The Press.
London, England, 1857-11-14 00:00:00

THE PRESS, NOVEMBER 14, 1857.

at the Reform Club. The taunt about English-
men not liking steel scabbards and " iron
heels" so much as the people of the Continent,
is one of those trenchant personalities which
should never be used by a statesman when
alluding to foreign kingdoms. The most
unfortunate Part of the speech was the careful
stamp of preparation which it bore. It cannot
be jestingly put aside as a light postprandial
effusion of the Premier. There was not a
joke in it from first to last ; and the measured
sentences recorded the fact that it was a
foreign-policy demonstration from Lord PAL-
MERSTON.

There cannot be any doubt that the
speech was both in words and tone
a decided menace. Why should the
unpleasant eventuality have been intimated
at all, " if any foreign nation dreamed in its
" visions that the time had arrived when a
" different bearing might be exhibited to
England " ? Surely such an insinuation is too
uncourtly for a Prime Minister of England.
It has always been thought by practical states-
men that it is a bad habit in politics to moot
cases; and Lord PALMERSTON seems to have
been deliberately suggesting an offensive case
for the sake of making mischief. The least
informed hearer of his speech could have
divined, without prompting, that the Prime
Minister must have been aiming his words at
some particular power or great personage. It
is worth while inquiring at what European
power this menace in the " come-on " style of
" a judicious bottleholder" was levelled.
Lord PALMERSTON, even in his most auda-
cious mood, would not attempt to browbeat
Prussia, with the royal marriage depending
between members of the august dynasties
of two Protestant kingdoms. No object would
be gained by sneering at Russia. And after the
relations which have been established between
the Courts of St. James and Vienna during
the last two years, it is plain that Austria could
not have been disrespectfully spoken of by
Lord PALMERSTON. The Minister's offensive
and threatening words can only be interpreted
as a menace to France ; and it is characteristic
of Lord PALMERSTON that after having been
one of the first to acknowledge the Emperor
of the FRENCH, he should now be equally
forward in exciting public prejudice against
him. Such conduct is in keeping with his
whole diplomatic life. That the speech was
meant as an intimidator), hint on the question
of the Principalities there can be no doubt.
On any other reading it would be a
mass of rhapsodical and purposeless bluster,
unlike the usual style of Lord PALMERSTON'S
harangues, which always have an object.
It is most significant that at the Lord
Mayor's dinner there was a marked absence
of all the foreign Ministers of note The di-
plomatic corps was represented by the Chargé
d'Affaires of Sweden and the Ministers of
Hayti and the Hanse Towns ! Were not invi
tations sent in the usual form to the chief
representatives of the foreign Courts? For
what reasons were they all absent?

The subjects now discussed eagerly
amongst the diplomatists of Europe, the
tone of well•informed journals abroad, and
certain circumstances which we shall not
mention at present, give ample means for in-
terpreting the cypher used by Lord PALM E RS-
TON last Monday. The key is supplied to the
Noble Viscount's enigmatical insults by the
fact that France desires the Principalities to
have a constitutional sovereign, and that Lord
PALMERSTON is opposed to such a solution from
an arriere pensie in favour of Austria and Turkey.
At the same time both Russia and Sardinia,
for opposite reasons, support the views of
France. That Russia should seek to thwart
England in this most important affair, we can
easily understand, and we can readily conceive
why Sardinia should move upon it in a sense
adverse to Austria.

Thus, if things stand in the statu quo of the
present writing, there will be in the coming
Congress three votes at each side, and the
casting one will be in the favour of Prussia.
flow stands at this time the influence of Lord
Palmerston at the Court of Berlin? That ques-

1099

tion can only be answered by pointing to the
offensive display of last Monday.
The phrase " judicious bottleholder," which
gave such offence, had the excuse of having
been uttered in presence of a deputation of
pothouse politicians. But the " iron-heel "
taunt was hurled forth deliberately in pre-
sence of the "merchant princes" of London,
and when speaking to the toast of " Her
Majesty's Ministers." If such a speech had
been spoken in the House of Commons, the
Noble Viscount might have been subjected to
interrogation from various quarters, and from
opposite political ()allies. Lord JOHN RUSSELL,
probably, would have aimed a few pointed
sentences at the Prime Minister, contrasting
his present tone with his former professions.
But there was nobody present to follow
Lord PkLMERSTON. He had the pleasure of
hurling forth a safe bravado, not for the first
time in his life. He knew that the bravado
was safe, because the Emperor Lours NAPOLEON
values the English alliance. Thus, on any
interpretation, the speech of Lord PALMERSTON
is unworthy of his position. If " the iron heel,"
and the defiant references to the military re-
sources of England, were a bonii-fide taunt,
we say that it was ill-timed and reckless ; but,
on the other hand, if it was mere empty gas-
conade, we say that it is time for Lord PAL.
MERSTON to refrain from sounding the trumpet
of defiance, when he knows that the company
round the lists are only splitting their sides
with laughter at his vaunting threats against
adversaries in nubibus. His political tourna-
ments savour too much of Astley's.
All this furibund bluster is unworthy
of an English Minister. It is doubly so when
we reflect that by advocating the status quo in
the Principalities Lord PALMER ETON is sup-
porting what at another time he would call
" an iron heel " over the Rouman people, and
refusing to accept a legitimate opportunity for
furthering a constitutional Government !
Verily, Proteus can be considered a fabulous
character no longer. He is a political cele
brity of our own time and country, changing
from party to party, and setting up in one
country the policy he undermined in another.
The most extraordinary thing about his career
is that the Noble Lord can procure a Cabinet
of appendages to affirm approbation of his
acts. The Noble Viscount's colleagues in
Downing-street show the reverse of an exem-
plary patience in the endurance of his "iron
heels."

LORD STANLEY AND POPULAR
EDUCATION.
THE movement in favour of the better educa-
tion of the working classes is fortunate in
being supervised by several distinguished
persons. Lord BROUGHAM is still amongst us,
and Lord JOHN RUSSELL takes zealous inte-
rest in the cause. Of those connected with
the Conservative party, Lord STANLEY, Sir
JOHN PARINGTON, and Mr. ADDERLEY stand
prominently forward amongst the friends of
popular education, and we think it is evident
that the new movement for the better educa-
tion of mechanics is likely to advance pro-
sperously.

In the recent speech of Lord STANLEY at
Wigan, several sound views were put forward
on the subject of popular education. It can•
not be denied that in some quarters there has
been an amount of exaggeration almost enough
to justify the reactionary cry against " educs-
tionmongers." Lord STANLEY took a cool and
impartial view of the results hitherto arrived
at in popular education. The Noble Lord hit
the right nail on the head when he shrewdly
stated " that the teaching of the boy had no
" connection with the after life of the man."
Therein, we believe, lies one of the main
causes of the frequent aversion felt in some
quarters to popular education. Much of the
knowledge impartea at preliminary schools
was not calculated to aid a labourer's son in
his " battle with life ;" and of " Mechanics
Institutes," also, it might be said that the
aim was often too ambitious. The style of the