The Press.
London, England, 1853-05-14 00:00:00

MAY 14, 1853.

policy. There are no passages in the work so
swell written as the " Letter to the Electors of
Str, ant," or the " Edinburgh letter" which
olietated a policy to sir Robert Peel ; but there
is much careful thinking in the conclusions, so
,lamaging to the fame of his own party, at which
the author has arrived. The present portion of
his work is more of a trophy to Mr. Pitt's
wisdom than a monument to Mr. Fox's genius.
The insight \VC obtain from these revelations
into the strong family partisanship' and pre-
scriptive animus of the Whigs is of great
historical value. In these pages we final es-
tablished the grave charges made against the
Whigs, of attempting to turn the King into a
Doge. and of monopolising power within the
Revolution ftuuilies. " Uncle Tom's Cabin"
has been published with a "Key," and many of
the notes and comments in these volumes
might seem as pieee* justifioutires for certain
chapters iu " Coningsby."
We will at once adduce passages from the
work tat support our statements ; and in the
outset we must call the special attention of
a our readers to the deeply important remarks
f the noble Lord upon the celebrated
coalition between Mr. Fox and Lord North.
Hitherto it has been the practice of Whig
writers to decry the verdict against the Fox-
North Coalition as "an opinion after the
event." Lord John Russell aloes not follow
previous Whig critics, but boldly condemns
the conduct of Mr. Fox. He says :
•Loird Holland has placed in the most favtamtlile light
the etailition between Mr. Fox and Lord North. Yet its
:labors .eented to leave condemned their own conduct by
anticipation. `• Nothing lint success can justify it," is re-
!milled to have been the declared opinion of Mr. Fox.
I itless a real good tiovermnent is the consequenee, malting
rim justify it to the public," is the sentence of General
ritzpatrick. The. want of its success, therefore, is its con-
tlemnat hti. Yet this alliance had consequences so lasting,
anti so tinfoil-Ornate, that it is worth while to look some-
what further into the reasons which were alleged for the
coilition, and the muses of its failure.
1. It was alleged in the first place that it was necessary
t a I-mutter:let, by a wide parliamentary union, the personal
influence of the King.
lint this personal intlnence had been mischievous,
chiefly because Lord North's good-nature made him yield-
ing to the King and popular with the publie. Lord Shel-
burne had no such popularity, nod was not likely to retain
his power king. unless Lard North or Mr. ['ox should
join him. Besides. Lard North in his conversation with
Mr. Fox declined and engagement tot this ground. and
.timed off the suject by an idlusion Ua tiovernment by de-
partmems, so that the security was not wanted. and if it
hall been would not have been obtained by this measure.
o " It. was desirable to secure a gawsi GO% elllllll.llt fOr the
e try." But the Coalition atforded no guarantee for
such good tiovernment. The fons• put upon the King
was
sure to excite in him the strongest desire to shake off his
masters, and opportunity could searcelv fail him. It is a
poor evasion to say, that without the *East India Bill the
itivernment could have gone on without a cheek. The
Prince of Wales' allowtmce had nearly driven out the
\linistry, and nothing lint the King's, or rather Lortl Tem-
ple's. sagacious perception that such a gmund for a rliptlllY
would not be popular preserved the Coalition on that
itectimion.*

Having thus rapidly confuted the reasons
.for the Coalition, the noble lord enforces the
strong arguments (Irina it. We may be per•
milted to express our surprise that the noble
writer, for the sake of his Peelite colleagues.
did not soften the censure upon some of
them conveyed in the first sentences of the
tbllowing extract. Lord John Russell here
may be said to give his approval of the senti-
ments of the PnEss upon (Audition :
*While the masons fur the Coalition appear thus unsub-
stantial, the reasons against it were many and weighty.
First. Mr. Fox's invectives au.9tinst, lontl North were tither
well or ill fontalisl. If moil-founded he was nut justititsl in
joining a man branded not only with inciqswity, but with
duplicity, treachery, and falsehisid. If ill-founded, which
is nearer the truth. Mr. Fox owed it to public deeormn nut
to proclaim to the world that his invectives were the sill=
sluing of en unreasoning passion. He could have found
stow• better means of retracting or mitigating his hives!.
tiers than by a pitlitical jmuliim with the object of thou.
Ni Or was his reflection In in brerecamicilier xempilerne,
a just defence. The enmities he had engaged in were not
private lint public quarrels, and, as they were not incurred,
so they might not to have been dropped from pineability
and good-nature. Mr. hitirremarks wily that laird
Noaila
reallily forgave the uttming of these invectives, lint the
public nevcr forgave their being retincteil. +
Secondly, the iiartiettlatr occasion chosen for the Coali-
tion was very unfortunate. The pence of 1753 was a very
had one. hut it was not more so than might have been
expected from the misgovernment of Lord North. Any
penee which saved the honour of the country shonla have
Appeared venial to Mr. Fox: at all events the blame. if
blame was justly dne, should have fallen rather on the head
Pastel North than on that of Lord Shellamw. In the
previous Ministry of Lord llockingham, Mr. Fox had
Pritit's Life of Burke.

THE PRESS.

,onnsoy exprei.t...ll.4l, In rniiittnion. and in in+ toter
the King of Prussia. his sense of the eat: 111 l nt tlis shoe t"
which the country hall been reanyea. lii author of those
mi.' pert s. Mr. Fox th.mght at that time, ought to be
punished: lie now aide,' him to return to ismer. Thirdly
although it might he allege,l th.it the Amerik•an war was
ow'.. anti that 'womanly:it reform Ita.l been earriea. the
great distinct' sot' the Whig and For parties haa not
Meru ett:teell Thell)llkeof IttellttllMlll. Lord, cantaen,
NI r. Fox. Lora John eavelai,ll. anti \I r. Pitt. were fat tow-
able to retOrm of Parliament : Loral North. and Mr. nun.
du,, were against it : and although \I r. Burke dith•rea Inollt
his friends on this mai:wet. het, OH the }rent eult,tittlti al
(LINA line's of a euntndOf thet ht 1.411111:11. institution,.
Mr. Burke, As Well as tietlVllll 141 14. Willett to
the States Men t llaYe llllllltrl. It N 11•4 1M 11111 l Ilt 11E31 l'olllllj-
Hat 101 l 11 lids milted Mr. Fox with Lora North and ball
Stormont, and eVen ItItE01111gt• lio
Los\l Mauer
wieh; while the Inike of llieliniona. tieneral and
rural CllllOl.ll were left to defend toryrogative against a
emistittitional Minktry.
Thus it 1111:It the fadhur of the 4'ololoow wits
not MI M1'414.'111. bill a /IV elt MeNfit atf Whiek
iI eras emiti•xed.•

The conehttling remarks of I Ault .101 m
Russell on the folly of the Coot " that
fittal event," SS he calls it, are very tall of
weight, especially his valuable stpittion sill
the evil in our English system of *displacing
the tiottitml atilinitet's of statesmen" :
*Thais Was brok4,ll tutu diSporm.4llW Its own dissensions
that grunt eotafesleime of freedom. %Melt. nortured ill 1114.
SliVetsity of the American war. Wel revived tlw ancient
Ar I latchliitte with daylights
of 1406(4.6M uud 1.11811108.0. Thus vanished the hope of
seeing a more brilliant VaIN and II Moore oiloti.itelit Pitt ; the
one stalornieg wet advising his et anatry ha the esmslitet of
foreign affairs. whirl. he above all WWII lerstimat and
the other implying to the management of • bootees the
economical principles of ,with. and the wise
fen :dill
sal sully. The I 'oalitism prevented a eat t• ass
deStrithle. it wits dear that I.4)1.11 Shethittitet,ntldneither
intooduesa tool N• 1111 lilts his t .:411114.1. HOE e 411114 he rt.hit
the Whig party its the 1-iststse of Commies's. lie himself
foresaw that Mr. Fox and Mr. Pitt st upon his tall unite.
Mr. 01111dits. turtatin, to wilts I A 01.11 North to I Ord shel-
borne, forced Lord North into she 'otalition with NIE. Fox.
The rout of the Whig part : the Pitt Administration I
the war of the Inrush Ile% solution ; were the results sat this
fatal event.
There is one remark, however. which must not be
omitted. Mr. Fox ant Lord North 'Matto persistent otatip:a
thies to over in uniting with each other. laws! Hol-
land has described them truly as Is•ing both men of gene.
rolls tetnper, of kind feelings, of shawls.. straightforward.
and s.mallid nature. lint these sintaatlties dial not esaisapeo.
matte for the Is's, of great paddle emass• ill the Noel* sat meta
joined togetlwr by agreement on public gomnals. The
Coalition flispiarrei the *dorn, On jagiceg et( dritexim mad
brought on a tiros. costatention, tt his•li dodo It rd \I r. 1••••1 of
the support of the people. awl weakened for the test of his
life the 11101'1.11re of his genius. his elamptenee, and his
wisdom.*

---
It is a rentitrk of M. I inizot Hutt the laws
of history repeat and justify themselves."
The prineiples enunciated in the foregoing
extracts will receive abundant continuation
from the history of another transitory Coati-
thm which we need not name.
On a Hattie occasion we will submit to our
readers our own views upon the whole eha-
meter of Mr. Fox ; but at present we desire
to fix their notice upon the damage done to
the memory of that great orator by the reve-
lations in his correspondenee. He seems
from first to last to have laboured under a
great infirmity in at politician, an ineapacityfor
,s'roirssdy frl. Throughout his whole eareer
his judgment was overborne by his passions.
The following brief notes give strong proofs
of his blindness. When the whole country
had revolted againAt his ron/ition he could
,nearcely perceive it.. Thus he writes :
I_When the Win 1101 was thrown out, Mr. Fox gave
vent to his first feelings of iii.oppointment in the following
short note :1 "1 nut too nitwit hurried to write to you !
orronnt. tow misfolione. We :am heat in the 141111111. 14
LIM'S lel 141111111vill'ilery om the 111111 of the King. nod in n+
1111% .Sllllll the pent of his friend. iu the Home of Lords.
os one mold not eqss•t either from him or them. I will
write to you more in a day or two. We are not yet out
halt I %oppose we sholl i.e totnorrow. However, we are en
strong, tied nobody ean undertake. without madness; mid,
if they do. I think we shall destroy them 111111114 IU4 1101111 as
they are formed."
" I think we skill destroy them as score
they are formed!" Such was his opinion
ut
the very time Adieu the greatest politiertl
rout in parliamentary history Watt Shoat to
take place. He thus writes to lord Northing-
ton :

Rnonk I►rerm►lr•r'llhl►. I 7

.... _
Yon w wit that I lime mat •no write
to flit fully by Pelham** titesNenger. lam quite viewr lin
mhoallil take nn step talW.1111: re,i1111111.555 1 exeort, 1.0111.1114.
111.111 ititeutiisti ) till gun ha m. tile
event of the I.2th of 1111 l try. 1 1111‘4. 119 1111111 It lint it will
he the nictht ileci•sive vietiory oat our :4111 that ever hamtieil
in Parliament. If I ant right in thim, visa will, lam mire.

39

agree %ids me that it is de'is'ts you should take no APT
till you hear the event.
YouN ever sincerely,
F....
The " most derisive victor; on our side that
ever happened in Parliament" eventuated in
that fatuous general eleetion that strewed
England with Fox's Martyrs.- Nor wits be
more acute in reining( the charneter or earl
city of individuals. tie was almost as had a
judge of the strong points of character as the
late Sir Robert Peel. Thus we iind him
writing of the " efilfferdire of Lord Temple." the
tibt being that at the very time lord Temple
is defrating the India Bill he was taking the
boldest step ventured on by ally British peer
since the memorable proceedings Oil the death
of Queen Anne.
It has always been a standing reproach to
" the great Ni'hig party" that they have sr(
eluded from their 'abinet those men of genius
who have borne their standards in triumph
through pa rtv eoutest•. (in the eXellthioll of
Burke trout the Rovkinghani Cabinet. Lord .1.
Russell writes

*lint %Ink the iire.emitient qualities of Mr. Fo pools '4l
hint oat its the stiet.es..i,r of lcarl Rockingham. it :eons
atninge is. us unit \lr. !Writ... NM. hi. iteniqs iota h..•
ill the %%Ilia party. Oa stilt' mit Is eti it alt in
leer of ill.. it I mint Rockingham 111. sit I 1• •
littk.. tor 1...1111110. t.‘l.lll..iiiit .if Milli 11 1111111 •celll. It.
u. 1111R111.11 411151 1111.01.4 at its, tint.. it .hie, out 1111114 lir ha:
it Was It'Seilteli 1.% 1I r. or by ono of his hicials.•
It would have been of no use tOr \lr. Burke
or „any of his friends- tit have resented his
exclusion. We are very glad. however,
to
have And .1 ithit clattleintiatit
that extlitsion. But the Rockingham Cabinet
was not the only one that excluded commoners
of genius. without pedigree. from its counsels.
It is a matter of history. confirmed by the me
tnoirm of Hominy and •Hotter, that although
Mr. lox was in favour of the admission of
Shoiditti to the Cabinet in 1800, that the Duke
of Bedford steadily opposed it, and carried his
point. It is .1 tioitt44* of history, also. that
when Idr. Canning was compelled. in 1527, to
coalesce with the Whigs. that eminent person
expressed his surprise lit the name of Ntack-
intosh not being one ttf those given to hint by
the party. Again. in IP4:11, Mackintosh WA% CIE'
chtded Oil the plea that he hail no capacity for
business, although the late Earl of Carlisle
was admitted. who had so little talent for ad
ministratisni that no cabinet. offiee WOK given
to him at sill. We sire glad to have, even upon
paper, I John Russell's condemnation of
the conduct of his party in their aristocratic
exclusiveness. We (timid desire, however.
that the noble Lord multi have shown a juster
*predation of the qualities, dashed though
they were by infirmities, of Burke and
Sheridan. Many parts of this work contain
most injurious and unqualified statements
upon those two great. men. On the other
hand, it is very remarkable that the qualities
of Mr. Pitt are lauded and extolled. almost as
much as a moderate !Indy child desire. We
can Vonthlently slate that. no one political
work has been so useful to the memory of Pitt.
and so injurious to the fame of lox., its these
" Nlemorials," Thus we find the noble Lord
writing of Mr. Pitt :
*WIMP 111« metootres of \lr. created Ow him
it just popularity with the mercantile clinate., a treaty with
till SI Mild Millie hint
luliou. to Mitillifilet WITS. lIr.FOS% 11utti..Itowl intim-
ise .1... but 1144,111;1E 0411111011 r, and
eiilllll 1.11M114'11 this 1/1111i1111,114 111111 11111.1.111 thßt
Ike Frills+ Werl• oillr 1111111E111
Even his 1.1.11`,11 rl. \lr. l'itt is qualified
with iimiiiiitl praise :
• titsttiq i.r kat C Levis the ell1111(11.1 of Mr.
Pill in making 111111%11f ter of it I'uint intrigue,
canoloor tills iii that Ili% stil 11l i l ii%trution
.lorits.4 ware mu% tosork...l bti bolo- public 'inns, was
anti lea is, happy repiolts.•
It has been remarked. that it is a curious
eireimistance in our polities that in the reettr-
roue of a Coalition which " displaces the
allianees of English statesmen" as
tuueh Its the junction of Vox and North,
an India Bill should be one of the great
oineslions of the age. The importatiee of that
..sibject will justify our lengthy quotation from
the remarks Or Lord John Russell upon the
question of Intlian rule. Refine he be many
weeks older he will perhaps hear some of the
following sentences repeated to his face :
onto.• of the Brat memoirs.% of Mr. Piten
wat neves% wily an Italia Bill. Articling t` c tusks 01'03

which his rivals had struck, he neither deprived the company
of the government of India, nor erected a body whose in-
dependence of the Crown might give umbrage both to the
Kin 4 and to the coantry. 'the Administration and the trade
were left in the hands of the company, while a control and
saperintendence were placed in a sated named by the
Cr own, and removable with the Ministers of the day.
It wag easy for Mr. Fox, with his vomit bowels of reuson-
ing bong exercised ou this subject, to prove that these two
authorities must be always in contort; that, with two sot.
peen , heads confreatiel, a onfoleion must ensue, anal that
th abuses of the Indian Government most perpetuated
un ler so strange awl a'lolll dull`, a eystou.
The experience of seventy years, however, has blunted
argnments which could not be 100 inally refuted. The real
supremacy of the Ministers of the Crown, usually kept in
the background, but al says reedy to 1w exerted, has kept
in cheek the a lmi nietration of the company, and plaeed
the affairs of Inlie nailer that guarantee of ministerial
responsibility by which all things in ( Treat Britani are (or-
dered and controlled. The directers of the East. India
Company here not ventnreal Uo commiee at acts which a
minister of the Crown would ma sanction ; and a minister
of the Crown wonill not sanction., 'vets which he eostild not
defend in Parliament. Thus silently, but effectually, the
spirit of the British constitution has pervaded India, and
the m eat abs 'hat deepotisin has been qualified and tem-
peel by the genius of representative goverment.
In givin; to the In lia Bill of Mr. Pitt, however, all the
credit which can possibly be dote to it.. we must. not lose
sight of another and more powerful cause of the improve-
ment which has taken place in the literality of our gover-
nors of India. Lord Clive mid Mr. I battings, invested with
an irregnlarpower; contending every mouth for the exist-
Price of a British settlement. withnut ouy military means
of adequate proportion ; sought by complicated intrigue,
by insincere *Wetmore by acts of violence at one moment,
and of treachery at another, to rear and to consolidate a
sovereignty (of London merchants. lit the words of Erskine
they sought " to support an empire, which Heaven never
gave, by wens which it never can sanetion."
This course of cupidity and fraud. of robbery and op-
preesion, was brought to a close by the impeachtuent of
Warren Hastings. The mind of Mr. Burke eottijorehended
the veld extent of the question, and his genius !militated
the heavy mass of materials which his industry haul enabled
him to master. lie enlisted in this cause the powerful
reasoning of Fox and the brilliant fancy of Sheridan. After
a time he sitcceedeal in gaining the support of Mr. Pitt.
anal armed against the former Governor of India the great
battery of parliamentary impeachment. Whether the
minister was convinced by the evidence which threw so full
a light on the misdeeds of Warren Hastiegs, ur whether
be was glad to protect himself from the ambition* of a rival
by acceding to a prosecution against him, the effect wits no
less certain. For years Mr. Rorke persevered in his great
task. Neither the dilatory plea of a dissolution of Parlia-
ment, nor the appalling earthquake of the French revolu-
tion (to name more appalling then to him), ever distraeted
his attention from his great Indian enterprise The
apeceu's delivered by hint in Weetminsterhall are great
mmumente of industry and eloquence; they surpass in
p ewer those of Cicero when denouncing the crimes of
Verve 4. Fi osl.y, althon4h the impeachment ended in an
semi tar, its results were memorable and beneficial.
Ne e has etc great object of punis)ment, the prevention
of er me, tact o attained more completely than by this trial.
The Lorale and Commons of England, assembled in West-
miaweerhall, in the presence of the judges, the bar. the
itotneracy, and the public,he ml the whole record of Indian
teensections immlled before them. autol the iwts of our
*gen a brought to the test of English lew and Cbrietinn
N pallietion, no plea of teoeessity vonlol alterthertumw-
t " of 111 se ISIS; and no MAD who could aspire tam civil tar
jot !icial ant'iority in India womb' ever than to repent row
it let w:tlelt tho Mg seven years of a solemn
n a ntt.to;st trileinal, had b iiiii 1111-141 as wicked.
o enessive,poebliwts.rtptielons,,mal oriel. The 1.1111Sekliel•
co` nure;iod was brkElght in present— of negotintione. t,"el4
ti `S. pition4. elanneata. veite.l in the haze or an ob.
se ire distteee, and covered by the jungle of strange
manners and sue •an Id' 51.0 a,y. .1110 sentvtiev
wear
pe an et d, nd by the Wertz, b
the universal amuses
of rient and wrong. Mr. Haul ve. wits nequitteal. but
tyranv, deceit, and injustice we eo e oanietotwil. !Milos was
savtet from nbomientiotet ditto. acef d to the English name,
a. el the ha 44 of Cornwallis. Atnuu. lientinck. and Attain. id,
have sao itrool ml tenpire where Cheyt Sing was despoiled
anal Nun( omar was executed.*

The foregoing passage is charaeteritstie,
a d the allusions to " Minh)" anti " Auckland'.
tamp it with the individualism of the author.
tt It work in which Burke and Sheridan are
disparaged, the !times of " Minh)" and " Anek-
hind" 4411: extolled'. One might suppose that.
Amongst a list of buttons rulers of British
India. the moues Wellesley" and " Has-
tings" might have risen to the writer's memory.
But we are not sorry to see these intrusions
of the noble Lord's party zeal. even in biogra-
phy, as it gives more value to some of his
face statements. Thus we find him record-
ing (vol. i., p. 81 the -predilections of King
W.lliam the Third for Tory dtwtrines"—a frank
admission from a member of " the Revolution
In the sante volume the noble Lord
htlks of " Austria. the old land natural ally of
England :" and we rejoice to have the noble
land's severe eondemnati at of the disgraceful
practice of dragging " private" letters before it
public tribunal. There is an inquiry now
pending (to which we will not here refer) whose