The Press.
London, England, 1854-12-09 00:00:00

THE CAMPAIGN IN THE EAsr.

IT is very possible that at the opening of Par-
liament Ministers may attempt to avoid all
discussion on their conduct of the war, by
alleging that the time has not yet come when
the disclosures necessary to a just considera-
tion of their measures can be made. It is
certain, however, that we already know enough
to form a true judgment on those acts of the
war which are positively concluded, and that
they may now be very properly considered
from a military point of view.
When war was declared against Russia
there were two courses open to us to pursue.
The one to limit our efforts to effectually
blockading her ports, and to destroying her
commerce utterly, while our armies drove her
armies out of the Principalities, and thus,
holding military occupation of them, rendered
any further efforts on her part innocuous till
peace should have been restored. This was
one plan open to the Ministry, and a plan not
without its advantages. Russia, while unable
to strike us, would thus have been rendered
powerless ; and it would have been as easy
then as now to insist on proper guarantees for

1154

SATURDAY,

time imitated in Parliamentary warfare. It is
quite unnecessary to inquire who were the
parties that introduced so many political Ar•
nolds in 'the ranks of the " Irish Brigade?"
And whit the examples in history of the
folly of leaving an army and a navy subject to
the Illtlisboroughs and the Norths, shall it
be endured that our whole War Department
should be under the control of the Duke of
NEWCASTLE? Let his flatterers or his followers
state, if they can, one solitary public act on
his part indicative of that masterly capacity
for great affairs imperatively required by the
present exigencies of the War-office. He has
been twenty years in the Legislature, and no
public measure, or any great public question,
has been associated with his name. When,
with the Jesuit party in the Cabinet, his Grace
espoused the cause of the Papal aggression,
the mediocrity of his powers in debate were
contrasted with the sinister ability End in-
genious sophistry of Sir JAMES GRAHAM.
Holding a first class post, his Grace can point
to no eminent official experience. Sir ROBERT
PEEL consigned him to the Woods and
Forests, and even so recently as 1646, after
fourteen years' service in Parliament, he had
not risen higher than the Chief Secretaryship
of Ireland. Mr. MACAULAY, in his essay on
" Chatham," has compared the first Duke of
NEWCASTLE to the miserable miser, Sir JOHN
CUTLER, immortalised by PorE. " The Duke's
" avarice of power," says MACAULAY, "thwarted
" itself, and, like CUTLER'S, was a penny wise
" and pound foolish cupidity." And, like his
ancestor, the present Duke of NEWCASTLE
strives to gain a similar verdict from the
historian of our times.
Nor can we find compensation in tooling
to the colleagues of his Grace. Not a man
amongst them has military capacity or ex•
perience. Last week we proved distinctly
that in every Ministry it had been customary
that at least one of its members should have
professional military experience. This rule is
flagrantly violated at the time when careful or-
ganisation is required. The present Cabinet
composed of Ministers selected solely from
political considerations. They can find room
in the Cabinet for the red-tapist WOOD,
and the metaphysical MoLESWORTH, for
the sentimental SIDNEY HERBER r, and
the youthful and inexperienced Duke
acof
ARGYLL, but not for one man practicaly
quainted with the direction of fleets and
armies. They act on the notion of worthy
Dogberry, that, " to read and write, comes by
nature," and would have us conclude that the
mere acceptance of a department gives all the
qualifications necessary to fill it withthe success.
ugly
The world is apt in general to give
names of " quack " and "humbug" to persons
who pretend to discharge duties they want
skill and knowledge to fulfil. But the duties
of Government are to bet ex
from the
rule. A fellow who, pretending to medical
experience, should consign his dupe to the
grave through some pernicious nostrum or
blundering operation, would be convicted of
manslaughter, and sent to ponder over the
mischief of his presumption at the treadmill
but a Pelham, through exactly the same species
of ignorance and pretension, may, by his
of requisite knowledge and unskilful arranand ge-
ments, consign thousands of Engl's
bravest sons to destruction, with the prospect
of no worse penalty than a sarcastic reflection
in an Opposition newspaper. The old pro-
verb—that every man may be believed in
his own art--must be reversed in the practice
of statesmanship. The name of Lord CRAN
WORTH duly appears at everylcouncil summoned
to decide what orders shall be issued to
our
fleet, and what measures are necessary to the
efficiency of our arms. The whig f the Chan-
cellor is thought more appropriate to tlie
discussion of such matters than the uniforin
of the admiral or the general. But why should
r Reform Cabinet hesitate to carry their pet
principle of Government further '? Why not
give NAPIER, on hisfreturn, the first vacant
bishopric, and appoint DE LACY Ev. Ass Master
of the Rolls ?
The Coalition, avowedly intended to
ling
prove our administrative system by filling
high posts of Government with the best men,
irrespective of party, has carried the pnictict!
of red-tapiem to an extent unknown ac