The Press.
London, England, 1855-04-28 00:00:00

SPAIN.

The Cortes on the 20th inst. adopted the second
and third articles of the bill for the bale of Church
property.
Reinforcements are to be sent to Mends, in Africa,
for the protection of the presidios or Government
prisons.
TURKEY.

A portion of the equipages of the French Emperor
arrived in Constantinople on the 15th.
The town of Broussa has been overthrown by a
second earthquake. There were a hundred and fifty
shocks. Fire afterwards broke out and destroyed
the remaining ruins.
Three hundred Polish refugees from the Russian
army, who have been for some time in Constantinople.
have been incorporated at their own request into
the two regiments of Cossacks, one of which is being
organised at Shumla under the orders of Count
Zamoiski. The War Minister has supplied these
three hundred Poles with everything necessary, and
they will soon be forwarded to the seat of war.

Vttropolitan Riarlats.

399

400

THE WEEK.

THE completion of the line of electric telegraph between the Treasury
in London and Lord RAGLAN'S head-quarters in the Crimea is a great
achievement. For the purposes of communication we are now
brought within a few hours' distance of the Crimea. What is done to-
day before Sebastopol may be read in the London newspapers to-
morrow. The telegraph through the Austrian State previously existed
to Bucharest. We have, for the purposes of the war, carried it
through the Turkish territory to Varna, thence laid down the wire
along the bed of the stormy Euxine, carried it up the tall cliffs of
Balaklava, and we presume to Lord RAGLAN'S own door, if not under
his roof. The electric wire thus crosses two seas, and stretches across
the breadth of the Continent, through France, Germany, and Turkey.
Vienna is made in a manner the pivot of European communication,
as it has been of European diplomacy. Perhaps Austria may see in
this circumstance a new proof of her power. At all events, she could in
a moment suspend that line of communication, which it must have
cost us immense pains and expense to establish.
It seems that communication was first established between the
metropolis and the Crimea on Wednesday, when a message was
received from Sir E. LYONS stating that the telegraph was opened.
Lord PALMERSTON has got into such a confirmed bad habit of evasion
that he seems positively incapable of returning a direct answer to
the simplest questions addressed to him. He would not say whether
any intelligence had been received from the Crimea relative to the
war—he would not even announce whether intelligence would be
communicated to the public as it was received. The only inference
to be drawn from his evasive replies—and the House seems to
consider that evasion on his part, whether resulting from ignorance
or intent, is equivalent to a jest—is, that as no message had been
transmitted by Lord RAGLAN, nothing of great importance had
occurred before Sebastopol. It is tolerably certain, as communication
had been held directly with Sir E. LYONS, that the fleet had, up to
Thursday, not been engaged against the forts.
Before commenting on this fact, something more has to be said
on the electric telegraph. Ought it to be reserved for the use of
Government, or opened to the public? Clearly, we think, Govern-
ment should allow no intelligence to be transmitted except through
its hands. The line has been established solely to facilitate the
operations of the war, and it might, in fact, defeat those operations to
place it at the service of newspaper correspondents. But, on the
other hand, the public, we imagine, will insist on bulletins being
published from day to day. No harm can result from the communi-
cation, through official sources, of what has actually taken place, and
the publication of such bulletins ought to commence at once. Other-
wise great opportunities of corruption, from exclusive knowledge, may
arise, and unfortunately we have startling evidence that such know
ledge does in some way or other leak out from high official quarters,
in a manner most prejudicial to the public. What is done in the
Tea Market one day, may be done in the Stock Exchange another.
The public will never be content to leave the telegraph wholly in the
hands of Government, without an assurance that facts shall be in
substance published as soon as received. The expense of transmitting
messages, from the number of stations, will be very large.

Let us see now how affairs stand in the Crimea. The bombard-
ment began on the 9th inst. We have now correspondence to
the 13th, up to which date the firing continued, selon les regles, without
any decided advantage on our side, though our fire proved superior to
that of the enemy. Then we have a despatch vitt. St. Petersburg,
dated from Sebastopol 19th, stating that our firing on the 16th, 17th,
and 18th, was less violent, and that it was successfully replied to;
and, lastly,ta second despatch of the 22nd from Prince GORTSCEIAROFF,
sirmuncing that the fire of the allies had much slackened, and in sup-
port of which there is the negative evidence afforded by the silence of
the new telegraph when communicating with the Admiralty on the
25th inst., that no material change had occurred in the operations of
the siege. Thus the terrible bombardment, by far the heaviest ever
directed against a place, bad lasted for sixteen days, without, that we
can learn, having produced decisive results.
It is not for us to criticise the military operations of a campaign,
but, with the authority of General NIEL upon our side, it does appear
more a question of common sense than of strategy, whether, after the
failure of October, a second bombardment upon the same principles
would be any more successful. True it is that we have increased
enormously the weight of our metal, but we have not advanced our
lines, and, moreover, the Russians have not only increased the
strength of their defences in a tenfold ratio, but they have seized upon
the most prominent points far in advance of their original lines—points
which had been overlooked by our engineers, but which the Russians
have turned to a better account. When Lord RAGLAN himself admits
that the Russians repair by night their losses of the day, we are com-
pelled to doubt whether this second bombardment will have better
results than the first. The capture of Sebastopol must plainly depend
on the bayonet. When will it be vigorously used?
The fleet, by the last accounts, was ranged before the mouth of
the harbour, in readiness to sot ; and we hear that the submit' ine
batteries taken out to explode the vessels sunk at the mouth of the har-
bour had been placed in position, and were ready to be discharged at a
given signal. We may therefore assume that, when the order for assault
is given, the ships will push boldly forward, and the combat be main-
tained both by as and land.

SATURDAY,

The accounts from Vienna 3f the proceedings of the Conference
are not yet clear. From the replies of Lord PALMERSTON, it would
appear that all prospect of peace was at an end. To this purport also
was the statement of Lord CLARENDON on Tuesday. The Russian
plenipotentiaries, at the meeting of the Conference on Saturday, it is
stated, absolutely rejected the two proposals made—one for making
the Euxine a neutral sea, the other for limiting the Russian navy.
The Conference then adjourned sine die, and Lord JOHN RUSSELL left
Vienna on Monday. According to the latest telegraphic advices, M.
DRODYN DE LlitrYB left Vienna yesterday morning. The Conference
again met on Thursday last, at the request of Prince GORTSCHAKOFF,
when new propositions on the part of Russia were submitted; but
we do not know with what result. The only fact to be relied on,
therefore, seems to be that negotiations are still proceeding.

The examination of the Duke of NEWCASTLE this week has excited
great notice. We have alluded to the subject elsewhere. Tho main
facts which came out are, that in reality the order to Lord RAGLAN to
proceed to the Crimea was peremptory ;—that the success of the expe-
dition was deemed so certain that even the possibility of the army
being compelled to winter in the Crimea outside the lines of Sebas•
topol was never conceived; and that the Cabinet for two months after
the expedition had sailed never conceived it worth while to hold one
council on the subject. These are most startling facts ; but the
greatest, and to which all the disasters sustained by our army may be
distinctly traced, is the extraordinary want of foresight as to the event
which was probable in itself, and which actually did occur—the failure
of the allies to enter Sebastopol. The Duke, always calculating on
success, supposed that the army would winter in Sebastopol or on the
shores of the Bosphorus. He says, " I had provided for both con-
tingencies." That is, he had provided for contingencies which did not
occur, but not for that one which did occur. It is impossible to read
this evidence without a strong conviction of the culpability of the
Government.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM, too, is deeply involved by the Duke's evidence.
In reference to the loss of the Prince, the Duke of NEWCASTLE says
that "it appears there was not that proper understanding between
" the Admiralty and the Board of Ordnance which ought to exist."
But why was there not? In another case Sir JAMES GRAHAM
seems still more deeply responsible. Indeed, there is grave reason
for suspecting that his conduct from first to last during the war has
not been sufficiently scrutinised. The Duke plainly intimates that
more responsibility about Balaklava and its chaos rests on Sir
JAMES GRAHAM than has previously been surmised. The Admiralty
appointed the too celebrated Captain CHRISTIE, and the officers in
charge of Balaklava were also its nominees.
" The frequent personal communications " between the Duke of
NEWCASTLE and Sir JAMES GRAHAM, of which his Grace speaks, do not
seem to have been very successful. It is obvious from those words
that Sir JAMES had full cognisance of what was going on, and we all
recollect how anxious he was that there should be no inquiry. By the
Duke of NEWCASTLE'S confession, the reputation of Sir JAMES GRAHAM
in the Admiralty Board is more seriously involved than Mr. BERNAL
OSBORNE anticipated. The evidence of Sir CHARLES TREVELYAN also
shows him to have at once about the most incompetent and
conceited officials who ever held a post of great responsibility. As
the facts brought to light by the Committee are known and can-
vassed, they will show the enormous extent to which incapacity and
jobbery prevailed in every department under Whig rule.

The Parliamentary proceedings of the week indicate that the Go-
vernment perceives its inability to conduct the ordinary business of
the Legislature. The Newspaper Stamp Bill is again hung up. The
forcible suggestions of Mr. WHITESIDE regarding registration—a pru-
dent precaution to which no just exception can be taken—stands over
for the consideration, we suppose, of Mr. WILSON; and the question of
copyright is still left in doubt. On Monday Lord PALMERSTON sus-
tained a virtual defeat, by first resisting the appointment of Captain
GLADSTONE as the new member of the Sebastopol Committee, and then
yielding to it, with a levity of manner which implied that, in his
opinion, the proceedings of the Committee were unworthy any kind of
attention. The following evening ho made a yet more painful exhibi-
tion of himself: He supported Mr. Hzrwoou's motion for a Committee
on the Act of Uniformity, without comprehending what the motion
was, and ultimately witnessed all his suggestions negatived with
positive derision. There never was so singular an instance of
the sudden and total wreck of public character as we have witnessed
in the instance of Lord PALMERSTON since he took the Premiership.
The journals which were most earnest in his support, now discovering
how grossly they were deceived in their opinion of his capacity, direct
their censures against him, and proclaim his incompetence. Mean-
while his colleague, Lord PANMURE, the vigorous War Minister, is so
laid up with his gout that he cannot sign his name, and, accordingly,
has had a stamp made with which his signature to all public docu-
ments is affixed. The odious Testamentary Bill is being urged
forward by the Government, but we cannot think it possible a measure
will be sanctioned which, whatever may be the defeats in the
present system, would replace it by ono infinitely worse. Last
night the Commons were chiefly occupied with the LORD ADVO-
CATE'S Scotch Education Bill. It was strongly opposed by Sir Jorrx
PAKINOTON, Mr. WALPOLE, and generally by the Scotch members, on
the ground that it introduced a secular system in place of that which
at present prevailed. The second reading, however, was carried by a
msjoiity of 39, though we imagine the Scotch members may, by energy
and vigilance, still be able to defeat this uncallad•for and unpopular
measure.