The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-26 00:00:00

ing her engagement, or that there is still some '
notion of patching up a peace—a dishonourable and
transitory peace—with Russia. Either branch of
the alternative requires the instant attention of
both Houses of Parliament. The country suf
fered enough last year from their indifference. It
will no longer consent to leave matters in the
bands of Ministers. After the specimen we have
just had of the proceedings at the Conference, it
must be completely disgusted with secret diplo-
macy, and determined that henceforward there
must be a more vigorous and decided action on
the part of the Government, or a complete and
radical change both of men and measures.

" While Rome was burning, NERO fiddled.'
The Representatives of the British people seem to
consider such apathy not merely justifiable, but
even laudable. Never was there a greater neces-
sity for energy and zeal on the part of the Mem-
bers of either House of Parliament. Never has
there been a more flagrant squandering of the
public time, or a more profound indifference to
the exigencies of the country. Exclusive of the
winter session, chiefly consumed in passing an
Act that has been suffered to remain a dead letter,
three months have elapsed since the meeting of
Parliament, and yet nothing, literally nothing,
in the way of legislation, has been accomplished.
There has, on one pretext or another, been a suc-
cession of holidays. Much time was con-
sumed respecting Ministerial arrangements, and
when they were completed, ten days more were
lost in waiting for the re-election of the Premier
and the then Home Secretary ; for although the
Cabinet could get on very well during the absence
of the Colonial Minister at Vienna they could
not venture to meet Parliament until the election
of Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT had been secured. It
was well known that the Right Hon. Gentleman
had no contest to dread, that he would have a
mere " walk over" the course. He was in daily
attendance at Downing-street, to afford his advice
to his colleagues on any doubtful points. . But a
week was thrown away in order that he might
take his seat, and his first speech was an ex-
planation of his complicity with GLADSTONE and
GRAHAM in the attempt to upset the Ministerial
Coach. Then came the prolonged vacation at
Easter, followed by the week of comparative idle-
ness, for which the Imperial Visit was a fair
apology.
But, surely, after all these excuses had been
tendered and accepted, it was time that a little
diligence should at length be displayed. And
yet we find Tuesday rendered memorable by a
" count-out," and that, too, when questions of
vital consequence to the national welfare were
about to be brought forward. We shall not at
present speak of the Bill, by Mr. LOCKE KING, for
better settling the estates of intestates, or that of
Mr. MALINS, to enable infants, with the approba-
tion of the Court of Chancery, to make binding
settlements of their real and personal estates on
marriage—although both are subjects of consi-
derable importance, which must receive conside-
ration, and were vested in competent hands, who
would be able to bring forward the cases in an
attractive form. But there were two other topics
of paramount interest, under the existing circum-
stances of the country, which nevertheless failed to
keep a House—the public service yielding to the
enjoyments of the table. Captain SCOBELL had given
notice that he would move for a Select Committee
" to inquire into the government of the navy, relat-
ing to the lists of officers, patronage, promotion,
and the efficiency of the service in all the grades
belonging to it ; to report and recommend such
changes and modifications, if any, as the Committee
may deem wise, salutary, and just." Sir ERSICINZ
PERRY was also to call for the appointment of a
Select Committee "to consider and inquire how the
Army of India may be made most available for the
War in Europe, and to inquire into the steps ne-
cessary to be taken, if it should be deemed expe-
dient, to constitute the army of the East India
Company a Royal army."
To these matters the public attention has been
especially directed. The just and reasonable com-
plaints 'respecting the system of promotion in the
arniy have been met, or rather attempted to be
met, by assertions that it is no worse than that in
operation in the other branch of the service. It
is, of course, desirable that the public should
know if there is any weight to be at-
tached to the "tu-quoque" argument, which some
favoured Guardsmen are so fond of bringing for-
ward ; and, if so, what are the causes of such
flagrant abuses ? Under such circumstances a
gallant officer of great experience, and a general
favourite on all sides of the House, undertakes the
subject. The public anxiously await the revela-
tions that may reasonably be anticipated, and con-
fidently relyon obtaining considerable information,
if no other benefit. Sed dis aliter visum. The
whipper-in reverses his operations. He whips out
the patient waiters on PROVIDENCE, and they
readily hasten to their soup and fish, leaving
Captain SCOBELL and his motion to be disposed of
by a count-out.

LONDON, THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 1855.

The Representatives of the Western Powers
—whether in deference to " Germanism" or of
their own free will .we leave our readers to judge
—seem to have displayed an extraordinary degree
of courtesy towards Russia at the recent Confer-
ences. There should, of course, have been po-
liteness of demeanour and a spirit of conciliation
exhibited, such as gentlemen will always evince
towards those with whom they may chance to be
brought in contact. But it should not be carried
to an exaggerated pitch, more especially when the
duty of the parties is to demand adequate redress
for gross and unwarrantable conduct.
It now appears that when the Third Point
came on for discussion no definite suggestion was
offered on behalf of the Allies, but it was proposed
that the Russian representatives themselves should
take the initiative as to the means by which they
would give effect to the principle of that proposi-
tion. The result is known, and it could scarcely
have been different. Had it been the object of
the Western Plenipotentiaries to defeat the pend-
ing negotiations and to bring them to a ridicu-
lous and abortive conclusion, a more effectual
mode could not have been devised for the pur-
pose. Experience has shown that Russian Minis-
ters are incapable of appreciating such high-toned
and over-fastidious delicacy. They could not
conceive that men were really in earnest when
displaying so great consideration for the feelings (!)
of those from whom they were demanding conces-
sions. The conduct of Prince MENSCRIKOFF, 011
his mission to Constantinople, before the invasion
of the Danubian Principalities, they could under-
stand, but not such extraordinary forbearance.
It is by no means improbable that this has
been the cause of the total failure of the Confer-
ence. It is, indeed, but part and parcel of the
same disastrous policy which, inaugurated by
" the dear and excellent" ABERDEEN, completely
deceived the late CZAR, and induced him to press
his unwarrantable demands by still more unjusti-
fiable aggressions. Until the last moment, when
the victory of the Alma had been achieved, and
the assault on Sebastopol actually commenced, the
AUTOCRAT never supposed that we would really
take the field against his cohorts, or fancied that
there was more than a mere colourable resistance
to his ukase, sufficient to save the credit of the
ABERDEEN' Government. He thought that, how-
ever emphatic might be our protests, we would
be satisfied with mere remonstrances, until
we submitted to what had been fait accompli,
and could therefore no longer be averted. The
unanimous spirit of the British nation, and the
inflexible resolution of our gallant Ally, however,
enforced a more vigorous policy than the senile
twaddler then at the head of the British Cabinet
anticipated ; and to his own surprise, as well as
that of the CZAR, the Earl of ABERDEEN was
obliged to assent to the invasion of the dominions
of " his friend of forty years' standing," and the
attack on the Russian stronghold in the Euxine,
" the standing menace to Europe," and more espe-
cially to Constantinople I We find that our re-
presentatives, however, still pursu© the same
course, still induce Russia to hope that she may
avoid the disagreeable consequences of her own
aggressive policy.
It will also be seen from the answer of the
Earl of PHILHARMONIC ❑
idSofcitEhTy.e ff—The third concert
pdietdal ' . of
thCer oens was ump a -
CLARENDON to Lord HARDWICKE, on Tues.
w-3.45-Eglv P
veii
last
.can Lion at Bromptonghlr.
The hall was crow
4ay evening, that no distinct statement
be made as to the course likely to be adopted splendid programme, and on the whole a fine perform-
byAustria in anc'.
must reference to the War. We ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITErTION.—Yesterday, by
totally •
Y dissent from the views taken by the well-timed invitation of Mr. Pepper, the resident
the Noble Secret, director, the boys of the Royal Military Asylum at
time had not Yet fir' for Foreign Affairs, that the Chelsea visited this institution, and cheerfully returned
called on to compliment
of wintaArc,liiahl aadirbseemn
opoahidttoo
tthhee them
delight
perform-
concert rin the-
concartrived when Austria could be the
.t
stipulations contained. glenures for carrying the ins gnearal y
company.
cember into execution. The
the Treaty of the 2d De- _ROYAL GALLERY OF,.
tIbLIXe ~STERATItON.s f—tiDl u e
vi n g thear" i
as
that conclusion, by stating that Noble Earl justified 1 Paso
wben vieseiltetdhbeyDtih''erl'Do tat owing
peace not being concluded ,o it was only on 1 —The Duke of Leeds and party, the Marchioness
the
Four Points that Austria was
boundthe basis of the Londonderry andh party, the
Countess
h 6
Glen-
surely surely when the negotiations ent,e4tio. act* But Cviointnatnedssp
andparty,aorftyN°theuCrYounteso of Kinnoull and party, E .r 1
High-
express instance of the Cabinet of Vienna
at the -Home, the Countess of Listowelli
tandEpairt3j.,, his
nHiagnhd-
been broken up—when the Plenip,otentniaarkave npacsrstythehiNs aEwaxueeblioefneSynntahteanperussusi:an,
imbassajor and
France and England have departed from Vi ies
en family, Madame Muslims and party, the Countess
ienna ot Cardigan and party, the Earl of Wicklow, Lord
on their homeward route—when Russia has Done Lord Viscount Chelsea
as and party, the
and Part
Lady Hatherton and party, Lady
Walls-
peremptorily rejected the demands of all the other court and
Powers, and refused to submit any counter pro-
taVe
partlderyi y
Frances
Hi and
gg ns po
n art
ayn , Lord
d party,
positions, there no longer exists the slightest pre- VaLest Zl'errt.aond partyy, Lady Duncan and party, Lady
text far further procrastination if Austria desires ix„arctoyn,
Lady
adlxsanrltiyd, GanedneraltavndLLdadyGChaahrtloatnide
to act faithfully in accordance with the spirit of and party; YGMeneeYrralesbs!ad party,pthre-iion. llrs. Liddell
her
engagetuent. Surely it would bave been of -COnlgoenresltse
Church, irDe Lacy Evans, Taylor, Lovell,
great importance(and ownlow (a_g,Y, Perry,
.and Torrens ;
that these terms should combearty), Edvi (and Party), Richmond, Dun-
have been settled while Smth Fawcett, T ardes, Forbe
ynte, and B Cust, Daubigny,
Lord JOHN' RUSSELL , Barnett, Lawrell, 'Wilson, T a lour
M. DROuyN DE; Majors Irving,
JuuYS were on the spot, and Dr. Buckland and part the and Kirby • the Rev.
p the Re, EY ,
the absence of any• 1-tinrda MLrsa.wFoarndd and
tparty, Mrs. 1-1
Alexa.nd merson,
Mr.
authentic information on such -
topic only proves 'either that Austria is shirk- Canfield, Shirty,l3l.!. 3', Mrs. Adair and er and party,
D'Oraay, &c. Party ; Messrs.

The state of the Indian army was a topic of
equal interest. The country saw with disgust the
mode in which the services of Brigadier MAYNE
were lost to the nation. A remedy was
anxiously sought for. Sir ERSKINE PERRY,
whose protracted residence in India rendered him
thoroughly competent to the task—undertook
the duty—and his reward was a " count-out."
What will the several consti.tuencies think of
this ? Will they consider the men who lent
themselves to such a trick again worthy of their
confidence? These matters will be remembered
on the hustings, where retributive justice awaits
those who now smile at the transaction as an un-
commonly good joke, but who, at the next gene-
ral electi )n, will, probably, to plagiarise a vulgar,
but significant, expression, "laugh at the wrong
side of their mouths."