The Press.
London, England, 1858-10-23 00:00:00

THE PRESS, OCTOBER 23, 1858.

1028

THE WEEK.

The state of Prussia is the chief foreign subject of interest at the
present moment. The opening of the Chambers and the establishment of
the Regency are events that may deeply affect the destinies of Europe. At
present, however, the public mind is in suspense, and it will of course
be some time before we shall be justified in expressing any decided opinion
on the policy of the new regime. We hope sincerely it will prove to be of a
character congenial to English interests. Various untoward causes have
operated to keep Prussia more in the background than is befitting her
rank in Europe and the character of her people. We look forward to her
future with the greatest interest and sympathy, and hail recent events as
the commencement of a new era.

The election intelligence of the week promises a smartish contest for
the boroughs of Greenwich and Reigate. In the former case we wish well
to Mr. ANGERSTEIN, because we like to see local connections cherished.
Mr. ANGERSTEIN has property in, and old associations with, the borough,
members of his family having represented it formerly. At Reigate only
Mr. MONSON and Mr. WILKINSON appeared on nomination day, and the
show of hands was declared to be in favour of the latter. The poll is fixed
for to-day. Mr. EDWIN JAMES was hissed out of the Town-hall on
Thursday, and has not appeared since. At Leominster Captain HANBURY
was returned yesterday morning without opposition. He declared himself
a supporter of the present Government.

The inquiry into the Army Clothing system recommenced on Thurs-
day last, after a fortnight's adjournment. Mr. CALVERT, of the firm
of Cox and Co.; Mr. RAMSAY ; Colonel HORNE, of the 13th Regi-
ment ; Colonel HALLIDAY, of the 36th ; and Colonel amitinsT, of
the 9th, were examined as witnesses. One point on which the Chair-
man endeavoured to gain some information was the emoluments
derived from the colonels under the old system. Here Mr. CALVERT
and Colonel ELMIIIRST were at issue, the former denying, the latter affirm-
ing, that all the surplus clothing was the colonel's perquisite. In the
general mismanagement at Weedon all the witnesses concurred, and
described the delays and mistakes that occurred in furnishing the men
with clothing as extremely vexatious and harassing. As the War-office,
however, has consented to place all the Weedon books in the hands of
Mr. JAY, the public accountant, it is hoped that in the course of a few
months these mysterious documents will be interpreted.

The Times correspondence from India has this week been filled with
complaints of the conduct of young English officers towards the natives and
their native servants. Persons well acquainted with India are, however,

• inclined to believe that these statements arc exaggerated. We send out
-gentlemen, at all events, to officer our Indian army, who are not likely, as
a rule, to be guilty of playing practical jokes upon their servants, whatever
' they may do on one another. Native servants, we believe, are exceedingly
• difficult to manage, and calculated to try the most equable temper. Indi-
• vidual cases of oppression may occur, but it is not right to bring a sweeping
charge against the whole army in consequence of two or three isolated
cases.

The Agricultural Meetings for this week have been held in Essex,
Cambridge, Somerset, Nottinghamshire, and Norfolk. The speakers on
politics proper have been Major BERESFORD and Mr. Du CANE in the first-
mentioned county, and Lord Wommousz in the last. Lord HARDWICKE
and Captain HANBURY dwelt upon the national-defences question, and Mr.
CuowLEli and others addressed themselves more especially to agriculture.
In this department of our Journal we do not undertake to argue out politi-
cal questions at any length. And we shall, therefore, do no more than
record the fact that Major BERESFORD justified his support of Lord PAL-
MERSTON when Premier, and regretted that he could not support Lord
DERBY in everything. While Mr. DU CANE, already one of the most pro-
mising members of the house of Commons, drew a graphic picture of the
benefits which the country had experienced by the change of Ministry,
and, more especially, contrasted the factious conduct of Lord PALMERSTON,
both on the great Cardwell fight and Mr. LoCKE KING'S Bill, with the
frank support which he had himself received from the Conservatives. We
would only take this opportunity of again reminding our readers that,
notwithstanding the plausible sound of " measures not men," the phrase is
in reality but the merest political cant, and that to vote with one's party
is, after all, the truest political honesty. Lord WourmousE did not see
in the present state of parties any ground for accusing the nation at large
of political apathy. Just now we were more intent upon questions of
social improvement, and none of our ancient institutions could be consi-
dered in danger. But the time, he thought, would come when questions
of this nature would again arise, and prove that Englishmen had lost none
of their characteristic attachment to political principles. We hope that
his Lordship is right, but we hope still more that ere that day arrives, the
representative machinery of the country will be in such a condition as to
allow its full weight to the voice of every class in the community. Neither
Major BERESFORD nor Mr. Du CANE professed any knowledge of the forth-
coming Reform Bill; but we sincerely hope it will be of such a character
as to defer for some generations the realization of Mr. COBDEN'S
dream—the government of the country by the towns—i.e., the complete
subordination of agriculture to commerce, and the destruction of the
influence of the landed gentry. There is a form of optimism at the present
day which seeks to win assent by a sort of bluff affectation of common
sense. If the " influence" of one class interferes with the rights of another,
is is not legitimate influence. It wont do now-a-days to talk in this way,
stc. But this Itay of looking at things involves the complete ignoring of the

great truth that all political systems are a compromise. For the very exist-
ence
of civil society each individual member of it gives up certain rights, and
for the maintenance of constitutional government every order in the State
gives up certain rights too. To say, tberefore, that such and such things
are wrong, merely because they interfere with certain " rights," is in a prac-
tical sense pure nonsense. We know what that sort of thing ends in.
Such, no doubt, were the arguments put forward by the democratic.
reformers in ancient Athens. The most preposterous claims were gradually
and successively put forward as the people's rights, till at last it became
the established practice that the poor should be clothed, fed, amused, and
protected at the expense of the rich, without doing anything in return. Yet
while this consummation was in progress and not yet complete, what a vile
aristocrat, what an obsolete politician would he have been considered who
even ventured to hint at the doctrine of " legitimate influence" ! In his
remarks on Russia, and the hostility towards this country which the late
wars had produced Lord WonmousE might have reminded his hearers that
that war was the result of " Coalition " diplomacy, and that the peace
which left Turkey worse off than before was the crowning effort of a
statesman whom his admirers have ere now designated as a future
Premier. On the subject of' our national defences, Lord Ilaanwitxr.
spoke with great earnestness. But although we strongly advocate a
reasonable outlay of public money on the maintenance of a numerous and
efficient navy, we scarcely think the comparison drawn by Lord Bann-
\VICKI,: between the number of our ships during the Russian war and
during the American and French wars a fair one. In the two latter
instances we had our whole Colonial empire to defend, and in one
of them our own coast to protect as well ; in addition to which the
seabord or the colonies of either nation presented vulnerable points of
attack. In the Russia war but few of the circumstances were similar.
The Noble Earl also touched upon a point to which Mr. Cnow-
LER alluded, and on which we offered some observations to our
readers last week. We mean the distribution of prizes to farm labourers.
The question is a very simple one. If the present of a sovereign be objec-
tionable as such, let a hole be bored through it, a piece of blue tape
fastened to it, call it a medal, and then ask the recipient which he would
rather have, that or the original donation. The honour consists not in the
actual value of the gift, but in the public acknowledgment of the man's
services and character. Why he should not have a sovereign in addition,
we are certainly at a loss to understand. If he could have more, so much
the better. If every honest workman in the country, be his calling what it
may, could have a pension at sixty years of age, what a capital world we
should live in ! But he cannot. And to carp at whatever is done in the
same direction as inadequate may gratify a perverse love of fault-finding,
but can do no good to the public.

Of the other meetings—scientific, religious, or otherwise—of the past
week, the concluding sittings of the National Association claim the first
place. As, however, they came to a termination so long ago as last Satur-
day, we shall be very brief in our account of them. Some of the most in-
teresting Papers were the following :—A Paper by Miss CmirErmi upon
Reformatories and Ragged-schools, in which she expressed strong dis-
approval of the regulation by which a previous conviction is made a condi-
tion of admission to the former. We believe this Lady's opinion to be in ac-
cordance with that of the majority of experienced persons, there being a vast
amount of juvenile population homeless and vicious, but not criminal,
whom it is desirable to save from taking the final plunge. Captain CROF-
TON'S Paper upon Prisons was also a most useful practical essay. lie dwelt
very urgently on the beneficial effects to be expected from a classification
of prisoners, the neglect of which led, as he seemed to imply, to the rejec-
tion of our convicts by the colonies, and would, if continued, multiply
our difficulties in dealing with them at home. We ourselves go even
farther than Captain CROFTON ; for we still adhere to the opinions ex.
pressed in this Journal just two years ago—that, with a proper classifica-
tion of prisoners, a revival of transportation is desirable. In
the Department of Health a valuable Paper was contributed on the
subject of Lunatic Asylums. We should wish to add that in our
own opinion the evils which have recently received so large a share
of public attention will by no means terminate with the abolition of
Private asylums. We can assure our readers that a much more effective
system of supervision is required for public ones. if they would feel any con-
fidence that the inmates are exempt from the brutality and degradation
against which they have just been so indignant. In the Department of
Social Economy two long Papers were read on Emigration and Prostitution.
The first was valuable front the statistics it furnished on the subject of the
colonial labour market. The second, however well-intentioned, was, how-
ever, deficient in that practical knowledge which it is so difficult to obtain
in an unsuspicious shape upon this question. If we would probe
this painful subject to the bottom, we must have a scientific clas-
sification of the phenomena it presents. The last lecture of import-
ance was the Paper contributed by the Lord Chancellor of Ireland,
President of the Department of Jurisprudence. This paper was read by
Lord JOHN RUSSELL, and the eloquence and ability evinced in every line
of it elicited the warm approbation of the whole meeting, as well as a
pointed panegyric from Lord litioucalam. So that if laud,ari a laudato
vim be so great an honour as it is usually considered, the author of this
paper may felicitate himself upon this tribute a laudatissimo, for every one
has vied in heaping eulogies upon his Lordship's head throughout the late
meeting.
The proceedings of the Association were appropriately followed up by
the delivering of prizes to the successful candidates at the recent middle-
class examinations. An address on this occasion was delivered by Mr.
GLAnsTosr., whose encomiums on the new system were adapted to meet
g
a class of objections likely enough, perhaps, to be urged by man among
audience, but which leave other difficulties untouched. 1 e would
ask Mr. GrAnsTomr., for instance, whether his own admission of the
materialistic tendencies of the present age does not furnish a reason
for increasing rather than relaxing our efforts to cherish a love of 'earwig
for its own sake ?