure we will do all that is right.
You will only embarrass his negotiations if you incense
the power with whom he has to deal. So take my advice,
be quiet at present, and be assured that a great deal will
be effected." We trusted to those assurances—the liberal
ambassador went—whe..her he ever approached the subject
or not was never known. All we gut were the fine words
of the noble lord. but no results.
These angry expressions have, however,
little impaired Lord Palmerston's popularity
with his party. He understands the science
of " bottle-holding" in dealing with the House
of Commons still better than in his communi-
cations with foreign powers.
The passages we have quoted from the noble
viscount's speeches are not given for the first
time. They were spoken in Parliament —they
are printed in Hansard—they are open to the
world. It is from an examination of his con-
duct and opinions alone that we can form a
just opinion of his character, and estimate his
fitness for conducting the Government of
England at the present time. It is not our
part to depreciate his talents or qualities. We
have done little more than select materials
for estimating them fairly.
He would not have won his present position
or attained that consideration which is con-
ceded to him on the Continent without some
of the higher qualities of statesmanship. He
has been active, though not regular, in his
administration of the Foreign-office, and from
the time when he once commenced a ne-
gotiation he seems ever to have carried it
on with scrupulous good faith. His meddling
has often been denounced as mischievous, and
his counsels rejected as impertinent ; he may
have left some poor devils of insurrectionists,
who not unnaturally looked to him for aid, in
the lurch ; but no Court of Europe can accuse
him of deceit in the progress of negotiation.
In general estimation lie has been successful
in his career, and the public have a vague feeling
of confidence in his " star." We respect the
divinity of Fortune, but can hardly esteem the
noble viscount one of her special favourites.
As we have intimated,
ein he has usually shown
his prudence by g strong upon the
stronger side. He aided in the separation of
Belgium from Holland ; ho secured the
triumph of the cause he espoused both in
Spain and Portugal ; and he directed the sword
of England with signal effect against Mehemet
Ali, and on that occasion satisfactorily settled
the Eastern question which for many months
previously had kept Europe in alarm. But
against these successes we have to set the fatal

263

mistake of the invasion of Affghanistan ending
in the most deplorable disaster which ever
befel our arms in India. His notions of the
right of one State to give " friendly counsel "
to another have exposed him to sonic rude
rebuffs. His ambassador was indignantly
sent from Spain, and even his contemptible
quarrel with Greece was ,made more con-
temptible by the miscarriage of his design.
One of his greatest blunders was his refusal
to mediate between Austria and insurgent
Lombardy. This was one of those golden
opportunities which rarely occur in a states-
man s life, and properly employed might have
established a prosperous kingdom iu North
Italy. He is now, in the decline of his powers,
engaged in a far mightier enterprise than has
ever tasked them yet. The small expedients
and diplomatic tricks by which ho has been
accustomed to evade difficulties will not serve
him now, and it is with a feeling almost of
pity that we see him engaged in a contest with
difficulties which he lacks even physical
strength to fairly contend with.
Mr. Wilke's pamphlet, from which we have
borrowed seine extracts, is written with great
spirit. We do not share his political opinions,
but it is impossible to resist the force of his
facts. The contrast between Lord Palmers-
ton's speeches in the house and his addresses
to his constituents is amusingly illustrated by
his description of Cracow, to one as " a miser-
" able little Government," and to the other as
" a lamp of freedom in the midst of despotism.'
One of the closing passages of this tract is a
good example of the author's sarcastic
eloquence :
The English statesman who is all intellect, nerve, and
heart, in the popular conception, is the dupe of every
knavish diplomatist that has an end to serve in duping him
—is always too late when helpless right is to be defended
against lawless might—always in a perilous hurry when
some trumpery squabble is to be settled. The Protestant
standard-bearer assists to carry back to the chair of tem-
poral dominion the runaway Pope. The vigilant and in-
vincible guardian of English honour submits with equani-
mity to rebuffs from big Austria and little Naples—and
advises the Turk not to assert the sacredness of his terri-
tory against stronger neighbours. The experience of
twenty years of nearly uninterrupted power, and forty of
unreserved opportunity for observation, has not furnished
a solitary niaiiin of statesmanship or a single example of
administrative vigour. The " juvenile Whig " is still
the epithet that expresses the jaunty freshness of the poli-
tician of seventy. No one can argue from the put of Pal-
merston what will be his Mitre, or devise a ease in which
his course of action would be clear. This only could be
predicated of his home politics—that difference of opinion
will be no bar to participation of office ; and this only of his
foreign policy—that while a great power has nothing to
fear from his enmity, a little one has everything to dread
from his favour.

On Loans Raised by Mr. Pitt During the First
French War. By. Wm. Newmarch. London:
Effingham Wilson.
IN this pamphlet Mr. Newmarch has collected the
particulars of all loans raised by Mr. Pitt during the
years 1703 1801. It is conclusively shown by the
figures given that by borrowing in the Three per
Cent. Stock, Mr. Pitt raised money at a cheaper rate
than lie could have done by any other means, and
thus far the statement assumes the shape of a de-
fence of Mr. Pitt's financial policy, though it is con-
tended that his sinking-fund was from first to last a
great mistake. On the advantage of the Three per
Cents. it is observed that:—
Any new kind of stock attempted to be introduced with
SUCCVBB must be marketable at all times, and to any extent.
It must be of a nature which everybody understands—it
must be free from new conditions—and it millet be also free
from future contingencies in the estimation of which
hardly two persons will agree. Now, it is the fact that for
the last hundred years the Three per Cent. Consols have
been the kind of Lund which, beyond all others, has fulfilled
these conditions of eligibility in the must pre-eminent
degree.
On the financial capability of the great Minister it
is observed :
In a more eminent degree, perhaps, than Many Minister
of finance for the last hundred years, there was ned
in Mr. l'itt a clear appreciation of general principlescombi tem-
pered by a still clearer appreciation of the modifications and
corrections of which they stand in need when converted
into rules of practice.
A perusal of this pamphlet is quite sufficient to show
that Mr. Pitt's financial capacity can be depreciated
only by an essentially narrow and self-sufficient
mind. Great research, practical knowledge, lucid
views, and ratiocinative ability of the very highest
order are evinced by Mr. Newmarch in this valuable
financial treatise.

War Notes from the Crimea. By Mary Hardy,
Authoress of " Saville House," 4kc.
London : Routledge.
THE writer of this little book is already favorably
known to the public as the authoress of a successful
romance, and the promise visible in her first work is
fulfilled in this second and slighter production. In
a short and modest preface, we are given to under-
stand that the poems are printed for the benefit of
the fund for the sick and wounded, and a powerful
appeal is made to the benevolent on its behalf : we
have no doubt that it will he cordially responded to.
In the" War Notes " there will be found no prettiness
nor sentimentality, no attempt to soften the appalling
realities of the field, neitherare we deluged with blood
and horrors too frightful for art, but the great deeds of
our soldiers are sung to spirit stirring melodies, true
echoes of the "Thunder Harp of War." The inci-
dents chosen are " Alma," " Balaklava," " Inker-
mann ;" the first is written in the old heroic metre,
the stately march of which is in perfect keeping with
the subject. The metre of " Balaklava" is a new ex-
periment, the poem being divided into quatrains, all
the four lines of which rhyme together. To our ear,
there is a certain monotony in the frequent repeti-
tion of the same sound, and we think that a measure
more appropriate to the fire and dash of the world-
famous light cavalry charge might have been selec-
ted. Nevertheless, the experiment is on the whole
successful. The last is written in the old ballad style,
and is full of vigour and freshness of imagery. There
is one excellence in these little poems hitherto neglec-
ted by the versifiers of our Crimean campaign, that
of strict adherence to historic truth.

1. English Past and Present. By the Rev. Cheveix
Trench. London Bell.
2. On the Study of Language. By Chas. Richard-
son, D.D. London : Bell.
1. " English Past and Present " is another of those
delightful little works upon language, from the pen
of this elegant writer, in which the linguistic ele-
ments of English, its gains and losses in words, and
inflexions, are detailed with considerable knowledge.
The facts, rather than the theory of the causes which
have produced them, are brought under the notice of
the reader, and many curious and interesting deriva-
tions are given.
2. Is an exposition of the doctrines of Horne
Tooke's " Diversions of Purley," in which the extreme
views of that most eccentric of etymologists are ex-
plained and illustrated, with a few notes and addi-
tions.

Illustrations of Law of Kindness. By the Rev.
G. W. Montgomery. Fourth Edition. London:
Washbourne and Co.
A FOURTH EDITION of so unpretending a little book as
this speaks well for its excellence. The twelve
chapters it contains breathe the purest spirit of
Christian charity " one toward another," illustrated
with numerous examples of self denial and personal
charity. This edition has the advantage of an affec-
tionate memorial of Mrs. Fry, written by the late
Joseph Gurney, and a supplementary chapter upon
almsgiving, which, though not approved of here, may
be defended by great authorities. Paley thought the
hardness of heart engendered by constant refusal
more hurtful than compliance, and Charles Lamb
would not " rake into an unwelcome truth to save a
halfpenny," but would rather
Look upon the poor
With gentle eyes, for in such habits often
Angels desire an altos.

The Golden Colony ; or, Victoria in 1854. By
George Henry Wathen. London : Longmans.
AN intelligent narrative of a tour through the colony
of Victoria during 1854. The personal adventures
are full of the usual bush imidents, but are curtly
and modestly described, while such information is
given upon the present state and condition of the
colony as a tourist might be expected to gather. The
land and election question are both fairly discussed.
The concluding chapter, upon the " Geology of the
Gold Fields," illustrated with numerous sections of
strata, &c., is the best in the book. The subject,
stripped of its technicalities, is treated in plain
language, and adapted to popular comprehension.

The Monastery and the Mountain Church. A Story
book for Children. London : Murray.
A PRETTY story of the sufferings of the nuns of Port,
Royal, related in a truly Christian spirit, and totally
free from all sectarian feeling. The touching inci-
dents of the narrative, with its pure sentiments and
elevating tendency, peculiarly fit it for youthful
readers.

r Amorto the reprints, cheap publications, pam-
phlets, tic., we have to acknowledge, The Step
Mother, by James (Hodgson), as the current number

THE PRESS.

of the " Parlour Library."—An early reprint of Dr.
Koch's Crimea (Routledge), though without the
excellent map which accompanies the original
edition.—Wolferst's Roost, and Other Sketches (Rout.
ledge), a choice collection of different tales and
sketches, by Washington Irving, compiled from his
•arious works.—Our Heroes of the Crimea, by
George Ryan (Routledge), a series of biographical
sketches of forty-eight of our most distinguished
officers who have served and are serving in the
Crimea. It is a praiseworthy attempt to rescue
from oblivion the names of many of our " departed
brave," as well as to secure the fame of the living. A
second series is promised to contain some forty
other biographies.—A new edition of Walker's Pro-
nouncing Dictionary, by P. A. Natal' (Routledge),
in which the accentuat►on and pronunciation appear
to have been carefully and accurately revised, and a
brief treatise upon the origin and construction of the
English language prefixed.—The sixth volume,
handsomely bound, of the Stratford Shakspeare
(Hodgson), containing the plays of Henry V, and
the three parts of Henry Vl.—The eighth and ninth
parts of The Butterflies of Great Britain, by Mr.
Westwood (Orr and Co.), in which the various
transformations of those insects are carefully de-
scribed and beautifully illustrated.—Joseph Hume,
a memorial, by his son (Parker and Son).—A
pamphlet upon the Purchase System, by an officer
(Ridgway), in which it is proposed to abolish the
existing system; but the author does not suggest a
better one, beyond supposing that "merit" would
be found a more advantageous basis than " money."—
And a pamphlet upon the relat►ve merits of Aus-
tralia and New Zealand, by a retired officer
(Stanford). Our Canadian provinces are certainly
overlooked by the emigrant class ; and New Bruns•
wick, from the description here given, appears to
possess great advantages in soil and the price of
labour over Australia.

A Sox OF MR. Huai has issued what he terms a
" Memorial " of his father. Filial piety is so amiable
that we are sorry to see it made ridiculous. Mr.
Hume had doubtless strong claims to the affection
of his children—indeed we knew him to be a most
indulgent parent—and the license of epitaph might
give him credit for patriotism, but when his person
is styled beautiful and his nature poetic, that kind
of monstrosity—far beyond caricature—is perpe-
trated which the poet has wittily exposed to
laughter :
Humana capiti cervicem pictor equinam
Junge re si velit,
That we do not exaggerate will be evident by a few
lines from the " Memorial":—
His body was a master-piece ; for force, endurance, speed,
And every kind of action perfect : beautiful indeed.
In him, too, mute the poet dwelt; in all that stirs the heart;
All nature's charms, all good men's deeds and duties, he felt part.
To him, by intuition, came high thoughts and bold and new;
And, all unawed by custom, be embraced the right and true.
Those persons who have ever heard Mr. Hume in
what his friends must consider " his best days" in
the house, must marvel to hear it said, that
•

In a wordy age, he stood a Moses, " slow of speeeh,"
That lacked his Aaron, lacked discourse.
With the idea, probably, of exciting a large demand
for this " Memoiial," Mr. Joseph Burnley Hume
offers it at the price of " one penny"—scarcely
enough to pay for paper. He has, we fear, little
regard for that one of his father's virtues most con-
spicuous in his career—economy.

A NEW MAP OF EUROPE has just been issued by
Messrs. Black, peculiarly adapted for reference at the
present time. It shows with great distinctness the
extent of territory possessed by each European power,
and has the advantage of embracing both shores of
the Mediterranean, the whole of the Black Sea, and
great part of the Caspian, with the territory of
Turkey in Asia Minor. lu the north-eastern part of
the map the vast extent of Russia, forming full one-
half of Europe, appears in marked contrast to the
various kingdoms of the west and south. Accom-
panying the map is a description in letterpress of the
different states of Europe, with their extent, popula-
tion, revenue, debt, armies, and many other parti-
culars. The map is in size, 3 ft. by 4 ft. 4 in., and
is conveniently mounted on canvas, with case. A
key-map shows the telegraphic lines and fortresses of
Europe. The publication is eomplete, and we have
pleasure in recommending it as in every point of
view satisfactory and useful.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

BOOKS.

The Erik. Bosworth.
Walker's Dictionary. Dr. Nuttall. Romledge.
Bank of England Barometer. Letts and Co.
Manual of Private Devotion. Longmans.
American Liberty and Government Qnestioned. T. Ryle. 1)o.
Autobiography of J. S. Buckingham. Do.
Virgil in Rhyme. Vol. J. Rev. R. C. Singlgton.
Bell and Daldy.
The Angler and his Friends. 7. Davy, F.R.S. Longmane.
Yangties and his Works. 3. W. Parker and Bon.