The Press.
London, England, 1856-12-13 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

SATURDAY.

against Persia, and we were fitly rewarded by the most
terrible disaster in our Indian annuls—the Affghun massacre.
We see no reason why Herat, even supposing it to be regarded
as the key to India, would not be much safer in the hands of Persia
than in the possession of the faithless and merciless Affghans. But
in any case, the notion of taking the field against Persia with a force
of five thousand men is monstrous. This little war if it continue
must become a great war. We have yet to hear an exposition of policy
to justify it.

In the constitution of the Metropolitan Board of Works, one im-
portant particular seems to have been overlooked. A number of mag-
nificent undertakings have been cut out for the Board,—a street to
cost near a million of money here ; another to cost half a million
there; a new system of sewage to cost two or three millions more or
less, as the case may be. Already tho Board finds that it has employ-
ment for about four millions ; and now comes the question, where is
the money to come from? It cannot be raised from ratepayers
at once; it cannot be borrowed, as lenders would think
the security of rates rather " shy." In its perplexity the Board applies
to the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, requesting Government to
advance the required 4,000,0001., or to lend its credit that the money
may be more readily burrowed. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
with some acuteness suggests the probability that the Board may
make a mistake in their system, and that future ratepayers may reso-
lutely refuse to pay. This was a view of the case Mr. TtiwArrEs
does not appear to have contemplated ; and it is tolerably certain that
the great schemes which the Board was constituted to execute must
be postponed until the monetary difficulty- is in some way overcome.
Meanwhile, we hope that the sewage scheme may be thoroughly
considered before a plan is adopted. Any proposal to discharge the
sewage into the river at any point within reach of that extension of
London now rapidly going on is manifestly incomplete. If we are to
drain London thoroughly, let us do the work well; and to do it well we
must carry our sewage down to the sea, and not leave it vibrating between
Erith and the German Ocean, at the mercy of every wind and tide that
blows and flows. In case of a really comprehensive plan being adopted,
every householder might fairly be called on to contribute towards what
would be essentially a national work, May it not at last be discovered
that Government ought from the first to have taken the work into its
own hands, as there would then have been a better chance of its
speedy and satisfactory execution than now that it is left to " King
" Ben and his little Parliament," with all the jobbing influences which
will be certain to surround those intrusted with the work, and with-
-4,000,0001.

The question at issue between Mr. BERKELEY and the Timm. i •
not capable of being settled quite so easily as either disputant
appears to imagine. The Times simply pooh-pontes the whole affair
" England will have none of it," and so forth. Mr. BERKELEY, on the
other hand, replies by asserting that the Ballot is the popular topic at
all elections, and by referring to its results in other countries as
eminently satisfactory. Now we agree with Mr. BERKELEY so far as to
be ieve that the Ballot is by no means an obsolete question, but
we differ from him in thinking that it could be introduced
successfully into England. At all events, in the case
of the small towns and villages in this country, wf,
defy any man to keep his vote secret. Does any one acquainted with
English country life believe for one moment that a man could leave his
own village for the nearest polling booth, give his vote, and return
home again, without any one of his neighbours being a bit the wiser?
The thing is incredible. His conduct would be canvassed at the
public•house, at the blacksmith's shop, and outside the church on
Sunlay would be made the subject of incessant g issip, till at last the
truth came out. Besides, even granting that this wished for secrecy
could be insured, what a very eligible state of feeling would thereby
be produced between landlord and tenant—the one not knowing whom
he could trust, the other meeting him always with an uneasy con-
sciousness of having acted in an underhand way. This would
always be the result in England as long as the relation of classes to
each other, on which our stability is mainly founded. continues. We
have no theoretical objection to the Ballot, but we have this cne prac-
tical objection, which we think sufficient to outweigh a host of imaginary
advantages.

Mr. LANDOR'S 951. has been in jeopardy. The noble crime of tyran-
nieide has been nearly consummated. With what thrilling suspense
must that enthusiastic worshipper of Liberal principles look each day
for the latest Neapolitan news. With what ecstacy must he have
perceived that his own suggestbns were beginning to bear fruit.
With what bitter disappointment have read that the wound was only
slight. How he must curse the clumsiness or cowardice of Neapolitan
aspirants to glory. Will he now, despairing of the prowess of the
Italians, rest his last hopes on the subjects of Austria or France? or
will he merely double the reward in order to tempt some more skilful
assassin? Briefly, the general disgust which the attempt on the life
of the King of NAPLES has excited, ought to b suth.ieut to assure Nlct

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DECEMBER 13, 1856.

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