The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-27 00:00:00

ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPITIVIEATRE.

Lessee and Manager, Mr. Wm. Cooke.
THIS EVENING,
The BATTLE of BALAKLAYA and of INKERVANN, aided, by
a Third Act, to the successful Spectacle, the BATTLE of the ALMA,
which this week reaches its 115th reprecentation The addition
embraces the ever-memorable charge of the British Cavalry, and
also those tremendous hand-in-hand encounters which characterised
the above engagements.
After which, and to conclude with, a select and prolonged Series of
SCENES m the CIRCLE, invented by Mr. Was. Cooke.
Box-office open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W,
West. Acting Manger, r. W. 11. Cooke. Equestrian. Director
Mr. W. Cake, jun.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON ETCIDGz.
Tuns DAT —]horning 49 rain.nitel 10 I Evening 32 Tnin.aft 11
To- Aonitow —Taorning 0 min.after 0 Evening 13 minalt.

' THE WEATHER.—Strx 0/17101, Feb. 27.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SNARE
44—highest since noon yesterday.
38—!owest this morning and during the night.
43—this day, at noon.
__ __

BAAOMETER, 29.81.
WIND, S.W.—Light, with dull, rainy weather.

~SLVe

Now, a Noble Lord, of unquestionable efficiency,
has accepted the office, but he is otherwise en-
gaged ; and while he is closely occupied in Paris,
Berlin, or Vienna, he cannot be supposed to bestow
much time or attention on the other important
interests committed to his charge. It would then
in the absence of the head of the department btu
essential that the Under-Secretary should have

some knowledge of the routine of its duties. But,
alas, there is no Under-Secretary responsible

to Parliament ! The young gentleman who lately

held it with what might in some quarters possibly

be termed " commendable ambition," but which

is likely to receive a more homely and far less
flattering appellation from the community at
large, abandoned the position where he might
possibly be useful for one in which, according
to all human probability, lie must be very much
the reverse. It would appear as if Peelite
management had been so very successful in the
conduct of the War that it could not be dis-
pensed with, that one who would derive his inspira-
tion from " the good and excellent" Earl should
be sought for at any sacrifice.
As to the nomination of Sir CHARLES WOOD to
the head of the Admiralty, we can only say that
the " derisive cheers" with which the announce-
ment was received in the House of Commons
will be echoed from all parts of the country.
Even the strongest Government would be mate-
rially damaged by such an appointment. When a
man of energy, and genius, and determination
is imperatively required. Sir CHARLES WOOD (!)
is presented to the country as the pilot to weather
the storm, to retrieve the mismanagement
that has already been so grievously complained of.
There are few, indeed, who, whatever may be
their aristocratic or rea-tapist predilections, will
not feel that this is indeed " too bad ! "—that it
is an insult to our navy and to the country.
We have already expressed our views respecting
the new Chancellor of the Exchequer. He must
certainly be - a bold man to accept such
an office at such a time and with
such desperate up-hill work to encounter.
Should he prove himself equal to the magnitude
of the emergency we shall be very agreeably sur-
prised. We cannot, however, discover anything
to warrant a reasonable anticipation that such
,fill h the case. With such critics as Mr. Drs-
Rem and Mr. GLADSTONE watching at either side
he incurs no trifling danger.
"Incidit in Scyllam, dam, yule evitare Cliarybd in."
If he strive to conciliate the " Oxford Pet," l
must anticipate the sledge-hammer assaults of tl.,
Bucks champion, while his situation will be but
little better if he reverse the operation. His
chances with either would be something like that
specified by a China orange to all Lombard-street.
Lord DUNCAN'S, although a minor appointment,
is one that will be received with general approval.
The labours of the Noble Lord for the abolition of
the Window-tax and the improvement of the
Woods and Forests, merit a much higher reward
,than a Junior Lordship of the Treasury.

We cannot conclude our notice of the new
writs issued without alluding to one that was
ordered with deep sorrow by men of all parties. Tho
"veteran reformer," honest, faithful, and energetic
JOSEPH HumE has left a vacancy which it will indeed
be difficult to fill up. He was, indeed, one who
struggled boldly and manfully, not for his own
personal aggrandisement, but for the common
weal. The reformer of every abuse the
abater of every political nuisance —he not
only laboured incessantly, but with an almost
unparalleled amount of moral courage, he
braved the sneers and ridicule of the pert
officials and time-serving waiters on PROVIDENCE.

At first waging single-handed war against the
Hydra of corruption he enlisted many promising
recruits, and became the founder of an important
and influential party. He laboured in his
vocation to the very last. Ho died in the ser-
vice of his country, and if ever a private indivi-
dual merited a public funeral or other indication
of national respect and honour, JOSEPH Hiznat
was the man. Peace to his manes. He has left
a blank which it will, indeed, be difficult to fill.

We don't know but that, for most practical pur-
poses, the best thing Lord JOHN RUSSELL could do

would be to turn his back on:Vienna, and hasten

home to enter on the duties of the Colonial-office,

The Congress of Vienna, we grow more and more
convinced, is a miserable farce—and the only good
we see likely to come of its being played oat, is

;he satisfaction of the scruples of parties too little

national in sentiment and feeling to be deserving
of much consideration. We are booked for a
terrible and decisive struggle, and please HEAvEN

we will wilt.

By all accounts, and in entire keeping with the
practice of Russian diplomacy, while the agents

of the CZAR. glibly talk of peace, and the un-
English party in this country quack in sympa-

thctic accord—that potentate is straining every
nerve to increase the effective force at his dis-

posal, and the result is, that but a short p3riod
will elapse ere Russia is armed to the teoth, and
presents a succession of lines behind linos of
bristling bayonets. Regret cannot but be a-faint
term to express the feeling with which the pre-
sent state of things must bo regarded by those
who have had a due appreciation of the nature of

the contest on which we have entered from the
first, and whose painful lot it has been to witness
opportunity after opportunity foolishly permitted
to pass by unrecognised and unimproved.

The aid we had a right to anticipate from a
cordial appeal to oppressed nationalities is daily
becoming more and more problematical. If we

turn to the Caucasus we find the mountaineers o
Circassia grumbling and dissatisfied, with an
ill-timed, however otherwise desirable, interfer-
ence with a traffic consecrated in their eyes by
the custom of centuries. If we turn to Poland
and Finland, what do we find ? Why more dis-
astrous still—for the evil will shortly be beyond
remedy—the CZAR draining the best blood, the
youthful, ardent, patriotic blood of those countries
into his ranks, there to mix and to be lost in the
puddle of his Muscovite hordes. To dream of
Sweden and Denmark aiding us who have dis-
played so little capacity to avail ourselves of the
most palpable advantages, is ridiculous in the ex-
treme. Small States love the right as well as
large ones, but they are trained to respect
strength, management and fertility of resources,
mild cannot afford to be sentimental.
We have lost a noblo army, wasted an entire
ea
I)lPa*, and cast away every special ;„i'vant,,,
in Our 'Power. That is the history of the present
War.
Wan ever a.
fashion great nation sacrificed after a
like this, by nincompoops of rulers like
my Lord AnEutte,„, ana nincompoops -
his followers T Driven
into a war which night
hair® been averted for
years. When we were in u ~_
, and were bound
to make the most of it, we have taken, it up as
gingerly and pedantically as if a were a matte:
within the scope of diplomacy, and not a struggle
which the fate of Europe for the text
centu'n
—its well-being—its very civilisation, we hesitate
not to say—is at stake. And all this comes of what?
Why, of not effect* needful reform when we had
the opportunity. Nothinghas cost this country more
than its easyloin indifference to abuses that have

O, 1.