The Express.
London, England, 1855-04-07 00:00:00

THE BUBDIESB OF THE HOUR.

Ix Vienna negotiation is at a stand. Prince
Goarctuaorr cannot receive an answer from
Petersburg before the 10th, and in the meantime the
Ministers assembled in the capital of Austria are
obliged to condos their talk to the weather, or any
@abject equally safe. The reply to Prince GOILTCILt-
-1017 is, however, waited for, more as a tribute to
diplomatic decorum than from any lingering expeo•
thtion that it can change the aspect affairs have
assumed. The belief that a peace can be arranged
at present has bees abandoned by all parties. The
diplomatic circle assembled at Vienna acknowledge
with one consent that the war must go on. The
negotiators us naturally reluctant to confess,
,even to themselves, that their labours have been
latterly fruitless. By a pardonable self-deception
sentries to persuade themselves that they have
hest settled the basis upon which peace will tdti-
innately be concluded, when the time for renewing
ziesgetiations arrives. But impartial bystander.—
..WM have no reputation staked on the issue o/ the
Vaidmeness—may be allowed to doubt whether any
ieMbirstery Ws of peace can be agreed upon at pre•
sent. The events of the war must determine that
basis; and who can foresee at this moment what
those eventful, to be?

The business of the present hour is to carry an the
war on a scale commensurate with its importanos—

with that vigour which alone can ensure moms&
The insane notion that Russia is to be
ornmphd up" by merely clenching the band has
bees pretty well dissipated. The Runless are sot
by nature a warlike race ; they prefer the more tan.
glibly remunerative enterprises of commerce ; but
they are enterprising in their own way—they are
endowed with en inexhaustible fund of dogged, pas-
sive courage—they are led on by able generals--end
the mass of the people have just attained to that
degree of civilisation which admits of their being
imbued with a fanatical faith in the right divine of
kings or emperors! Russian power of national en-
durance is not to be tested by the same standard is
that of other European nations, for the social con-
edition of Russia has more in common with an Amy-
Ajtan or an Aztec empire than with modern Eu-
ropean civilisation. Abstractedly, we may take
for granted that either France or England is more
than a match for Russia—much more both combined.
But when we come to details, we find ourselves so
ignorant of Russian resources, and Russian modes of
thought aid feeling, that it is utterly impossible to
conjecture beforehand how loos it will require to bring
the Russian Government to sue for peace on any
terms, or to we clearly what means must be adopted•
to reduce it to such a condition of conscious weak-
ness. All that can be done is to urge on the war
promptly, resolutely, vigorously—to feel our way as
we go, and adapt our conduct to circumstances. But
oven at this early stage, it is evident that
one thing is indispensable to success—that our
Government lay aside that dileUasste, pazz-eeiraists
spirit by which they have hitherto been porsemed.
The demon Laissez-faire, which has so long haunted
our Government offices, must once for all be exor-
cised and laid in the Red Sea. System and order
must be introduced into the management of the army
and all the auxiliary civil services. Able and ener-
getic men must be sebatituted in all posts and de-
partments for deeded incapables. This second re-
quisite is even of more consequence than the first.
The worse our system of military administration—
the more difficult and tedious the task of remodelling
it—the more necessary it is to employ men d
sagacity, inventiveness, and enterprise. Till our
military system is amended—while the work of
amendment is in progrese—the personal qualities of
the men employed must be such as to compensate fir
the deficiencies of the system. The national prestige
Is at stake, sod all other otnsideratioos must give
way to that of maintaining intact the national rape-
tation--almost ea
_indispensable as the national
strength to oar security. All consideraScos of pro-
Besienel etiquette—of the prior claims of seniority
ar titular rank—must be over-ridden if neemeary is
ceder that the right men may be installed in the
right please. la the army an estbe change
of the heads of departesing, we
regret to say, with the Commemiels4lMd
—must take place. Slowly and sindandy
have we arrived at this esmieden. Ae
bolt how often the Engliebeaser dielbalPs Say
and impetuous spirit beneath an apses& mitotic.
We gave Lord RAGLAN the benefit d the presump.
dos that his apparent listlessness and helplessness
might be merely the results of an undemonstrative
nature--that he was active and provident beyond what
deportment towards his soldiers induced men to give
him credit for being. But accumulated evidence has
hosed arm as the conviction that is his ease the
ester is bet toe tree an index of the laser man. Lord
Sous may be a competent General of Divides, but
he is utterly inadequate to the arduous shame of
Ceseassder-in.Chid—a judgment of him pesonaced
by the greatest living English authority is military
matters before the Crimean expedition leR Versa.
Lordlttotax, in the words of Marshal Sr. Aairtun,
boa ell the valour of the old heroic times. He is
siseseely attached to hi. profession. He hue die-
shagged Irremediably the math» duties of sub-
athlete employments. Bet a Commander-in-Chief
law be mere than this. Let any one consult Gun-
woods "'Wellington Beepatehesir and • lee will 1.1
that great man, throughout the Penissalar war,
eAtaadiag to—provitiag for—everything by his own
Ikea* end emetics. His eorrespondeam about the
posed% el pals Ike bin stay is a model by which
ear moat sagasiess and extensive corn-dealere might
pelt. Lord Raman has been coMeated to have
all them this's does for him traawa •
to throw the blame of
Mod
individuak er the liendsot-depwastenb. Ma.heeemen.
the iseepasity el his staff, yet. hie tali he step to