The Press.
London, England, 1854-10-14 00:00:00

quest, and amassed her legions upon the Prutb, how
fondly then did we turn to this alliance with Louis Napo-
leon, as our best friend, against the common enemy !
Then he was extolled by his former detractors as a great
man; and as long as he did precisely as they wished him
to do they acknowledged him to be a good one. (Laughter.)
A splendid victory has been achieved by the allied forces,
and fresh laurels added to the arms of Great Britain ; but
would they have been gained without the French alliance ?
Instead of cordial support we should have found the con-
tinental nations concealed enemies or covert intriguers ;
our own forces must have stayed at home, and Russia
would have gone on to Constantinople. (Hear, hear.)
Much as Lord Malmesbury has been subjected to abuse,
it must be a proud moment of consolation to him when
he sees that it was his policy which brought about the
French alliance, and that it was the French alliance which
has just consummated the victory of the Alma, and, if
gratitude can co-exist with political malignity, he will
be rewarded with the grateful thanks of a grateful nation.
(Hear, hear.)

THE PREMIER AT ABERDEEN.
AN address to the Earl of Aberdeen was, on Monday
afternoon, presented by the town council of Aberdeen
on the occasion of the noble Premier's portrait, sub-
scribed for by the citizens, being inaugurated in
the Town-hall. The address was couched in the
usual complimentary terms, and its presentation was
accompanied by the customary displays of civic pomp
and ceremony. After hearing the document read by
the Provost, Lord Aberdeen made a suitable reply,
in the course of which he remarked :
"Gentlemen,—When it pleased her Majesty to place me
in the situation which I now have the honour to fill, I
thought it was my duty briefly and generally, but ex-
plicitly, to declare the principles upon which the Govern-
ment, of which I was placed at the head, would be carried
on. I have no reason to swerve from those principles or
that declaration. On the contrary, it is that to which I
desire to adhere. No doubt, the first great object would
naturally be to maintain and to extend that financial
and commercial system of my late lamented friend
which at that time had been recently established. But
that has now become a superfluous work. There is no
necessity for any one to constitute himself a champion
or a defender of the systems—commercial and financial—of
Sir R. Peel, for that, at least in this country, appears to be
universally adopted, and even by his enemies it is either
avowedly or professedly approved, or, at least, silently ac-
quiesced in. I declared, too, that the main principle upon
which the measures of the Government rest was founded
on a principle of Conseil ative progress. Now, it has been
attempted to cast doubt upon the meaning of this term,
and it has been pretended that it is vague and not easily
intelligible. Now, what I mean by it is this, that
while the great institutions of the country, and the funda-
mental principles of the constitution, shall be religiously
preserved, I would nevertheless fbarlessly carry the hand
of reform into every department of the State. (Prolonged
applause.) lam satisfied it is only by such principles that
any Government can long exist in this country, or deserve
the support of the people. We have endeavoured to act
upon this principle, and, to a considerable extent, I may
look back with satisfaction to measures which have been
carried for the advantage of the public at large, and which
appear to me to merit the approbation of the country. Nay,
even in the last session of Parliament, although, from other
circirnstances of a very peculiar nature, it was not possible
to give a full development to the projects of her Majesty's
Government, nevertheless various measures were carried
—fiscal, commercial, and legal—all of which were fraught
with great advantage to the general public, and in ordinary
times would have been amply sufficient to have furnished
the materials for public thanks, and sufficient occupation
for the session of Parliament. It is true, also, that on that
occasion I felt it my duty to declare that the policy
of the Government was a policy of peace I believe it will
be admitted that to that policy we endeavoured firmly to
adhere. (('heers.) Nay, more, I am satisfied that the
great and universal support we now meet with throughout
the country in the war in which we are engaged is due to
the belief that we sincerely did our utmost to avoid war.
(Applause.) When war became inevitable, and at the
moment when it became necessary to de4lare it, then,
although I can truly say fur myself that 1 clung to the
hope of peace with almost a desperate tenacity, yet when
war became inevitable I declared that, so far as I was con-
cerned, it should be carried on with the utmost vigour and
energy of which the country was capable. Perhaps the
moment is not inopportune to ask whether that pledge has
now been fulfilled ? (Loud and prolonged cheering.) If
you will only consider what has been done in the course of
six short months, I think you will admit that this country
never made an exertion at all comparable with that which
she has just made. An army has been collected, and trans-
ported from the shores of this country, such as never left
them in preceding history—an army such as the Duke of
Wellington never commanded, and appointed in all its parts
in a manner which, humanly speaking, is calculated to
ensure its success. (Cheers.) Conceive what the extent
of preparation must have been when you are told that not
less than seven hundred vessels are engaged in the same
operation. The difficulties connected with it, and the
time required indispensably for such an undertaking, must
strike every man of common candour ; and yet we hear
delay talked of, as if there had been delay. I will venture
to say that such an effort was never, in the history of the
world, made in so short a time as has now been made.
(Cheers.) This army has gone forth, and has achieved its
first great victory, in conjunction with our gallant allies,
the strict union and concert with whom has been fully es-
tablished from the very first moment, and holds out the
most encouraging prospect to ail Europe. (Cheers.) We
know not the details of this event, but they appear to me
to be most important, and, I trust, decisive ; for, although

TIIE PRESS.

SATURDAY,

by the natural impatience of the public, in which I myself
partook, we were led to believe the reports from dif-
ferent quarters of the consequences—the immediate con-
sequences—of this victory which was now found not to have
been confirmed, still let us hope that what had been reported
without foundation may in a short time become reality.
(Loud cheers.) At the very moment in which lam now
addressing you there is no reason not to hope that that
event which, in the course of last week, was erroneously
reported has now become a fact. (Cheers.) I have said
that the war would be continued with the utmost vigour
and energy of which the country was capable, but in this
do not aoandon a pacific policy. I believe that to carry
on the war in this manner affords the best prospect of
arriving at an early and a satisfactory peace. I believe that
peace, although sought by different means, is sought as
effectually, under present circumstances, by this course, as
it would be by written negotiations ordiplomatic discussiom.
(Cheers.) Let me observe, that in carr;ing on the war with
this vigour and this energy we have nevertheless done
something to deprive war of its horrors, to humanise and
to mitigate those atrocities with which war is inevitably
accompanied. At the risk and at the sacrifice of some
belligerent rights we have admitted the commerce of
neutrals, and we have, by our example, put an end to pri
vateering, a most dreadful relic of a barbarous age, and
which the world will now probably never see revived
(Applause.) I say, then, that we have endeavoured to
mitigate the horrors of war, even while carrying it on with
the utmost vigour; and, in so carrying it on, 1 repeat that
I for one shall never lose sight of the only legitimate
object of all war--that of arriving at a stable, just, and
honourable peace. ( Loud cheers.) I will say that war
when it ceases to be a necessity becomes a crime.
(Applause.) 1 should consider any one who had pro-
longed the war for a single day when it was in his power
to make a just, safe, and honourable peace would be
greatly guilty in the eyes of God and man. (Cheers.) I
will detain you no longer, but repeat my respectful thanks
for the great kindness with which you have received me,
and which 1 have experienced at your hands. (Load
cheers.)"
At the conclusion of the noble lord's address the
Provost proposed three chews for the Queen, which
were followed by the like compliment to the noble
Premier; three cheers were also given for the army
and navy, and three more for the Provost.

EARL GRANVILLE ON THE WAR.
AT the dinner succeeding the review of the Stafford-
shire Yeomanry, on Friday week, Earl Granville, in
replying to the toast, "Her Majesty's Ministers 4
said
It is not for me, nor any one else, to boast of success
until it has been achieved. If we should not be successM
in our attempt. I believe that Government would ill under-
stand the principal characteristic of Englishmen should
they be easily discouraged by any temporary defeat. If,
on the other hand, we should be successful, 1 believe the
Government will act only in accordance with the public
feeling of the country, by showing that we must not rest
on our oars, but that we must redouble our efforts to gain
the victory—(cheers)—and J cannot help feeling that,
though it would be highly criminal in any Government to
be carried away by the excitement of military glory, of
which, God knows, we have had enough in this country,
and to refuse to make a peace when that peace could be
made perfectly consistent with the honour, dignity, and in-
terests of this country, and with the interests of Europe
and the cause of justice and humanity, yet, on the other
hand, I do feel that if the horrors of war are unnecessarily
prolonged by the enemy—if those terrible sacrifices of
treasure which, even according to the resources of this
country, are considerable, are rendered necessary—and if
precious lives, both of our own soldiers, and, 1 will add,
the soldiers of the enemy, are sacrificed, it must be felt
that the rigout of the terms imposed should be in propor-
tion to the sacrifice occasioned. (Loud and prolonged
cheering.)

THE CHOLERA.
The Registrar-General says in his last report:—
" The deaths in London from all causes, which in
the first week of September rose to 3,413, and in
the three weeks following were 2,836, 2,504, and
2,216, fell last week (the first week of October) to
1,532. In the first week of October, 1849, the total
number of deaths registered was 1,290.
" The improvement in the public health is visible
generally in the metropolis, but appears to be more
slow in the eastern and southern districts than in
other parts. The total deaths from cholera were
754 in the last week of September ; they declined
to 411 in the week that ended last Saturday. The
deaths from diarrhoea in the same times were 165
and 98. The returns of cholera for the last two
weeks give 113 and 59 in the western districts, 50
and 26 in the northern, 62 and 31 in the central,
146 and 95 in the eastern, and 383 and 200 in the
southern districts."
An outbreak of the epidemic is reported from
Edinburgh, where fourteen cases occurred within
four days. Five of them have proved fatal. The
cholera has also made its appearance at Worcester,
where several deaths have taken place.

THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE ASSOCIATION held on
Monday evening their eighth annual conference at
the Freemasons' hall, Great Queen-street. Mr. John
Corderoy occupied the chair. The association was
described to be in a prosperous condition. Addresses
were delivered by the Revs. J. Glanville, J. H. Rule,
J. Whitty, W. Brobk, and Mr. Racine. Brand, secre-
tary of the French branch of the Alliance.