The Press.
London, England, 1854-10-21 00:00:00

OCTOBER 21, 1854•

THE P

A LAUREATE'S ODE FOR VICTORY.
(BEFORE TENNYSON.)
Being another contribution to the " MINSTRELSY or THE WAR."
SCENE.—A second-floor front.
MARTIAL POET of the Music Publishers, and CrtacAL Fawn.

POST, reading :
Booming deep from Orient seas
Rolls the awful voice of war !
Hope and pride on every breeze
Wafted from the Euxine far !
Once again! thou blood-red cross!
Stainless borne a thousand years !
Thy folds to lurid war-clouds toss!!
Light to menaced Freedom's fears

CYNICAL FRIEND :
Freedom might have fought alone,
Nor ier unfurled that cross had been,
Had the people not have shown
Pluck unknown to Aberdeen.

POET:
And thou, all-glorious Tricolour!
Beacon of a hundred fights !
Historic record of the brave !
Once more o'er conquered armies wave
Thy storied banner raised to save
By dauntless hands, in holy war,
The priceless prize of human rights.
CYNICAL FRIEND :
Bless me, my friend, you surely rave
To that flag Wood and Graham gave
Worse words than to "le Rouge" by far!

POET:
Marlborough and Blake, and greatest he
Who perished on the Gadite Sea,
" His work of glory done."
Or he but yesterday laid low,
Thy latest, bravest, noblest foe,
Immortal Wellington!
CYNICAL FRIEND :
With Herbert's aid what soul can know

The deeds he would have done !

POET:
Would they had lived to see that day
When gaily joining in the fray
Beside the Euxine wave.
France with light heart her banner spread
O'er fearless England's stately head ;
And reckless Erin's joyous shout,
And Scotland's slogan yell flung out,
The union of the brave.

CYNICAL FRIEND :
Would they had heard that Malta made
The utmost point of England's aid,
When Gladstone Turkey show'd to be
'Mongst nations an " anomaly" !
POET :
Oh ! would that from that roll of light
Where flash in France's annals bright
Heroes who erst in arms arrayed
Her glorious orillamme displayed,
Bayard ! Conde ! Turenne !
Whose martial tale aright to tell
Vain the Historic muse may swell
Echoes, that praise again.
Or he whose name like midnight star
Shines through the murky night of war,
With beam of glory flaf.hed afar,
The heart of France his throne !
Her memory his triumphal car !
Her own Napoleon !

CYNICAL FRIEND :
Why will you strike such soundless chords
Take up Sir Walter's famous words,
And boldly swear " nor less their worth
That bade the conquerors go forth."
Prompt at weak Turkey's cry were seen
The forward zeal of Aberdeen,
And Herbert's patriot fire.
No dull negotiators they !
Of Sinopi they saved the bay,
Nor called on Hansburg's heir to sway
The bent of England's ire.
No shuffling dodge nor long delay
Was used the needful blow to stay.
They spoke like Britons fair.
Graham and Wood did frank advance,
Fraternal to Imperial France,
To hail Napoleon's heir.
Let Europe's praise their fame enhance !
Your muse will drop you there !
[Exit the Po= in a swim.

I

RESS.

997

TUESDAY'S CABINET COUNCIL.
A CABINET COUNCIL was held on Tuesday afternoon at the Foreign
office, Downing street. Fourteen Ministers were present.
Lord ABERDEEN commenced proceedings by observing that he
could not conceive the reason for which the Council had met. He
had attended at very great personal inconvenience, and he only hoped
that a case would be made out for calling people to town at such a

time.
Sir CHARLES WOOD was surprised at such a speech. Had not the
Noble Earl caused the Times to abuse the Queen and all of them for
not being in town ?
Lord PALMERSTON was afraid that the Noble Earl had had a bad
breakfast, and that it had put him out of humour. He knew that
while workmen were in one's house it was impossible to get anything
properly attended to, but the Noble Earl might have breakfasted at
his club. He regretted that he himself had not thought of asking the
Noble Earl to breakfast with him at the Reform Club.
Lord ABERDEEN was much obliged, but thought that there had
been quite enough of invitations to the Reform Club. (A laugh from
Sir James Graham.)
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that the Noble Premier had accidentally
touched upon one of the subjects which they would have to consider.
In a few days, he might say, Sir Charles would be home again, and the
Baltic expedition and its results would become the subject of national
attention. It was, therefore, a question whether the Ministerial
organs were to be instructed to hail the Victor of Bomarsund or to
apologise for the superannuated admiral. For his own part he was
for putting a bold face on the matter, carrying the Bomarsund trophies
to St. Paul's, and making Napier Lord Fitzbaltic.
Lord PALMERSTON : And as to the blockade, which has not kept
out, or rather kept in, one article of Russian produce, but has only
made us pay double prices for it ?
Lord CLARENDON : I feel that we cannot advantageously discuss :
the subject further. I presume that the best instructions to the
papers will be to assert that all has been done in the Baltic that it
was ever intended to do, and that the blockade has been a Rost sue-
cessful one.
Lord PALMERSTON : Just so ; only caution them not to say this on
the same day that they reprint an official paragraph now going the
round, to the effect that Government have at last determined to take
measures to put down the system which, under the pretext of
neutrality, renders the blockade useless. By the way, Aberdeen, why
is your paper attacking Dundas, and scoffing at him as without
courage, and the only man in the fleet who is not eager to earn
laurels?
Lord ABERDEEN : My dear Lord Palmerston, you are fond of the •
fine arts. Don't you know that it is possible to bring up a bad white
by deepening a neighbouring black? If Napier wants an apology, let
him appeal to the conduct of Dundas. Besides, the country
mind seeing Dundas abused.
Lord PALMERSTON : The country will not mind seeing "'-
people whom I could name abused in reference to this war. But I
think you are illtreating old Dundas, and that such illtreatment
comes with a special bad grace from Aberdeen, whose policy Dundas
has carried out to the best of his ability. Anything from Sebastopol.,
Newcastle ?
Duke of NEWCASTLE : I haven't seen the papers. I have sent thew!
nothing; but they may have news independently of me. They do
manage it sometimes: I can't think how.
Lord PALMERSTON : I hate to say anything disagreeable—
Lord Jona RUSSELL : But sometimes you must do violence to
your inclinations, my dear Palmerston. Self-denial becomes a states.
man. Speak out.
Lord PALMERSTON: Well, if you, as President, insist, I am bound,
to say that Lord Aberdeen's peace speech the other day has done th
Cabinet more mischief than another Alma can repair., • --
Several Voices : Yes—it was most indiscreet.
Lord ABERDEEN : I am not aware that I am bound to give an
account of what I say elsewhere. If you do net approve of the sen
ments the head of the Cabinet expresses you know your course. V
Lord JOHN Menu. (impatiently): We have met for business, n.
for that sort of nonsense.
Lord PALMERSTON: That sort of dogged way of meeting a re •
is not strange from the Noble Earl ; but though we, poor hel •
lambs, the creatures of his will, must receive graciously what .
pleased to say, the country will not be treated de haut en bas.
Sir C. WOOD (wide): What's that? Bas means stockings,
know; but what has the haut ton's wearing stockings to do with the
question?
Lord PALMERSTON : The Noble Earl says that all we want is pea
This is—l speak, of course, without offence—untrue. We want a g
deal more. But, if it were true, the last and worst way to obtain pea
is to tell an enemy that you desire it of all things in the world. N
content, therefore, with getting the country into the war, our Nob
Friend is doing his best to prolong it.
Lord ABERDEEN : I have said and done what I thought proper,
and I will not condescend to defend myself—at least not her
(Exit.)

—^ .111 ci g 997
--. ''' ''''iTT


Buepatriot hearts resolved at length
To gie the Bear a manila' ;
Sae France and Britain joined their strength,
And bade the brute be crawlin' ;
The " Congress " havrels raised, of course,
A hideous caterwanlin';
They groaned to hear o' guns and horse,
And helmet and tarpaulin.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
It is impossible to acknowledge the mass of letters we receive
Their insertion is oftet. delayed, owing to a press of matter ;
and when omitted, it is frequently fruni reasons quite inde-
pendent of the merits of the communication.
We cannot undertake to return communications of which we do
not avail ourselves.

Ccinmunications should always be legibly written, and on one
side of the paper only. If long it increases the difficulty of
finding apace for them.
Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenticated by the
ammo and address of the writer, not necessarily for publica-
tion, but as a guarantee of his good faith.
Advertisements sent from the country must be accompanied by a
remittance or a reference for payment in town.

od b T

rog.

LONDON, SATURDAY, OcToliEß 21, 1634.

of the allies in cavalry cannot now be much under 1
10,000 men.
The Presse says that the Turkish Ambassador at
the Court of Vienna, Arif Effendi, has officially com-
municated to the Austrian Cabinet that Omer Pacha
will begin offensive operations against Bessarabia
shortly, and will arrive at Bucharest in a few days, in
order to arrange there his plan of attack with the
imperial generalissimo.
The Emperor of Russia, by missive of the 11th inst.,
has appointed Prince Gortschakoff Commander-in-
Chief of the Russian Army of the South, and placed
underhisjurisdiction the governments of Podolia,Kieff,
Poltava, Kharkoff, Catherinoslaff, together with the
city and suburbs of Taganrog, Kherson, the northern
part of the government of Taurida, as far as the
isthmus of Perekop, and the province of Bessarabia.
The Presse states that, as a consequence of the
correspondence which fell into the hands of the
allies at the battle of the Alma, some very important
arrests have taken place at Varna.
Lord Stratford de Radcliffe had obtained a firman
suppressing the tra ;lc in Circassian and Georgian
slaves.

It is rumoured that Lord Raglan will be raised
to the rank of field-marshal after the operations at
Sebastopol, and that Parliament will be asked for a
grant of 50,00{)l. on his behalf.
The Nouvelliste of Marseilles states that the
Sultan, to show his sense of the services of the late
Marshal de St. Arnaud, has accorded to his widow
a pension for life of 25,000 piastres per month.
For some time past rumours have been afloat in
Paris of an intended visit on the part of the Em-
peror and Empress of the French to Queen Victoria.
This visit, which seemed extremely probable ever
since the two Governments had become allies in a
great war, became almost a matter of certainty from
the time that Prince Albert visited the Emperor
at the camp of Boulogne. The Chronicle correspon-
dent in Paris states, on what lie believes to be ex-
cellent authority, that the visit will take place in the
course of the month' of November, but that the pre-
cise day is not known. It is also expected that
Vueen Victoria and Prince Albert will return the
visit about the middle of May next, when her
Majesty will not only be able to see the French Ex-
hibition, which will then be open, but see Paris in
all its glory, with the immense improvements now
going on, in a state of completion.

An unexpected communication was sent on Thurs-
day from the King of Denmark to the President of
the Volksthing, that his Majesty would receive a
deputation from the Assembly with the address. A
deputation accordingly went to Fredricksburg that
day.

The Spanish Ministry has abandoned the project
of drawing up a constitution to be submitted to the
Cortes. A royal decree orders the payment of the
September dividends.

The Turkish Ambassador, on leaving Persia, was
decorated by the Shah, and escorted by a company
of guards to the frontier. He leaves a charge
d'afiaires there.

The splendid new steam-yacht now building for the
Queen at Pembroke, and to be called the IV indsor
Castle, is to be finished and launched in January
next.
COUIITS-MARTIAL have been held during the week
at Sheerness on the various Milkers in command
of ships engaged in the late Arctic expedition, for
having left their vessels in the ice. Admiral Gordon
presided. The proceedings commenced on Tuesday,
when Captain M'Clure was tried for the loss of the
Investigator, Captain Kellett for the abandonment of
the Resolute, and Commander Richards for the
abandonment of the Resolute and her tender, the
Pioneer. In each case the court honourably ac-
quitted the gallant officers, declaring them com•
pletely exonerated from all blame. Captain Sir
F. Belcher, the commander of the whole expe-
dition, was then called,' and the inquiry touch-
ing the loss of H.M.S. Investigator, Assistance, and
Intrepid commenced. The proceedings were ad-
journed, when the court rose for the night, and con-
tinued during Wednesday and Thursday, ills evi,
dence taken being very voluminous. In has own
examination Sir E. Belcher stated that he had "acted
iri pursuance of the orders of the Lords of the Admi-
ralty, and of the powers entrusted to him." On
Thursday the defendant read a long paper in vindi-
cation of his conduct, after which the decision of the
court was pronounced by the Deputy Judge-Advocate,
to the effect that Captain Kellett was justified in
abandoning his ship from the orders he had received
from Sir Edward Belcher, and that Sir Edward
Belcher, in pursuance of the confidence vested in
him, was so authorised to give, and had not gone
beyond his orders, for abandoning those vessels;
but the court were of opinion that, before doing so
he should have conferred with Captain Kellett.
Under those circumstances they acquitted Captain
Sir Edward Belehltr, C. 8., cf all blame. The defen-
dant's sword was then returned to him by the Presi-
dent, and the proceedings terminated.
Mr. 1). H. Burr, of Aldermaston-park, late High
Sheriff of Berkshire, is a candidate for the represen-
tation of Abingdon, where a vacancy is occasioned
by the death of the Earl of Abingdon, and conse
quent succession of Lord Norreys to the peerage.
Mr. Burr is of Conservative principles. Mr. Norris,
of Sutton Courtney, near Abingdon, is spoken of as
the Liberal candidate.