The Press.
London, England, 1856-10-18 00:00:00

Volittr al.

SIR S. BIGNOLD, M.P., met his constituents at
Norwich last week, and reviewed the past and present
position of public affairs. The performances of the
last session of Parliament were, he observed, of the
most ordinary routine character. Great law reforms
bad been promised, especially in the appellate juris-
diction of the House of Lords, but the contrivances
of the Government were so bungling that their
measures proved abortive. The bill for reforming
the ecclesiastical courts was withdrawn, and by
adopting a similar course with regard to the bill for
abolishing local dues on shipping the Government
escaped an ignominious defeat. The provisions
contained in the Counties and Boroughs Police Act
were, he believed, calculated to promote the well-
being of the country at large. He particularly ap-
proved the clause disfranchising local policemen. At
his election every poli.:e officer was unblushingly
compelled to record his vote against him, although
he believed many would have voted for him had they
been left to exercise their own free choice. With
regard to the field-day motions for the ballot, reform
in Parliament, the abolition of Church rates, &c.,
the government did not seem to have any fixed
principle of action, for some of its members voted
on one side while others ranged themselves on the
other. It was rather humiliating to any Government
claiming to be a Government standing on the sup-
port of the people to have no definite policy. The
next session would no doubt open with some pro•
mise of reform in the representation, but with no
design to carry a bill to alter the present basis of
representation. Conservatives must be watchful.
They had no clap-trap objects to attain by pander
ing to the multitude, but their true policy was to
seize every really sound measure of reform, reject-
ing hollow schemes put forth with no real view to
the good of the people. Adverting to a dissolution,
the hon. member said lie doubted whether it
would take place next year. in the event of an
appeal being made to the country, if they united on
his name, he would stand by his party, but he had
no private views to serve, and it he consulted his
own ease he should ask his friends not again to elect
him as their member. In any case, he trusted they
would place the representation in the hands of a
fellow-citizen, who must understand their wants and
wishes better than any country gentleman or
stranger.
LORD GODERICH having been applied to to allow
himself to be put in nomination for the representa-
tion of the city of Lincoln (hi conjunction with Major
Sibthorpl, at the next general election, returned a
reply regretting that be could not avail himself of
the offer, as his obligations to his present constituents
would not allow him to become a candidate for
anot her borough, so long as they were willing to con-
tinue to him their support
THE BRITISH SPECIAL MISSION is returning from
Russia. H.M.S. St. Jean d'Acre, 101, Captain St.
Vincent King, with Lord and Lady Granville and the
other members of the mission, arrived at Kiel on the
Bth. The Earl and Countess Granville proceeded
immediately by the night train to Berlin, en route to
Carlsbad in Bo' Cilia, whilst Sir Robert and Lady
Peel set out on the 9th by way of Belgium and the
Rhine to E, gland, and other of the members of the
embassy started for Paris.

Mn. JOHN STEEL, M.l'., presided last week at a
public dinner given by Messrs. Fletcher, of the Tane-
bank Mines, Whitehaven, and in the course of his
speech made some reference to the conduct of our
officers in the late war. Mr. Steel took exception to
some remarks made by Mr. Fletcher with respect to
the ability shown by the English officers during the
Crimean campaign :

Our (Akers and soldiers fought manfully; though Mr.
Fletcher hos said they were led by asses, I must beg to

SATURDAY,

differ with him. Gross mistakes may have been made,
hut I believe both the officers and men of England did
their duty. The arrangements might be bad in a vat iety
of ways; bat if any member of the commissariat, for in-
stance, had given away clothes, and provisions, and what
not, without having the proper order, he would have caused
himself, as the saying is in this part of the country, " to
be called over the coals," for having parted with such
things without proper authority. The fault was not in the
field officers, the general officers, or the brigade officers.
The disasters of the Crimea were such as no human in•
genuity could have foreseen. The Russians were a more
formidable enemy than England was ever before exposed
to. Much of the grumbling about the mismanagement of
the war had arisen from the party spirit of the Protec-
tionists, who, because they were beaten on the corn laws,
charged the Government with having caused great losses,
which no human foresight could have foreseen, and they
fell also upon the character of our officers. It was no
easy matter to feed and clothe an army in the face of the
enemy in a country something like that between Enner-
dale Lake and Loweswater, in winter, and mistakes might
be made. But was the cholera the fault of the officers or
the general ? It was the visitation of the Creator of all
things. The frost and snow were not the fault of the
general officers. When we bad to contend with the
finest troops in the world, there was something more than
ordinary talent required. It may, perhaps, be objected
that the Russian soldiers are not the best in the world, but
at any rate they are men who understand the art of war,
who will stand to be shot at, and when they are dead there
are others to take their places. The English never
quailed in the fight, and when the winter came on, then
the officers endured the most indescribable privations in
common with their men. I have felt obliged to answer
the remarks made by Mr. Fletcher, as I really do not like
to hear unjust aspersions cut upon the officers of our
army for things which it was impossible to avoid. Future
historians will do justice to the really praiseworthy con-
duct of the English army in the Crimea, do justice to our
officers, and say that the circumstances which occurred on
that occasion were such that no foresight could provide
against them.