The Press.
London, England, 1857-09-05 00:00:00

may have leisure for the remodelling of our
military system, it might not prove inexpe-
dient to intrust our entire home service to
the Militia, reserving our regular army for
colonial service and for war. The objection
is that this arrangement would be hard upon
the regulars, who would always be employed
abroad. For it must be remembered that if
they suffered all the inconveniences they
would likewise reap all the honours. However,
the time has not yet arrived for the full discus-
sion of such a subject. But we have no doubt
that the Militia will establish by their good
conduct at the present crisis their claims to a
more worthy consideration than has hitherto
been accorded them.

THE MEMORY OF PEEL.
Is a recent number of the Saturday Review

there is a vigorous arti3le discussing an essay
called " The Reaction against Peel," which

appears in the current New Quarterly Review.

Our attention was directed to the essay in ques-

tion by the following most remarkable promul-
gation of opinion from the Saturday Review :

We have long ago expressed our opinion that the time is
come when the immediate followers of Sir Robert Peel,
having fulfilled the special task assigned them, can no
longer be grouped together as a distinct party. They were
called on to shape and carry out a great scheme of financial
policy inaugurated by Sir Robert Peel. Now that this
policy is triumphant, and its operation nnassailed, they are
no longer held together.
The essay in the New Quarterly (with which
we differ in many important respects) has not
been without effect, since it has extracted so
decided an opinion from au organ of such
peculiar consideration as the Saturday Reciow .
Here we have it distinctly propounded that
" Peelites" should not be grouped together as
a party. In this respect the essayist in the
New Quarterly and the Saturday Review concur.
The essayist concluded his paper with a dis-
tinct assertion that PEEL was not the type of
statesmen who should be selected as the re-
presentatives of a great political school.
It was otherwise in the case of Pirr. Down
to 1330 there were " Pittites," and Mr. CAN-
NING, pointing to the picture of Pen, which
always hung in his room, used to affirm that
Pm was his political master. The " Can-
ningites " were only modified " Pittites." The
Governor-Generalship of India was assigned
by Viscount PomaxasToN to Lord CANNING (BO
it is understood in political circles) on account
Qf GEORGE CANNING having first given a seat in
the Cabinet to the present Premier. The pre-
sent Speaker of the House of Commons was
also proposed for the Chair on account of the
old tie of " Canningism " CANNING died in
1827, and we are in 1837. Sir ROBERT P&EL
died in 190, and will great places and high
stations be accorded in ISSO out of deference
to " Peelisin"? Not if the dictum of the
Saturday Review be held good. "Pittism
lasted for a lona time, and so did, and does,
" Faxism." But, for want of profound senti-
ment and for deficiency in high representative
significance, " Peeliom " seems, even in the
opinions of its ablest and most philosophical
supporters, to lack cohesive power. In this
conclusion the essay in the New Quarterly
seems to be thoroughly sound.
There are many parts of the essay in ques-
tion which we do not like. It is unequal in
composition, and it is difficult to say what
purpose guided the writer's pen. Some parts
rise into strong invective though balanced by
a circumspective style, and others sink into
the dawdling tone of an anecdotist. We agree
with the Saturday Review in thinking that the
essayist " speaks from a long Parliamentary
" acquaintance with the object of his invec-
" tive," and the part in which he best succeeds
is in his attempt to show that PEEL never
stood alone, and that he had always " WEL-
LINGTON " to his back. In his comments on
the memorable crisis of 1834 the essayist is
artful in showing that " the Duke" bore the
weight of that critical period, and we observe
that in " Raikes's Diary " the Duke of WELLING-
TON dwelt with marked complacency on the
part that his Grace acted in the lioYeru•