The Press.
London, England, 1854-04-22 00:00:00

[To be continuedl

THE increase and diminution which had taken place
last year in the public departments are shown in a re-
turn just printed. The chief item of increase is set
down to the Post-office, in which department 1,220
more persons have been engaged, at salaries amount-
ing to 20,858/. ; the convict establishment also had
109 more servants than in 1852 ; the Customs, 07 ;
Stamps and Taxes, 59. On the other hand, the Ex-
cise has 207 less, and the consequent saving is
24,7341.; but there is an increase in the same depart-
ment, under the head of " expenses," to the extent
of 15,7481. The general result is an increase of
1,478 in the number of persons employed in some of
the public offices, and a diminution of 230 in others ;
in money, an increase of expense in the one set of
offices to the extent of 105,072/., and a decrease in
others of 48,0131.

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APRIL 22, 1854.

RUSSIAN DIPLOMACY.

THE Lord Mayor's usual Easter banquet came off on
Monday. The rank and number of guests, and the
eclat with which " city hospitalities" are wont to be
surrounded, presented no falling off from the prece
dents set in former years. Among the speeches
made after dinner, that of most interest was de-
livered by Sir G. H. SEYMOUR, late Ambassador at
St. Petersburg, who gave some curious particulars
touching the mysteries of diplomacy and political
disquisition in the Russian capital. On his health
being drunk, coupled with a compliment to his
talents as a representative of Great Britain in a
foreign Court, he said that the compliment be-
longed rather to the system under which he had been
brought up than to himself individually
That system was a remarkably simple one. It was, in fact,
nothing more than keeping one's eyes open, and speaking
of things, not as they might be agreeable to the English
Government, but as they appeared to him at the time—in
other words, calling things by their right names. This
system was extremely simple, but unfortuuately it had not
been observed abroad, and to its non-observance he attri-
buted much of the evils with which we were now threatened.
In Russia nothing of the sort prevailed ; hence the misfor-
tune which had now befallen the world. He was persuaded
that nothing could be more incorrect than the intelligence
which was conveyed to Russia from all parts of Europe,
and therefore that nothing could be more false than the
conclusions which were drawn from that intelligence.
What did they write from the provinces of Turkey ? Why,
that every sort of horror was committed against the
Christians—that Greek priests had been burnt, that
churches had been destroyed, that women had been shame-
fully ill treated, that the extermination of the Christian
religion had been attempted—stories which made his hair
stand on end until lie discovered that there was not one
word of truth in them. What did they write from London ?
He was sorry to say that John Bull was represented as a
very material fellow—that he was excessively intent upon
his Three per Cents., and his mines, and his railway
stock—that he was rather addicted to creature comforts, to
buying and selling in the morning, and to eating and
drinking in the evening; and that he was particularly
indisposed to interrupt his prosperity by meddling
in affairs in which he had no direct concern. Of
course, he was not now alluding to the despatches of Prince
This or Count That, but was talking of the reports that
were generally current in St. Petersburg. He came next
to France. And what did they say of France ? They said,
" Here is a country which has just emerged from one great
political revolution, and is wholly bent upon avoiding
another." The principal men of this country are intent
upon realising large fortunes ; the Court itself is very im-
perial in its sympathies ; and, above all, the idea of a close
connection between England and France was reckoned a
myth—a thing to be talked of, but which could never be
realised. The result had been what we now witnessed.
The Emperor of Russia had plunged his country into a
war; and we were thus alienated for a moment from a
power with which we had long held amicable relations,
many of whose sympathies were with us, and one-half of
whose produce the merchants of England not only pur-
chased, but paid for beforehand. He would not conceal
from them also that there were kind hearts among the Rus-
sian people, and, when the present mist of prejudice should
be dispelled, there was many a friendly hand among them
which it would give him real pleasure to be the first to
shake. He could tell them that the English Minister to
the. Court of St. Petersburg was a very small man. He
might do what he could, but his voice was of small account;
and this was the culminating point of the case. It was not
what was said to the Emperor of Russia in English, but
what was said to him in his own language. That was what
decided the question ; and he was convinced that, if there
had been one man of character who had the courage
to declare the truth to his Majesty, he would never have
embarked in this unfortunate career. But, if we had lost
on the one side, we had gained on the other; and the grave
circumstances to which he had alluded had produced an
approximation to that which, perhaps, no other circum-
stance could have brought about. Need he say that he
referred to the alliance of England and Fiance? In every
language there were certain words of peculiar importance
and significancy. When we said of a man that he behaved
in a gentlemanly manner, or acted in the character of a
gentleman, we bestowed upon him the highest weed of
praise that it was in our power to offer, and we meant that
such a man would not only fulfil but would even go beyond
his engagements. In the French language the words loyal
and /opiate had the same meaning, and it mightbe allowed
to him, in speaking of the French Government, to say that,
as far as his powers of observation extended, these terms
were peculiarly applicable to them, and that nothingcould
be more loyal, nothing more marked by loyaute, the
proceedings of the. French Government. One slight circum-
stance had occurred which appeared to him not to have at-
tracted the attention it deserved among the arts—dodges, he
believed, was the modern word—resorted to for the purpose
of separating the English and French Governments. It
would be observed that the Emperor of Russia had meted
out very different treatment to the French Minister from
that which was awarded to her Marry s Minister. For
instance, he (Sir H. Seymour) received one fine winter's
morning an intimation that his back would be more agree-
able to the Emperor than his face, and that it was very de-
sirable he should name a day when he would be prepared to
return home. Nothing of the sort was done to the French
Minister ; but it happened that this little act was foreseen
and discountenanced, for the French Minister, upon hear-
ing of this treatment, wrote to. request that the tunnel kind
possible, might be sent to him, and off he went. t w.as
therefore, and probable, that the long centuries
hostility and jealousy between the }tench and Englis
of
h
oTermnents would be succeeded by as la an y tenteries