The Press.
London, England, 1854-05-06 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

MAY 6, 1854.

hand, as you are the representative of the opinions of the country, of
course the very selection of you as Minister proves that those opinions
are your own, and therefore your accession is only to be considered
as an event enabling you to carry out the feelings you have entertained
for years. You may, therefore, confidently ask foreign Powers how it
comes, if it is true, as the newspapers say, that the people of England
are for war, yet that you, the sworn friend of the enemy, are allowed to
remain Minister? You can tell them that, in all offices and at all
times, you have held foreign sympathies, and yet the country " had
eyes and chose you." It is nothing that you are taken into office as
an occasional servant till the new one comes. That is only a reason
for doing as much mischief as you can in the time; for you may de-
pend upon it that it was in the last resource that you were employed,
and therefore you cannot consider it a compliment, or as anything
other than an opportunity of serving those friends who always ad-
mired you, and who are the only persons who ever did.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR.

You are the head of the law, and, as nothing is more disastrous in
a country than the law's uncertainty, it is your province to see that
evil-disposed innovators do not succeed in making what they call
" reforms "in it. Such people will keep on asking you questions as to
whether such and such bills are to be proceeded with. Do they sup-
pose that you have the gift of prophecy, or can tell what desertion of
infants may take place before the end of the session ? If the creation
of a new Constitution must be suddenly abandoned, how can you
answer for the alteration of the details of the old one? In the mean-
time, by impeding the officious efforts of these law reformers, you con-
tribute to the development of legal science by leaving the codes of
the country in a state of contradiction, and thus form an excellent
exercise for the judicial intellect.
THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER.

The unreasonableness of the demands made on official servants is
more evident in your case than that of any other. You are required
to do what to you is an impossibility—keep the money matters of the
country in a healthy state. However, you are still to remember that
" service is no inheritance," and it will probably come to your successor's
turn to put some of your breakages right. This should give you
courage to undertake for future payments even at a very short date, as
on the arrival of the time of payment you may not only be relieved
from the necessity of meeting them, but have the further advantage of
demanding why your successor has not provided the means of doing
it. Nothing is more popular than the appearance of paying off public
debt. Therefore it is not for you to consider whether you have the
means or not before you announce your willingness to disburse a few
millions. As soon as you have done paying, you can begin to borrow ;
and, if you must borrow at 15 or 20 per cent. loss, it will give an
impetus to the industry of the country, as you well know that nothing
stimulates so well as a little addition to taxation. Besides, it will
enable your successor to relieve himself from the proverbial em-
barrassment of having to dispose of a surplus, a part of which all the
interests in the country persecute him to allot to them. If there is
any difficulty in obtaining your loan, you can give interest on the hope
of the money to be lent ; which cannot fail to make the project
favourably looked upon. At all events, it will have the merit of novelty,
and you are by this time well assured that to you the old system or any
of its modifications is either obsolete or unintelligible ; and at the
worst, when the Treasury is exhausted, it is as cheap to promise one
thing as another.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
It is impossible to acknowledge the mass of letters we receive.
Their insertion is often delayed, owing to a press of matter ;
and when omitted, it is frequently from reasons quite Jude-
pendent of the merits of the communication.
We cannot undertake to return communications of which we do
not avail oursetves.
Ccmmunications should always be legibly written, and on one
side of the paper only. If long it increases the difficulty of
finding space for them.
Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenticated by the
name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publica-
tion, but as a guarantee of his good faith.