The Press.
London, England, 1855-12-22 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

the Conservatives were for peace, and that if they
could get into power b) joining Messrs. Cobden and
Bright, he believed the Coalition would be affected,
and an attempt made to paralyse the Government.
MR. FREDERICK PEEL, M.P., in an address to the
electors of Bury on Friday last, explained that the
object of the war was clearly to make Russia " bend
the neck." That point he did not consider was to be
accomplished by peace, though' he was desirous to
see peace re-established. With respect to terms of
peace, Mr. Peel remarked :
I desire not that in the terms of peace there should be
anything which should humiliate and rankle in the mind
of Russia—l do not believe that peace upon such terms
would be lasting and enduring—but what I desire to see
effected by negotiations is security to us and to the other
States of Europe; and that if such a disposition—as I
trust we shall, by menus of our armies, most severely chas-
tise on the present occasion—should continue to actuate
Russia, the condition of things in Europe may through
these negotiations be so arranged that there will not be
the facility which there has been for carrying such a policy
into effect. We have heard of rumours of peace. I know
not what dependence or authority is due to such rumours;
bat I would say that, if Russia offers terms of peace which
will satisfy those conditions that have been mentioned. I
would accept them, whether she came to us directly, or
through Austria, or any other intermediary. But if Rus-
sia shall be found not content to sue for peace, and make
terms which shall not be satisfactory to us for the future,
then I say our course is clear and defined enough—we will
redouble our efforts to carry on this war with effect—we
will run a race with time during this nest winter in order
that we may be fully prepared to commence operations in
the coming 3 ear.
MR. BRIGHT, M.P., at a meeting of the members
of the Marsden Mechanics' Institute at Burnley on
Friday last, spoke upon the subjects of cheap lite-
ratur the war, taxation, and America. He consi-
dered cheap books and the abolition of the tax on
newspapers an immense benefit to the poorer classes,
as a means of raising their tastes and giving them
habits of thought and reflection. With reference to
the war, he regarded the panic against Rmis, and
the popular dread of her absorbing Europe, as ima-
ginary, and the policy of the war a policy based " upon
misapprehensions of the grossest character." The
phantom of military glory he believed would leave
us far behind the United States in the race of civi-
lisation, and unless we speedily changed our course,
and disconnected ourselves from "the policy which
tends incessantly to embroil us with the nations of
the continent of Europe," we should leave little to
our posterity but pauperism, mime, and political
anarchy.
MR. W. F. KNATCHBULL, at the Burton Agricul-
tural Society last week, expressed himself strongly
in favour of carrying on the war with vigour, as the
surest means of attaining a permanent peace. With
respect to Austria and any propositions she might
make, he regarded her with great suspicion, and
believed that she was more Russian than English.
Although desirous of peace, he would not wish to
see it before Russia was so humbled as to promise
upon sure guarantees that no further aggression
should be attempted against Europe : he did not
wish to see Russia crushed or reduced to a second-
rate power.
THE Holt. W. Cuvz, M.P., at a public dinner at
Ludlow last week, doubted whether there were any
solid grounds for believing Russia sincere in her
wish for peace. He believed that another campaign
and the destruction Itof Nicolaieff was necessary to
obtain the object of the war.