The Press.
London, England, 1854-03-18 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

252

Or A CORRESPONDENT, on whom we can entirely rely, informs us,
with reference to the Noble subject of some satirical verses in
the last number of the PRESS, that there is no foundation for
the imputation conveyed, but that an illness, from which he is
still suffering, was the true cause of the resignation alluded to.
Under these circumstances it may be needless to express our
regret at having helped to give currency to an unfounded report;
but we recognise, and even welcome, the obligation to contra-
dict a statement of which we naturally but erroneously inferred
the authenticity from its having previously passed unchallenged
in other journals of respectable standing.

AN ODE OF HORACE.

FREELY TRANSLATED, ' DEDICATED TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS,

BY THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY.

BOOK 11., ODE 19.
" Bacchum in remotis can:Dina rupibus vidi docentem."

'Neath the Reform's protecting shade,
By Bacchus fired, a speech I made
(Let not my fault be chided) ;
Great PAM sat listening in the chair,
And DUDLEY STUART, with pricked-up ear,
At t'other end presided.*

Hurra for wine ! elate I said ;
It cheers my stomach, prompts my head,
And fills me with orations ;
Yet spare me, Bacchus, while I speak,
And grant no words of folly leak
From Cabinet potations.

Thee I'll extol, CHARLES NAPIER, thee,
Seaman, of speech erewhile too free
On public men and money ;
Soothed by our feast, how changed thy note,
The wine glides gently down thy throat,
And from it words of honey.f

Him too, thy partner of the war,
I'll sing, our second naval star,:

DUNDAS, the dread of Bruin;
Sing how Whig wisdom sends Whig valour
Against tho land of hides and " taller,"
To threaten no light ruin.

Two barbarous seas shall own our powers,
Sebastopol's and Croustades towers

At once shall feel our stormers ;
Our tars, Munchausen-like, assail
The Russian Bear at head and tail,
And both the flints " Reformers."

On, NAPIER, on ! I bid thee brave
The Russian fleet, tho Baltic wave,

To fight, and not to parley ;
To face the Bear's devouring jaws,
And show the British Lion's claws,§
I send thee (Bravo, CHARLEY !).

Though RUSSELL deem thy dauntless heart
Wanting in valour's better part,

A chiefs most useful talent,
I, on the contrary, commend
In peace or war my gallant friend,

Nor less discreet than gallant.ll

Long since, by favouring breezes borne,
Our fleets have graced the Golden Horn,ll
Our Premier cries peceari ;
And Pachas, kindling at the sight,**
Have wagged their horsetails with delight,
And hailed the British Navy.

• Nymphasque discentes, et cures
Capnpedum Satyrorum acutas.
♦ Vinique fontem....
.... atque truncis
Lapse cavis iterare mella.
t Fas et beam conjugis additum
Steins honorem—

§ Rhoetum retorsisti leonis
Unguibus—
ii Non sat itioneus
fervbare, sed idem
Pacis eras mediusque belli.
la
A ureu curnu decorum.
•• Leniter atterens caudam.

SATURDAY,

EXTRACTS FROM THE DIARY OF A
RESPECTABLE RADICAL M P
March 13.—Understand the Coalition think of adopting my plan of
communicating with the country. Dinner at Simpson's, when her
Majesty intends to declare war ; and discreetly indiscreet clerk at the
Foreign-office —name and address unknown—to tell Ministerial
papers, at the right time, what All the Talents propose to do with
Great Britain. Obvious saving of expense and improved health to
elderly gentlemen in the closing of Parliament altogether ; only the
able-bodied members of the Government to be called 'Upon to con•
sume tavern port out of patriotism ; and no gentlemen of the press to
be allowed to state which of them most vociferously refused to return
to his official residence before " daylight did appear."

GRAHAM'S defence of himself—that he talked nonsense after dinner.
House ordinarily sits past midnight, according to BROTHERTON :
natural conclusion, therefore, that the First Lord's general rationality
results from his never dining till breakfast time ! Country does not
know the sacrifices Ministers make on its behalf. Sir JAMES some-
what ashamed of himself, however, and, to the best of a misty recol
lection, believing all he said was, " that he hoped, when Sir CHARLES
" got into the Baltic, there would be no difficulty on his part in
" declaring war." After-dinner speeches unfortunately involve after-
dinner reports, or else one might suspect that shorthand was safer
than memory as to avowedly interpoculous talk. Certain it is that
none of the acounts of the dinner justify this gloss of Sir JAMES'S: but
stenography is a vulgar science, and Right Honourable vivacity a
thing not lightly to be impugned. Does BRIGHT like to be
despised? Can't imagine how he relishes PALMERSTON'S indiffer-
ence and contempt, and MOLESWORTH'S contempt and indiffer-
ence. Confess to having doubts of the propriety of voting with
the Government myself since it has taken to being so candid in
reference to its supporters. HUME, I fear, delighted at BRIGHT'S
snubbing, and, unhappily, our whole camp in a state of insurrection—
insurrectionary, too, without even the excuse of probable pillage, in
which, as HAYTER mournfully says, the Peelites have anticipated us all.
MIALL, having been a minister—of a chapel, not of the Crown—dis-
gusted with COBDEN'S thinking " Reverends' a term of reproach; and
APSLEY PELL/err—who has a bill for the abolition of oaths—swearing
that nothing will now ever induce him to take office till PALMERSTON
has again left it at Lord ;Tomes instigation. Radicalism, in short, in
extrends, and going out in frightfully bad odour, like an economical
candle, I fear•. Government, at any rate, superfluously strong, or
would not be trying to rid itself of Manchester support in this way
BRIGHT'S not notorious for the forgivingness of his disposition
A debate in the Lords as to the mode in which the newspapers
get hold of secret information, with some inquiry whether the
Government think it will answer much longer to administer the affairs
of the empire on their present plan, in vino without any veritas, and
through channels of which they pronounce it useless to endeavour to
explore the sound. Lord ABERDEEN'S apology that a clerk of Lord
MALMESBURY'S appointment must have been the traitor. Lord
MALMESBURY'S reply proof of an alibi for the young gentleman pointed at.
They do say in the Foreign-office that there is virtuous indignation going
on, and that nearly all the Cabinet are anxious to see the real culprit
dismissed ; but they fear, on the other hand, that it is too probable he
may be rescued from the penalty he deserves by the grateful instru-
mentality of those of the Ministers who, but for his indiscretions,
would be left entirely in the dark as to what their autocratic Premier
is doing. Think I ought to move for an inquiry whether the gentle-
man ABERDEEN has accused is the betrayer ; and, if not, who is I
Should I have the support of the Government?
March 14.—A judgeship vacant, and poor STONOR in a colony far
away ! Young PEEL knew nothing against STONOR as a candidate for
his present position. Indeed, he knew nothing about him. Mr.
FREDERICK happens to be a barrister, which precludes any acquaint-
ance with the legal profession, and in the Colonial office, which makes
it essential to his impartiality that he should know nothing of the
previous character• or qualifications of a judge for a colony. However,
since the appointment, being fond of useless research, he had real
the evidence and the conviction, and arrived at the conclusion that the
committee who convicted STONOR were utterly wrong. Committee not
flatterers, as I understand. PEEL made a hash of it. NEWCASTLE, too,
chose to do the same, and ready with an entirely different defence for
the Lords. Set a predatory person to catch a ditto—his tack. STONOR
so apt at breaking laws, just the fellow to enforce them, and appointed,
in consequence, out of compliment to the convicting committee, with
which NEWCASTLE altogether agreed. Reform Bill to be brought on
after Easter, and the anxiety to get STONOR out of the country to
be mentioned by Mr. KEOGH, as evidence of the purity of the Govern-
ment. KEOGH, by the way, has to-night been voting against PALMERS-
TON on the nuns disposal-of-property business. GRAHAM, they say,
is a great advocate of this " agreeing to disagree " feature of the great
Coalition. Letters and questions he regards in much the same light—
give him the opportunity and both will always be open.

ANAORAIL—EarI of Aberdeen=Real need of Bear.
CONIINDRUM.—What is the difference between a Russian Admiral
and the First Lord of the English Admiralty? One ports in Revel,
and avoids war ; the other revels in port, and declares war.