The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-14 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, MAY 14, 1855.

A story has been told of an American Captain
who, convinced from certain indications that a
complaint would be lodged against him, antici-
pated the informers by preferring it himself, and
thus became entitled to a moiety of the penalties
imposed. Lord PALMERSTON practised a dodge of
a similar description on Friday eveaing. Major
REED was put forward as the ostensible complain-
ant. The Honourable and Gallant Member was
like the illustrious BorroM, fully prepared
" To roar you as gently as any sucking dove."
It is true that at one portion of his speech he
seemed to disregard his cue, aqd "to aggravate
his voice" in the expectation of inducing the

audience to say
" Let him roar again, let him roar again."

Thus he at one time, with too much candour,
declared that " the country had been woefully de-
ceived, for the Noble Lord had not moved with
the spirit of the times, and had not effected those
reforms which were anticipated," and more than
hinted that " the party to which the Noble
Lord belonged were democrats in opposition,
but oligarchs in office ;" while at another, despite
these grave imputations, and, as if to prove that
like his great prototype, he could " roar as 'twere
any nightingale," he professed his anxiety to
give the Government his cordial support under the
difficult circumstances in which they were placed,
" and to enable them to make such a statement
as would satisfy the anxiety of the country." It
is needless to say that these not over consistent
views excited no enthusiasm—elicited no cheers
that th ey merely provokedlaughter. Theblundering
of the Ministerial 11LatiseT materially abridged
the intended effect of the Premier's dodge. His
candid confession of the Ministerial shortcomings,
his "owning the soft impeachment" of the high
expectations entertained on his accession to office,
which "had overrun the bounds of reasonable and
practicable realisation," and his development of
the intended changes—we cannot as yet accept
them as " ameliorations" were therefore
"la, stale" and, still worse, " unprofit-
able." None of his points "told," albeit
that he bad, for the time being, assumed
t
to ae" deferential" in place of the "defiant " tone
Which v e
W 3,1- so much better accustomed. The
weekly °NW of the Cabinet paid him the
rather left-h. 44
compliment of declaring that "he was aet.iilg
not- talking." It was indeed
acting ;" bat
We
regret to say that he
Jac. means as mn4 atwas by
home in the ,c heavy" busi-
ness as in the more light and sparkling
characters I
be had been accustomed to assume.
After all, what is it that he announces with
such grandiloquent flourishes--such
Pompous
platitudes ? The contemplated consolidation
of
the military departments, in which, as the Right
Honourable Gentleman the Member for 33,eks
truly remarked, there is nothing "profoundly
original." The abolition of the Board of Ord-
nance—Which forms no exception to the other
boards, in being what Mrs. HALL'S Irish Watch-
man designates as " desperate stupid"—Spill un-
_ 'queseonably be a great public benefit. But before
(
neotiditional acceptance to the propo-
nal", wi'w(*'-svAtati" to be satisfied as to the effi-i
ciettey, and still more the independence, of the de-
C, partment to' which the power is to be delegated.
" The gorse Guards" aro not in the
- odour ofl