The Press.
London, England, 1856-04-05 00:00:00

MR. JUSTICE KEOGH.

THE antecedents of Mr. KEOGH have been
so frequently described in English and Irish
journals, that the public had a right to expect
that Government, even if their own necessities
prompted them to raise him to the Bench,
should at least have instituted some inquiry
into the political charges that are now daily
accumulating against him.

Men of ordinary minds would have thought
that a barrister aspiring to the unsullied
ermine of the Bench would, in the face of
such accusations against his public name,
have lost not a moment in defending himself.
The absence of such a defence from Mr.
KEOGH'S own lips goes far to substantiate the
charges.
The Irish Bar are to a man indignant at the
disgrace that is to be saddled on them ; the
English Bar have little less reason to com-
plain, for a common bond of honour and in-
dependence, a joint abhorrence of anything
with even the semblance of political dishonour,
a common sense of what is due to themselves
as gentlemen, and to the p'tblic who trust
them, have long been distinguishing charac-
teristics of the profession. If independence
and untainted honour are gone, the Bar lose
their all ; what then can be the position of the
Bench?

It is greatly to be desired, for the sake of
public confidence, that Mr. KEOGH should
clear himself of so grave an obloquy ; that
Lord PALMERSTON should not consent to
initiate so great a wrong; that the public
should protest against so extraordinary an
appointment There are many who desire
that those upright men who are about to
become, against their will, the colleagues of
this political huckster, and the Bar whom he
bad quitted in 1847, should unite to condemn
this reckless insult to the dignity of the
profession.
But " the end is not yet." When JOHN SAD-
LEIR was made a Lord of the Treasury,there
was only a private protest, and no public demon-
stration ; but those who appointed him have
been held responsible to public opinion ; and
EDMUND OTLAHERTY'S nomination also re-
dounded to the discredit of his patrons. Mr.
KEOGH'S career has not yet terminated, and
Fortune oft en elevates to a lofty height those
for whom it reserves a most exemplary fall.
Of one thing we are satisfied, that there
are swarms of honourable men at the Bars of
both England and Ireland who would scorn to
climb to the Bench by the wretched arts of a
political adventurer. There are promotions
which undignify a profession ; and it is an act of
Machiavellian government to degrade first,
in order to destroy afterwards. For some
years past there have been open proofs that
certain persons wish to promote centralisation,
and to have only one Bar for England and
Ireland, and in order to carry out this scheme
the Bar of Ireland must be destroyed. It is
too strong to resist sudden shocks, but it can
be damaged by degrees; and, as precursory to
a course of bitter almonds for the Irish Bar,
the appointment of Mr. SADLEIR'S political
ally may not be without a deeper design than
that of silencing the Cerberus of Athlone.

HER MAJESTY'S BENEVOLENCE.—Amongst the
numerous acts of kindness displayed by her Majesty
towards the wounded soldiers from the Crimea, the
public will be gratified to learn that, at her own
private expense, the Queen has commanded Mr.
Heather Bigg, of 29, Leicester-square, the well-
known anatomical mechanician, to construct arti-
ficial legs and arms for nine men, whose severe
mutilation attracted her Majesty's notice during her
recent visits to the hospitals of Portsmouth and
Chatinau. A tenth man, suffering from injured
vertebrae, has been graciously presented by her Ma-
jesty with a spinal instrument. By this gracious act
of the Queen the whole of these ten men are now
rendered capable of fulfilling any employment suit-
able to their condition.

Arm 5, 1856.

3rotteings arliantent.

The House of Commons reassembled after the
Easter recess on Monday last. The Speaker took
the chair at four o'clock, and the house at once re-
solved itself into a Committee of Supply, and pro-
ceeded to consider the Civil Service Estimates.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE TREATY OF
PEACE.

Colonel FRENCH, in the midst of the labours of
the Committee, complained that no communica-
tion had been made to the house relative to the
treaty of peace, and moved that the chairman
report progress, in order that the First Minister of
the Crown might offer some explanation upon the
subject.
Lord P.U.MERSTON rose and said

Sir, I was in the house not three minutes after the half-
hour, which is usually the time for notices of motion being
given and questions being put. There were notices of
motion previous to going into committee of supply, and
there were also notices of questions, and I was as much
surprised as other members could be to find the house in
committee of supply at so unusually early an hour. (Hear.)
If I had come down to the house three minutes sooner I
should have made a statement which I am quite prepared
now to make. (Hear.) It is a very short one, and will
convey no information to the hon. member beyond that
which he already possesses. (A laugh.) If it be any
satisfaction, however, to my hon. friend to be informed
officially of that which he already knows individually, I
shall have very great pleasure in enlightening his mind.
(A laugh.) The house is perfectly aware from the
Gazelle that yesterday, at two o'clock, a treaty of peace
was signed at Paris. (Cheers.) The house will have
seen by the announcement in the Gazelle that it was de•
:ermined by the Congress that the particular conditions of
the treaty should not be made public until the ratifications
had been exchanged. And that, indeed. is the usual
course, for it is a mark of obvious deference to the powers
who are parties to the treaty. At the same time, without
going into any details of the conditions. the main sub•
stance of which is already known to all the world, because it
has been embodied in protocols and published in every
country in Europe, I may say at least that my conviction
is, that that treaty of peace will be deemed satisfactory
by this country and by Europe. ( Cheers.) Sir, it will
be found that the objects for which the war was undertaken
have been fully accomplished. It will be found that by the
stipulations of that treaty the integrity and independence
of the Turkish empire will be secured, as far as human
arrangements can effect that purpose. (Cheers.) It will
be found that that treaty is honourable to all the powers
who are contracting parties to it, and I trust that, while,
on the one hand, it has put an end to a war which
every friend to humanity must naturally have wished to
see concluded, on the other hand it will lay the foundation
of a peace which I trust, so far at least as regards the cir-
cumstances out of which the war began, will be lasting and
enduring. ( Hear, hear.) Sir, during the negotiations
which have led to this peace I am happy to say that the
same cordiality which has prevailed among the allies in
carrying on the war has also mainly contributed to the
conclusion of peace, an that we shall leave off at the con-
elusion of this war in a stricter and closer alliance with
them—and in a more extended alliance—than existed
daring the continuance of the war; and that, therefore,
the future permanence not only of a good understanding
but of an intimate connection between the great powers of
Europe will have been cemented and strengthened by the
communications that have taken place during the negotia-
tions. (Hear, hear.) Sir, I have nothing more to say, ex-
cept that it must be gratifying to the country to koow that
nothing could exceed the ability with which the British
negotiators have performed their arduous and difficult task
during the negotiations—(cheers)—and that Lord Claren-
don and Lord Cowley have not only maintained the
honour, dignity, and interests of the country they repre-
sented, bin by their conciliatory conduct have secured for
themselves and their country the respect, esteem, and good-
will of those with whom they had to do. (Cheers.)
The ratifications are to be exchanged as soon as they can
be received at Constantinople and St. Petersburg. The
limitation of time has been four weeks, but I should hope
that at least within three weeks the ratifications will be ex-
changed at Paris. (Cheers.)
Colonel FRENCH thereupon withdrew his motion,
and the committee resumed the discussion of the
estimates.

SUPPLY.
Upon the vote of 30,3611 to defray the expenses
of the audit of public accounts, upon an acknowledg-
ment from the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER that
he was not prepared to go into the details of the late
transfer of thirty-five officers from the Addit Board
to the War-office,
Mr. DISRAELI thought that after such a confession
there was a prima facie case why they should ask the
Government not to be precipitate in the matter:—
He had himself given some consideration to the subject,
and his impression was, that one of the greatest faults of
our system of administration was the limited system of our
audit—( Hear, hear)—and he thought that, if any change
were to be made, they ought rather to increase the power
and independence of the Audit Board than impair them.

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