The Press.
London, England, 1858-05-29 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

IWe have to acknowledge the receipt, from nearly twenty kind correspondents, of sundry
pieces of verso and prose, inspired by recant events. Unfortunately, however, our
space for productions of this kind was preoccupied, as our readers will see ; and we
have thus been compelled impartially to decline the whole of their favours. Our
acknowledgments are not the less duo fur their friendly offers of assistance.]

WE had reason to expect, until within the last six hours, that we should
have had the pleasure of announcing, in this week's number, an im-
portant accession to Lord DERBY'S Cabinet. The fact was too important
to be kept a secret, nor was there any desire to conceal it,—that the
Cabinet would gladly have received the adhesion of the Senior Member
for the University of Oxford. Possessing the double qualification of great
efficiency in official duties and pre-eminent ability in debate, there has
been no Administration for a dozen years past which would not have
rejoiced to gain the assistance of Mr. GLADSTONE.

Nor is there, we believe, any solid difficulty in the way of a junction
on the part of Mr. GLADSTONE with the present Government. Hence,
during the present week that gentleman has seriously entertained the pro-
posal. And, if it were possible for him to isolate himself, and to have regard
solely to his own views and feelings, we believe that his accession to the
Cabinet of Lord DERRY wouid not be delayed another day. But there are
few men who have passed twenty years in public life without having found
friendships and connections which cannot be left out of view when cir-
cumstances like the present happen to occur. These connections, we
believe, form the main obstacle to that acceptance of high office by Mr.
GLADSTONE which has been hoped for during several days past. We fear
that the hope is, at least for the present, at an end. Other arrangements
will therefore have to be made; but the termination of the communica-
tions with Mr. GLADSTONE having only taken place within the last few
hours, there has not been time for the completion of any other
arrangement.

It has been rumoured within the last day or two, chiefly among the
friends of Baron ROTHSCHILD, that " the Jew question was likely to be
settled." We believe that this rumour was chiefly caused by Lord Luctor's
notice; to which we have adverted in another column.

We confess that we regard these sudden " settlements "—which always
imply concessions—with alarm. We can remember the delight with which
Sir R. PEEL'S accession to the lead of the House of Commons, in 1828,
was greeted. He was regarded as the Protestant Minister. In a year or
two he was seized with an ambition to " settle the Catholic question." He
did so, broke up his party, and fell from power, remaining on the Oppo-
sition benches for nearly eleven years. At last he was restored to the Pre-
miership; and was again smitten with the idea of " settling the
Maynooth question and the Corn-laws." Again he scattered his
adherents, and lost his power, which he never afterwards regained.
In fact, there is nothing more disheartening nothing tending
so much to break up a party, as the unexpected and needless concession
of claims which have long been successfully resisted. For these reasons
we rejoice to receive the assurance that the Government is not a party to
Lord LUCA.N'S intended motion.

The Judgeship vacated by Mr. Justice COLERIDGE has been offered
to, and accepted by, Mr. Ilt-oit HILL We will not say that among the
whole Bar it might not have been possible to have made an equally good
choice, but we will venture to assert that the LORD CRANCELLOR could not
have made a better one. Mr. HILL has long been known as a sound
lawyer and a gentleman. Unobtrusive, and, in fact, rather reserved, it
was not so generally known that he was of sound principles both in politics
and religion. He takes his seat on the Bench at the fitting age of about
sixty, and he will scarcely find his superior there.

Mr. MtALL's paper, the Nonconformist, gives us the following
sketch:—

"Lord PALMERSTON sat in Cambridge-house and dreamt a pleasant
dream. We cannot undertake to give a detailed description of it, but we
note down its principal features, after the style of Mr. Alfred Jingle.
Oude Proclamation—ELLEN-BOROUGH'S censure—stick by your subordi-
nates, right or wrong—generous and popular sentiment—very—must take,
like the Canton fever—Lord Joint RUSSELL on our side—Peelites indig-
nant at CANNING 'S
treatment—clever motion evading the merits of the
question—large majority—Ministry upset—myself sent for—form a new
Ministry—make one or two popular appointments—say one or two
liberal thing.—throw dust in the eyes of the country—more powerful
than ever—DEnitv's last card trumped—Lord Jotts useful in harness—
Radicals of no importance now—do as I like—a long Administration.'
Lord PALMERSTON waked up on Friday evening. The House was
laughing—the country was laughing—worse than all, Lord DERBY was
laugt? 'hing—and every one seemto say to him, ' Don't you wish you may
get i"