The Press.
London, England, 1855-03-24 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

MARCH 24, 1855.

Lord's influence. The trickery was too apparent to be received with
the good humour whioh often greets his levity. The reason for the
postponement of the Budget has been fairly admitted by the daily
journal believed to express his Lordship's sentiments. "We are hung
up till we hear from Lord JOHN RUSSELL." Till it is known what
turn affairs are likely to take at Vienna, no Budget can be produced.
The adjournment will be rather longer than usual. Parliament, at its
rising, will be adjourned to the 16th April.
The Fast-day was observed with great propriety on Wednesday,
but the preachers do not seem to have departed from the beaten track
in their discourses. Generally personal humiliation was insisted on.
Yet national punishments would seem to be visited for national sins,
and from the pulpit an inquiry might have been made whether, in im-
mediate connection with this war, there had been no national offence
calculated to draw down the kind of chastisement with which as a
people we have been visited.
The personal character of Lord CLANRICARDE in connection with
the shocking Handcock case, has again come before the public in
consequence of the affidavits filed by his Lordship in his defence. He
has courted judicial investigation into his conduct, but without success.
There are two whimsical incidents in the published papers, which will
be thought to preserve the Irish character. The official letter sent by
the LORD CHANCELLOR to Lord CLANRICARDE wall without a signature;
And the " latch-key" by which it was said Lord CLANRICARDE admitted
himself to Mrs. HANDCOCK'S residence, is stated to have been used by
counsel in a figurative sew ! This is the oddest kind of figure of
speech we ever heard of !

We have good ground for believing that Mr. FREDERICK PEEL is
about to retire from the post of Under Secretary-at-War. "Nothing
" is more terrible than active ignorance," says Goethe, and let us hope
that a post may be found somewhat more congenial to the talents of
this young gentleman, if the country cannot yet dispense with his
services. Mr. LowE is spoken of as his successor.

THE VIGIL.
he Empress spent an hour and a half yesterday with the corpse.—/ride accounts /roes St.
Petersburg.
For her dead by the Black Sea water
England bath praises and prayers;
For her dead by the plague and the slaughter
France payeth pity and tears:
In the South the dead lie a sleeping,
In the North lies sleeping the dead;
Who sits in the Northland weeping?
Who watches beside that bed?

That silent bed of the silent dead, the mourned and mourner still,
The purple bent o'er purple shent of worship and of will;
The crowned brow stooped long and low o'er crownless brow and white,—
A Queen loth moan for her King o'erthrown in pride of place and
might.

Low lies he there—a woman's care, a woman's watch and ward,
The Star of strife, the Lord of life, the Swayer of the sword ;
A woman's loss to sign with cross, and gaze upon and moan—
He lies the Scorner of the threat, the Shaker of the throne.

Nay, let her weep ! he sleeps a sleep tears will not waken now,
Though faster far they fall and star that awless cheek and brow ;
Nay, let her sigh ! if such must die, strong, terrible, and great,
Is she alone to sob and moan—she only wail his fate ?

Weep, woman, weep ! if dead men sleep sounder when tears fall free,
Weep faster, wife, for that lost life ! none weepeth it but thee ;
Moan louder, Queen, for whet hath been—alone—alone—alone—
Thy bitter pain is Earth's great gain—Earth's music is thy groan.

" It cannot he that this is he !"—draw down the shroud again!
But yesterday his word had sway o'er mountain, moor, and plain ;
And mountain, fountain, moor, and plain—speak louder ! take thy

breath !
Tell him his Earth is wild with mirth, and shouteth for his death.

" He must not die ! look ! look ! the eye ; it flashes as of yore !"
Thine own tear, Queen, glistens, I ween, where shone no tear before ;
Nay, doubtest thou ?—touch breast and brow—cold! chilly, through
and through !
As under turf the Servian serf his hungry sabres slew.

" Nay ! not yet dead ! it is not fled the life that dealt with life !
The fingers white are clench'd for fight—he dreameth of the strife!
Ho me, the crown ! my lord, thy town is free ! the foe is fled
From steel and shot ! What, stirr'st thou not ?"—Dead !—queenly
mourner, dead!

Dead! dead ! they shout. Empress, watch out thy dreary, vigil there !
Beside that prayerless, tearless bed—that unregretted bier.
Louder than sighs our sorrow cries—for death and plague and pain,
Wrought by that king—that nameless thing—the slayer God hath
slain.

Mourn thou him dead! that kingly head, none other mourns it sunk;
The bitter will to slay and kill, the soul with slaughter drunk !
Wail for thy star, thy lord of war—beneath thy kiss a rlod—
Lon. Queen and proud—more long and loud our wail doth go to God.

281

IMPORTANT DESPATCH FROM VIENNA.
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD JOHN RUSSELL, PLENIPOTEN-
TIARY, TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE VISCOUNT I'ALMERS-
TON, PREMIER.

VniNx&, March 19.

MY LORD,—I have the honour to inform your Lordship that the
negotiations upon which I am engaged are making gradual progress,
and that I see no reason to doubt their tending to an ultimate
result.

Of the character of that result it would evidently be premature
for me to speak with any confident anticipation, but I may be per-
mitted to express my conviction that it will be iu perfect keeping with
the antecedents from which it emanates.

The representatives of the negotiating Powers have met, and have
exchanged the most satisfactory assurances of the pleasure which was
afforded to each by the opportunity of meeting the others.
Special gratification was expressed that such meeting should take
place under the auspices of the Austrian Minister.
_ _

The Count Buol was prompt in affirmation that few things could
have given him greater happiness than the reunion, in his Sove-
reign's capital, of several individuals whose character he held in the
highest esteem.
I deemed it my duty to state, distinctly, that I should have been
equally glad to see all parties in Chesham-placo, and I am happy to
add, for your Lordship's information, that this statement, though made
with some frankness, was accepted in a similar spirit, and produced
the most desirable results.

The Baron Bourqueney signified that his Imperial master would
have rejoiced to assemble tho party at the Tuileries, the rather that
he would have had the gratification of showing them the Palais de
l'lndustrie, upon which the eyes of Europe aro now turned.
The Count Gortschakoff said, with earnestness, that he hoped the
Congress would be enabled to produce and to contribute a treaty of
Peace to the Exposition in question, but he guarded himself from
characterising such treaty, and the rest of the Conference thought that
he had gone as far as could be expected.
Some discussion then ensued upon the position of Vienna, but
this bore less upon her political attitude than upon her topographical
situation, and Count Buol was so good its to recommend me to ascend
the spire of St. Stephen's Church in order to form a perfect idea of
the surrounding country. With this recommendation it is my inten-
tion to comply.
I may take this occasion of informing your Lordship that Vienna
is not situated upon the Danube, as I had supposed, but upon a branch
of that river, called the Wien, from which Vienna takes its name ; and,
indeed, the capital is called Wieu in German maps. I received this
information from Baron Bourqueney, and, as coining from the repre-
sentative of an ally, I conceive that it may be accepted unhesitatingly,
but its verification cannot be difficult .

At our first meeting no further business was transacted than that
which I have the honour to indicate, but a second was arranged, of
the proceedings at which it will be my duty to make your Lordship
aware in my next despatch.
The Baron Bourquoney was good enough to invite me to a very
delightful dinner at his hotel. As I take no step without your Lord-
ship's full tptnction, I inclose the carte, and your Lordship will find my
initials (J. R.) placed against each dish of which I partook, with the
exception of some stewed apricots, which are not marked down.
I have the honour to remain, &c.,
JOHN RUSSELL

The Viscount Pahnerston, &c. &c.

WHAT IS A PLAIN FELLOW TO THINK ?
They talk of the Coalition,
But, hang it, it seems to me
They don't much improve our condition
By changing Lord A. for Lord P.
For our present Premier's subs
Don't certainly seem to shrink
From giving their chief some snubs—
Now what is a plain fellow to think ?

Sir Robert at Tumworth, telling
His thoughts ecststie and free,
Says " Poland must he rebelling
And Hungary rise "—says he—
" Oppression we'll trample down
And bring to destruction's brink."
I confess I am quite done brown—
For what is a plain fellow to think?

For Pam in the Commons utt'ring
A wretchedly lame reply
With more than his wonted stutt'ring
To a member who thought as I,
Said "yes," and said "no," and said both,
And seemed from the point to slink.
To doubt either I should be loth—
But what is a plain fellow to think ?