The Press.
London, England, 1854-06-24 00:00:00


No. 60.—VoL. 11.

LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 1854.

Vrtss.

Lord ABERDEEN does not find himself in the
position of Lord GREY. His colleagues are
indeed selected from two parties, but there is
no identity of sentiment between them, except
upon one subject, which has entirely disap-
peared from the political stage, and therefore
no longer affects conduct. On every im-
portant topic of external or internal interest
there are equally important differences among
the members of the present Cabinet. Lord
ABERDEEN does not agree with Lord JOHN
RUSSELL on our foreign policy; Lord JOHN
RUSSELL does not agree with Lord PALMERSTON
on Paliamentary Reform ; Lord PALMERSTON
does not agree with Sir WILLIAM MOLESWORTH
on election by ballot; Sir WILLIAM MoLEs-
WORTH does not agree with Mr. GLADSTONE on
Church Rates. No one can name any ques
tion of first-rate importance on which the
existing Cabinet is unanimous. Very shortly
after the formation of the Ministry, Lord
JOHN RUSSELL, a friend of religious liberty,
expresso& his opinions very frankly on the
aggressive policy of the Court of Rome,
and the consequent danger to the civil liber-
ties of Europe. Upon this, three inferior
placemen, who were Papists, resigned their
offices, and, as their retirement would then
have been injurious to the Government, Lord
ABERDEEN actually wrote a deprecatory letter
to these third-rate subordinates, entreating
them to retain their posts, as the sentiments
of Lord JOHN RUSSELL which had offended
them were " not shared by many of his
" colleagues"!
Some of the fruits of a Coalition among
public men, who are not homogeneous, are,
indeed, these sudden and scandalous seces-
sions from office, and returns to duty as in
explicable and abrupt. The Roman Catholic
members of the Administration struck in the
spring; in the autumn Lord PALMERSTON
retired, and sulked, like ACHILLES, for ten
days. The fashion now is to say that his
Lordship never resigned, only remonstrated ;
but these mythical exponents of his insubor-
dination forget that he not only resigned,
but that his office was offered to another, and
refused. This year Lord Joi( himself, it is
understood, quitted the Administration for at
least a day, and returned in hysterics. Now
it is the respectable Mr. BAINES who is the
evidence of internal dissensions, and now the
decorous Mr. STRUTT.
No wonder that measures fail when they are
prepared by agents so discordant. Seven
members of the Administration have been in
revolt during its brief existence, and the same
number of first-class measures have been de
feated. This week another is to be added to
the list. Not content with their mishaps on
Parliamentary Reform, Education, Poor Law,
Civil Service, Redemption of the Debt, Par-
liamentary Oaths, our accomplished Ministers
have thought fit to introduce a Police Bill,—
have aroused the country, and, frightened by
the impending storm, have already withdrawn
their project. The week has been indeed
disastrous. On every Government night the
occupants of the Treasury bench have been
covered with disgrace. On Monday, with con-
cealed or downcast visages, they listened to
the marvellous " explanation " of Mr. Sraurr,
which touched their private honour; on Wed-
nesday, deserted by his party, and himself
throwing over Mr. GLADSTONE, Lord JOHN
RUSSELL made a true-blue speech in favour of
Church Rates, and headed a majority of 209,
of which the Ministerial side of the House fur-

LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1864.

His Highness Prince MErrEarneir, at the spe-
cial and personal request of his Imperial
Majesty the Emperor of AUSTRIA, has embo-
died in a State paper his view of the arrange-

ments which, in the present condition of

affairs, may conduce to "a just and honour-
" able peace."

We have reason to believe that these views
have been communicated, although not offi-
cially, to the Earl of ABERDEEN ; and that
little doubt prevails, from previous commu-
nications that have taken place, that they will
be substantially adopted by the English
Minister.

The prospects of a speedy termination of

hostilities are very favourable.

Tea condition of the political world is uneasy,
restless, and, in the fullest sense of the
epithet, unsatisfactory. No one is pleased :
the Ministers, the Parliament, the country,
are alike discontented. Nobody knows
exactly why, but everybody murmurs. Down-
ing-street is as querulous as St. Stephen's;
and the Royal Exchange and Manchester are
as dissatisfied as official men and members of
the House of Commons. Why is all this ?
The war is not unpopular, provided it were
prosecuted with any vigour or purpose ; the
state of trade might be better, but it has often
been much worse with less repining; the
summer is not brilliant, but there is no
deluge. The fact is that we are just begin-
ning to comprehend that " England does not
love Coalitions."

In a country like ours, periodical recon-
structions of parties are inevitable and ad-
vantageous. But the reconstruction of one
party, and the coalition of two parties, are
very different things. When Lord PALMERSTON,
Lord MELBOURNE, Mr. CHARLES GkLNT, and
the other followers of Mr. CANNING, united
themselves with Lord GREY in 1830, the Whig
party was successfully reconstructed on a
broad basis, with rich materials, and in a
strictly constitutional manner. The chief of
the Cabinet and the followers of Mr. CANNING
were in perfect unison on all the principal
subjects of foreign and domestic policy.
They took their stand on the French alliance,
and a large measure of parliamentary reform
with its legitimate consequences. Their clear
and distinct policy was favoured by the coun
try, and, though it may sound paradoxical to
say so, the only infirmity of their parlia-
mentary position was, that they were too
strong.

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PRICE SIXPENCE.

Dished only twenty-six members ! But
Thursday seemed the crown of his dis-
()matures. The management of the House
escaped out of his hands. Accepting battle
on a clause on which his chance was always
bad, and beaten ignominiously, he declined,
in despair, fighting on another which he dis-
approved, and which involved the most im-
portant consequences. The Opposition in-
sisted on resistance, and forced the faint-
hearted Lord President to support them, and
then it turned out that the foe he thought
irresistible was vanquished!
Such repeated instances of want of power
and want of judgment would iu ordinary times
be sufficient to destroy a Government. But
these are not ordinary times. They are times
which require unexampled vigour, admirable
skill, and irresistible strength on the part of
an Administration—unanimous councils, a
confiding Parliament, and a devoted country.
. It is impossible to conceal from ourselves
the danger to our system of public life which
must be the consequence of the present state
of affairs continuing. Ours is a Government
of opinion ; parties embody and organise
opinions. At present " the Government of
opinion" has no opinion. Office must be the
lot of a few ; power a still rarer possession.
The main reward of the great majority in a
free community is to witness the triumph of
their principles. No wonder there is general
dissatisfaction with a state of affairs which
deprives a free people of their most precious
right. The struggle to establish and promul-
gate their convictions is the surest source of
public spirit, and the best security for public
liberty. Without this ennobling incentive all
would subside into indifferen.-e, or sink into
corruption ; the Houses of Parliament would
faithfully represent the tainted and spiritless
community ; and so it would go on, until
there came some great crash, the natural re-
action from our supine depravity. Lord JOHN
RUSSELL said on Wednesday that, if the Bill
for the Remission of Church Rates were car-
ried, the institutions of the country would be
endangered. He might with more truth have
said that the Constitution is imperilled if the
Coalition continue.

WHERE IS MR. COI3DEN NOW?
THE age has outgrown the period when com-
missions of young gentlemen were appointed
for the investigation of social subjects. If such
were not the case, we would ere now have had
to record that the Radical portion of the Cabi-
net had named some of its country cousins or
its younger brothers from the Temple on a
committee for ascertaining what has become
of Mr. COBDEN. Once upon a time a vast por-
tion of political capital stood to the credit of
that name. It would appear either that th•
value of the stock has greatly declined or else
that it has been egregiously misapplied. Some
assert that it is " an open secret" (as the Ger.
mans say) that the Peace Society has made
away with it in wild speculations. It is whis-
pered that the Cobden stock has been lout in
voyages in search of Utopia and the New
Atlantis ; and it is insinuated that, as the
North-West Passage has been found, Mr. Cos-
DEN desired to make himself illustrious by
discovering the countries described by MORE
and HARRINGTON.