The Press.
London, England, 1856-01-12 00:00:00

tour' attb lastion.

HER Majesty during the week has received a distin-
guished circle of visitors. His Royal Highness the
Count of Flanders arrived at the Castle on Monday,
and remains on a visit. Prince Edward of Saxe
Weimar also remains at the Castle.

Her Majesty gave a theatrical performance on
Wednesday evening, when the comic drama of A
Wonderful Woman, and the farce of Only a Half-
penny, were performed in St. George's-hall. Her
Majesty, accompanied by Prince Albert, the Duchess
of Kent, the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales,
and the junior members tf the Royal Family, with a
distinguished party, were present.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge
accompanied by Generals Airey and Jones, with
Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, left London at an early
hour on Wednesday, en route to Dover, Calais, and
Paris, where his Royal Highness arrived in safety in
the evening.
Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence has been suffering
during the week from a severe relapse of gout. Con-
sultations have been daily held by Dr. Bright and
the physicians in attendance, and bulletins issued.
The noble lord is not yet out of danger.
Lord Stanley, M.P., has during the week been on d
visit to the Right Hon. B. Disraeli, M.P., at Hugh-
enden Manor.

Earl Granville, Lord President, has issued invi-
tations to dinner, on the 29th instant, to the Ministers
and officers of State, for the purpose of settling the
Roll of Sheriffs for the present year.
The Lord Chancellor, accompanied by Lady Cran-
worth, arrived in town on Thursday from his seat in
Kent. The noble and learned lord received the
judges and the leading members of the bar yesterday
at breakfast, after which his lordship and learned
guests proceeded in procession to open the courts
of law.
Lord and Lady John Russell and family arrived
early in the week at his lordship's seat near Stroud,
Gloucestershire, from visiting the Duke and Duchess
of Bedford, at Woburn Abbey, Beds.
Lord Ernest Bruce has left town for Tottenham-
park, near Marlborough,Wilts.
The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M.P., and Mrs.
Gladstone come to town the week alter next, from
Sir Stephen Glynne's seat, Hawarden Castle, Flint-
shire, for the meeting of Parliament.
The Duchess of Manchester has arrived in town
for her accouchement.
Sir Thomas Moncrieffe still continues dangerously
ill at Moncrieffe house.
Viscount Somerton and the Hon. Miss Barrington
are about to form a matrimonial alliance.

Lady Ellenborongh, whose death was currently re-
ported lagt week under somewhat highly coloured
circumstances, is stated, according to letters of the
10th ult., to be at present hi good health, at
Damascus.

THE PRESS.

The Marquis of Townshend died a few days since
at his villa near Genoa. His lordship is succeeded
in his title and estates by his cousin, Captain Towns-
bend, M.P. for Tamworth.

Volittral.

THE EARL OF ELGIN, in reply to the address of
the Lord Provost of Glasgow, upon the occasion of
the presentation of the freedom of that city to the
noble earl, in the Glasgow City-hall, on Friday last,
lightly sketched the leading principles of his colonial
policy while Governor General of Canada :

I know well (said the noble earl) there are people in
this country, perhaps not so many now as many years ago,
but I know there are persons in the country who hold the
opinion that the colonies are a useless encumbrance; and
I so far agree with these persons, that it is possible so to
govern these colonies as to render them an intolerable
burden ; but I believe it possible, by the adoption of a
wiser policy—by freely and frankly conceding to our
fellow•subjeets in the colonies those rights and privileges
we so dearly prize—by treating their• feelings with respect,
and their wishes with consideration, so to attach them to
the mother•coun try as to render them a source of strength.
T 1 at it was now, by the substitution of a yolicy of
confidence for one of reserve and distrust, that we
had wrought a most important and material improve-
ment in our relations with the Colonies, and that
the distracted, depressed, and almost bankrupt
Canada of 1847 should be peaceful, prosperous, and
contented in 1850, the noble earl explained by this
change of our policy in colonial government. With
respect to American jealousy, Lord Elgin regarded
any ill feeling towards us on the part of the Ameri-
cans as a serious penalty to pay for any trivial ad-
vantages such as the Fishing•ground Rights Treaty
might have given us, and admitted that he consi-
dered it as one of his first duties ever to reduce the
risk of a quarrel with America to the minimum de-
gree. Upon the war, Lord Elgin frankly stated his
belief that the best thing we could do was to fight it
out; expressed a certain sense of confidence in Lord
Pamerston's Government; and did not feel very
sanguine as to the result of the negotiations now
commencing, though he yielded to no man in his
desire for the re-establishment of peace :

My opinions are very easily stated, and I have no hesita-
tion in avowing them. I say that now we are in for this
war we must tight it out like men. Ido not say, throw
away the scabbard ; in the first place, because I dislike all
violent metaphors, anti in the second place, because I think
a scabbard a very useful implement, when used at the pro-
per tune, and the sooner we can use it the better. But I
do say, having drawn your sword, do not sheathe it till the
purposes fur which it has been drawn are accomplished.
I say, taking the very lowest view of the matter, looking at
it simply as a question of pounds, shillings, and pence, it
appears to me that nothing could be more demonstrably
absurd than to leave work of this kind half finished. I go
further. I have no hesitation in saying—and lam rather
glad to have an opportunity of saying, because I have seen
unwarranted statements to the effect that I might have a
different opinion—l have no hesitation in saying that in
my opinion Lord Palmerston and his Government have,
for some time past, been carrying on this war in a manner
which entitles them to the favour and support both of those
who considered a war a necessity from the commencement,
and of others (no doubt a minority) who have the opinion
that, whatever the prospect of the war may have been at the
outset it was soon made a necessity by the blunders of one set
of diplomatists and by the passions and temper of another.
A great deal is now being said about negotiations; I
earnestly hope that these negotiations may turn out to be
of some use, but I must confess that I am not very san-
guine on that point. I think myself—though I should be
sorry to say anything to give offence to persons in autho-
rity—that since this business began, next to the successes
of our arms, what we have had most reason to be thank-
ful to Providence for is the failures of our diplomatists.
What would have been our position now, if we had suc-
ceeded in inducing Turkey to accept the proposals which
we made to her in the famous Note of Vienna, and if, after
it had been too late to mend the matter, we had found
that, in point of fact, we bad secured for Russia every
single thing which Prince Meuschikoff intended to obtain,
the eagle of France, the lion of Great Britain, and the wild
beasts of the other country crouching at her feet, as senti
nels to guard what she secured? Or what would have
been our position if, under the influence of some judicial
blindness, Russia had not refused the proposals made the
year following at Vienna, and if we had not got from her
any paper arrangement such as was suggested in these
proposals, leaving her the prestige and credit of the suc
cessful defence of Sebastopol? But though I have said all
this in respect to my views of the necessity of carrying on
war till we get a proper peace, I most distinctly declare
that I yield to no man, not only in my desire to see peace
re established, but in my abhorrence of the evils—moral,
social, and political—that a state of war involves.

Mr. APSLEY PELLAT addressed the electors of
Southwark on Monday evening, and declared himself
in favour of carrying on tho war with vigour, until
free trade and freedom of ck,mmunication were uni-
versally established :
- -

When he considered that 20,000,060/. hnd been willingly
paid to rescue a portion of her 11Ittjusty's subjects from
slavery he could not doubt that 200,000,0001. would be as
willingly provided to rescue from that thraldom and misery
in which autocracy would, if it succeeded in its übjt:ct,

33

ultimately place them, nearly all (Europe and the greater
part of Asia. Heavy, then, as was the pressure which the
war imposed upon all classes—great as was the depression
of trade already resulting from it—he was convinced it
would be borne cheerfully, and that the country would con-
tinue to support that Ministry that would carry it on with
vigour. They did not want a Russell prop nor a Peelite
buttress to keep the Cabinet of England in condition while
Palmeniton was at its head. They must insist upon the
Baltic and the Black Sea being thrown open to the trade
of all nations; and we must continue our efforts until,
with the aid of our allies—France, Sardinia, and Turkey—
we convince the autocrat that our principle was the right
one, and that freedom of trade and freedom of communica-
tion must be universally established.
The hon. member then explained his political prin-
ciples, speaking in favour of an amalgamation or the
laws upon real and personal property, of army reform,
and the abolition of church rates. At the conclusion
of his address, the hon. member, reverting again to
the war, said that peace at any price was to prepare
the road to annihilation as an independent nation,
and that until Russian power was effectually bum-
bled, and the allies had forts and fleets in the Baltic
and Black Seas, to prevent Sinope massacres, and to
preserve free trade to all nations, England would not
have attained the proud position to which she was
entitled.

Loan HOTHAN, at the opening of the Hull Corn
Exchange on Tuesday last, in reply to the toast of
the " Army," declared that he considered the present
war neither unjust nor unnecessary, and that he
believed the country and the Government were pre-
paring their best energies " for the crowning and
successful efforts of the coming struggle." Ills
lordship then proceeded to point out the evils of
underrating the enemy and overestimating our own
strength, and concluded by a reference tathe failure
of the attack on the Redan, with an earnest appeal
to his audience that in the coming campaign they
wore' not in any case rashly condemn the opera-
tions of the allied armies upon imperfect informa
tion. Captain Duncombe, in returning thanks for
the " Navy," said, with respect to a peace—

k That peace must not be a rotten truce, but a peace of a
permanent nature, and if the negotiations which are now
on foot are to have any real termination we must hope for
forbearance on both sides; and those who are engaged in
carrying on the affairs of this country, and who are dealing
with a powerful enemy, must recollect that the trans-
actions must be of a forbearing nature, such as must
reflect honour and dignity on this enlightened nation ;
and if they are to end in permanent, lasting, and honour-
able peace, I believe no men are more desirous than those
of the navy of this country.

MR. BRAMWELL, Q.C., has been appointed Baron
of the Exchequer, in the place of Sir James Parke.
MR. PETER BENSON MAXWELL, of the English
common law bar, has been appointed to the vacant
Recordership of Penang. Mr. Maxwell was called to
the bar in 1841, and was a member of the Home
Circuit; he was also one of the commissioners
selected by the Duke of Newcastle in the autumn of
1851 to inquire into the state of the hospitals at
Scutari, and obtained some notoriety a short tme
since, as author of the pamphlet " Wrhom Shall we
Hang?" The salary of‘Mr. Maxwell's appointment
is worth 2,000/. a year.
A MEETING OF THE MILITARY COMMITTEE of the
Cabinet Ministers was held oa Saturday at the office
of the Secretary of State for War. Present, Viscount
Palmerston, the Earl of Clarendon, Lord Panmure,
Earl Granville, Sir Charles Wood, and Sir George
Grey. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge,
Viscount Hardinge,Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, and
General Sir R. Airey also attended.
Mn. GRENVILLE BERKELEY addressed his consti-
tuents at Cheltenham, on the war, on Tuesday.
After some ref rence to Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Bright,
and Mr. Cobden, the prominent representatives of
the peace party, " who had done mere by their
speeches to defeat their own object than the most
strenuous supporter of the policy of the war," Mr.
Berkeley spoke of the vigorous steps taken by Lord
Palmerston's Government to bring our war estab •
lishments into efficient working order, and stated
that General Codrington had more than 50,000 men
now, and would have nearly 100,000 in the summer,
under his command :

Effectually humbling the power of Russia was the only
means of bringing about a lasting peace. That was the
policy of France and England, and, when it succeeded, he
believed it would be the proudest moment of a long and
useful life when Lord Palmerston could sign a treaty of
peace alike honourable to England and France, honour-
able to Europe, and a blessing to posterity.