The Press.
London, England, 1853-09-03 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

matter on which Pitt's mind rejoices to exer.
ciao itself. He is quite happy in listening
to all their statements : his intuitively logical
intellect grasps the relations of their facts
to that scheme of a commercial empire which
is ever and anon recurring to his great
teeming brain. Yet he listens without emo-
tion, while he is told of the City projeet of yes
terday to purchase him an annuity of three
thousand a year, in ease ho should be driven
from power.*
But he must assimilate all this knowledge
with vast plans of his own, and he desires
that a certain person from his thronged waiting-
room should be next shown in. Let us follow
one of his assistant private seeretaries, and
see whom he calls in to the minister. Several
members of Parliament are waiting their turn,
but he does not call on them, nor on that Irish
lord who, for thrther promotion in the peerage,
is waiting to offer Live seats in support of the
Lord Lieutenant at Dublin Castle; nor that
general officer with a letter of introduction;
nor that Bishop wanting translation; nor the
dean wishing for a stall. There are Burke
and Sir Philip Francis, also, come about ar-
ranging certain forms of the Hastings ease--
and they, too, are passed by; and there is Lord
Bulkeley, enuamed with gossip Mid scandal;}
—and he, too, is passed by, and the secretary
whispers a clerical-looking person at whom
my Lord the Bishop, and Mr. Dean, have looked
rather disdainfully, for they guess that he
has graduated only in a Hackney academy.
He looks awkward, with a stoop in the shoul-
ders of his ungraceful person, yet there is
frankness, intelligence, and the unmistakable
stamp of mind upon that meditative face.:
plow angry Burke looks when he finds that this
oracle of Newington-green is called in before
himself, and how the throng in the ante-
chambcr is impatient at the longtarrying of
the dissenting divine ! And, if they could have
seen through stone walls, they might have
beheld Pitt deep and absorbed in converse
with that downright Unitarian parson—
Richard Price—who is " like at conjuror draw
ing forth coil after coil of statistical tables,"
and results in finance, which the sanguine and
figure-loving minister swallows with only too
much avidity.
Their interview would have lasted longer
but for a volley of—what? Artillery an
flouncing an anniversary--or at review in the
park? For shame! Think not of such jubi-
lant sounds in days when the King of England
is so ill. But still volley after volley is heard
—joyous, exhilaniting,and heart-stirring. But
it is of genuine Highland laughter, as wildly,
madly joyous as if each burst were the echo
of another Burns striking his lyre in praise of
Barleycorn." In comes the cause of it.,
mingling her saucy air of cushion with au fitmi
liar popularity-hunting style—the bold and
brilliant Duchess of Gordon. Yes—" she must
see him," anal, while the officials stare at her
masculine assurance, she succeeds in forcing

her eompany on the minister. llut,no!—not even
after all her active services in counteracting
Georgiona, Duchess of Devonshire—Pitt obsti-
nately refuses to go over this evening to Pall-
mall, to a quiet private dinner at Buckingham-
house (where the duchess now resides), and she
makes her exit in another volley, and vows, in
,joking mood, that she'll set on her friend Sir
John Sinclair to write pamphlets against Mr.
l'itt. " And Sir John is a canny ehiel wi' the
pen. Ye dinna ken Sir John as she does. Mr.
Minister. Fast as ye wad empty decanters of
claret, Sir John Iva(' clean out ink-bottles ;" and,
bidding the minister take Oust for not being
more " donee " to a lady Ira' the north, oil she
goes, making the walls ring again with another
burst of cheery laughter.
And then Pitt clears out the rest of the
antechamber, and tells Lord Mornington " to
come along with him to Chatham's," and they
can talk about what " Arthur warts (and
Arthur is a good boy) to have done with the
m yeoanry at Trim ; 'll and they stroll up
togethe: to the Admiralty. They arc met by
a strange-looking person, walking on tiptoe,
flourishing his right hand in the air, while, with

• Hem (,01. ii., p. 71. )
f Nero, poseis.
t bee Lis character, wider the title of "bitsplleius," Lt Mrs.
Chspone's Liters.
II Id= (vtl. LL, p. ; and 9,r. 31e, and ourci).

his eyes upon the ground, he converses eagerly
with Sheridan. Ho salutes Lord Mornington.
"'That's Grattan, doubtless over here in-
triguing about the Regency." And Pitt thinks
how, it' he could have persuaded the English
manufacturers to adopt his Irish Commercial
Propositions of !INN, high " nationality," with
its dnnge►ous " patriots," might have been
neutralised. But the English manufketumrs,
led on by this very gentleman, with a cold,
purse-proud manner, coming hither, prevented
►is plans. And Pitt then speaks with much
courtesy to one of his new I►aronets, Sir Robert
Peel ; but the day will come when Pitt will
play the new Irish Chancellor (Fitzgibbon)
against Grattan, and incorporate Ireland with
England. And now they are on the ste]►s
of the Admi►alty, and they are going in to the
First Lord's door ; but the valet, r►uning out,
tells then► " Lord Chatham is not up yet," and
the wo►ds "0 degenerem Neoptolemum !"
almost leap out of Pitt's mouth, while I Anil
Mo►nington spouts a Homeric line against
men of pul►lie council sleeping long; but Pitt's
ear is arrested, not by the high-sounding
Greek, but by the eager whisper of the halt'•
breathless George Rose, telling him that a
k►ng's ►messenger has come f►om Windsor with
a " special anti immediate " despatch from► the
Queen. Within twenty-four hours from the
time when we saw him yesterday on West-
minster-bridge, the minister is posting to
Windsor to aid with his loyal counsels the
consort of his royal master.

"Aln Day with Fox " we maw the mighty
chiefs matehed against each other RS ORATORS.
On the floor of the House of Commons criti-
cism would pause in assigning the palm of
superiority to either, mayias flares Imam similes.
Contrasted together as NEN, the sympathies of
the human heart will more powerffilly be
evoked by the union of the amiable ani W-
ilma in Fox's nature ; but history eau have no
doubt in assigning victory in STATESMANSHIP to
that vigilant spirit of eomtnand shown by the
subject of "A Day with Pitt,"
" Who, when terror and doubt through the
universe reigned,
"'While rapine and treason their standards
unfurl al,
" The heart and the hopes of his country
maintaad,
" Anal Old England presery'a 'mitt the
wreck of the .world."

Mewtortintlittni mode ix Ireland in the Autunite of

s:e2. London : Smith and Elder.
Da. FousEs's " Nlemoranduans "—at title which,
by the way, reminds us of Joseph Ilumes
" omnibi "—are in reality at somewhat dill'uso
narrative tour iu Ireland. The book
hats good points as well as haul panes ; and its
faults are rather of a negative than a positive
character. There is no egotism, the traveller's
besetting sin—no affeetation of tine writing—
no obtrusion of party prejudices into the dis-
cussion of political topics—and, so far as we
can see, no single 'passage of art extravagant or
objectionable character. But a good deal of
minute and superfluous detail might havo
been omitted. Some extracts from blue-books,
though useful in themselves, are rather out of
place in at work professedly of personal obser-
vation ; and there is a tendency to repetition
on certain subjeetm—education and teetotal-
ism especially. It seems to us as if all that is
valuable in Dr. Forbess remarks might have
been eompressed into a considerably narrower
space, had the author chosen to take the re-
quisite time anal trouble. 1)r. Forbes, how-
ever, has the excuse that he is not at professed
amthor—very few men are in these days—but
a. working member of at laborious profession,
to whom literature and social studies are at
relaxation rather than a business.
One of the topics most prominently brought
forward in this book is the teetotal movement
originated by Father Matthew, which at ono
time influenced fully one-fourth of the male
Roman Catholic population. 1)r. Forbes, as
" a rigid but unpledged teetotaller of old date,"
speaks in terms of high and just approval of
this crusade against intemperance. He admits
at the same time thatt the immense success at
first obtained has been only temporary. "The
" great lauded army of pledged abdaincro

I

" from intoxicating drinks has been long
" broken in pieces, and the numbering of the
" host has come down from millions to thou-
" sands, and from thousands to hundreds."
lie thinks, however, that the influence of the
movement has survived its organisation, and
that it has left Ireland eomparatively a sober
country ; that the &nativism in which it ori-
ginated has died out, but that a practical ex-
perience has been gained by individuals of the
benefits of temperance which will not be lost
upon society. We hope it may be so, but we
are less sanguine.
Doubtless Father Mathew's preaching has
induced many people to practise abstinence
who, under a less potent stimulus than that of
religious excitement, would have remained
whisky-drinkers to the end of their lives; and
these, having learnt the advantages of the
change, act by the force of example upon their
neighbours. But them is another side to the
picture. No ease is more hopeless, in a monad
point of view, than that of the relapsed teeto-
taller—of the man who, having taken upon
himself a solemn vow, falls away from it under
the influence of temptation. His self-respect
is gone. He can no longer trust his resolu-
tion, though confirmed by the strongest ties.
lie lugs been taught that anything short of
abstinence is intemperance; and it is both the
logical and the natural result of this lesson
that when he ceases to abstain altogether he
ceases also to be temperate. In this respect,
if in no other, the system of vows and pledges
has been productive of ill effects. lint there
is a good deal of force in Dr. Forbes's remark
that teetotalism is "the only means of attain-
" ing the habits of temperance in the ease of
" strong thinks among the great mass of man
" kind in the present state of society." "All
" attempts to establish systematically the
" practice of perfect moderation in the use of
" alcoholic drinks among the working classes
" in this country have utterly and invariably
" riffled ; while experience has proved the per-
" feet facility with which the system of total
" abstinence when once adopted may be main-
" Wined." And we concur yet more warmly
in an opinion which our author vindicates at
some length, that the prevalence of drunken-
ness in these Wands is owing to the want of
rational amusements and occupations for the
poor. The etymology of the absurd nickname
" teetotalism, —now, like many other nick-
names, adopted by its objects, is explained
as being a mere reduplication oaf the initial
letter—a mode of emphasising words which our
author says is common among the Irish pea-
santry. We have never heard it, and doubt
the solution.

The education question is briefly but sugges-
tively discussed. 1)1.. Forbes places the total
number Of children attending school iu Ireland
at 530,000, of whom, in round numbers. tr).0,000
receive their teaching from the National Board
of Education. This calculation—which we
believe to be correct—gives. when compared
with as total population of 6,500.000 in Iss I. a
proportion of rather more than one in eight,
which plaeem Ireland edueationally above Eng-
land, Scotland, and France, and only below
some of the Germain States. Dr. Forbes ap-
proves thoroughly of the national system, but
acknowledges that. in regard of the Protestant
population, it does not work satisfactorily—a
result which he ascribes to religious prejudice.
The Irish poor-law administration meets
with our itflthoTM hearty support. Very in-
Wresting statistics are given by him on this
subject. Ile proves that in the four years,
ts4ll, both inclusive, relief, in-doors and
out-of-doors, has l►een granted to six millions
of persons, at nu average cost of about
1t.500.000/.. the average of weekly cost being
only Is. 4d. per head, including expenses of
clothing as well as of maintenance. The in-
dustrial training given in the unions he con-
siders good. but finds serious fault with the
dietary, as defective, and tending to produce
disease.
On the religious question Pr. Forbes dwells
frequently, and at some length. He doubts
the prevalence or reality of conversions to
Protestantism ; assumes that throughout three
provinces of Ireland. Ulster being excluded.
the Catholic population is to the Protestant
in the proportion of twenty to one ; does not
uuticipate any material chump in this respect

either from the Celtic exodus, or the English
immigration which supplies its place; and
quotes Sir It. Peel's opinion, expressed in Par-
liament when endowing Maynooth in '45,
" that, do what we would, the Catholic religion
" would continue to be the religion of millions
"in Ireland." He is accordingly in favour of
religious equality, but does not see his way
very clearly to establish it. Voluntaryism be
dislikes, as tending to lower the position and
influence of the clerical profession ; and he
would prefer a divided endowment, apparently
not knowing, or choosing to ignore, the deep-
rooted aversion of the English electoral body
to the establishment of "Popery," in any form
It is but right to remark, that he discusses
this whole subject, though with little novelty
of argument, yet in a temperate and dis-
passionate manner.
On the whole, we may pronounce that Dr.
Forbes's work, if wanting in originality and
compression, contains information enough,
both in the shape of arguments and facts, to
make it worth reading.

Characteristics of the Duke (f IVellinytun, apart
from his Military Talents. By the Earl De
Grey, K.O. London : Bosworth.
It is apparent from the titicpage of this volume
that Lord De Grey intends to depict the man
and not the conqueror. In this respect the
portraiture is original. It is destitute of sword
or uniform, of any trophy of conquest or sym-
bol of command. It is the intellectual and
moral character of the duke which is here
analysed ; and, by selecting those attributes
for whieh he was most distinguished, and
illustrating them from that great Thesaurus of
authentic history, the Despatches, the author
is enabled to exhibit the skeleton, or frame-
work, of that wonderful genius which has
mainly influenced the course of the world for
the last half century.
It may be supposed, therefore, that Lord
De Grey's is an earnest book. Thoughtful in
design, it is highly intelligent and skilful in
execution. It makes no pretence to any ex-
clusive information, and it judiciously avoids
those apocryphal anecdotes which, whatever
their intention, have caricatured the leading
features of the duke's character as effectually
as if they had appeared in Punch, instead of
in the pages of grave quarterlies. Lord Be
Grey, in ilia, takes the collection of Welling
ton despatches, and, knowing that they faith-
fully reflect the mind of the duke in the various
transactions in which he was engaged, and
that they were called forth by the emergencies
of the hour, says " here, if anywhere, shall we
discover his real nature and sentiments, with-
out possibility of disguise." Our laureate has
finely said, in reference to the perfect open
ness of the duke's life,

"Whatever rero►d leap to light,
He never shall be shamed."
And the same great truth is eloquently illus•
tmted in some forcible passages in the intro-
duction to this volume :

It may Is fairly said, that no man's character was ever
subjeeted to so severe an ordeal .hn•ing his life as the Duke
of Wellingttu►'s.
The actions of many former great men have been pub.
listted during their lives; but it has been left to after ages
anti subsequent elucidations to explain the uodires which
led to them. Many a hero has received the plaudits of his
eontemporaries whose glory was perhaps accidental, or
whose success arose from unforeseen and fortuitous eir•
cumstances, which were untold at the time, and the eon•
cealment of which might have been dictated by sound
and honest policy.
But here every deed, and the ground upon which it was
founded, an. shown at the same time.
Nothing but the most entire confidence in the honesty
and integrity of every public act of his life could ever
have made a man consent to the exposition and publication
of all his motives, feelings, views, and wishes, which are
laid open in the wonderful collectio►► of these• despatches.
Ile had that confidence. Il.• knew that not one word
would be found in then► of which he need to feel asimmed :
and from them alone. sanctioned as they have been by his
own supervision, every iwgument and every deduction in
the following pages will b. drawn.
The leading qualities or principles of his
character which the volume is designed to
exhibit are :

I st. His confitlence in himself, and buoyancy under rer•
Nonni resisaisihility.
His forbearance and forgiveness of injustice.
His firmness under home and foreign annoyances.
4th. His natural &chugs of secrecy and caution.

4th. Ind

SATURDAY,

as to motley or rank, and

his general candour anti simplicity of character.
lith. His placability as to the faults and failings of others,
evinced by his feelings connected with subordination and
courts-martial.
We must content ourselves generally with
stating that each one of these heads receives
pointed illustration from the Despatches ex-
tending over the whole period of the duke's
military career, from his first command in
India to his last at Waterloo, and that Lord
De Grey establishes every position he advances
with the neatness and precision of mathemati-
cal demonstration ; while the singular purity
of an unpretending but effective style gives
grace to his reasoning and beautiful finish to
his conclusions.
To attempt an analysis of a volume which is
itself an analysis, with scarcely a superfluous
sentence, would indeed be a futile task ; but,
at the risk of being reproached with exhibiting
single bricks as specimens of a building, we
will adduce a few instances of the noble
author's style of workmanship.
No man had ever to bear so much personal
responsibility as the duke during his command
in the Peninsula, yet none ever exhibited less
misgiving as to consequences. This is moral
courage, of the highest and rarest kind. It
was in ISO 9, when Bonaparte was at the cul.
initiating point of his fortunes, that the condi-
tion of Wellington and his army appeared
most hopeless :

lie had (says Lord De Grey) been always in the habit of
drawing up a memorandum of the operations of the year;
and a very valuable paper of that nature is placed amongst
the despatches, dated I ,ecember 9, Irf4sl. It was sent to
lAord Wellesley, with MS. comments of Lord Wellington's
own, referring to the motives which had influenced hini, or
to information which had subsequently reached him up
to the period of his sending it, together with his own feel.
lugs as respected the different events. The eoneluding
observations are not cheerful, in tsonsequence of the
wretched conduct of the Spaniards; but the thurnugh-birel
spirit breaks out. His very last words in a note are
"If the Spaniards had not lost two armies lately, we
should keep up the ball for another year. But, us it is.!—
lIUT I WON'T orsrAin!"
This is exactly the moment when we believe that he was
nearly the only man in his army who did not despair.
The Common Council of the City of London thought pro.
per to pass judgment upon his proceedings, anti presented
an address to the King praying that Ins conduct might be
inquired into.
The only effect which this produced upon him is very
tersely expressed in a letter to Mr. Villiera, as soon as he
had received the information from Einglauid:—
" You see the lush which the Common Council of the
City of London have made at me! I act with a sword
hanging over me, which will fall upon me whatever may be
the result of affairs here: but they may dowhat they please,
shall nut Ore up the game here as long as it can be played."

" We should bold our ground as long as possible • and,
please God, I trill maintain it as lung as I can ; and 1 will
neither endeavour to shift from my own shoulders on to
those of the Ministers the responsibility for the failure by
calling for means which I know they cannot give."
The Common Council, no doubt, has its
records. What would it now give to expunge
that leaf containing its judgment on the
duke's military proceedings ! How different
was his view of his position from that of the
Common Council sages:—

I inn in a situation in which no mischief can be done to
the army, or any part of it. lam prepared for all events ;
and if I am in a scrape, as appears to be the general belief
in England, although certainly not my own, 171 gel out
(0' it.

The patriotism of his character was most
strikingly displayed in the early part of his
Indian career, when superseded in the com-
mand of the Indian forces destined for Egypt
by General Baird :

My former letters will have shown you how much this
will annoy me ; but I have never had much value for the
spirit of any man who does not sacrifice his private views
and runreni•nce when it is necessary.

The disinterestedness of the duke has nem.,
that we recollect, been so distinctly and ad-
mirably brought out as it is in this volume.
When he took Oporto from the French the
question was raised whether the property
wrested from the enemy did not of right
belong to the captors. In any division of the
spoil Wellington's share would be large ; yet
he writes :

I considered well the whole question of the claim of the
army to the property at Oporto, and the result waa a con-
viction.on my mind that we have uo claim whatever. This
is toy opinion, but I may be wrong ; and I should be sorry
if the army were to lose any advantage to which they are
entitled by any error of judgment of mine.
When appointed to the rank of Captain-