The Press.
London, England, 1854-07-15 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

JULY 15, 1854.

PRINCE METTERNICH ANSWERETH MY
LORD A.'s "KIND REMEMBRANCES."

Mon cher ! my pipe post-prandial was lit, my melange made,
Wben your remembrances arrived, in lady's note conveyed.
Mon Dieu ! J'entemds bien, of course! Vine la eryptographie !
Oh, del ! eomme d est charmant, unique ! it could not clearer be.

Remembrances ! ah, magic word, it took me back in thought
To days when diplomatic craft to you, dear lord, I taught,
Before you ventured from my wing in fatal twenty-eight,
And bowed your knee, against my will, to Russia's potentate.

Remembrances! Nay, we'll forget what passed in twentynine,
When they found your Warsaw letter in the desk of Constantine,
Just mentioning how near your heart was Russian interest then.
Why did you not, mon plaisant homme, that note in cipher pen?

Remembrances! I call to mind a Minister of State
Who urged a peace and found it bad some twenty years toc lath.
The Czar could pardon your despatch while smiling on your work,
And paid you with his confidence when he came about the Turk.

What pleasant notes you sent me then, what pleasant nights you

spent,
With your Czar in the back-parlour, and your star in the ascent ;
You spelt) our title Averdeen, and wore a Russian tie,
Je on'en souviens, ah, vraiment oui ! those happy times are by.

Remembrances! it isn't long since Redcliffe said you thought
That Turkey " must evanish' though the Western Powers fought."
Oh, Aberdeen—ah ! comma c'est I'm half inclined to tell,
You love, ()outlaw dit Monsieur Shakspeare," not wisely, but too well."

N'importe—l see—we are to save you both in your distress,
And keep at bay Omer Pacha—the Devil, and the PRESS;
And by " remembrances " you mean, that as you served the Czar
You'll serve Franz Joseph—e'en est fait we'll see about the war !

THE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE.
Ma. DISRAELI'S suggestion to Lord John Russell, on Thursday night,
that if ho really desired to learn the feeling of the House of Commons
in regard to the Ministry, his course was to apply to some independent
supporter of Government, and get him to bring on the question, has,
we regret to say, caused great inconvenience to the Lord President.
During the whole of yesterday Lord John was besieged by a crowd of
independent supporters, all of them anxious to be selected for the dia.
tiuguished duty, but each determined on having his own conditions
agreed to.
Mr BRIGHT called early, and said that he should be happy to make
that or any other speech, but it must be on condition that he was
allowed to urge that, despite a few Conservative shows, the Ministry
had really given up all faith in the present Constitution and all
adherence to the Established Church. He was himself aware of the
fact, of course, or should not support the Administration, but it was

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upon a broad statement of these grounds that he should appeal to the
Liberal part of the House.
Mr. COBDEN came a little later, and seemed vexed at finding that
his younger and more vigorous colleague had there, as elsewhere, been
trying to cut the ground from under his feet. He offered more easy
terms, and provided he might state the truth, namely, that the Govern-
ment were not in earnest about the war, he proposed to let them down
gently on other matters.
Mr. EwAar offered to say anything, provided he might say that
the Ministers, especially Lord Palmerston, had arrived at the con-
clusion that hanging was objectionable. He proposed that the other-
wise inevitable count out which would follow his rising should be
avoided by the ingenious device recently adopted to ensure a count
out—namely, the locking the doors.

Mr. J. G. PriaLimonz also offered to say anything, provided he
might be allowed unlimited quotations from Eutropius, Cornelius
Nepos, and other recondite classical authors, and a few recitations
from " Enfield's Speaker."
Mr. COLLIER was quite at Lord John's service, provided the
Ministers would promote either Sir A. Cockburn or Sir R. Bethel],
and thereby obtain an opportunity for rewarding obvious merit.
Similar offers were made by Mr. MoNnou CHAMBERS and other
legal luminaries.
Mr. VINCENT SCULLY offered to bring off the Ministers triumphantly,
and only demanded that a clear nine days should be placed at his
service, as it was impossible for him to condense his arguments into
a shorter time.

Sir BENJAMIN HALL volunteered to deliver the exculpatory oration
on a very simple condition—namely, that his next speech should be
delivered elsewhere by Lord Llanover.
Mr. ROEBUCK called to remind Lord John of the good service he
had done the Liberal Ministry in other days; and he gave his personal
undertaking to deliver them out of all difficulties, provided they
allowed him to reprimand them upon every conceivable topic, and
that they would promise to act under his dictation for the future.
Mr. Dices volunteered the work if the Government would under-
take to abolish the Irish Church and to extrude the Irish Solicitor-
General from office; and, if they would not do both, he offered to be
satisfied with compliance with his second requisition.
Mr. Hulls sent round a secretary to say he supposed that, as the
oldest member, he was expected to perform the required operation, but
that really he knew very little that was good of the Ministry, and that,
though they should have his vote, he would rather the task of defence
were left to younger hands.
Mr. W. J. Fox calculated that, as he was the only man in the House
capable of making a dignified oration, illustrated by graceful action,
and set off by the appearance of the speaker, he was manifestly the
person to be selected ; and, if they would give him due notice, he
would learn a splendid peroration for die purpose.
[His Lordship was left vituperating Ms applicants when our reporter emote away.

" THANE BICEPS !"
When Aberdeen lauds Russia to the skies,
And yet claims credit for our victories,
Who that for Latin lore hath time or taste
Thinks not of Janus—Janus double-faced?
His temple, when Bellona aimed her brow,
The Romans opened : times are altered now !
Doubtless those ancient gentlemen were right,
But we must " shut up " Janus ere we fight.

E. A.