The Press.
London, England, 1855-12-29 00:00:00

OPINIONS ON THE WAR.

THE LORD ADVOCATE, at Leith, last week, in an
address to the principal inhabitants upon the subject
of parliamentary responsibility, thus ►ketched the
character of the House of Commons:—

There is that one singular placid kind of atmosphere
which pervades the whole place, before which meanness
and hypocrisy cannot stand. There is a sense, there is an
instinct of honour in that place which withers at once any-
thing like an attempt at double-dealing or falsehood. If
there is a touchstone, one cannot say where it is, but as
sure as the false metal rings, as surely is the response
heard at once in that house. It is a place where preten-
sion, hollowness, and the attempt to seem what you are
not, or the pretension not to seem what you are, is more
rapidly detected than in any other place. It isla place
where comparatively ability is second to honesty ; and
where a man who is honest and earnest in his purpose, and
who has taken the trouble to make himself master of the
subject with which he deals, and who has a right to deal
with the subject, is always certain of a hearing when your
more flashy, more able, possibly more clever man who
intrudes himself into matters with which he is either
superficially acquainted, or has nothing to do, let him
speak with a tongue of untold eloquence, will not own-
mend an audience for a quarter of an hour.

The principal failing iu the house he considered to
he too strong a dread of the opinion of the con-
stituency, which in his opinion restricted that free
exercise of judgment in a member which the
country demanded. With respect to the war, the
Lord Advocate considered that Lords Palmerston
and Panmure deserved " the gratitude of the
country" for the efficient state to which they have
brought our army ; that the war was one for the
liberty of Europe, and that any Government which
carried it on with vigour would obtain the hearty co-
operation and support of the people. At the conclu-
sion of his address the Lord Advocate, speaking of
the "innate and radical personal injustice" done by
the press with regard to the war, very pointedly
alluded to the attacks upon Lord Raglan, Sir Colin
Campbell, and others. He did not wish to curtail
the liberty of the press, but he wished to see it, rated
at its proper level by men charged with conducting
public affairs.

THE HON. COLONEL VEREKER, at a meeting of
the Conservative electors of Great Yarmouth last
week, spoke freely on the question of peace or war :
It is for a firm and vigorous carrying on of the war; nor
should I ever be a party to the conclusion of any peace
which has not for its primary object the removal from
Russia of the power of continuing the system of aggression
which she has endeavoured to carry out. I think we shall
not be justified in consenting to a peace until that object
is attained. T consider before we make any peace that
Russia must give us a substantial guarantee, or, if I may
use the term• good and substantial bail for her future good
behaviour. When she does that, we may think of peace,
but at present I do not think Russia is sufficiently humbled
to sue for peace in earnest. We must not be led to a repe•
tition of the unproductive negotiations entered into last
year, which proved so fntile and barren of any good result
we must have no more mock conferences at Vienna, nor
versatile envoys, making ourselves the laughing•stock of
the world. What we do now must be with a definite object
in view. When Russia comes to us direct—not through
any seoond•rate German power—and shows us that she is
willing to treat with us on honourable terms, and giies us
proof that her intentions are honest, we may think of
peace; but that moment has not yet arrived. From what
I have said I hope you do not imagine that I am for war
at all hazards—for fighting merely for the sake of fighting,
and for no definite reason. It is not so. On the contrary,
I think we have no right to keep on fighting to gratify our
vanity for glory or any such visionary object, but for one
object only—that for which we commenced the war, and
which we ought not to rest until we obtain—the securing
the independence of Turkey, and the preventing Russia's
unlawful aggressions.

SIR JAMES FERGUSON, BART., delivered a lecture
upon the war at Girvein last week. The hon. baronet
devoted himself more particularly to a descriptive
history of the present war, entering at considerable
length upon the Crimean campaigns, and relating
several incidents which had come under his own
observation. In the earlier portion of his lecture Sir
James briefly traced the growth of Russia to the
present time, exposing the means by which she had
arrived at such power and was in the possession of so
much territory.

THE EARL OF DARTMOUTH, at his rent audit at
Pattingbam last week, spoke with some asperity
againstthe general inconsistency of " Correspondents"'
letters from the camp. He regarded them as pos-
sessing a tendency to bring us into contempt with our
allies. Captain Legge, brother to his lordship, and
now home on sick leave, also made a few remarks
upon the same subject. Ile did not wish to interfere
with the liberty of the press, but he objected to the
way in which the fair fame of many men was treated.
With respect to peace, the gallant captain expressed
his belief that every man in the army would rather
go through the same trials and hardships of the
siege again than allow their triumphs to be thrown
away by an ineffectual peace.

1287

COLONEL CORYTON, at the Callington Agricultural
Association, Raid he believed the ballot must be
adopted if recruiting did not go oa faster than
it had :

The Cornwall Rangers, of which regiment lie was the
colonel, ought to have been 1,017 men strong ; it, however,
only numbered on the 12th 209 men, and an order came
down that they were to get as many men as possible to
enlist in the regulars. Sixtyone volunteered for the
marines, twelve for the navy, and thirteen others who
volunteered were found too small. At that moment there-
fore there were only 139 men in the Rangers.
He believed that there were large numbers who
would enlist in the army if they could tell what to do
with their wives and families. That formed •
matter fur serious consideration, for they might
depend upon it, if the war lasted, that the ballot
would be resorted to, and then they would all be
liable to serve.

Mn. H. KER SEYMER, M.P., at the Blandford
Agricultural Meeting on Saturday last, expressed his
doubts of the success of any negotiations with Russia
at present. Our campaigns, he considered, had
neither been so brilliant, nor oar success so marked,
as to bring a powerful empire like Russia ►o terms.
With respect to the resumption of negotiations,
although he viewed it with uneasiness, he thought it
best left to the Executive, but that the people should
take every opportunity of laying down, not the details,
but the principles upon which they would desire to
see peace made :
I think the principles upon which we should make
pesos (continued the honourable member) have always
been the same, namely, that we should secure the iut*
grity of the Turkish empire, and obtain such " material
guarantees" from Russia as shall prevent her from easily
disturbing the peace of the world, by hindering her efforts
at aggrandisement in the north and south of Europe.
These are the principles on which 1 think peace should he
made, and, and the sooner these terms are offered to her,
and the sooner peace is made, the better ; but till then, I
am afraid we must continue the war.