The Press.
London, England, 1857-08-01 00:00:00

THE PRESS, AUGUST 1, 1857.

the most serious, and might have had the most disastrous, effect
upon our starving and exhausted troops. If it is known by
our Government for a feet that General BARNARD is deficient
in stores and ammunition, that his supply of the latter is
limited to twenty-four rounds a man, it is quite possible that this fact
may be known to the rebels, and hence it is by desperate and frequent
sorties, which would exhaust both his men and his ammunition, that
they may best hope to achieve a successful defence against General
BARNARD'S attack. Under these admitted circumstances we cannot
regard the report of the capture as at all credible ; but even allow
ing that the rumour from Madras be correct, we may rely upon it that
the desperate defence of 30,000 mutineers against the assault of the
4,000 British troops must have been such as to cripple them to some
extent, and to render all effective pursuit of fugitives from the town
impossible. The full details, which will arrive this morning, will
enlighten us much upon these points. It is possible we may learn that,
in addition to want of men, stores, and ammunition, General BARNARD
has to contend against that terrible and fatal scourge to European
troops—the cholera. We may learn that the ramifications of this " mere
military mutiny " are so extended among the peasantry as to explain
every difficulty in the way of our gallant army obtaining supplies, and
that the rebellion, so far from being limited to the Sepoys, has even.
extended to the Sikhs and Irregular troops. It would be premature
to anticipate those details to any extent, but we frankly confess that,
in the telegraphic despatches received, we fail to discover one single
fact which tends to reassure the country that the terrible crisis through
which our Eastern empire is now passing approaches its termination.
We believe that it has not yet reached its maturity, and that before it
has been fully developed on the one hand, and suppressed on the
other, that great calamities and serious sacrifices will have to be
endured.

Wo still adhere to our opinion that the Kensington-gore estate
would be a more suitable site for the new National Gallery than the
one now proposed by the Commissioners. In the first place, it would
be impossible to make use of the Trafalgar-square site without inter-
fering with the barracks behind, a step not likely to meet with the
approbation of his Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief.
Secondly, we should thereby lose both the `Sheepshanks
and Turner collections, for the former was bequcated to the nation
only on condition that the gallery was removed to Kensington ; and
the collection of the latter is so extensive that it can never be accom-
modated in the existing National Gallery; while, if the Government
fail to provide accommodation within a given time, half of which has
already elapsed, the collection is lost to the country for ever. A great
deal too much has been said upon the central position of Trafalgar-
square. This is rather the result of habit than a reality.
Astists and men of letters would for the most part find
Kensington as central as Charing-cross. All that large class
who formerly peopled Bloomsbury have now migrated to Tyburnia
and Brampton ; and there can be no doubt that if we regard the con-
venience of the working classes, Kensington would be in many
respects the more eligible site of the two. When a working man is
out for a holiday, and then only would he go, a mile makes very little
difference to him—not more difference, at least, than the advantage of
being so near Kensington-gardens would fully compensate.

It is with much pleasure we record the result of this week's Election
Petitions. On Wednesday the two Liberal Members for Great Yarmouth
were unseated; and yesterday Mr. CODBOLD, the Conservative Member.
was confirmed in his seat at Ipswich ; but in the other two cases of
Huntingdon County and Sligo Borough, the result is even more grati-
fying, both having proved a decided and clear gain to the Conser-
vative party. In the former, it will be remembered, there was a dead
heat between Mr. HEATHCOTE and Mr. FELLOWES. A scrutiny
followed, which has resulted in the return of Mr. FELLovrEs.
The decision of the Committee upon the Sligo election is only
that which our readers must have been prepared for, after reading
the letter of our Irish correspondent, which gave a full and faithful
account of the trial in the Queen's Bench, Dublin. Never was a
clearer or a more revolting case unfolded to popular view. By the
fortunate indisposition of the principal actor in this drama of fraud
and corruption, the House of Commons was not favoured with the
disclosures on which an Irish jury were called upon to adjudicate.
But we are unwilling that the facts should escape attention. It would
he a pity that the country should not understand the mode in which
Palmerstonism was attempted to be foisted upon it. Mr.
J. P. SOMERS invades Sligo not merely as a supporter
but as intimate friend of the Premier. It was his leading claim and
his dominant pretension to the confidence of that constituency. His
vauntings and his boasts, however, on that score, were found to be impo-
tent to defeat a candidate coming before the electors with the character
and reputation which attached by universal assent to Mr. WYNNE. A
deep-laid scheme therefore was devised to insure Mr. SomEas's return at
all hazards and by all contrivances. The tools were at hand. A
corrupt mayor, corrupt deputies, and corrupt poll-clerks, constituted
the staff empowered to secure a triumph for Palmerstonism in a Pal-
merstonian borough. They did their work bravely and well
Legal votes for Mr. WYNNE were refused ; votes for Mr. WYNNE
were entered for Mr. SOMERS ; votes tendered for Mr. WYNNE
and -rejected were 000lly planed to filr. Somnitie credit;