The Press.
London, England, 1856-06-14 00:00:00

_ .
RPIIIIIFIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII11111111111111
,
f
556 THE PRESS. SATURDAY,
Ammoommommir
...or — ____________—____
section among the Liberals who wish' to look were better than they are now under a con- OUR NORTH AMERICAN SQUADRON.
to Lord CLARENDON as the future Premier of fessedly more popular system ;or else that THE English squadron now cruising on the North
American and West Indian station is the most
England, is beyond dispute. It might not add the character of these officials need scarcely
powerful we have had on those seas for many years
much to the Noble Earl's chance if he should be taken into account in the matter, and that
prove himself in this instance an obsequious their efficiency will depend almost entirely .
Hitherto
nee few
si e frigates,dsuffi smallen t steamers,t
d glues and
. At present we have there fievefollower of Lord PALMERSTON. upon the master mind of the Government.
osPlfaostohtPes ,slithaaittviloene
On the other hand, we are sorry to say that One of these two conclusions it is simply im-
some of the proceedings which have already possible to avoid ; and either is fatal to the of-battle ships, five heavily armed frigates, thirteen
taken place, and which irritated the Americans, views propounded by the Administrative Re- heavily armed sloops and steamers :
are much in the spirit of Lord CLARENDON'S formers. Liners. Guns. Frigates. Guns.
usual mode of transacting politics. He has The first indeed we may leave out of con- Powerful
always shown the dangerous habit of med- sideration for the present ; but if we accept Boscawen
Wing. Of an excessively active temper, Lord the second, the obvious inference is, that !mourn
Pembroke.
CLARENDON has always liked to be at work Messrs. ROEBUCK, MORLEY, and Co., have mis-et;
Cornwallis 6O Termagant
weaving some small piece of diplomatic eaten- taken the seat of the disease, that they have _
glement. The Americans suspect that there been deceived by appearances, and treated a 346 101
has been something not straightforward in the vital sickness as if it were merely a temporary Sloops and Steamers.
conduct of our Foreign-office; and sincerity is affection of the extremities. Guns. Guns '•
not Lord CLARENDON'S strong point. Soft, The truth is, the Administrative Reformers Arachne lB Daring
easy, good-natured verbiage flows from his are putting the cart before tele horse, or, FalconMalacca ••• • • • ...... 17 Buzzard
17 Argus 6
6
pen, while his intriguing turn is at the same metaphor apart, confounding the effect with Archer
time improving a trifle into a difficulty, and the cause. We are not badly governed be- Mariner l2 Hermes 6
nursing a pin-scratch into a serious wound. cause we have not good administrators, but Espiegle
Are we not, therefore, justified in thinking we have not good administrators because we 127
that the official manipulation of this diplo- are badly governed. Their conduct is that of Grand Total
And to this powerful force the steam corvettes, Cossack
matic embroilment has fallen into unpropi- a man, who, wishing to build a house, should (21), Py lades (21), Tartar (21), have been added this
tious hands ? We have not the least desire to rush off to the ironmonger, the paperhanger, week. The Arrogant (21` is believed to have sailed
see Lord JOHN RUSSELL again at the head of and the gilder, without ever dreaming of the for the same station, while the Nile (91), the Imp/.
affairs, but there are many who would wish architect. These political upholsterers fancy rieuse (51), and the Light squadron of Gun• boats, are
that any statesman rather than Lord PALMERS- that all we want is, to refurnish the adminis- under orders, though they have not yet sailed for the
Toe held the helm of State in the present trative department. But just as no amount of same destination. To this we may add that five
hour. chairs and tables are of any value without a million rounds of ball-cartridge are to be at once for-
house to put them in, neither is any amount warded to Canada.
ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM of administrative ability of any service to the These are significant facts. If there is to be
ASSOCIATION. country without a Government that knows n o fighting, what do we want of such a fleet—for it
THE Administrative Reformers are once more how to use it. is beyond a squadron—off the coast of America?
in the field, with Mr. ROEBUCK as their chair- Our notion, therefore, is, that what England AMERICA AND ENGLAND.
requires at the present time to restore her In the letter of a " New Englander," published in
man. Pluck and perseverance are qualities
confidence in representative institutions, and the Times, there is so much good feeling and sound
which Englishmen admire, and let us give the impart some degree of consistency and vigour sense that we quote the most material passages .
Association full credit for the possession of to her home and foreign policy, is not so much Sir,—Will you allow, with your accustomed " fair play,"
) them. We will believe it to be their sincere
conviction that through them alone can Eng- the hands as the head. With a really able
Minister at the head of affaiwith a his New ezewEsnognlansodmerejourtharerivueedstiinonsOlndowEna-'and
England
issueto betweenexpress
the two countries, and on questions
apparent misunderstandings
prevalent among your peop'e ? It is evident, sir, slat Eng-
Chatham, or Walpole, or even a Sir Robert
land be saved from impending ruin, and effi. Peel—can any one believe that the Crimean 'fish society is anything but favorable just now to America.
Even as a stranger 1 hear rebukes of our sins on
ciency restored to the alleged chaos which disasters would have occurred? Or does any
side. Still public opinion in England isevery
prevails at present in every department of the one, on the other hand, imagine that any
" the other side "will be listened to just, and
p am
re-
amount of administrative talent—any number vsauirleing on the recruiting question is
tothe. most remarkable
Executive. Let us grant all this, and, fur-of shipowners, corn factors, or contractors— to an American. The feeling see
thermore, that as far as their complaints ofbe that of a coup
teoue gentleman, who has unwittingly injured his neigh-
could have saved the present Government
existing disorder are concerned, they have from the painfully ridiculous positions in bour, and finds after an apology, with injured feelings, that
his excuse is not accepted. America, of course, is the
some show of reason on their side. What, which it has so repeatedly been placed during
bully, who has not the courtesy to understand a gentle-
then, are the means by which they propose the present session? What we require is a man's apology. Now, sir, high toned and edifying as such
to attain a reformation which we must all
Prime Minister who enjoys the ungrudging a position way be on the part of the English Government,
confidence of large masses of the community ; we submit that facts hardly bear it oat. It comes before
allow to be desirable ? a confidence not tendered in a niggardly spirit, an American very much as if a gentleman had sent a set-
The remedy of Mr. ROEBUCK and his friends and exacting perpetual pledges, but faith in his vent into a neighbour's garden with instructions to get
is a simple one. Give to the middle and genius and honesty, and cordial acquiescence fruit if possible by the owner's consent, but if not, by
means which
.should not be strictly illegal, and the servant
trading classes that political authority which in his representation of their interests. To should commit a larceny, and then the gentleman, after a
is now possessed by the aristocracy, and all this must be added a Parliamentary following courteous apology, should be surprised and hurt that his
will be well. They will furnish you with men
such as no Minister has enjoyed in this neighbour did not consider the apology sufficient. The
of business who will take care that ships do country since 1846. There is no reason to latter might very justly say that the instructions to the
not bring home again the cargoes they were doubt that such a Minister as this would very servant not to violate the law were of no account—be ought
• originally freighted with,—men versed in all soon settle the business which the Adminis• and
have been sent there. The act was an offence
never
winsult, and the only suitable apology was the pu-
the details of monetary and commercial affairs, trative Reformers have now been boggling at nishrnent of the agent; and, as for the high tone of offended
who will make the wheels of Government run for a twelvemonth. But till we get such a courtesy at the excuse not being received, it was an ex-
on as smoothly as the transactions of any man, let our readers depend upon it, the cry of trernely ingenious transference of the onus delidi to the
first-rate banking house or grocery establish• Mr. ROEBUCK and his colleagues is all moon- wrong party. So the case looks to us—the Americans.
There is not a difference of opinion from Maine to Cali-
ment in the City. Now, we think that to any shine,
unsophisticated student of history it would fornia on the question ; and 1 thins you must admit, con
Such a man, however, is not likely to be sidering the unanimity of feeling in the States, that a gross
appear at first sight a somewhat singular ex- violation had been committed both of municipal law and
found among those classes which now volun-
pedient to prop up a falling empire by a of national courtesy, that the correspondence was con-
tartly come forward as the saviours of their
Government of warehousemen. It would be a ducted, and the steps were taken, by the American Cabinet
little at variance with all the lessons he had country. The art of government is not the with great moderation and courtesy. Certainly, the in-
same as the art of trade. It demands a truly
,s,uileng language of Lord Clarendon with reference to
learnt from all the acknowledged masters of the
liberal education, protracted to the years of nsh agitations " and " des otic measures " were never
science of politics. He would be likely, per- in any like manner responded by Mr. Marcy. It is a
manhood,
.a freedom from all sordid care, a
haps, to make the reflection that the conduct fact, furthermore, that the British agents, even' after the
magnanimity to which the maxims of trade
of business was a different thing from the apology of your Cabinet, still continued an underhanded
are fundamentally opposed, and moreover, in recruiting in our cities, as you will see from the facts pre-
government of men ; and that, where governors
old
were wanting, it was folly to think of doing
the case of old men, we cannot run counter to the whole proceeding—both the conduct of the instruments
any good by the excellence of subordinates. and the instructions of the principals—have awakened a
long confirmed habits which have grown to be
But we will confine ourselves to the state of profound distrust among our people of the good faith of
a second nature, without the most imminent
things around us, and simply inquire of the the English Government towards America. If you will
peril, it demands :considerable wealth, ancient imagine, sir, by some misfortune a war arising between
Administrative Reformers how they propose to
render their system beneficial to the existing
lineage, anti territorial influence. The Re- France and the United States, and a similar effort to be
. 1
Constitution of Great Britain in the formers talk of getting rid of this element in made in secrecy by our Government in Ireland and Scot:
year land to obtain recruits, you will at once see how the at 1856• our national Constitution, as if it was some
ephemeral excrescence, instead of being tempt appeared to our people. There was a species of
part
Is not the present constitution of our Englishunderhanded proceeding, and at the same time of disregard
of our very life blood ! A year's experience to comity in it which certainly offended them.
Ministry much more popular than of yore ?
o f contempt has taught them nothing. This * • * * •
Whether, that is to say, many more men from
• 1 is. singular, because even Radicals don't be- If your Cabinet conducts
. affairs with. discretion, and
these same middle and trading classes do not
lieve in them. Nor, indeed, do the lower your press shows a considerate and candid regard of the
get into it now than forty, sixty, or a hundred many internal evils which at present afflict the States and
classes generally. Their instincts are too true
years ago ? and whether the business of the almost shut out the co-operation of the wise and good in
country was not conducted with greater sue-
for that; and if there is one thing more certain our public matters, there is no danger of war. We have
teas then than now? If this be the case, we
than another, it is that the people of this our hands full at home. The most fearful questions are
must admit either that the then subordinates country would never pull down the peerage in pressing upon us, bringing us even to the verge of civil
partments '
of Government—i. e., heads of de— order to be ruled by the shopkeepers. war • and there is not the slightest disposition, except
with disappointed politicians, for any foreign contesta.ma
being aristocrats, or aristocratical nominees, - with much rennet, Years, Jcee
A New Eeaearoeu.
I