The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-09 00:00:00

LORD JOHN'S CONSISTENCY.

When a garrison can no longer hold a fortress, and is
able to withdraw, it commonly does its best to render
the place untenable or unwholesome. It fills the town
with mines, throws the dead bodies into the wells, or
leaves them unburied in the streets. A soldier very
naturally has no kind of sympathy with the foe who
turns him out of a comfortable shelter, and drives him
to seek his fortune in the field. A different rule, how-
ever, is applicable, in our humble opinion, to the case
of a statesman's conduct towards his former colleagues,
whom he has been obliged to leave, not by their hosti-
lity, nor yet by any serious difference, or any difference
at all, but simply by some blunder of his own. It cer-
tainly seems very uncivil, not to say worse, in Lord
John Russell, who a short month ago was himself a mem-
ber of her Majesty's Government, setting to work to
make them as uncomfortable as he can. It is not his
fault if the ground does not already begin to heave
under their feet and the walls to tumble about
their ears. There is not a sore point in European
politics, there is not a place where the fire
still glows under the treacherous ashes, that Lord John
Russell does not stir up with the recklessness of a
novice, or the artifice of a less amiable character. No
thanks to him if Austria, whom a month ago he affected
to think our real friend, does not now liberate the
Russian armies in her front, and prepare for an Italian
campaign ; no thanks to him if Turkey does not fancy
herself entrapped into playing our game, and either
desert the Allies, or only continue in our service on
whatever terms she can extort from our necessity. If a
hint from Lord John Russell is worth anything at all,
the King of Sardinia will stipulate, before he sends us
more men to the Crimea, for the regeneration of Italy
after the model of his own nation. If the Romans have
their eyes about them, they will be looking for British
countenance to govern themselves, without Austrian, or
an,
Frenchman, or Pope. Both Austria and Russia may
now defend the continued occupation of the Prini-
palities, and the latter the threatened
cu oef
Constantinople, by Lord John Russell
son
osipoantitoon
the
French occupation of Rome. Indeed, the whole speech
is characterised by that cynical tone comm
sful ambition,
on to men of
great talents, bad tempers,
and unsucces
after a certain time of life. It
asoh shows itself totes etl
thing
iinngaacson
badstartilts
attempt to make out ono man
another ; tz. prove that the worst man has his apology,
and that the gressest..coauttiort of some genurage is only fair retaliation,
or the particular WE'
l law.
What such men are driving at, and why they don't
commit suicide outright, instead of continually poisonin
the cup of human life for everybody as well as them selves
ii of course their own concern. There are such men,
and
the tone of Lord John Russell's speech seems to show
that her is one of them. He has left the room, saying a
ill-natued thing to everybody about everybody, —annd
je„vieg all to recover their mutual confidence as well as
they can,
The first thing that strikes one is, wliat a very pleasant
colleague Lord John Aussell must have been till a
, month ago 1 /low onortuel how oik itryige 111)
_ _bow pm!