The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-12 00:00:00

TANTALUS—starving in the vicinity and prospect
of abundance. The hospital arrangements and
commissariat are also decidedly ameliorated, al-
though we believe there is still room for improve-
ment. But in some very important matters, we
still go on at the old jog-trot pace—we seem still
desirous of sparing the enemy in the most vital
points, as if Russia could be conciliated, or
induced to listen to any arguments, to give weight
to any considerations, save those of imperative ne-
cessity. It is true that -7re have captured Sebas-
topol and destroyed the Black Sea Fleet of
Russia—that we have captured Kinbourn, wit-
nessed the destruction of a fort at Otchakoff, and
destroyed a considerable quantity of stores at
Sweaborg. But are these things all, or even a
moiety of what we could have accomplished if
really in earnest ? Certainly not ! We should
scarcely have been contented with half measures
at the Baltic Fortresses, and permitted Cronstadt
and Helsingfors, Revel and Riga to remain un-
touched. The Hango Massacre should have been
fully avenged on the very spot where it was
perpetrated ; the scene of the atrocious out-
rage should have witnessed the condign
punishment of the offenders ; and even St.
Petersburg, as well as sundry other dis-
tricts, should have learned, to their cost, how
powerless was the AUTOCRAT to avert the penal
consequences of his own gross misconduct. These
would have been salutary, although painful lessons,
and would no doubt have greatly conduced to—
what is the object of every true English heart—a
speedy, honourable, and enduring peace, which
can only be founded on the unequivocal humili-
ation of the enemy, and the decided diminution of
the strength that has been so grossly abused.
In the East the determination to spare
Russia, and to afford the means of prolonging
the contest, has been as clearly testified.
The destruction of Sebastopol was an imperative
necessity, which no degree of influence could set
aside. But what has been done since that time ?
We have taken Kinbourn---.made a demonstration
against Nicolaieff, at least to the extent of taking
soundings in the Boug, and showing that the Rus-
sian Portsmouth was completely at our mercy !
But there we stop. In place of taking due ad-
vantage of the golden opportunity, and following
up our first success to its legitimate consequences,
we remain contented for the time being, with hav-
ing indicated the weak point, and thus drawn atten-
tion to the steps necessary to render the menaced
arsenal a second Sebastopol, capable of offering a
vigorous and obstinate defence to any future at-
tacks. The Russians have afforded unequivocal
proofs that they are not slow to profit by such
hints, and we may feel well assured that should ne-
gotiations unfortunately be resumed during the
winter they will not fail to take ample credit for
the assumed invincibility of the towns to which
we have exhibited such extraordinary forbearance
—a mercy so, cruel to our own troops and to our
over-burdened taxpayers.
The mismanagement at the Horse Guards also
remains without any attempt at improvement.
We have seen one of its evil fruits—as
rotten at the core as an apple of the Dead
Sea. One of our bravest Commanders, who de-
servedly enjoyed the entire confidence of the
army and people, has been, by an instance of un-
due favouritism, compelled by a regard to his own
character, to retire in disgust from the Crimea—
to sheathe the sword that has been so frequently and
so beneficially used in the service of his country.
These are not the times when a " carpet knight"
of limited experience should be pitchforked over
the head of such a man as Sir COLIN CAMPBELL
because he was a Guardsman, and his father had
been " a Gold Stick in Waiting !" GOD save
the mark ! The insult is one not merely given
to Sir COLIN CAMPBELL, but to every distinguished
officer whose claims were, at least, as high as
those of Sir WILLIAM CODRINGTON. We cannot,
therefore, feel astonished at the ►ery natural ex-
pression of indignation that has been exhibited,
or that many officers of rank and position should
have deemed it right to express their opinions
strongly on such a gross abuse of patronage.
Field-Marshal Viscount HARDINGE is, of course,
the party nominally responsible. But we trust
that the person really accountable may be shown
up in the stringent investigations that cannot be
avoided, and that the cleansing of the Augean
stables that have so long defied all purification,
and the placing of the military system of Great
Britain on a sound and wholesome footing, may
be one of its fruits. Such an outrage as the
promotion Of Sir WILLIAM CODRINGTON Oyer
the head of Sir Court CAMPBELL requires
very decided conduct on the part of the people.
We have confidence in Lord PALMERSTON, but it
is essential that his bands should be materially
strengthened to enable him to grapple with the
monster grievance of the day—to control the in-
fluence so dangerous to the constitutional liberties
11
and the interests of Great Britain.

If the cry of "an ill-used man " has been
potent enough, according to Mr. &OPEL; to
drive him from the field, and to enable Sir
CHARLES NAPIER to walk the course for South-
wark, the same cry ought most certainly to give
an uncontested seat somewhere to Major-General
TcromrsoN. No public man of equal ability and
integrity has been half so ill-treated, and by those,
too, who owed him a debt of gratitude, An ad-
mirable pamphlet from his pen, " Fallacies against
the Ballot, with the Answers," has just at this
moment reminded its of the claims of the veteran
Free-trader and Reformer. It is a disgrace to
our electoral constituency, and a proof of the ne-
cessity of the protection afforded by the Ballot,
that a politician to whom his country is so deeply
indebted, and who was, when in the House, one of
its acknowledged ornaments and of its most dili-
gent members, should not be now a Member of
Parliament. To think of the number of noodles
and dummies returned by Lord this and Lord
that, while such men remain excluded, is enough
to make us blush for our constitution. With all
due deference to Prince ALBERT and his Trinity
House plea for despotism, our constitution is much
more on its trial when contending at elections
with the political roguery and tyranny of our
plutocracy and aristocracy, than when engaged in
a foreign war. Indeed, in reference to the latter,
the chief practical obstruction at present is the
peoplewant oaf House of
Ballot.
CommonsTh elected
The
prosentoueby h
is tthee
creation of aristocratic bribery and intimidation ;
and Free Trade energy, and its sympathies with
despotism and cotton, have played the game of
Russia, and ruinously enfeebled the policy of the
War.
haveA
compelled the people last year
Ministers
b
to do their duty,
elected
and other persons to let Ministers alone.
would

The General, naturally enough, adverts at the
close of the pamphlet to his own rejection in a
borough where a majority of fully twenty to •ne
voted for him at the hustings, as a proof of the
adaptedness of the present system to give full
effect to the screw. We regret to believe that, in
addition to the usual screw, another influence, the
most malignant of all, was the immediate cause of
the disgrace incurred by the borough of Bradford.
Notwithstanding what Methodism owed to his
immediate ancestors and to himself, as a firm