The Press.
London, England, 1855-04-21 00:00:00

366

been witnessed in France we have no expe-
rience here. The career of Louts NAPOLEON
would be impossible in this country ; at least,
so long as our Legislature is respected, and
our Constitution is preserved fret* the despe-
rate experiments which some queoltish pelt
cians would subject it to. We believe it to
so far from true that illlgitin to jwwer, os•
convulsive success, Is viewed with auy favour
by our people, Wet they regard it, pad.l ustlyi
with the greatest distrust. The Severer ef
the FRENCH would not have cared to come
among us without some better credentials to
respect than could be afforded by the success
of--kne- foup tCitat of December, 1832. He
waited until his decided course had been justi
fled by the beneficent use of his authority, and
by the most signal proofs of his moderation,
both at home and abroad.
• He has apparently felt that his assumption
of supreme power would be judged by his
exercise of it. The most impartial decision of
history has never refused the title of Great to
thoso sagacious and daring minds which in
periods of great civil convulsion have by the
assertion of their energetic genius vindicated
their natural right to rule, and by elevating
themselves have saved society. Such cases
must be independent of ordinary rules of
morality and duty. That such rules must be
set aside is one of the great evils of national
disturbance. The spirit of a people may be
enervated, or corrupted, or irritated, by the
very benefits which arbitrary government
confers upon them, and nothing is more fatal
to order than precedents of success in revolu•
Lion. But the power which rises from politi
cal chaos may be pure from the blame both of
its cause and effects ; and it is entitled to our
highest admiration on grounds of principle
alone, when strongly tempted to vicious
excess, for the very reason that it is supreme
and irresponsible, it identifies itself with the
good of the people it governs, and with the
most scrupulous good faith in its intercourse
with other nations.
• The truth is, that the irregular career of
the Emperor is much rather calculated to
create a prejudice against him in this country
than to raise sympathies in his favour ; and to
conceal this circumstance is to rob him of
half his glory. The fact that he has already
"lived down" the suspicions and enmities
excited by his sudden elevation is a noble tri-
bute to the greatness of his character, and to
the equity and wisdom of his Government.
He must know that he has been welcomed by
us, not for his success, but for his honesty—
not as a lucky gamester who staked fortune
and life on the chance of obtaining the Impe-
rial Crown, nor as the legitimate heir of our
great enemy his uncle, but as the head of the
French nation, and as an ally who, having made
common cause with us to check the aggressive
policy of Russia, has given us the strongest
proofs of his sincerity and zeal. When
severely tried by the hesitating and unworthy
diplomacy of Lord ABERDEEN'S Cabinet he
"still placed absolute confidence in the inte-
grity of the English people, and by postponing
his projected departure for the Crimea he has
shown that no pretensions on his part shall
interfere with the pacific negotiations proceed-
ing at Vienna. If it is a proof of his ability
that he has made no mistake since first called
to the head of the French Government, it is a
yet stronger proof of his principle that his
foreign policy has in every instance been open
and straightforward. He has won our confi-
dence by showing himself deserving of it; and
that respect and admiration which the mere
fact of his success would never have extorted
from us, we freely accord to the beneficence of
his government, and to his unswerving honesty
of purpose.

SIR GEORGE CORNEWALL LEWIS.
IT was our duty last year occasionally to offer
strictures and comment freely upon the
financial operations of Mr. GLADSTONE, when
Chancellor of the Exchequer. We admitted,
readily, his great talent, his eloquence, his
knowledge of details ; we censured his
arrogance, his rashness, his ambition ; we
combatted his financial views and operations ;
Mre endatoured to expose their fallacies and