The Press.
London, England, 1855-09-15 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

SATURDAY,

The Bank has this week raised its rate of discount to 4} per cent.,
a consequence of the decline in its stock of gold, and an indication
that the export of bullion is anticipated to continue. This drain in
the face of the continued productiveness of the mines of California
and of Australia, and of the large supplies regularly received from the
latter country, is remarkable. What should we have done had
not the gold discoveries taken place ? A return to the paper
currency of the last war would have been inevitable, and we should
have had the sovereign worth—according to the scarcity of gold-
-258. or 30s. in the pound notes of the Bank. The effect anti-
cipated from the greater abundance of gold, a general rise in the
price of all commodities, is now beginning to be sensibly felt. After
a most favorable harvest, and the report of immense abundance on
the other side the Atlantic, wheat is still rising to 90s. a quarter, and
the advance is general over the whole of Europe. We read, for example,
in a letter from Vienna in yesterday's Times, " the price of bread and
' meat is higher in this city than it has ever been before." The war
may partly account fur this rise, but the main cause must be looked
for deeper. The great increase in bullion has most unexpectedly dis-
concerted all calculations formed on the probable effects of free trade.
The cheap loaf has gone, never, we believe, to return ; and while the
thriving farmer is inclined to regard Mr. COBDEN as having, in some way
or other, vastly benefited him by the agitation of which he once stood
in dread, urban communities are inclined to deride him as an im-
postor. The advance, however beneficial to agricultural producers, must
be severely felt by persons with small fixed incomes, and by those
classes of operatives whose labour does not command an advance in
proportion to the rise in the price of necessary articles of subsistence.
Their condition will be still further deteriorated should the scarcity of
money restrict the manufacturing industry on which they are de-
pendent for support.

The Times Baltic Correspondent, who appears to be a mild Whig,
suggests the probability of further operations being yet designed in
the Baltic, and of an attack being imminent. Our Correspondent, on
the contrary, roundly asserts that the Admirals have concluded de-
fering operations till next spring. We fear not much is to be hoped
for now the fine weather is breaking up. It is singular that NELSON
in one of his despatches from the Baltic remarks that Cronstadt,
Riga, and Revel, are " strongly fortified, but British admirals
"do not care for an enemy's guns." He would hardly have
been rash enough to pen such a paragraph now. The fleet,
it is believed, will winter in one of the Swedish ports, but nothing
definite is yet arranged. The disinclination of the Russians to fight
at sea was singularly exemplified the other day. Two of our ships
cruising of Cronstadt suddenly bore up for the Tolboukin Light, when
they discovered a Russian squadron at anchor. The moment our
ships hove in sight, bearing down upon the enemy, the Russians,
though more than double their force, tripped their anchors and ran
into Cronstadt, chased in the most ignominious manner by our two
cruisers.

The credit of our navy is certainly not upheld in this war with
that vigour and earnestness of purpose which is so necessary to its
support. The capture of Petropaulowsky, with its four inhabitants
and one gun - carriage, is another of those questionable successes
which it appears to be the fate of our ships only to achieve. Fortune
even denied us in this instance the capture of a single prisoner to
grace our triumph, for, of the four inhabitants, three were American
and one an ally. But what is to be said of the vigilance of those
officers blockading the ports of Petropaulowsky and Amoor, which
permitted the three Russian frigates and two transports to escape
from the former place in one fug, and get safely into the latter in
another? The Russians are not content with resisting us manfully
on shore, but they outwit us even on what we are pleased to term our
own element. It is impossible to help reflecting upon the ridiculous
figure cut by our large squadron as, full of expectation, it entered the
desolate harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul to find that the enemy's
squadron had effected one of the cleverest escapes and safe arrivals
in the annals of naval blockades.

From Mexico some rather important news has arrived this week.
SANTA ANNA has been forced to abdicate, quit the capital, and embark
for Cuba. Sic transit, (Ec. Scarcely two years ago SANTA ANNA was be•
sought by all classes to leave his retirement at Cuba and accept the
Presidentship of the Republic ; but no sooner is he fairly seated than
his bad government completes what intrigue. had already begun.
Unless the Mexicans make an end of this interminable state of in-
trigue, civil war, anarchy, and confusion, the fate of their country will
be that of all nations torn by faction and weakened by internal dissen-
sions, while a keen and eager neighbour foments the quarrels, and
looks on in expectation. General CARRO has been chosen President
for six months by the successful party.

Le boulet qui me tuera n'cst pas encore fondu," NAPOLEON may
exclaim with his uncle, for the second attempt at assassination has
failed more signally than the first. The miserable assassin this time
missed the Emperor altogether, and fired upon the Dames d'Honneur.
A Medical Commission have pronounced him insane. The Emperor
probably does not wish to sully his triumph by an execution, though
the madness of BELLEMARE appears to possess in it considerable
method. His future safe custody is insured by the Biciare.

An important treaty has lately been concluded between France
and Persia It is stated to be one of commerce as well as of
alliance, and conferring considerable benefits upon the French flag.
The ratifications have been exchanged, and perfect amity and the
most cordial understanding exists between the Shah and the French
Government.

SEPT. 15, 1855.

THE PREMIER'S MEDITATIONS.
Of what is the Premier thinking
As he sits in his easy-chair,
And hears of our foeman sinking
His ships in his wild despair?
Does a flush of honest pride
Mount to his lordly brow?
Did I dream when I thought ho sighed
For the dead who have fallen now ?
I may not read the thought
That came to him to-day
When he heard how our heroes fought
And fell in this latest fray;
It cannot be he jeers
At chivalry and worth,
That ho hath no pride or tears
For the brave ones gone from earth

It seemeth strange to me,
A man of humble mould,
And loving all that's brave and free,
As my fathers loved of old,
That the ruler of the land
Should hear with stoic calm
The tidings come at last
With sorrow-healing balm.

On the city of the world
The news burst forth to night,
That the foemen had been hurl'd
From the stronghold of their might ;
The bells ring wildly out,
The brazen cannon roar,
Huzzah ! old England's sword
Is mighty as of yore!
•
The nation's joy speaks out
In many a varying guise,
Some hear with mighty shout,
And some with streaming eyes;
But not a generous word
From him who sits as Chief—
Is he so dead, this ancient Lord,
To Britain's pride and grief?

HOW DOWNING-STREET BORE THE NEWS

(FROM A MINISTERIAL PAPER.)
IT is due to a Cabinet which has been most improperly represented
as deficient alike in ability and patriotism, to refute the allegation
that it is not in earnest in the prosecution of the war with Russia.
We need not be told that from the minds of the old, coarse school,
which thinks it a compliment to be called " English," the subtle and
delicate process by which statesmen of a high class carry out their
views obtains but little respect. But, to adopt one of the vulgarities
of that school, the proof of the pudding is in the eating; and while
the nation has supposed that the Cabinet was leaving the war to its
chance, or interfering only for mischief, Sebastopol has been taken.
This strikingly displays the advantage of intrusting the war to such
men as now preside in our councils. There cannot be the slightest doubt
that had Lord Derby been in office instead of Lord Palmerston, the
victory on the Tschernaya would have been with the Russians, the
bombardment of last week would have been ineffective, and Prince
Gortscbakoff would now have been at Balaklava.

Having thus proved, with our accustomed logic and lucidity, that
the fall of Sebastopol is due to the character and exertions of her
Majesty's Government, let us proceed to the pleasant task of record-
ing the mode in which the news was received by those who had
accomplished the feat. The first person who was apprised was the
Head of the War Department. On reading the despatch, Lord
Panmuro jumped up, and rushed over to the First Lord •f the
Admiralty, exclaiming, "By Jove, I've been and done it ! " But he
was met by one of Sir Charles Wood's ever-cheerful smiles, and the
reply, " You, indeed ! See here," showing him his own despatch,
" I've sunk the Russian fleet. I've limited the preponderance of
Russia with a vengeance." After a friendly contest in which each
Minister proved, incontestably, that the other had nothing to do, and
could have had nothing to do, with the success he claimed (malevolent
detractors, beneath contempt, affect to agree with them), they " con-
cluded," as the Yankees say, to divide the honours, and accordingly
the double despatch of Monday was promulgated, and henceforth
Panmure and Wood became historical names.
Having duly sent off the tidings to Balmoral (with a postcript
congratulating ber Majesty on having faithful Ministers who can
achieve such things for her), the two statesmen apprised their col-
leagues. Lord Clarendon professed no surprise at all, declaring that
he had calculated to a day when the Russians must evacuate, and
mentioning, indeed, that six weeks previously he had marked the
ninth of September in his pocket-book as that day ; and he would have
shown the entry to his colleagues, only the book happened to be
locked up in a drawer, the key of which he had left in a waistcoat that
was gone to be washed in the country. When Lord Cranworth heard
it the Chancellor said, with his usual caution, that a victory was a very
good thing provided it was of a satisfactory character, and that if
it should appear that the enemy had sustained a severe blow, he con-
ceived that new lustre would accrue to the arms of the Alliese; but before
expressing other opinions he was desirous To ascertain those of his

881

colleagues. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was so excited by the
news that he insisted on addressing the other Ministers in a neat and
appropriate speech, in which he sketched the history of the most im-
portant sieges, ancient and modern, from Azoth, which was besieged
by Psammitichas the Powerful, and, according to Herodotus, held out
for twenty-nine years (of which period Sir C. Lewis related some in-
teresting anecdotes), down to the taking of Autwerp, by our allies the
French, in 1832.

Mr. Vernon Smith hardly knew what to think of the news, and it
was some time before it occurred to him to connect the achievement
with his own highly superior management of India. But at length he
remembered a passage in his Budget speech, in which he hinted at
the possibility of Government assenting to bring some of our Indian
forces into the conflict, and he naturally attributed the flight of the
Russians to their terror lest he should fulfil his threat. The Lord
Privy Seal treated the matter as a trifle—his advice had, of course, led
to the result; but if ho had been attended to earlier, Sebastopol
would have fallen a long time ago. But his Grace could not bestow
much attention on the subject, having to get up a four-column speech
on science, for Glasgow, and the technical names being rather bother
some. Mr. Frederick Peel merely expressed a hope that the authori-
ties would be very accurate in making out an inventory of the stores
which might fall into their hands, distinguishing the dates on which
they were captured, and marking in red ink what were damaged ; and
he urged that a telegraphic message to that effect should immediately
be sent off. Sir Benjamin Hall was much pleased at the news, and
thought that the event ought to be commemorated by giving him his
coronet. Sir George Grey was also pleased, but regretted that the
event had happened on the Sabbath day.
But the most remarkable effect was produced, as was natural,
upon the Premier, whose astonishment that his tenure of office
should be marked by such an incident speedily yielded to the most
unbounded jocosity. The despatch acted like the blue touch-paper of
a firework, and his Lordship began to explode in the most brilliant
manner. Every person who came into his presence for three days
was greeted with a Sebastopol joke. To note a hundredth part of his
pleasantries is impossible, but a handful might be preserved for the
delight of mankind. " Well, Panmure," he exclaimed, "so the Rue-
" sian ducks have swum over the harbour—they wouldn't come and
be killed." To Sir C. Wood he remarked that the kind of mortar
we applied did not seem to make Russian bricks keep together.
He told Sir William Molesworth that Gortschakoff was honoured
neither in the breach nor the observance ; and he regretted that Alfred
Tennyson was not an Ossian, to sing the Feast of Shells. He said
that General Simpson must be a descendant of the Vauxhall Simpson,
having taught the Russians to bow; and that if the staff had been
much damaged, he would give the General a new staff, a marshal's,
to make up. And he added, classically, hearing that our army must
now march on to Star Fort, " Yes, si4 itur ad Astra." Indeed, his
Lordship was still letting off witticisms when our article-writer came
away, and if we receive any more we shall publish them in our second
edition.

BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCE-
MENT OF SCIENCE.
In Glasgow's ancient city a learned crew have met,
Of statesman, prince, geologist, of peer and baronet ;
From India and from Sweden, from valleys and from hills,
Prince Bonaparte and Mahmoud, Liebig and Monckton Milnes.
They seat themselves to dinner, this very brilliant throng :
Agassiz gives a sentiment, and Murchison a song ;
Lord Harrowby is sprightly, Lord Wrottesley don't look shy ;
Count Frolich gets quite frolicsome, and Playfair winks his eye.
At last the ladies are proposed by Mons. Potigot,
And the Lord Provost points to where the coffeepot shall flow ;
Straightway the learned body with one consent adjourn,
New lights of art to admire, new theories to learn.
For doubtless the repast is crown'd by some impressive act,
Some wise discourse delivered replete with thought and fact ;
A meeting of the notables of this " enlightened age "
Shall reverently oscultate their most distinguished sage.
Silence ! None sure will dare to speak save one of deepest skill—
The fruit of long experience, of persevering will—
Who amidst those deep logicians discourse shall dare to hold
To those to whom 'tis given nature's secrets to unfold ?
Will Brewster speak, of Alison, Sedgwick or Bonaparte ?
Will Kolliker on cholera, or Anderson take heart ?
Will Robinson of Armagh, or Retzius of Stockholm,
Mansum Mahmoud from India, Campello's Count from Rome?
All silently beseat themselves, on knowledge all intent,
The box of snuff is opened, and the massive brow is bent,
Then to teach this learned body, with calm, superior smile,
Up starts a Highland laddie, that wondrous sage Argyll !