Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-05-28 00:00:00

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SATURDAY,

MAY 28, 1859.

THE DAY'S NEWS

The War news this morning is meagre in the
extreme, and adds scarcely a new fact to what has
already appeared in our columns. A despatch
from Alessandria, of the date of Thursday, simply
announces :—" There is nothing new to note. The
health of the army continues in excellent condition."
A flotilla of gunboats is ready to sail from Toulon,
and shortly to be followed by a second. It is
believed they are intended to act against Venice.
Five gunboats, which can be taken to -nieces and
re-mounted, have been shipped to Genoa. They are
intended, it is said, to be used against the Austrians
on Lake Maggiore. The French Government, in
consequence of the difficulty of obtaining English
coal, have contracted with three French companies

St. Petersburgh as certain, and its announcement
close at had. The resignation of Prince Gortschakoff
speaks volumes, and may change the whole aspect
of the war.

On Thursday, thz Case of the " Queen v. Roberts,"
in which a writ of habeas corpus had been issued
against the Rev. W. Roberts, ordering him to
produce a child named Mary Ann M'Donnell, whom
it was stated the rev. gentleman detained against
the wish of her father, in a Roman Catholic school,
wai decided by the Court of Queen's Bench, the
being whether the return made to the writ
by Mr. Roberts was a bona file one. Mr. Lush
contended it was not, and prayed the judgment of
the court agenst the defendant for contempt, and
after some argument, Lord Campbell said he was of
opinion that an attachment ought to issue against
Mr. Robeits, the effect of vhich would be that he
would have to enter fate recognizances to answer
certain interrogatories, and upon those answers the
punishment to be awarded would depend. The
attachment was therefore ordered to issue.

The " Whipper-in" of the Ministry has issued
the usual circular, preliminary to the opening of
Parliament. It sets forth that it is fully expected
" that an amendment will be proposed upon the
address in answer to the Queen's Speech, on Tues-
and it is of the utmost importance
that every vote should be available on that day."

day, June rth

Our readers will be glad to learn that great
improvement took place in the health of the Duchess
of Kent yesterday.

The Bank Returns, as published in last night's
Gazette, show an increase of 212,0011. in the bullion,
317,570/. in the re-issne of notes, and of 780,980/. in

active circulation

LYING CHRONICLERS OF THE WAR.
THERE is one tactic of the French, in their Italian
campaign, which, if there was nothing else, would
augur no good of their cause—namely, that of enor-
mous lying. All their accounts of the operations,
pro et contra, are found to be lying accounts. Exag-

gerations of their own successes extenuations of
their own mishaps ; and, vice versa, extenuations of
Austrian advantages, and exaggerations of Aus-
trian reverses. All their own proceedings are re-
presented en colour de rose: all those of the enemy
as most dismal and disordered. And this, not where
it could be in anywise a matter admitting differences
of opinion, but where it was simply one of fact.
The recent affair of Montebello is a striking .case
in point. So far from the valour and prowess of
the occasion being all on the side of the French, as
was pretended, the Austrians certainly more than
shared it with them ; and instead of defeat being all
therefore with the Austrians, the French, it would
appear, were signally defeated, until strong rein-
forcements came up to their assistance. " The
Piedmontese Cavalry," says an English letter from
the seat of war, " after occupying Casteggio, had
been driven back by the Austrians, who followed it
into Montebello, where they were brought up by the
force under FOREY and BEURET ; a fierce contest
took place in the streets of the village, from whence
the French were ultimately driven after two hours
hard fighting, but at this time a reinforcement made
its appearance, in the shape of half a battery of
artillery and. the 91st and 98th Regiments. The
village was recaptured after much slaughter, and
the Austrians fell back along the road to Casteggio
in perfect order, closely followed by the French."
Such, it now appears, was the real state of the case.

arrogance and ostentation, a man should detect in hi
own defence, because he should not be triumphed over;
those which are told out of maliee he should expose,
both for his own sake and that of the rest of man-
kind, because every man skOuld rise against a com-
mon enemy; but the officious liar, many have agreed,
is to be excused, because it does some man good, and
no man hurt." Here, however, it is not the officious,
so much as the rojicia/ liar. The whole process is
official throughout. The French accounts of the
war which are circulated all over Europe are
described—and we believe truly—as-written by " the
Paris journalists selected by the Emperor to accom-
pany the army, and record for the glory of France
and the delectation of the French people the brilliant
feats of arms which it is part of the Imperial pro-
gramme to perform." These scribes form a part of
the French Emperor's campaigning establishment.
They are, in fact, his special secretaries for the
occasion, and for the purpose. Their lies may be
"told out of arrogance and ostentation "—or " out
of malice "—or out of all these. But they are lies ;
and they are not " officious," but official lies. They
deserve to be exposed, that people may be on their
guard. The Italian campaign is only commencing,
and yet has there being lying enough to make
every French account of it discredited for all time to
come.

THE CHANCES OF INVASION, AND OUR
MEANS OF DEFENCE.

THERE has been of late years, we believe, no
moment when the chances of an invasion of our
shores were smaller than now ; and no period at
which the alarmists had not better grounds than
to-day for prognosticating disaster and distress. At
no time, during the last ten years, have we, on the
one hand, been more fully prepared to meet any
enemy rash enough to attempt a landing on our
coasts ; and at no period, on the other, has our only
possible enemy been more incapable of making such
an attempt.
An invasion of England, at all times a favourite
bugbear of the alarmists, has never been a favourite
scheme with foreign nations ; and on two occasions
it has proved an impracticable one. The Romans,

we believe, once effected a landing on these shores.
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, also, in remote ages,
invaded Britain ; but from those days, to these,
England, alone among the nations of Europe, has
remained untrodden by the heel of the invader.
History tells us that the Spanish Armada was
destroyed by Providential gales, while bearing
a hostile army to these shores ; but history
also informs us of the reception which
awaited the Spanish army here. The cele-
brated Uncle of the present Emperor of the
French meditated on the possibility of rivaling the
feats of Roman and Norman conquerors, and con-
templated the white cliffs of Dover from the heights
of Boulogne with longing eye. NAPOLEON, at peace
with all the world—with a victorious army worship-
ping his star, and ready to march anywhere at his
command—conscious of his vast military genius, and
full of. vengeful hatred towards the one nation that
had defied and thwarted him found it impossible to
attack us, and framed a ready excuse for abandoning
the scheme of the invasion of England, to which he
had devoted years of thought, months of personal
labour, and millions of money ; and to-day alarmists
threaten Lis with a successful repetition of the failure
of 1803, on the part of Louis NAPOLEON, and call
upon us to fortify, to arm, and to drill, as if the
heights of Boulogne were already white with the
tents of the invading army, and our Ambassador had
been insulted at the Tuileries.

The Austrians were out-numbered by the arrival of The invasion of this country might have been
French reinforcements. "At Casteggio," the letter attempted ten years ago, when our defences had
goes on to say, " they stopped their retrograde been neglected, our army reduced, and our public
movement, and a battalion of riflemen, posted on spirit demoralised, by the wretched sophistry
some well-wooded hills south of the town, kept up a and unpatriotic speeches of the Manchester
galling fire against the French, who made a despe- economists, and the " peace-at-any-price " party.
rate attack to gain possession of the village, but A coup de main, might have been successful two years
they were repulsed, and retired in considerable dis- ago, when our army was engaged in putting down
order to Montebello, the Austrians pursuing them, the Indian rebellion, and when, owing to the exigen-
and it would have been all up with the division cies of the Russian war, and the want of energy of
FOREY but for the 52nd regiment and the 6th the then First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir CHARLES
battalion of Chasseurs, who had just arrived from WOOD, our navy was in an inefficient condition. A
Cantalupe." This, then, is a very different version temporary blockade of our fortresses in the Mediter-
from that of the French ; and it is given by a rancan, or even of our ports and arsenals at home,
neutral, and therefore impartial inquirer after the might have been maintained last autumn, when our
truth of the conflict. How very different this from fleet, in both the Mediterranean and the Channel,
the French Marshal BARAGUAY D'HILLIERS' Order was for some weeks actually, as well as numerically,
of the Day to the first army corps :—" The battle of inferior to that of France. But to-day the one
Montebello, 20th May, 1859, two thousand five nation who alone is sufficiently powerful to attack
hundred against twelve thousand !! " in large us—and who, under any conceivable circumstances,
capitals. And this placarded all over Paris, in order would be insane enough to do so P—has " other fish
to excite the vices of the French population ! So to fry." Whatever may be the blustering tone
far from the force being only two thousand five adopted by French Colonels, and the hostile feelings
hundred, the Paris Patrie now gives just double of the French army towards the only nation which
the number —five thousand—as the strength of contains " foemen worthy of their steel," we believe
General FOREY'S division, and the Nord, a paper in the alliance and the entente cordiale as regards the
equally vehement on the side of the allies and whole manufacturing, shopkeeping, and agricultural
against Austria, asserts it to have numbered eight classes throughout the length and breadth of France ;
thousand men, exclusive of the regiment of Sar- and we are convinced that no war would be more
dinian cavalry. The same letter from the spot unpopular with the lower and middle classes than
declares that, "at the beginning of the action the an aggressive war with England, commenced by the
Austrians had a decided numerical advantage; but Emperor without a well-defined and sufficient cause.
at the close the advantage of numbers was wholly The interests of the two nations are identical ; the
on the side of the French." And this, we find from desire for peace is, at this moment, common to both ;
other sources, is just the fact of the matter, as to the and France is bound over to respect our neutrality
numbers on either side. The same spirit of men- in very heavy recognizances. We wish we were as
dacity has characterised, apparently, the French firmly convinced that the first unfriendly declaration
accounts of the respective losses on the occasion. will not go from this side of the Channel.
The Austrian loss has been stated as upwards of The fear of an invasion naturally follows the
two thousand, killed and wounded, and the French argument which the Times, Saturday Review, and
at five hundred,—the one, it is now ascertained, as other Austrian journals have maintained since the
much above as the other is below the number. declaration of war,—that NAPOLEON 111. has
It is the observation of a contemporary, with entered upon a war of universal conquest ; that a
reference to this instance of French falsification
"
, love for Italian freedom is but a mask to cover
that the composers of war bulletins have never
designs upon the Rhine frontier, Lombard-street,
been famous for a rigid adherence to truth, but the and the Bank of England ! With these views we
degree to which they depart from that virtue depends are entirely at issue. We believe that the Emperor
as much upon the brilliancy of their imagination as landed at Genoa to rescue Italy from the iron rule of
upon the questionable patriotism of desiring to make Austria ; not perhaps from an earnest hatred of
their own side shine to advantage." From whatever tyranny, but from an innate love of existence.
motive it proceeds, it is equally mendacious--and Italian assassins, revolutionary leaders, anonymous
therefore equally vicious. It may be all right and letters, have for years presented him with this
fair to " make their own side shine to advantage" alternative,--" Fulfil the oath you swore as a
where it can be done without positive lying. It is Carbonari, or perish according to the rules to which
allowable enough to paint their own successes in the you have also sworn allegiance !" the repeated
most glowing colours—to blazon forth their own attempts by Italian refugees at the assassination of
heroic deeds with the most brilliant effect—and to their former colleague and co-conspirator, are the
set out every formidable circumstance in the most moving causes of the invasion of Lombardy,—and
advantageous light. But still there must be some the letter written by ORSINI before his death
regard for truth—there must be some groundwork decided the policy which will deluge the rice fields
of fact. Lying is a vile expedient to trust to, even of Northern Italy with blood, even if it does not lead
in war : it is a hateful vice under any circumstances, to the freedom of his country from foreign yoke. •
The cause that stands in need of any thing so detes- it -is, then, we believe, from no restless and
table, and so vicious,
may well be suspected. " Lies;" insatiable ambition, but from sheer necessity, that
it has been
PPily remarked, "which are told out of i_the Emyerpr.bas drawn the sword in 1ta1.371 ;mod We i

see no reason why, when it has accomplished its
present ostensible purpose* it thould not be sheathed.
Anyhow, the work cut tut 'for the Eniperor, on his
own showing, will occupy him completely for some
time, and will leave the resources.of his country, both
in men and money, exhausted at its close. Austria
has 500,000 men under arms at this moment—a force
which has not only taken every one by surprise by
its magnitude, but by its efficiency and material
strength. The battle of Italian freedom will be
fought to the last inch of ground, and to the last
man capable of bearing arms. The stakes are as
heavy as any ever played for, even on that historic
and well-known field—on the one hand, the existence
of Austria, as a despotic empire ; on the other, the
success or failure of a man who has always been
ready to pay any price for success, and to whom
failure is ruin.

At such a moment, to talk of a French invasion is
to exhibit a complete ignorance of the actual state
of matters on the' Continent, or intentionally to play
the game of Austria, by inspiring Englishmen with
suspicions which there is nothing to justify, and so
prepare the way for a declaration in support of our
" natural ally and ancient friend."
We have left ourselves but little space to speak of
our defences. Whether we turn to our army, our
navy, our financial position, or our people, we shall
find that they are larger, more powerful, on a
sounder basis, and animated with a better spirit, than
perhaps at any period in our history. The regular
troops are rapidly returning from India ; the militia
is numerous, well organised and disciplined ; the
fleets are comparatively stronger than they have
been for many years, and are being materially
reinforced every day. The well-conceived, because
simple and business-like, appeal to the seafaring
population, has been most successfully responded
to. Rifle corps are about to take the 'place of cricket
clubs at Oxford, Cambridge, and every other place
where young men have time and money at their
disposal. , The whole population are happy, con-
tented, and comparatively prosperous; and the only
danger personal to us as a nation, which we see
before us, is—not that being for warned, we shall be
unarmed ; but that being foranned, we shall want
to make some use of the vast means of offence we
have accumulated ; and that it will be difficult to
check the martial spirit always latent in English
breasts, and which the Press and the Rifle Clubs
will easily arouse into a flame.