The Press.
London, England, 1854-09-23 00:00:00

Sti3TEipElt_3, 1854.

Herby Debating Society—a mimic parliament. Her
Majesty's Opposition, about seventy in number, sat on one
side the Speaker ; and her Majesty's Ministry, five in
number, sat on the other. The orator, amid loud cheers
from the Opposition, was declaiming against the corn
laws, as I soon discovered, from the curious coincidence
that his remarks tallied exactly with those of that morn-
ing's limes; while the five Ministerialists cried out
" Question !" at the end of every sentence, even if it had
only contained the stalest truisms. The bitter invective
and stinging personality would have taken me back to the
days of Chatham, if at that time I had ever heard of him,
while I can compare the hubbub going on all the time to
nothing better than the present Rouse of Commons during
an Irish debate.
One hon. member commenced his speech thus :—" If
the hon. member's arguments were as plain as his counte-
nance, instead of being as confused and incomprehensible
as his brain ; " while another concluded a magnificent
peroration by appealing " not to your hearts, for they are
false—not to your honour, for you don't understand the
word—not to your common sense, for I never heard of it;
but to my country," &c. Sm. And, as the debate went on,
members predicted on the one hand " the Universal ruin
of the country," and on the other hand " the prosperity of
all classes reaching a pitch never yet dreamed of," if this
bill do pass ; neither of which predictions I have yet lived
long enough to see fulfilled, though the bill has passed.
Many of the speeches, however, were very good. I was
assured, and indeed often afterwards found it to be the
case, that discussions on historical or philosophical points
were much less violent, and showed More talent and study,
than those of the subjects of the day, which are both too
exciting and too superficially spoken upon to be proper
subjects for PO young a society. •
The author has the excuse of " little leisure"
fqr the defects of his composition. It is very
strange that, while in his prefacie he attempts
to take the part of our public schools, he never
perceives that the perusal of his chapters must
leave behind a most depressing and disagree-
able view of the whole subject The defenders
of our schools and their peculiar institutions
must close the volume with declining to accept
the author for a literary champion. It de-
serves, however, to be recorded that he gives
his verdict in favour of "public" over " private "
schools; but we fear :that terror-stricken
mamas, after the perusal of his pages, would
refuse to send their " litttle darlings" to either
of them, but resolve, unwisely, to keep them
tied to their own apron-strings at home.

The Baltic, the Black Sea, and the Crimea. By
Charles Henry Scott. London.: Bentley.

Scorr's book appears at an opportune
moment, and, as containing one of the latest
accounts published of a country tititi intensely
interesting to us as the seat of war, it will, no
doubt, be well received He voyaged down the
Volga from Nijni-Novgorod to Astrachan,
then proceeded to the Crimea, and spent some
days in a close examination Of Sevastopol. He
went over the works at his leisure, and at no
time was disturbed by any manifestation of
thatjealouny which it has been said Russian
authorities feel at the inspection of their great
military and naval works by fOreigners His
tour, it is true, was made in. the autumn of
1850, When Russia and t ngland were fast
friends, and as four years have since elapsed
the defences of Sevastopol have probably been
materially strengthened. The time which has
been afforded Russia for preparation after her
great fortress was first threatened by the pre-
sence of the allied troops at Varna has doubt-
less been well employed, but the fortifications
on the sea front must be in substantially the
Bartle state as when inspected by our author.
Some observations on Finland at the corn-
mencement of the volume afford matter for
reflection. Mr. Scott says:—
We had some conversation with educated Fins, and
never did we listen to more stirring words of burning
hatred, towards the oppressors of their country, who are
doing everything they possibly can to blot out the memory
of their dearest associations and traditions, by curtailing
the national literature, and restricting education within the
arbitrary limits permitted by a scrutinising police.
Under Nicholas, it is said, a heavier yoke
has been laid on the Fins than under Alex-
ander. who confirmed them in many of their
priviliges
Nicholas has by no means followed out the policy of his
brother. It is true he has not always openly attacked
these privileges, but he has, nevertheless, applied insi-
diously at the root a slow but cankering poison, the effect
of which is already displaying itself in withering blossoms
and rotten fruit; and, unless a change shall soon take
place, the noble tree itself must die and fall.

Yet it is fairly admitted that Helsingfors,
the capital of Finland, presents ti thriving
aspeet:--