The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-04-23 00:00:00

HONESTE AUDAX.

NOTES OF TILE WEEK.

Tux latest intelligence from America is of the
gravest description. The city of Baltimore
screw steamer left New York on the 6th inst.
On the day previous to her departure there was
quite a panic in that city. The Federal Govern-
ment had received no intelligence from Fort
Pickens for severtal days. This caused the belief
that it had been attacked, and communication
cut off by the Secessionists. From Charleston
I the telegraph announced that the dreaded
moment had arrived, and a rupture would at
once take place. Major Anderson had been
called upon to evacuate Fort Sumter within
forty-eight hours, the alternative being that the
place would be bombarded. The belief at
Washington was that the country is on the
brink of a civil war. The New York papers are
full of warlike rumours; meanwhile, extensive
naval preparations were being made by Govern-
ment. The Powhattan, government frigate,
had been fully equipped for sea, and the
authorities at Washington had likowina rharterod
the steamer Atlantic, which, with the Powhattan
and the Illinois, was to sail at once under sealed
orders. In the dark and gloomy horizon thus
depicted there is but one ray of light—one
slender gleam of hope, that the "Sensation"
articles, so largely indulged in by our American
cousins on almost all occaasions, have been
greatly exaggerated. It is, perhaps, too late to
indulge in such wishes, nevertheless, we cannot
but express a hope that if the two sections of
the late Union be destined to separation, the
change may be accomplished without the spilling
of blood. An Englishman cannot but look back
on the deadly conflicts of Newby and Edgehill,
of Sedgemore and Culloden without feelings of
grief and horror. It is true our forefathers
fought for their liberties and their religion
which they have handed down to us, yet none
can but reel thankful that, for a hundred and
fifteen years, England has been spared the curse
of civil war, and at the same time hopefully pray
that the counsels of peace may yet prevail with
America. It seems clear, however, from all the
news which has reached us during the last
month, that if peace is to be preserved, it will
not be by any yielding on the part of the Seces-
sionists.

The whole history of the late trakedy in Syria
may now be read in a Blue-book, of 500 pages. As
to the practical effects of the intervention of
European troops, they cannot be called satis-
factory. No doubt the presence of the French '
army put a stop to the massacres of Christians,
overawed fanatic Moslems, terrified the Druses,
and stimulated the energy of Fuad Pacha and
his troops, at the eleventh hour, in putting
down disorder. But the French troops brought
in their train, evils almost as enormous. The
Christians they went to protect were no meek
doves trembling before birds of prey; they were
entirely unlike their nominal prototypes, the
persecuted Christians of the early church. They
are fierce tribes, who happen to he Christians in
form, but are still as Pagan in heart as their
Drum rivals. Lord Dufferin, in one of his letters
to Sir H. Bulwer, says :—" When I first came to
this country I was under the impression of those
sentiments of indignation which naturally
animated every one who had heard of the hor-
rible atrocities perpetrated by the Druses on the
Christians, and I fully expected the investigation
it was become my duty to pursue would only
confirm my previous impressions." . .
. . " I am now in a position to state
without fear of contradiction, that, however
criminal may have been the excesses into which
the Druses ero subsequently betrayed, the
original provocation came from the Christians."
The chastity or hospitality of the Drumm could
not be found in English counties, nor could Ire-
land supply Christians thirsting for the blood of
their foes, and demanding so many thousand
heads as necessary for their satisfaction. To in-
terfere between the Druses and such foes was
like the old Irish faction fights, when the mili-
tary or constabulary "cut in," not between two
hostile masses, but into the midst of the un-
favoured faction, leaving one-half an easy prey
to the befriended party. It will be impossible
to establish permanent peace in the Lebanon
while a dissatisfied faction can ever "appeal
unto Caesar," sitting at the Tuileries ; while, as
is plainly every day evident, the presence of
foreign troops is weakening the authority of the
Turkish rulers of the land. The best—indeed
the only excuse for the French intervention now
is, that there is nothing else for the French
soldiers to do; but Napoleon's reluctance to
recall them is not unnaturally attributed to a
wish to retain a hold on one of tho provinces of
Turkey he would most naturally covet were that
empire to fall to pieces.
The new Eastern question seems to be gather-
ing towards % climax. A telegram from St.
Petersburg states that "at a conference of the
European representatives at that Court, Prince
Clortachakoff demanded that a permanent com-
mission should be constituted at Constantinople
for the protection of the interests of the Chris-
tian population of Turkey, and the general
supervision of the territory of the Sultan." This
proposal is nothing less than equivalent to a
denial of the Sultan's independence, a revocation
of the treaty negotiated at Paris, and an attempt
to consummate the infamous work begun at
Odessa and carried on at Sebastopol. It is
added that the representative of England, Sir
Henry Bulwer—who appeared to have been
alone on this question—opposed these demands;
nor can we entertain a doubt of the reception the
g Francs,
will receive by the Cabinet at home.
though not absolutely hostile to the
Russian project, aims at perverting it to a French
purpose • Austria is too much engaged with her
own affs:ics to attend to the matter; nun*

it is said, is neutral ; but Great Britain has an
interest in a question which Laken in all its
bearings respecting our Eastern dominions, looms
in gigantic proportions through the obscurities
anddangers of the future.
Mr. Gladstone's financial statement on Toes
day evening was in many respects far more satis-
factory than the public had been led to anticipate .
Rumours had been freely circulated that we
might expect a deficiency in the year's revenue ;
and the Times, which professed to be in the secret
of the whole matter, plainly asserted that this
deficiency would be fully two millions of money.
I Instead of a deficiency, however, the Chancellor
of the Exchequer shewed that there was a sur-
plus of no leas than .£1,923,000. The tax payers
are, accordingly, to have the benefit of this im-
proved state of things—ono half of the surplus
is to be given to the payers of direct taxation by
the remission of one penny on the income and
property tax, and the other half is to be sur-
rendered to the cause of industry, of trade, and
education, by the abolition, on and after the Ist
October next, of the excise duty on paper. There
are some minor adjustments, which, in round
numbers, will make a net remission of about a
million and half, leaving a working surplus of
nearly half a million. In dealing with the subject
of paper, Mr. Gladstone clearly pointed out that
his great object was to get rid of the only re-
maining tax which is a drag upon the industry
of the English people. He separated the articles
bearing excise duty into three classes—that class
in which the duties have been unattended by any
of the reforms of previous years ; that in which
the duties have been reduced; and that in which ,
the duties have been repealed. In the first class
the trade, and therefore the revenue, has been
bsolutely stationary; the second class shows an
! increase of some 70 per cent. ' • and although the
revenue in the last class could not increase, there
has been an increase in trade of 50 per cent.,
thereby, not only increasing employment one
half, but also benefitting the revenue in an indi-
rect manner by enabling the people to yurchase
more largely of exciseable articles. 11, e would
certainly have been pleased, had it been possible,
to diminish the dutiea on tea and sugar, but, until
a far more considerable surplus is available,
Mr. Gladstone could not, in reality, take off more
than a penny on the hundred weight of the
latter article, not a fraction of which would go to
benefit the consumer. But supposing it were
otherwise, a mere reduction of duty on the con-
tents of the housewife's caddy would not give
5,..-ope for fresh enterprise, would not cast away
the chains which now fetter invention, and give
[dab to wholly new kludge( trade; whereas, the
abolition of the tax and excise restrictions on the
making of paper, will have that effect. The
mere paper for printing is but a paltry section
of the subject. Inventive enterprise is only
waiting for freedom to surprise the world with
Nitirely novel applications—not of papier mashe,
but of materials not dissimilar—to purposes of
packages, furniture, building, marine architec-
ture, and other uses as little anticipated. With
the exception of interested or factious cliques, a
general harmony of opinion exists to the effect
that, having remitted the extra penny of income-
tax, the Chancellor of the Exchequer was bound
by every consideration of public policy and jus-
tice, to deal with the paper duty. It has been
censured by successive votes in the Commons;
there is the express declaration of Sir John
l'ackington that the time has come to get rid,
nee for all, of this painful question ; and even
Mr. Glyn, by no means a friend of last year's
, Iludget, said, on Tuesday night, "The remission
of id. upon the income-tax will be well received,
ind the House is bound, as early as possible, to
remit the paper duty." That the Budget will
las the Commons in its entirety we have no
I doubt, but will it pass the uprer house 1 Last
par the Peers, taking advantage of an unusual
mode of enacting the repeal of the paper duty,
committed themselves to the assertion of their
right to reject any money bill in the lump, though
confessedly they cannot alter a money bill. This
year the resolution of the Commons to repeal the
paper duty will be embodied in the same Bill
with the other propositions of the Budget,
ticome-tax reduction and all. The Lords, there-
tor% upon their own showing, must either pass
the paper_ duty repeal, or throw the entire Budget
overboard.
A grand dinner was, on Wednesday last, given by
the Lord Mayor of London, at the Nlansioisbouse,
to her Majesty's Ministers. The attendance was
unusually brilliant. The speeches which flavoured
the usual dessert, if nut very striking, were yet
remarkable for a certain suspicion of war. The
Duke of Somerset said that " this was not the time
for reudeing our navy," and the sudden cheers which
ailed the sentence 'hewed that there was a feeling
•• in the air" that war was possible, if not imminent.
The speech of Lord Palmerston° was remarkable for
Lis frank and straightforward reference to the present
pect of European politics. He said that there were
at present at least half-a-dozen unsettled questions of
f,,reign politics, hieli, "judiciously managed"
could be made the occasion of" respectable wars"
What those questions were his lordship did not
inform his hearers, yet perhaps there was scarcely
ono present who could not have named them. The
Syrian question, in its very nature, involves interests
a•hich might drag any nation into open hostilities.
The Italian question, with its two unsettled points—
, lie at Venice and the other at Rome—may, at any
• 1111) give rise to a struggle, the proportions or scope
,I which it is difficult to foresee. The Austrian
Empire is a very hornets' nest of stinging difficulties
fr statesmen, whilst Poland cries aloud against the
oppressor and spoiler of innocent blood. But not-
withstanding all these sources of discord, Lord
Palmerston() said, " Not one of these is such that it
(night not be amicably and honourably settled with-
out any appeal to arms." Whether the "rulers of
nations will possess the required common sense to
:AB° them without that appeal to the sword, so
common to all their class is another thing, but all in
this country must most heartily agree w ith the
eentiments enunciated by the Prime Minister, when
he abjured, on behalf of England at the present time,
those selfish doctrines of intervention that were the
..reed of the old school of statesmen. "The function
of England," said his lordship, " is to endeavour by
the influence which she justly possesses, to maintain
the peace of the world." We hail with much
~atistactien this dignified and comprehensive expres•
s'un of the First Minister of the Crown on England's
(e If. inipoaed responsibility ass member of the Euro-
pean family ; and trust that whoever may be called
ii to guide the helm of affairs, the same national
policy which has been so sucecessfully alerted during
the past year may he continued for many years to
A me--at least, so long as it can be done with safety
t,.) British interests.