The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-17 00:00:00

.THE SUN, LONDON VVEDggSDAY EVIVNING4 J'ANTIAItY 17. ittgb.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
;'lll3 DAT —Morning 30 min.after 12 I Evening 59 min.aft. 11
To-Monnow—Morning 28 min.after 1 j Evening 53 min.aft. 2

THE WEATHER.—Su i Orme, Jan. 17.
THERMOMETER, IM THB SHADS
43—highest since noon yesterday.
31—lowest this morning and during the night.
32 —this day, at noon.
BAROMETER, 30'16—rising.
WIND, N.E. to E.—Fresh and gusty. We have had
rain yesterday afternoon, then snow and sleet, after which
sharp frost set in and continues, with heavy snow and sun•
shine occasionally.

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 1855

There is a " screw loose" somewhere in the
Governmental machine. As the day for the re-
assembling of Parliament approaches, the per-
turbation existing in the Ministerial ranks be-
comes more clearly perceptible. Cabinet Councils
of unwonted duration are held, while the greatest
exertions are made by individual members to be
present at, and take part in, the deliberations of
their colleagues. It would seem as if no one
considered himself safe unless ready to fight his
own battle, and, if advisable, to retort on his
assailaats. Yesterday a Council was held at the
Foreign-office, which lasted from two until a
quarter before seven o'clock p.m. Every mem-
ber of the Cabinet was in attendance. Lord
JOHN Russ= arrived specially from Paris about
an hour after the meeting had assembled. With-
out a moment's delay for rest or refreshment he
hurried from the railway terminus to Downing-
street, in order to participate in the proceedings ;
while Lord PALMERSTON arrived by express from
Broadlands, Hants, and the Duke of NEWCASTLE
from Windsor Castle, for the like purpose. Sir
CHARLES WOOD also arrived from Hickleton
Hall ; Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT from Wilton House ;
while Earl GRANVILLE came post haste from
the country. Whatever might have been
the subject under consideration, it was not dis-
posed of during the protracted seance. Imme-
diately after the breaking up of the Coun-
cil summonses were issued for another meeting
to be held to-morrow at the Foreign-office, at two
o'clock p.m., at which we doubt not that subjects
of vital importance to the Coalition interests will
be ventilated.
This extraordinary activity would even, if
taken by itself, seem sufficiently ominous, but the
symptoms become far more significant when the
rumours industriously circulated among official
underlings and waiters on PROVIDENCE are taken
into consideration. Even Ministerial Journals,
usually lavish in their praises of everything relating
to the Government, fling aside their ordinary cau-
tion, and boldly censuresome acts, the responsibility
whereof they can contrive to fling on some ob-
noxious member or members of the Cabinet, and
speak of the necessity of a reconstruction, and the
infusion of new blood into the effete body. All
these matters bode no good to the Joint-Stock
Administration. They prove that the Cabinet is
meeting with the fate of every body constituted
of such heterogeneous materials—that it is, in fact,
falling asunder from internal dissensions, and the
weakness that is the inevitable result thereof.
There are also indications of a desire to sacri-
fice some of the Ministers in order to obtain abso-
lution for the others—to procure a scapegoat, or
scapegoats, who shall bear the entire burden of
the sins of omission and. commission in reference
to the War, so loudly and justly complained of
by the community. Two persons have been par-
ticularly mentioned—one who holds the highest
rank in the Peerage, and another who is heir-
presumptive to an ancient Earldom. In plain
language—for we detest hinting at what should
plainly and boldly be spoken—the Duke of NEW-
CASTLE and Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT.
Now, we do not desire to enter into the arena
as advocates or apologists for either of these
Ministers, nor will we assert that the depart-
ments placed under their control have been judi-
ciously or efficiently managed ; but we believe that
the evils so justly complained of are ascribable to the
system in operation in all Government offices rather
than to the individuals, that it is the inherent
vices of "red-tapism," the ridiculous attention to
form rather than substance, that must be effec-
tually got rid of. Nor should we feel disposed
to condemn any persons unheard. Audi alteram
partem ie an excellent rule, and we should hear
the defence of the Duke of NEWCASTLE and Mr. •
HERBERT before we could agree to their being
treated differently from the other Peelite mem-
bers of the Cabinet. We believe that most of
the evils may be traced much further, and that
either Lord ABERDEEN or Mr. GLADSTONE Wilf
be found to be at least equally responsible. The
deplorable credulity of the former, his unbounded
confidence in the moderation and honour of " his
friend of forty years' standing," and his twad-
dling aspirations after peace at any price and on
any conditions, encouraged the CZAR even more
than the vacillation and timidity of the
"Angel of Peace," the convivial Clicquot himself.
Besides, his unbounded gullibility leading him to
anticipate the speedy termination of hostilities,
cast his influence—that, be it remembered, of the
head of the Government—into the scale against ,
every energetic and decided movement.

Mr. GLADSTONE'S policy, though of a different
description, led to similar results. He endea-
voured to signalise himself by imposing enormous
burdens on the present generation. Denuding
the Exchequer on the eve of war for the purpose
of paying off certain debts contracted during the
last century, and which there was not the slightest
necessity for interfering with ; and then, after
exhausting the Treasury of its balances, " a
valuable financial demonstration"—as we were in-
formed by his organ in the press—announcing
that the entire expenses of the War should
be defrayed out of the current revenue,
and that no portion should be charged to posterity,
on whose account, and for whose safety and wel-
fare, we were engaging in all these sanguinary and
aepeons aiv s
fir principle
more
ore ledx t
expensive transactions. This erroneous and un-
07.briyoutisioanwdayfa,
in thelo
ng
run economy
—much
run than the most profuse and
lavish expen-
diture in a right direction to which we
firmly believe a large proportion of the cala-
mities that have occurred to our gallant fel-
lows in the Crimea may be attributed. An
patching up of matters by the sacrifice of one
or two Ministers, then, will be wholly inadequate.
It may for a brief, a very brief, period postpone,
but it cannot avert, the fall of those who no
longer enjoy the national confidence. In order
to possess a powerful and lasting Government, the
independent representatives of the people must
strike at the root of the evil. They must aim at
the nominal Premier, and insist on a more equi-
table financial policy. It is said that the Prime
Minister is the pet of " Gernianinn "---that he is
sustained and supported by influences which,
albeit, not very constitutional, are yet very
-
powerful. They are not, hove Per, suffi_
ciently powerful to control the Pill of the

people, temperately but firmly expressed, through
their chosen representatives. We must have full
Ministerial explanations, and if they should not
prove satisfactdry, a change sufficiently compre-
hensive to meet the magnitude of the emergency.
One thing is certain, that Lord ABERDEEN and
Mr. GLADSTONE cannot be saved by the voluntary
sacrifice of the Duke of NEWCASTLE and Mr.
SIDNEY HERBERT.

Turn which w&y we will nothing but mischief

seems to result from Royal intermarriages. The
nations cannot intermarry in self-defence ; the
sovereigns have that game all in their own hands,
and well they know how to use it. If the leaders
of the people talk only of the solidarite of the
nations, it is resented as smacking of the revolu-
tionary, but when sovereigns bind each other to
mutual help against popular demands, this of
course is all as it should be. Who ventures at a
Royal wedding to bewail the fate of nations, or to
mourn over another stab to liberty The cypress
and the orange flowers may not mingle. Amidst
the bridal splendours and perfumes the patriotic
suggester of consequences is held as a cynic.
Royalty leads the dance, and the states-
man of his fatherland must be content
to whirl in the maze with the rest, or
to be suspectedly absent. Perhaps, however, few
of those directly implicated are sad at heart ;
Courts are but too uniformly the reflex of the
Monarch's will, and are generally but too happy
to share in consolidating Royal power. "
Yet look at Europe just now. It ,is not too
much to say that Royal Marriages are responsible
for the present War. Prussia and Saxe Coburg,
the one directly, and the other indirectly, are very
much answerable for it. The Empress of Russia
is sister of the King of Prussia. With the vacil-
lating weak head who rules the odds and ends
which put all together are called Prussia, this has,
we believe, regularly turned the scale in favour
of Russia. The poor man has ever and anon
been smitten with a sense of degradation ;
he has writhed under conscious infamy ;
he has fancied he would release himself by a
vigorous bound ; but ah 1 his poor sister has wed
the Tartar CZAR ; he has a batch of Archdukes (of
Inkerman notoriety) for his nephews ; and the
worthy man can never attack the husband of his
sister and the father of the brave lads. The King
of PRUSSIA could censure his brother-in-law's am-
bition, could pronounce the cause of the Allies
just, and yet move HgAVRN and earth to savehim
from chastisement. There cannot be a moment's
doubt that had Prussia vigorously acted in the
cause she pronounced righteous, had she assured
the CZAR that she would join the Allies if he
dared to venture over the Pruth, the whole
war would have been prevented. Austria would
assuredly have taken the same course, and
NICHOLAS would not have dared to face all
Europe. Indeed he could have succumbed with-
out military dishonour to such a combination. Let
us be thankful, however, to PROVIDENCE that Prussia
was married to the CZAR. We should have
had otherwise no siege of Sebastopol, and have
been to this hour ignorant of the vast GUY FAWKES'
preparations in that mysterious fortress for the
subversion of the East. Prussian time-serving
has unintentionally compelled Sebastopol to show
its swarm, and exhibited the imperative necessity
of utterly destroying it.

The Saxe-Coburg weddings have done quite as
much, if net more, mischief. They have har-
nessed England, to Austria, and inoculated the
whole conduct of the war with the miserable views
of petty Germanism. To save little big despots
from being swallowed up by populations hardly
large enough to cultivate the estates of an Eng-
lish commoner, or to do the work of a first-
rate railway contractor, is the grand end of
the 'policy of countless Grafs, and Margraves,
and Landgraves, and Archdukes, and Dukes,
and /lo one knows what beside. Their Royal
Highnesses accordingly pin themselves to the
skirts •f Prussia or Austria, as may seem best;
while the whole of happy families, their potent
Majesties of Vienna and Berlin included, all do
homage to the great Tartar Prince, for the privi-
lege of being permitted to threaten any unma-
nageable subjects that—Russia is coming ! None

of the little Royalties share these feelings more
than the COBURG family. Utterly insignificant
except as the provider of husbands to other Royal
families, and by obtaining employment and titles

in other States, it hai pledged three Governments
of Europe at least to its interests by matrimony.
The most powerful and sagest of the family was
once no little favourite with the English nation.
We question whether he is so now. His abilities
no one doubts, but they are plainly directed now
to Austrian interests. He who was the
favourite with English Liberals has wedded
himself or his son to Austria. The
brutal oppressors of Hungary and Lombardy,
the most odious family almost of all Europe, is

the one he has welcomed to his bosom. It is not

to be wondered at if so experienced and cunning a
statesman should influence unduly and unconsci-
ously to themselves his nephew and others in this
country ; he can point to the necessity of keeping
right with Austria, into which one of the family
has married, and in whose service others are earn-

ing their livelihood. He can dilate on the danger
to all the crowns and coronets in Germany if Rus-
sia be too much weakened, he can veil the selfish
side of the question by adroit political suggestions,
and can bocomo the NESTOR, and. ULYSSES of Ger-
manism to ears hereditarily willing to listen.

Such influence, as we have before stated, we
are compelled to suspect. When wo think of the
shameful slowness to strike, even after Sinope, of the
miserable waiting for Austria, of such forbearance
with the "reinforcements from the Danube," of the
surrender of the Principalities on such discreditable
conditions, of the German Legion above all, and of
the probablyvague interpretation of the Four Points,
we honestly confess that we fear Coburg influence
is at the bottom. Not that we for a moment excuse
the advisers of the QrsEHr. On them legally and
morally rests the responsibility of what is done.
They are, or ought to be, Britons by birth as
well as by education, and it is theirs to resist the
intrusion of foreign influences upon their SovE
REIGN. They are bound to know the country and
the people between whom and their SOTEREIGN
they stand. It is theirs to acquaint her, and
all who might pervert her vie ws, that
nothing would render the Crown of Eng-
land more unpopular than to see it
placed at the feet of German monarchs, great or
small. They are bound to save her even from
the appearance of ruling for the salvation of petty
despots abroad. England cares for none of them,
or only Cares to execrate nine-tenths of them.
Rather than have her counsels and wishes thwarted
by them, she would buy them an estate or so in
this island where they might vegetate in safety.
England will not consent to be Germanised. If
Germans like to be Anglicised well and good—they
are welcome ; but an attempt the converse of that
will end in most deplorable consequences—we do
not mean in anything revolutionary, but in an
estrangement of feeling from the Throne for which
the nation will long curse the weakness and folly
of its Prime Minister.

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, JAN. 16.

The dinner party yesterday included the Duchess of
Kent, Prince Ernest of Leiningen, the French Ambas-
sador and the Countess Walewska, the Duke of New-
castle, the Earl and Countess of Bessborough, 'Viscount
Ind Viscountess Sydney,' Lady Fanny Howard,
Baroness de Speth, Sir George Couper, Colonel and
Mrs. Craufurd.

The band of the Royal Horse Guards played during
dinner, and her Majesty's private band afterwards.
The Queen, with the Princess Royal, walked and
drove in the Home•park this morning.
Prince Albert, accompanied by the French Ambas-
sador, the Earl of Bessborozgh, and Viscount Sydney,
went out shooting.

Prince Ernest—of Leiningen, has taken leave of her
Majesty and left the Castle.
The Earl of Cardigan has been invited, and is ex-
pected this afternoon.

conference of the Emperor to submit his plan for
cutting through the isthmus of Suez. Although the
possession of the work has been actually made by
the Turkish and Egyptian Governments to M.
Lasseps, the particular mode of execution is still an
open question, and is very likely that M. Enfantine,
who surveyed the localities long ago, may be ap-
pointed engineer.

An iron- vessel, 42 yards long and six wide, is
now in course of construction on the quay of the
canal near the Pont d'Austerlitz. It will be of
large tonpage, will be supplied with a screw, and
is destined to ply on the Seine between Paris and
Havre.

BOURSE, J. 16.—CLOSING PRICES.
Cash. fr. c. End of Month.
4i per Cents - 90f. 4c.
3 per Cents — 67 70
Credit Mobilier 742 50 Roman
Credit Foncier — Austrian

Belgian Fives ...... .. Spanish Threes —
Piedmontese — Home Debt —
RAILWAYS—FOR CASH.

fr. c. ' fr. c.
Orleans 1,185 Lyons , ... 1010
Western 655 Rouen 1030
Cette
Mediterranean
Northern