The Press.
London, England, 1857-03-14 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

SATURDAY,

sense to look facts in the face, to see that the time has come for a
transfer of power from one of the great parties in the State to the
other, and, setting aside hypocritical and impracticable cries and cor-
rupt influences, to select men favourable to the great principles of
order and progress, and to the only Government now really practicable,
a Government with the high-minded and patriotic Lord DERBY at. its
head.

The Government takes unusual credit to itself for the conclusions
of Peace with Persia. Now, the term " conclusion of Peace " is pre-
mature. The Treaty is not rat►fied. It has been signed by the repre-
sentatives, and has been despatched to Teheran; but we have yet to•
learn that the Persian Government will agree to those terms it offered
previous to all knowledge of the attack upon, and the capture of,.
Bushire. Possibly under• the pacific influences of the French and
Russian Ministers at Teheran the Shah may be induced to ratify the
Treaty. We trust that he will do so ; but at the same time, before we
have received intelligence of that act, so much self-gratulation is
premature. The history of the conclusion of this Treaty is curiously
illustrative of the peculiar qualities indigenous to the Palmerston
policy. When FEROUR KHAN arrived at Constantinople, he offered
certain terms of Peace. The Noble Lord at the head of th 2. Govern•
ment protracted the negotiations till intelligence of the fall of Bushire
reached him, when his demands rose to an extravagant height. He
insisted upon the dismissal of the Grand Vizier at Teheran,
and the signal reception of Mr. MURRAY by the Shah with
a series of barbaric honours raked out of the rubbish of Persian anti-
quity. FEROUK KHAN peremptorily refused to concede this obsolete.
folly ; the negotiations were abruptly broken off, and the terms of.
peace rejected. The Persian Ambassador came to Paris. The Empe-•
ror of the FRENCH offered his mediation. Lord PALMERSTON, imputingl
to the Emperor of the FRENCH designs of gaining credit and influence-
at our expense, insultingly rejected his offer. The Noble Lord would:
have no mediation. Questions at length were asked in the House of
Commons. Mr. LAYARD put one, Mr. GLADSTONE put another, and at:
length a definite motion upon the subject was shaped. Lord PALMERS-
TON became alarmed. Lord COWLEY was instructed to seek an
interview with the Emperor of the FRENCH, and entreat his Majesty
to use his influence to secure at all hazards a "respectable" peace
for Lord PALMERSTON. Lord PALMERSTON, who had bungled himself
into a difficulty, had now to humble himself out of it. Every point
was conceded to Persia that she resisted. Nothing that Lord PALMER-
STON had so specially insisted upon was obtained, and the very terms
the Noble Lord contemptuously rejected at Constantinople he humbly
accepted at Paris. Such is the history of that treaty upon which the
Noble Lord and his supporters so complacently congratulate them-
selves. Mr. LowE, we see, asserts that Lord PALMERSTON, by his
promptitude in making peace, has saved this country millions of
money and thousands of lives ! " Persia," continued the Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman the other day at Kidderminster, " finding she•
" had to deal with a country which would give her blow for blow, gave'
"up her bullying, surrendered Herat, and—peace was secured r"
Mr. LOWE'S ingenuity in cooking up this account is very remarkable,
and worthy of " colonial experience "—the Right Honourable Gentle•
man understands the term.

Intelligence from China up to the 30th Jan. confirms the previous
reports that the suburbs of Canton had been burned down. The
indignation of the Chinese was intense, and a determined effort was
to be made to expel us the country. Patriotic proclamations were
issued by the Mandarins in every province, calling upon the people
to rise and prosecute a war of extermination against us, and the
appeal was answered at all points. From each of their settlements the
English had retired. No reinforcements of troops or vessels appear
to have reached Admiral SEYMOUR, who had withdrawn from the
Dutch Folly Fort, and retreated lower down the river. Affairs have
now reached such a pitch that a really serious war with China is
inevitable. Reinforcements of troops are being hurried from home
with all haste. The 23rd, 82nd, 90th, and 93rd Regiments of the line,
four companies of artillery, and 1,000 Marines are to be embarked at
once, in eight ships, for Hong Kong, while vast quantities of ammuni-
tion are being transferred from Penang and Singapore to Hong Kong.
The statement that the French Government are also about to despatch
troops is incorrect. The French squadron only will be reinforced.
The Neufchatel Conferences have been partially suspended at
Paris. The settlement of a primary point has necessitated a reference
to Berlin. We have no reason to doubt the goorl faith of the Kind
of PausslA, and we anticipate an easy and satisfactory solution of all
difficulties in the course of a brief period.

Admiral BERKELEY informed the House of Commons the other
night, that since tile surrender of our maritime rights, the difficulty of
manning the navy had greatly increased. There is now no hope of
prize-money ; and without that inducement volunteers are not forth-
coming. It is true that the right of blockade is reserved to us by the
" Clarendon Capitulation ;" but against steam-vessels, we are informed
by Sir CHARLES NAPIER, that it is impossible to maintain a blockade.
Pleasant prospects these in the event of another war ! And to whom
is the nation indebted for the surrender of these rights? Is it not to
that very Minister who now appeals to the country, on the ground
that he has consistently maintained its interests and its honour
against all enemies, whether foreign or domestic? We regret that
this matter should have attracted so little attention in Parliament.;
but if the electors do their duty, it will not be forgotten at the
hustings.

Lord DERBY proposes next Monday to call attention to the cir-
cumstances under which Parliament is about to be dissolved. His
Lordship may with just reason complain of the loss of one entire