The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-17 00:00:00

~T ~~

LONDON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1855.

THE LONDON GAZETTE.

For the last two or three months the manage-
ment of the Gazetts seems to have got into new
hands, sinco which it has been delayed in its pub-
lication for upwards of an hour beyond the
usual time, whether by design, ignoranco, or in-
competency we know not. The inconvenience to

the public at large the commercial, mili-
tary, and naval—has become matter of great
complaint and loss. Whose fault it is
we know not, but the culprit will be brought to
the bar of public opinion early next week, and
answer for his misconduct, unless he speedily
mend his ways.—En. Suit. •

[The above appeared in our Third Edition of
last evening. The object of the manoeuvre would

seem to be to prevent the evening papers from
supplying the public all over the United Kingdom
with the Gazette as usual for the last thirty years.

We shall see.]

The new Premier has stumbled over the very
first impediment that opposed his progress. He
has appealed to the popular branch of the Legis-
lature to rescind its former vote—its deliberate
and decisive vote—to stultify itself by surrender-
ing its functions into the hands of an Adminis-
tration, so similar in every respect to that just
expelled by an overwhelming majority, that no
disinterested or unprejudiced person can recog-
nise any distinction. The Syracusan DROMIO an-
ticipates the support denied to his brother. Al-
though no difference can be discovered on the
closest inspection, although microscopic scrutiny
fails to identify the real Simon Pure, the nation
is called upon to repose unlimited confidence in
the one which was refused to the other. We have
a repetition of the Shaksperian dialogue, when
the elder born and more effete of the two ex-
claims—

"I, sir, am Dromio, command him away !"

and the other exclaims—

"I, sir, am Dromio, pray let me stay."
The permission will, however, depend on the
energy and efficiency of the new servant, and we
must see sufficient grounds before we repose that
ample reliance, that unhesitating confidence so
modestly demanded. Lord PALMERSTON was
expected to display a vigour and energy adequate
to the emergency. He has, however, in place of
exhibiting any originality, gone back to the con-
demned, and we had hoped obsolete, recipes.
" Commission, commission, commission," was
the -Whig panacea ; and the new Doctor adopts
the,T 01(1 prescription, in all its integrity.
He is •
, la fact, to parody a rhetorical figure
applied to the
—"more old Lords of the Pale
red-tapiat than red-tapism itself."
There must, in all probability, be a consider-
able rise in consequence
a suitable supply
of the increased de-
mand—andef the raw material
of Commissioners will become
,
a question of no
ordinary interest. The nation will not,
so easily dispense with the xequiredi n
vestigation.
it must be fairly and bona fide carried out, with-
out fear, favour,
or affection, the public good
being the only object aimed at. The names
viz., Messrs. ROEBUCK, LAYARD,
already suggested,
and DEU3IMOND, Sir J. PAXTON, Lord STANLEY,
and Messrs. ELLICE, DISEAELI, WIIITESTDE,
BUTT, LOWE, and MILES, appear to have been
very impartially selected, so that no reason-
able objection can be made. If the House
of Commons shows itself to be resolute and per-
severing—if it resolves that its former verdict,
solemnly and deliberately returned, shall not be
set aside on merely formal grounds—the new
Premier must bow to the decision. Them is no I
doubt as to his versatility and genius. He has
shuffled the cards once. He must repeat the ex-
periment. Additional combinations are required.
It °lust not be altogether the old materials. The,

additional "patohwork" must be composed of a
superior fabric. The people will no longer be satis-
fied with professions only. The best-rounded sen-
tences relating to the future conduct of the War
will not atone for its past mismanagement, or recall
to life our gallant countrymen who have perished,
not by steel or lead—not by the - swords or mis-
siles of the adversary, but from gross and pal-
pable neglect—from the undue regard for forms,
to the total neglect of the substance.
We shall not now enter on the vexata qucestio
of the dealings of the present Prime Minister with
Lord DERBY, when the Noble Earl required his
assistance for the formation of a strong and effi-
cient Government. Whether Lord PALMERSTON
exhibited an " encouraging tenderness," in the
first instance, which, after due deliberation with
the Peelite " Coryphees," be exchanged for a deci-
sive negative, is of little consequence. We care
not for the men who may be in the office, pro-
vided the measures be for the national benefit,
ABERDEEN, RUSSELL, DERBY, PALMERSTON are
nothing to us. It is only the public welfare we
look to, and those who show the greatest zeal,
and support the British character, will be the best
men for the time being. The country must know
what have been the causes of the failure of those
who undertook the management of public affairs
with peculiar advantages—with, as the right
Honourable Gentleman the member for Bucks
remarked, "an unanimous Parliament, an
overflowing Treasury, valiant troops, magnificent
fleets, and cordial and powerful Allies." What
has been the result ? We have seen it in the
waste of our resources, the sacrifice of our ; troops,
the shame of our country. We shall not still
rely on the used-up machinery. We must see
that something be adopted likely to produce the
indispensable ameliorations ; and for that a search-
ing investigation by an independent and unbiassed
Committee is essential. That is demanded by
the nation—that must be conceded by the Legis-
lature.

We may hope in the good time coming that
military merit of every kind will receive both its
due honours and more substantial rewards also.
Meantime, while Whigs and Peelites are prolong-
ing the reign of aristocracy and wealth, let the
Press of England do its utmost to make up for the
deficiencies of the Gazette. Of all the affecting inci-
dents of the same kind none touched us more than
one in which Mr. FREDERICK SKEAD, second master
of the Caradoc, acting under the orders of Com-
mander DERRIMAN, is the chief hero of the story.
We outsiders cannot, of course, be supposed to un-
derstand the proper rules of promotion, but we do
know that if the transit service between the camp
and Balaklava were under the command of Mr.
LINDSAY, M.P., or of Mr. PETO, late M.P., or
any gentleman of like thoroughly business habits,
their eyes would be at once fixed upon Mr. FRE-
DERICK SKEAD, aid his speedy advancement would
be certain. He would enter soon upon more ex-
tensive duties, with the inspiring conviction that his
kindness, diligence, and skill had not only earned
him the reward, dearest to every noble heart—
' the gratitude of relieved sufferers—but that his
personal position was correspondingly improved.
Nor would Mr. SKEAD be the only person bene-
fited. All employed in similar duties would in a
moment feel that their superiors wanted that kind
of service, and would reward it. Every promo-
tion for real service multiplies indefinitely those
who can perform them. 'The principal in any
business, the heads of civil departments, and the
commanders of armies, who act rigidly on this
principle, who hold out no hope through any
other, aro invariably well served.

We recorded the facts now adverted to in our
columns of correspondence on Monday, but it may
be wc:l to recal them, lest they should have
escaped the attention of any. It appears that
our sick and wounded suffer most painfully while
being conveyed by mules from the camp to Bala-
klava. Several of the party always die on the
way—on that miserable seven miles' journey which
has been the min of our army, which no
Skill of the General Commanding-in-Chief,
nor that of any of his subordinates, could better.
Arrived at the water's edge, the travelling miseries
of the invalids were not over. They had long to
wait there before they could be got from the fatal
shore to the luxurious comforts of berths and
hammocks on board ship, and the almost Para-
disaical blessing of shelter from the weather, and
dry clothing. Perceiving this, the commander
and his second master seem to have taken the
shore as well as ship matters into their own hand.
The huts could not be got over the impracticable
seven miles ; they appropriate, therefore, the
timber, the crow erect a hut, land a ship's copper,
boil water, and get ready for the poor freezing,
languid invalids who may have lived through the
seven miles' journey a pint of warm tea and a; bis-
cuit each. The poor fellows ale delighted beyond
measure by such tender and considerate fore-
thought. Compassion and foresight had become
novelties to them. "It is impossible," says the
writer, " to describe the gratitude which the men
express for the comfort which they derive from

this slight sustenance ; . . . and painful to
the last degree to see the miserable, broken-down
frames of our men clamouring and struggling with
all their little strength for a cup of the steaming
drink." Poor dear fellows ! probably the last
approach to anything of the kind which they had
seen was the green coffee-berries. After such a
journey—jolted in their weakness through the
mud and cold of the seven miles, to find at the
end of it the beverage which more than anything
else cheers even us in our health at the end of a
few hours' railway trip—they must almost have
fancied themselves once more in the cottages of
their wives or mothers.

For the carrying out of all this they were in-
debted to Mr. FREDERICK SKEAD. " The whole
management of this little store is vested in him,
and the unremitting kindness, patience, and atten-
tion with which he arranges all for the comfort of
the sick men deserve the highest praise. Morning,
noon, and night, whenever the sick come in, he is
busy at this truly charitable work;" which, at a
merely nominal outlay, relieves more misery and
suffering than some of the richest charities in
London."

We have no doubt that such female readers as
honour us with their attention, when they learn
what comfort their daily manufacture could pro-
duce amongst the poor sufferers, are somewhat as-
tonished that so easy a matter should tie found any
difficulty anywhere. It would seem to them that
whereverkettle could be made to boil, half a
pound of tea, or of roasted and ground coffee, could
meat easily ho
Gipsy
PwairttliietBii e:clualreririnee (titi.lliceyi Tr
havehoet carriged
ell t. st
17Bevulelt.ritl
oltel oet
.11
i them remember that all that was unofficial work.
They had not to go to ono •
le authority for their
biscuit, to another for their tea, to another for
their kettle, and were not sent by the said autho-
rities to others whose " department" it was to
in •ovidi) the kettle, or the tea, or the biscuit re-
rhaps these second authorities hav-
spectively, pe
ing to wait for orders from their superiors. We
leave them to judge what chance, in such a case,
they would have had 1 of an impromptu cup of tea.

Lot our fair readers, or their lords, who perhaps
read this to them, know, however, that such is
the due come of providing tea for soldiers both
here and at Balaklava ; except when some Com-
mander DERRIMAN, and his admirable second
master, Mr. SWD, determine to take the tea
department of the Commissariat into their own
hands. The ladies will excuse us if we express
' our belief that scores of sailors in the service, if
encouraged as they ought to be, would soon rival
the performances of our housekeepers themselves
in handiness amidst exigencies. Mr. FRIDERICK
STAID is both in head and heart but a specimen
of many hundreds now afloat. If Lords PAL-
MERSTON and PANMUZE do but intend to begin
promoting ability and worth, they will soon find
a plentiful harvest both iu the army and navy.

It is a singular coincidence that rumours have
been rife in Paris of the intention of Lours NA-
POLEON to visit the Crimea, while it is stated that
our army is falling back to be au army of reserve
and to defend Balaklava. The French, from the
comparative smallness of their losses, and their
large reinforcements, must have probably five or
six times more men than we at Sebastopol, and in
far better working condition also ; they have al-
ready relieved us, taking part of our "attack," as
it is termed, and it is not improbable that they
may be in a condition to take yet more. Their
works, also, are advanced much nearer than ours ;
indeed it would appear from many accounts as
if they might in one part commence at any time
a hand-to-hand contest for one part of the town,
It is certainly not impossible that the EMPEROR
may wish his name to be associated with the
storming of Sebastopol; and if he do, he is not the
man to be lightly diverted from his purpose.
There can be little doubt, moreover, that the
name of NAPOLEON would be a glorious watch-
word for the fellow-countrymen of those who pe-
rished in the retreat from Moscow. And Sebas-
topol stormed by the French under NAPOLEON
after his troops had successfully wintered
before it, would be a grand historic parallel for
Moscow burnt by the Russians to destroy NA.ro-
LEON I. and his army by Russian snows. It will be,
moreover, the destruction of a vast fortressbuilt by
the CZARS for the most nefarious purposes, and
where Russians have no right to be, instead of the
conquest of a city which the CZARS ought never
to have left, and to which they must be driven
back again if Europe is to have lasting peace.
Should he go to the Crimea on such a mission,
we only hope he will return determined to be
present at the storming of Warsaw also. Euro-
pean history, then, could never forget him.

NIONEY MA RKET

AND
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

CITY, TWO o'CLOCK.

The cotton market at Liverpool yesterday was
quiet again, but without any particular alteration
in prices. The sales were estimated at about 6,000
bales. Orleans is sd. ; Uplands at Sid. ; and
Mobile at 51d. per lb. Thero was a firmer tone in
the Railway Share Market, though the aggregate
transactions were limited.

Writing of the interview which the, court of the
Russia Company had a day or two since with
Earl Clarendon, Messrs. Smith and Charles en-
tirely confirm the account we gave. They state—

"The appointment of Lord John Russell as Minister
Plenipotentiary to conduct the Vienna negotiations on
the part of this country is regarded as a guarantee that
these negotiations will not be suffered to be indefinitely
protracted, but that, on the contrary, measures will be
adopted to bring the conference to a speedy decision.
On Monday last the Court of the Russia Company—an
eminent and highly influential association, originally
formed to protect th• interests of the merchants en-
gaged ia commercial transactions with St. Peters-
burg, and composed at all times of the most dis-
tinguished houses in the trade, including members
of Parliament, and recently the late Lord Syden-
ham—waited on Lord Clarendon, to represent to
him the injustice to this country of permitting the trade
with Russia to be carried on, and expressing their leadi-
ness to abandon it till the war should be bronght to a
close. We hare taken much pains to ascertain the
result of the interview, and we believe we are right in
asserting that while there are several members of the
Government who view the subject in the light repre-
sented by the court of the Russia Company, there are
others who would let matters take their course, and
that, consequently, should the question of prohibiting
the overland trade be brought before Parliament, it %Nil'
be an open question in the Cabinet. Such being the
case, there can be little doubt that Mr. Collier's motion
for stopping the trade, supported by a considerable part
of the Cabinet, and, as we have reason to believe, by the
Opposition generally, will be carried by a large majority."
Bills of Exchange upon foreign parts were nego-
tiated yesterday afternoon at fuller rates generally.
Paris was at 25 30 to 35 for 90 days' paper, Am-
sterdam at 11 17i to 18, Hambnrgh at 13 51 to 6,
and Trieste at 12 48 to 55.

The Bank of England return to last Saturday,
compared with the previous xi-cek, exhibits bht few
changes :

Active circulation
Decrease
Bullion
Decrease
Rest