The Press.
London, England, 1857-02-28 00:00:00

TIIE PRESS.

Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Some of the
least favourable features of Lord CLARENDON'S
character were brought into strong light. The
Noble Earl is a clever man, assiduous at the
desk, quick in learning facts, and with con-
siderable knowledge of commerce. His early
years were passed as a Commissioner of
Customs ; and Lord CLARENDON relies too
much on the peculiar kind of knowledge which
he acquired in that department. But Lord
CLARENDON has Some grievous moral defici-
encies. He has never possessed that reputation
for plain and frank dealing which ought to
make part of a British statesman's character.
He is more furtively clever, and more adroitly
insincere, than is at all to bo commended or
justified.
There is a low tone about all Lord CLAREN-
DON'S proceedings which is permanently cha-
racteristic of his plan of action. On Tuesday
night nothing could have been worse than his
Lordship's scandalously unscrupulous mode
of apologising for the " disgusting disclosures"
in China. " Sooner or later a rupture would
" ensue !" The old morality of the " Borderers"
was advocated by her Britannic Majesty's
Secretary for Foreign Affairs. We need not
dwell on this point, as Lord GREY on Tuesday,
and Sir EDWARD LYTTON on Thursday, criticised
the Noble Earl with condign severity. We
desire to call attention to other matters con-
nected with Lord CLARENDON.

While listening to the faltering tones, and
observing the fluttered manner of Lord CLA-
RENDON in his miserably weak attempt at
answering Lord DERBY'S magnificent speech,
we could not help asking ourselves—" Is that
" the statesman to whom the Liberals look as
" the future leader of their party, and the
" possible Premier of England ?" We could
not avoid thinking, also, of certain extraor-
dinary incidents in the Noble Earl's career.
They may well be remembered, after the
striking admissions of Viscount PALMERSTON
about the secret " convention " or " treaty "
between France and Austria. recently brought
to light by the Right Hon. Member for Bucks.
The manner in which that arrangement was
made, and concealed from the English public, was
peculiarly " Ciarendonian ;" and it is singular
that the public career of the Noble Secretary for
Foreign Affairs should be a prolonged t eeord of
revelations. Other diplomatists have engaged
in secret transactions, but publicity is sure to
attend on the negotiations of Lord CLARENDON,
which have .occasionally assumed a most
irregular character. His first entry into poli-
tical life was in a secret Cabinet at Dublin
Castle, and impressions of the pleasure of
being " behind the scenes " seem to have
coloured and influenced the conduct of the
Noble Earl throughout his course.

The late LordCLONCURRY thus commemo-
rates the first appearance of her Majesty's
present Secretary for Foreign Affairs :
I was accordingly so far honoured by Lord Anglesey's
confidence, as to he permitted to form a sort of private
Cabinet, to which he frequently referred for council and
assistance. In this extra-official council, of which I con-
fess I was not at first a very willing member, were in-
cluded Mr. George Villiers (now Earl of Clarendon), the
late Right Hon. Anthony Blake, and Mr. William Henry
Curran.—Cloneurry Memoirs. First Edition, p. 332.

That statement was never denied, either by
the late Lord ANGLESEY (who «•as alive and
well at the time (1849) of publication), or
by Lord CLARENDON. Neither the Chief
Secretary of Ireland, Mr. STANLEY (now
Earl of DERBY), nor the Attorney Ge-
neral of Ireland (now Lord Chief Justice
BLACKBURNE), knew anything at the time of
this secret Cabinet ; and it was not wonderful
that Irish Ministerial atlitirs did not then move
smoothly, while " secret" machinery was clog-
ging the action of responsible Ministers.

Lord CLARENDON (then Mr. GEORGE VIL-
LIERS) was professedly a Commissioner of
Customs, while thus acting as an extra Cabi.
net Minister. He afterwards became a diplo-
matist, and was sent to Madrid ; and the
English policy towards Spain, while Lord PAL-
MERSTON was at the head of affairs. bears a
remarkable resemblance to the recent conduct
of the present Cabinet, as exposed by Mi.