The Press.
London, England, 1854-08-05 00:00:00

THE PRESS

ment should have been conferred on an un•

distinguished subordinate.
Sir G. GREY evidently felt this. His good
nature, and a natural reluctance to reverse the
ac of his immesilate predecessor, still a col-
league, prevented Mtn From annulling tiff)
inchoate appointment of which he all but ad-
mitted in the House of Commons that he
disapproved. The moment that unfavourable
runtours reached him he appears to have
instituted, an inquiry. bio suspicion of com-
plicity' rests on him ; but can the same be said
for all parties concerned ? It is remarkable
that the Ministerial. champions up to the very
last moment maintained the language of
injured and indignant innocence. They pooh-
poohed the reports which for days previous
had been circulating through London, and to
which the press had adverted in no dubious
terms. They received Sir JOHN PAKINOTON'S
notice with a cheer of derisive defiance. No
means were spared to intimidate the assailant
in the short interval that elapsed between his
summons and their surrender. And the game,
boldly played, was not a hopeless one. Many
things are believed, nay, known to be true,
which it would not be easy to prove in a
court of justice ; and a man in Sir JOHN'S
position might well have been excused
if, through fear of risking his own reputation,
he had left that of Mr. LAWLEY unattacked.
But lie chose a wiser and bolder course. He
persevered ; and so eager was the Cabinet to
suppress his statement, that Sir G. GREY
actually anticipated the accusation by speak-
ing out of his turn, in order at once to enter
a plea of guilty on Mr. LAWLEY'S part. To
talk, therefore, of a " frank confession" as
being half a reparation is mere moonshine.
There was no confession, no giving way, until
exposure was at hand. Then, whether in fear
lest something worse should come out, or for
some unexplained reason, the acknowledgment
of error was made : it was complete, and only
the more humiliating for having been so long
postponed. The whole business demands in-
quiry, and all the more so because this is not
tht. first time that the Duke of NEWCASTLE has
been caught at similar tricks. A wide distinc-
tion exists between a single questionable act
and a succession of such acts. The gambler
who throws sixes once is only lucky ; but if he
does so four times running we begin to suspect
foul play, and think of calling in the police.
A shopman gives us a bad half-crown in
change ; we take it back and accept his
apology for the mistake: but such mistakes,
if repeated again and again, assume a very
different aspect.
Let us consider, then, what this duke
has done previously in the way of patron-
age. He appointed Mr. STONOR—of course
in ignorance of the charges against
him ' • and the appointment. had to be can-
celled, to Mr. STONOR'S utter ruin. He got
a place in the Treasury for Mr. SADLEIR,
and we know what has become of Mr.
SADLEIR'S reputation. It was through his
influence that Mr. O'FLAHERTY received a
lucrative situation, and Mr. O'FLAHERTY is
now in America, or in some other distant
region, with a good deal of other people's
money. Last comes the case of Mr. LAWLEY.
What are we to think of all this? Those who
read history, and who believe in the trans-
mission of hereditary qualities, will, doubtless,
call to mind that the family of PELHAM, during
one-half of the last century, stood prominently
before the world, distinguished by the double
characteristic of incapacity for statesmanship,
and genius for jobbing. The race has not
degenerated, and it is to its latest repre-
sentative, at a momentous crisis, that the
military destinies of England are entrusted.
,

THE AFFAIRS OF SPAIN.
Tits insurrection in Spain, iu attaining its
successful result, has gone through the regu-
lar course visible in all Spanish movements.
A bold adventurer raises the standard of re-
volt, he is joined by a portion of the military,
and for a short time the civilians look on,
while the destinies of the country are decided
by the soldiery. Just its the movement has
become successful it is joined by some
banished Minister or forgotten favourite.