The Press.
London, England, 1854-08-12 00:00:00

SATURDAY,

columns, of the Emperor of Russia having
been on the point of capture ! Never did any
professed humorist contribute more to the
gaiety of the town than the journal which
dilated at extraordinary length in large type
upon the probable consequences of an imagi-
nary ilicident!
It t not for our lite nary, with results
before hinitto aisimi kl the t that, on a variety
of oc bit si
in
,we fitiviletitcle iely communicated
to the ub it) ia b a most important
charabte . We challenge an appeal to our
columns tO Mow that events have confirmed the
information which, from time to time, we felt it
our duty to publish. It was our present censer
who stated, on the 20th of May, 1853, that Prince
MENSCHIROFF'S ultimatum was accepted, and
we were assured that the Turkish question
was " a mere diplomatic imbroglio." We, on
the contrary, told the public facts which con-
tradicted the assertions of the Ministerial
journal. We warned the country that a
European crisis was at hand, and that the
first consequence of the Coalition would be
the precipitation of a great war. We knew in-
timately the antecedents of our Premier, and
the expectations of the Czar, founded on the
secret paper of '44. So far back as June 18th,
'53, we said, "We are on the eve of great
" events, and it is just as well that the people
" of this country should be prepared for their
" occurrence." A few days afterwards we
wrote, " There is a lull in the Eastern ques-
" lion, but it is only on the surface." It would
be tedious to enumerate the instances in
which we predicted the gravity of events,
when our statements were attempted to be
discredited as "malignant misrepresentations."
In justice to ourselves we shall mention a
few of those cases. On the 3rd of December
last we were the first journal to announce
" the formal and absolute conclusion of all
" negotiations." On the following Monday
our statement was contradicted by the organ
of the Foreign-office, and yet it was confirmed
before many days had elapsed. We were
first in announcing that OMER PAOHA had pre-
pared pontoons for the passage of the Danube.
In December we announced positively in
emphatic terms that " the part of Rue-
" sia was definitively taken for war." The
spirited resolves of OMER PAM& at the head
of the Turks, and the dogged resolution of the
Czar, were illustrated in our columns, by
authentic particulars, published before the events,
and subsequently confirmed. The instruc-
tions to M. KISSELEFF, and the mission of Count
ORLOFF, were first elucidated in this journal.
Nor have we any reason for shrinking from the
investigation of the early intelligence that we
gave on the movements of Baron BRUNO,/
and M. Be:nom Upon the estimates placed by
the public on our resources for procuring in-
telligence we have no reason to complain;
and, appreciating the confidence largely ac-
corded to us, we may be perfectly indifferent
to any undignified attempt to asperse our
means of procuring information. Official
subordinates who have failed in debate,
though skilful in set speaking, are often viru-
lent in anonymous incrimination. The
damned poet always appeals to posterity, and
your dumb " orator" who has appointed the
hopes of his friends is often o isnly too fluent
in a newspaper.

THE INDIA EDUCATION DESPATCH.
Tins despatch has been printed, and is con-
sidered a miracle of wisdom by the member
for Devonport and Lord GRANVILLE ; but
the holder of a Cabinet office and the member
for a Treasury borough are not likely to be
very impartial judges of the merits of any act
of a member of the Administration. For
our parts we see nothing in this despatch to
lead us to suppose that the India Board have
now adopted wiser or better principles for
administering the government of India than
those which have all along characterised the
government of Sir CHARLES WOOD'S inspiring
genii, the authorities at the India-house. The
question of education is one to which they
have all along offered every possible obstruz-