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

(From the Daily News of this day.)

On Monday Lord John Russell announced that he
would next day "inal:o some observations in reference to
the present state of Italy, and the occupation of the
Papal States by foreign troops." Yesterday Lord John
kept his word by expatiating at great length on the
Vienna Conferences, the war in Asia, the war in the
Baltic, the war in the Crimea. Italy was almost for-
gotten ; but luckily it occured to Lord John, just before
sitting down, that to omit entirely the subject ho had
undertaken to lecture upon might look rather absurd,
and, in consequence, a few words about Italy were
added by way of postscript to his ntaylict et reibosa
epistolu.
. .

Lord John's remarks were listened to with that
chilling listlessness with which everything that falls
from that ghost of a suicide statesman is now received.
Lord Palmerston, out of sheer politeness for an ex•col-
league, endeavoured to say a few words which might
have the appearance of admitting there was something
worthy of attention in what Lord John had said. Mr.
Wilkinson condescended to protest against the doctrines
of the hon. member fin. London. And here the matter
would have rested, but that Mr. Henley, unkindly,
though truly, blurted out that "he could not see why
or wherefore this discussion was brought forward at
the present time." The whole house nodded a-sent to
Mr. Henley, and the business of the day proceeded with-
out any further notice being taken of Lord John or his
speech.
It is impossible to read Lord John's oration without
charitably wishing that some kind friend or relative
would turn the key upon him, in order that our Pollonius
may "play the fool nowhere but in his own house."
He dwelt with emphasis on the slow progress the Allies
are making in the Crimea, on the no-results from the
presence of our magnificent fleet in the Baltic, and on
the disgraceful check which the Allied arms have expe-
rienced in Asia. But instead of pointing out that this
state of affairs is owing to no inherent strength of Russia,
but to the dilatory and planless manner in which the
war is waged by the Allies, Lord John inferred from it
that Russia is an overmatch for France and England,
with Turkey and Sardinia to boot. He complacently
assumed—as if it were the most agreeable intelligence in
the world—that the strength and resources of France
and England are exhausted, while those of Russia are
only, for the first time, being brought into full play. He
counted up our war expenditure for the year, insinuated
that it was greater than any year's expenditure of the
Peninsular war, and followed this up by an exaggerated
statement of the troops which the Czar is marching
southward to reinforce his armies in the Crimea. On
the strength of these assumptions, Lord John urged
upon Ministers the necessity of concluding peace as
soon as they can, and upon any terms. With singular
inconsistency Lord John, after his long and a
attempt to persuade the House of Common!!
immediately con-
eluding laboured
is no safety for England except in
en , e
eluding peace on any terms, fired up wsolan,
and
was accused of doing so by Mr. Wil
protested that though he was in favour of accept-
.
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