The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-22 00:00:00

LONDON, TIIIIRSDAv, NOVEMBER 22, 1855.

Many rumours have bean circulated as to the
intentions of the Conservative party respecting
the course of action to ba adopted during the
ensuing session. It has been positively asserted
that some of the most influential leaders have
given in their unqualified adhesion to a Peace-at-
any-Price policy, and entered into au unholy alli-
ance with the Aberdeenites and Cobdenites, in
order to oust the present Government and form a
new Cabinet cut of such incongruous materials.
Nay, more—it is distinctly affirmed that the Peace
Party, from whom real danger may be appre-
hended, is to be found in the ranks of the
(mondani, protectionists, who would sacrifice the
national interests is order to avenge themselves
on their-opponents, and again to obtain admission
to the coveted seats on the Treasury Benches.
We cannot, however, yield any great degree of
credit to these sinister statements. That there
are by no means uninflaential members of the
party who would patch up a
peace on any terms
seems certain. The Marquis of GRANDY and
others have too clearly expressed their individual
views to allow of any reasonable doubt on the sub-
ect. But we have as yet no authentic evidence as
to the opinions or arrangements of the real
leaders, and we could not, on trivial or inade-
quate grounds, believe that they had arrayed
themselves under the Philo-Muscovite banner, or
been willing to sacrifice the interests of their
country, through a sordid love of place and
power.

The manly and straightforward speech of Lord
NAAS, to which we
gaveinsertion in our impres-
sion of yesterday, materially strengthens this
impression. Lord NAAS held the important pc-
sition of Chief Secretary for Ireland wider Lord
DERBY, and, from his position and talents, which
render him an exceedingly useful member of any
Government, it is certain that he would obtain
an early intimation of the course about to
lepursued by the reoog,nised leaders of his patty,
the men with whom he would again be reqnired
to act in the event of the success of the supposed
manoeuvre. lo would unqucstionably have bean
cautioned not to commit himself by any warlike
/Teed', which might prove distasteful to the re-
cent recruits, and possibly prevent them from
rendering the assistance necessary to overthrow
the present Ministry, and to eject them from their
comfortable gnarters in Downing-street.
Now, the address of Lord NAAS clearly proves
one of two things •
ither that no such intima-
tion has been afforded, and, consequently, that
no such intention existed—or that,
if so, an im-
portant section of the party refuse to be dragged
through the mire, or to follow so unworthy and
so unpatriotic a path as that said to be traced out
fur theirguidance, In either case the hopes, or appre-

pensions that may be entertained, seem to be with-
out adequate foundation. If the Conservative
leaders have not entered into the unnatural compact,
cadtt questio. There is nothing on which to rest
the most trifling superstruction. But if, unfortu-
nately, it should be otherwise, if any of those who
so enthusiastically cheered the announcement that
"England loves not coalitions" should themselves
f 3.11 into an ezror nimilar to that once so loudly
and emphatically condemned, it is manifest that
they will not carry with them a large proportion
of the party whose continued support could alone
render them formidable to the PALMERSTON
Cabinet. Any such attempt would be the signal
for the adhesion to the Ministry of a large body
of patriotic individuals, who would readily sacri-
fice all minor differences in order to maintain the
honour and safety of their native land—who, like
Lord NAAS, would be ready, as members of Par-
liament, to give an honest support to any Go-
vernment that carries on this most important
business in a manner worthy of this great
country.

The game of " brag" has long been sedulously
cultivated in Russia. It is the policy which has
led to by far the greater portion of their acquisi-

tions. They have so loudly vaunted their irre-
sistible powers that their claims were at length
taken for granted. The ukases of the AUTOCRAT
were consequently submitted to with as much
humility by quasi independent nations as by his
own serfs. None could venture to dispute the
behests of the man who held the peace of Europe
in his hands, and who could at any moment
overrun it with his barbarian hordes, and render

it, if not altogether, at least to a great degree,
" Cossack." If we were to believe these croakers
we should trust entirely to his forbearance, and
ba well contented if we received the boon
accorded to ovrtc, and were the last to
be devoured by the dominant Power, who
was only pursuing his inevitable destiny in
claiming the universal empire which sooner
or later he or his successor must obtain.

Much of " the gilding has, however, been
stripped off his gingerbread I" to use the vulgar
but significant expression respecting pretenders of
all classes. We have seen that in every trial the
Russians have been totally unable to withstand
the Allied forces ; that the Black Sea Fleet is no
more, and the stronghold in which it sheltered
itself has passed into the hands of the Allies ;

that Kinbo urn has also fallen, and that
these "standing menaces" to Constantinople and
to Europe are no longer formidable, notwithstand-
ing the energetic and almost spasmodic efforts
made for their defence. It has been well re-
marked that almost all " the resources of Russia
have been melted in the crucible of Sebastopol,"

and that the result of the long-protracted struggle

before its walls has been much more serious to
our adversary than if it had fallen by a coup de
main immediately after the glorious day of Alias.
In that ease the internal strength of Russia
would have remained unimpaired. It would
have possessed fighting men, on whom it
could have relied in ' any emergency. But
uow the repeated levies have exhausted the re-
serve, and but few remain to till the land, or to
provide the necessaries supplied for those actually
engaged in the deadly game.

Already three-fourths of the fighting men have
been absorbed by the enormous levies that have
been made since the commencement of the War ;
levies which in Western Russia have amounted to

64 out of every thousand of the gross population.
When we consider that the adult males scarcely
number ttivo•fifths of the whole population, or 200,
and that many exemptions cal be claimed for
persons past the military age, or engaged iu sundry
privileged occupations, we may readilyperceiro that
the Clint has reached the full length of his tether,
and that the vitality has almost departed from
the gigantic carcase.
We have then only to remain firm to insure a

success more complete than ever our wildest ima-

ginings have pictured—one that will dispose of
the Russian difficulty finally and for ever, and
will afford the most ample guarantees of perma-

nent peace to our children, and our chil-

dren's children. We have made great sacri-
fices to obtain this great desideratum, and
we should take care that, the cup be not flung
from our lips at the very moment when we have
the option of draining it to the very dregs.

The Report of the Commissioners appointed to
inquire into the Conduct of the Police in Hyde_
park on the Ist July may have grieved, bat cer
tainly has not surprised, us. Our readers will
remember the anxiety displayed by The Sim, for
its early appearance, and the reasons assigned for
that anxiety. They cannot have forgotten how
earnestly we deprecated unnecessary delay, and
pointed out the all but inevitable, if undesigned,
result—viz., a failure of justice; and now that the
Report has made its appearance, we confidently
challenge a complete justification of our appre-
hensions.

The Commissioners broke up their sittings on
the 2d of August, and not until the 10th of No-
vember have they found time to deliver their
verdict. A Report that might have been returned
with the utmost ease and propriety in a week,
and in which not only the inhabitants of the
metropolis, but of the country generally, are
deeply interested, not forthcoming until after an
interval of between three and four months ! And
such an interval, terminating at such a time !
An interval during which events of the greatest
magnitude were likely to occur, and have
occurred, to distract public attention and
blunt public interest a time when the
misconduct of a mob of ragamuffins in the
Park was causing a reaction among the unreflect-
ing in favour of the police—a time when Parlia-
ment was not sitting, and the representatives of
not for two long months express
at
opinionhne people eoenu Icl
the
matter. We by no means
im-
pute deliberately unfair practice to the Commis_
sioners, but we do say that if they had entered on
the inquiry with a settled intention of burking it
they could not have acted more judiciously, so far
as the delivery of the Report is concerned, than
they have done.
To dream of the thinking public being satisfied
with the result were an absurdity. The conduct
of the Commissioners will everywhere be regarded
with dissatisfaction, and in the Report itself will
be found admissions by no means calculated to
dispel suspicion. One of these is in relation to
policeman 398 A, and his dealing with one of the
witnesses
named White. This policeman was
identifted by his victim, but was not subsequently
called upon
to give evidence. On this the Com-
missioners remark ,s It has been intimated to us
since our inquiry Was closed that it was owing to
accident and inadvertence that policeman 398 was
not recalled as a witness." Intimated—by whom ?
The reader will be disposed to think by parties
deeply interested in his absence, when they read
what follows. "But on the evidence as it stands
we are bound to state that there was not sufficient
ground for the apprehension, of J. J. White ; and
even if there had been sufficient ground, the vio-
lence used towards him was wholly inexcusable."
Thug it is clear, on their own showing, that the

Commissioners wore so biased, at all ev,-aii.s so
far forgot their duty to the public and the respect
owing to themselves, as to listen to an Ex parte
statement after " their inquiry was closed,"
and that statement, in all probability, coming
from one or more of the parties directly impli-
cated. Anothex fact, hardly less significant, and
in relation to the same policeman, is to be found
in the letter addressed by order of Sir GEORGE
GREY to Sir RICHARD MAYNE, in which the latter
is instructed to have three policemen indicted,
one of whom is described as " 398 A, since ascer-
tained to be WILLIAM GEARING." Since ascer-
tained ! Why, the witness recognised him at the
outset, and there can be no more doubt that this
mystification as to his identity was intended to
lend a colouring to the "inadvertence* that
held him back as a witness than there can be
that the object of the parties who "intimated"
the questionable apologies to the Commissioners
was to bias that body in their favour.
Nor is the above all that can be urged in
diminution of the value of the Report. If the
Commissioners, on their own admission, listened
to an ex parte statement in one instance, have not
the public fair grounds for believing that they
listened in more ; and, under such circumstances,
what value can possibly attach to the Report ?
Fancy a jury calling in a defendant to their place
of retirement, or suffering him to earwig them
there, and afterwards expecting to be credited for
having given a just verdict in his favour ! The
supposition is ridiculous. And yet the Commis-
sioners must be guilty of equal folly if they look
to have their Report respected, fur earwigged they
themselves confess to have been, and it certainly
was not by the complainants. The "lame and
impotent conclusion" to which they have arrived
can, under such circumstances, excite no sur-
prise ; and Sir RICHARD MAYNE and Inspector
HUGHES may well congratulate each other on
having been brought to judgment before such a
trio of DANIELS. The matter, of course, cannot
end here. Questions of too grave as importance
are invelved in it,.and we look to the meeting of
Parliament for a searching investigation into the
conduct of all concerned, and an independent
verdict on the entire affair.