The Press.
London, England, 1854-02-04 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

fearing from the ecclesiastical to the civil courts the
cognisance of testamentary and of matrimonial causes, and
for giving increased efficiency to the superior courts of
common law.
" The laws relating to the relief of the poor have of late
undergone much salutary amendment ; but there is one
branch to which I earnestly direct your attention. The
law of settlement impedes the freedom of labour ; and, if
this restraint can with safety be relaxed, the workman may
be enabled to increase the fruits of his industry, and the
interests of capital and of labour will be more firmly
united.
" Measures will be submitted to you for the amendment
of the laws relating to the representation of the Commons

in Parliament.
" Recent experience has shown that it is necessary to
take more effectual precautions against the evils of bribery•,
and of corrupt practices at elections. It will also be your
duty to consider whether more complete effect may not be
given to the principles of the act of the last reign, whereby
reforms were made in the representation of the people in
Parliament. In recommending this subject to your consi-
deration, my desire is to remove every cause of just com-
plaint, to increase general confidence in the Legislature,
and to give additional stability to the settled institutions of
the State.
" I submit to your wisdom the consideration of these
important subjects ; and I pray God to prosper your coun-
sels, and to guide your decisions."
THE ADDRESS.
In the Upper House the Earl of CARR/AVON
moved the address in reply to the speech from the
throne. Touching first on the great question of the
day, the Russo-Turkish war, his lordship sought to
vindicate the conduct of the Administration by
depicting the various blessings which peace had
secured to the country, and thence arguing that
everything which they had done or attempted in
order to avert war was to be approved of, when we
considered the vast importance of the object for
whose sake it was designed. Lord Carnarvon after-
wards embarked upon a series of congratulations ;
felicitating the country upon the results of various
measures passed last session, the prospect of various
measures promised for this, and the general tokens
of progress and prosperity which he discovered on
every side.
The Earl of DUCIE seconded the motion.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE dissected with
much minuteness the foreign policy of the Govern-
ment as tested by the course pursued towards
Turkey, and characterised it as vacillating, weak, and
unsuccessful. Throughout the negotiations the
course adopted by the Administration had been
studiously concealed, and even in the royal speech
he could find no precise intimation either as to our
present position or our future policy. The character
of England had sunk immeasurably among con-
tinental nations through the conduct of the Govern-
ment in this affair. The sneer went round that we
were " afraid; " and, from a careful examination of
the successive incidents of the dispute, he arrived at
the conclusion that either the courage of the Ministry
must have been deficient or their penetration
sadly at fault. This conclusion the noble lord after-
wards strengthened by alluding to the celebrated
Vienna conference note, upon which he offered some
caustic comments.
The Earl of CLARENDON defended the concealment
system, on the plea that as ministers were
responsible to Parliament they were not called upon
to publish their acts before the Legislature met, in
imitation of those Governments who had no Parlia-
ment to which they owned responsibility. Revela-
tions also might, on certain contingencies, have been
inconvenient, damaging to the cause of peace. He
denied that the Administration had shown cowardice.
What they had done was under an intimate convic-
tion of the value of peace, which they considered
worth any sacrifice except that of the national
honour or the faith of treaties. This position the
noble earl illustrated by a minute detail of the pro-
ceedings and negotiations on either side, pointing
always to the dexterity with which at every turn
Russia had contrived to hold forth such prospect of
a peaceful solution as warranted the British Govern-
ment in carrying on the negotiations without com-
mitting the country to the terrible hazards of war.
By way of consolation he urged that the delay in
pushing forward active measures had been serviceable
to the Turks, who had thus obtained much valuable
time to complete their warlike preparations, whereof
they had made excellent use.
The Earl of MALMEBBURY forbore to comment upon
the state of foreign affairs, and their serious entangle-
ments in Russia and Turkey, until the official papers
had appeared, and the subject came fully on for dis
cussion. His lordship, however, recapitulated and
censured the secret and mysterious manner in which
ministers had conducted the negotiations. Some of
the consequences he pointed out, such as despatches
appearing surreptitiously in the papers, and informa-

SATURDAY,

tion respecting the movements of the British Minis•
try reaching this country by - • from the
foreign journals. These results, he contended, were
disrespectful to the house and prejudicial to the
public service. Another injurious consequence fol-
lowed indirectly from the same source. Ministerial
secrecy prevented the expression of public opinion
in England, and thus stopped one of the most
powerful influences that might have induced the
Czar to adopt a pacific course. On this point Lord
Malmesbury said :

" I can perfectly understand that there may be occasions
when it may be very inconvenient to be constantly placing
papers before the house, and before Parliament ; but I be-
lieve that upon this occasion the Government would have
gained by taking a more open course, and that, if they had
been more candid in their explanations, the people, with
their natural sagacity, seeing what the objects of Russia
were in this dispute, would have shown what their feelings
were upon the subject, and that such a display would have
assisted and armed the Government, and would have pre-
vented the Emperor of Russia from being deceived into
the belief that this country, during forty years of peace and
prosperity, had degenerated into a state of indifference in
regard both to treaties with its allies, and to its own honour
and character, and would be glad to purchase peace at any
price."
But the Ministry had misled the Czar at an earlier
period. By depreciating the efforts made to consoli-
date the French alliance during Lord Derby's Ad..
ministration, and by their speeches at the commence-
ment of their own, several of the present ministers
had given Russia reasonable cause to believe that
England and France could never act cordially to-
gether, and thus induced the Emperor to venture
upon attacking Turkey. The noble earl proceeded
to examine the various stages of the dispute on all
sides, eulogising the intrepidity displayed by Turkey,
and showing abundant cause for ascribing heavy
blame to the English Government, " not for endea-
vouring to avert war, but for vacillating in their
conduct, and not taking the right steps at the proper
moment."
Earl GREY admitted that the conduct of the
Government stood in great need of vindication.
Respecting Turkey, he thought the course they had
pursued was open to two serious queries. First,
whether we had any call to interfere in her support
at all. Secondly, if so, why we had not interfered
earlier. But if, as he feared, war was inevitable, it
should be carried on with vigour and unanimity; and
he trusted, to find the detects in the service which a
long peace might have fostered promptly removed,
and the naval and military forces organised upon a
system of the highest efficiency. For this purpose
he indicated the necessity of appointing younger
officers to higher commands than were at present
found them. The noble earl then adverted to the
Reform scheme, chiefly for the purpose of recom-
mending the Government to postpone it to a more
appropriate season.
The Earl of DERBY touched upon all the subjects
introduced in the speech of the Sovereign, and no-
ticed some omissions to be observed in it. He con-
curred in desiring some reforms in the universities,
but doubted whether a commission was the fitting
machinery for obtaining the requisite information,
and pointed out the directions in which improvement
should be sought. On the subject of popular educa-
tion he regretted to find no promise made and no
notice taken in the royal speech. Respecting foreign
relationships, there were also some important matters
passed sub sitentio, among which were the questions
pending between England and the United States,
and the treaties effected through Lord Malmesbury's
efforts with various _states in South America, whereby
the waters of the River Plate and its vast adjacent
district were opened up to British commerce. Ad-
verting to the Turkish question, Lord Derby abstained
from opening the whole controversy, but remarked
upon the indefinite and indescribable condition in
which the diplomacy of the Government had placed
the country at the pending juncture:—
"We are left to mere conjecture as to whether, at the
moment that I am speaking, we are at peace or at war.
For I presume that, if I were to hint that we are actually
at war, not only would such a conclusion be repudiated by
her Majesty's Government, but they would state that the
Government mean to persevere in their efforts to preserve
peace; yet I would suggest a little modification in this,
and say that, before peace is preserved, it had better be
restored. (A laugh.) It is intimated to us, however,
that a state of warfare has ensued from the failure of all
our negotiations. A state of warfare with whom? Are
we engaged in that warfare? Are we belligerents? Are
we partisans? Are we earning on war openly and boldly,
or are we carrying on that which is tantamount to war, but
a war carried on in a pettifogging manner, and, I might
almost say, in a manner discreditable to this great country ?
I know not ; but I hope that, when the papers shall have
been submitted to our consideration, we shall at least
know what is the precise occupation in which our fleet is
engaged at present ; that we shall know precisely under
what orders it has been sent, and that those orders have
been given in the most distinct, and positive, and formal
manner by her Majesty's Government here to the admiral
in command of the squadron. I shall rejoice to see what
is the exact state of affairs; but at the present moment I
confess it is involved in obscurity. We are not at war—

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