The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-28 00:00:00

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MR. LA YARD; -
•
The attention of the country has
li of -.
directed to Mr. Layard as 7itig take'
pendent, as well as a promin
,t, part in
sions and investigations whit hive a 6
the d'sastrous mismanagement 'the
e\ii
Crimea. Few men have risen so rlaldly iiipulgie
estimation as this gentleman. Entering Parliament
little more than two years since, with a well-earned
reputation as a scientific traveller and a distin-
guished literary man, but without any political an-
tecedents or connections to help him forward, Mr:
Layard speedily came out from the crowd of new
members and took up a position as a rising man.
Lord Derby, Lord Aberdeen, and Lord Palmerston
have successively proffered for his acceptance seve-
ral of the minor offices of their-Government, and it
is but justice to Mr. Layard to mention that seve-
ral such offers have been declined by him on the
gornoutnhde wasfthoartmheation o
noft thethe "
Praligmhteremtaonn" forthem
Adminis-
tration, Mr. Layard's services might, in the opinion
of many of his countrymen, have been advanta-
geously employed as Under-Secretary of the War-
office. But this was not offered to him, and the
feeling at the time was, and. is still prevalent, that
Mr. Layard was too openly committed to admini-
strative reform, and too zealous and sincere in his
intentions to carry out a real reformation of the
system, to render his position in an influential
situation of the War Department agreeable to the
greater part of the members of the present any
more than to those of the lite Administration.
Unattached, therefore, to any considerable poli-
tical Party in the house, and unflinching in his de-
nunciations of the incapacity and corruption which haventei c sacrificedalbyis
theh m human life by .the • thousand and
mahte
mielliown,itMh r".
his
eayharad againstdnsoon becaemveerya
l
pneorepnoveieaaboledpmoseirtmeiolan'
s fho
ra_nhcl i
ras against
eff
man, and every
position.
courage Few
t have
a dareve_
s u
orffi
But unfortunately ctioe fixitynht endure
iot
.f
perhaps
almost inevitably, Mr. Laard has made several
"mistakes." It was,thhoiniug. Thisi
, no doubt,
very trying to the
patience of Mr. Layard, as well as to that of the na-
tion, to be assured that the most ~ unaccountable"
delay, the grossest mismanagement, official jobbing
and official incapacity, were all necessary parts of
the system. That everything had been done that
could be expected under the circumstances. That
all the officials were " honourable men,'' capable
men, energetic men. And, finally, that nobody
was to blame. In his anxiety, however, to find
out who the parties to blame were, Mr. Layard fell
into divers errors. Now we cannot be surprised
that parties to whom the blame has been errone-
ously imputed, or who have been unfavourably
brought before the public in connection with
the late most disgraceful and unhappy Crimean
campaign should feel greatly aggrieved. Let
Mr. Layard put himself in the place of a man
who not only knows that he has done his best,
but that he has done his work well, and that but
for the incapacity of heads of departments, whose
depressing imbecility hangs as a dead weight on
his energies, he should have obtained for himself
his country's approbation, and who is held tip to
public reprobation and disgrace. A public man
should be extremely careful how he makes state-
ments compromising the reputation of any servant
of the public, however humble, or, let us add,
however exalted, his rank or position. Mr. Layard
permitted himself to be drawn into • personal at-
tacks without sufficient evidence. We have no
doubt he regrets this as much as any of his friends
can do. He might also, we think, have come
rather more forward in the ready acknowledgment
of error.

But, though on several occasions wrong in mat-
ters of detail, Mr. Layard has been right in prin-
ciple. It was a monstrous thing that England
should pour out her money and her blood like
water, and that our soldiers should perish
through official obstinacy and stupidity, and
the British name and fame discredited through-
out Europe. The evil done may extend
its pernicious effects • through generations. The
country, therefore, has been, and is with Mr.
Layard in his attempts to search out the persons
at whose door tho_w_ar _mismanagement lies, and
if anything could dispose the public to take his
part more than ever, it is the treatment which Mr.
Layard has met with in political circles. In the
house a dead set has been made at him. There
has been an evident and systematic attempt made
to put him down by fair means or foul. From the
Premier on the Treasury bench to the juvenile ex-
pectant-placeman of the back row, a determination
has bees clearly evinced to " crush thit Layard."
Out of the house, among those who make politics
their profession, the feeling has been, if possible,
stronger.
.• The man that mentioned him at once dismissed
All mercy from his lips, and sneered and hissed.

Nevertheless, the country is still with Mr. Layard.
They believe him to be honest, capable, and cour-
ageous. And without wishing to defend his mis-
takes, or even to extenuate-them, they give him
their unhesitating support.
Mr. Layard has this week obtained a decided
triumph over his political hornets. We refer our
readers to his letter to the Times in reference to
the affair of Captain Christie, and Sir Janies
Graham's attempt to throw the odium of that un-
fortunate gentleman's death on Mr. Layard.
Taking Mr. Layard's letter and Sir James Graham's
subsequent admissions in the House of Commons,
it appears evident that Sir James has confounded
dates and facts and drawn inferences hostile to
Mr. Layard from his own incorrect statements
to an extent far worse than anything that Mr.
Layard has yet done. Sir James did in reality
accuse Mr. Layard of causing Captain Christie to
die " broken-hearted" by his false representations.
Whereas it now appears that Sir James had dis-
missed Captain Christie before Mr. Layard spoke
about him, and any oue who will read the circum-
stances under which. this gentleman was brought
to a court-martial will have no difficulty .in per-
ceiving in the treatment which he experienced from
the Government sufficient to cause the most
bitter mortification and distress of mind to
that " old and gallant officer," as Mr. Layard, in
his letter, styles him. _

Sir James has been, he says, 37 years in the
House of Common§, Mr. Layard but two or three.
If this veteran politician can fall into such an ex-
traordinary and unjustifiable mistake, the nation
will not perceive the justice of Mr. Layard " being
driven out of the political world" for a less offence.
—Derbyshire Courier.

THE REPRESENTATION OF BATH. —The' Liberals of
,his city, baying broken off their negotiation with Sir

Culling Eardley, held a meeting on Friday night at the
rooms of the Liberal Association, which were crowded
with voters. Mr. T. Gill, the ex-mayor, presided. Mr,
W. Tite, deputy-chairman of the Administrative Reform
Association, was introduced by a deputation of gentle-
men and was cordially received. The proceedings were
then opened by the chairman, who expressed his hope
that, in the event of Mr. Tite's sentiments meeting the
approbation of the Liberal party, they would unite to
place him at the head of the poll. Mr. Tite, in an ad-
dress of considerable length, stated his opinions. He
had nothing to conceal. He had always been a Re-
former, and he would vote for the ballot with all his
-heart. He did not want to go to Parliament pledged ;
he wished them to Lave confidence in him that he
would faithfully do his duty. He Was a Churchman,
hut was on most intimate terms of friendship with
Dissenters. He believed, if they had had the right
men in the right places, there would have been no
need of new taxation. Immense sums of money had
been wasted. He was no enemy to the conducting of
the war boldly, honestly,
and vigorously. They were
bound to conduct it creditably to
t themselves and
honestly to their allies. The grant
tdo aynooth did
nceaenhurwchourladtensot have
equally opposed to thee.nniost
support, commend itself
Hoe
e hto on hisld conscience ns cie
glum, Donu;n, and would vote against
Tite, whose address was received with great cheering,.
having retired, it was unanimously resolved that he
should be requested to allow himselfyat orTo
hob mee meeting
Conservative
vsti
eenhrre nv
whichaso
atmi
same
vi -ee
he, on Saturday morning, in an
nation ; and a resolution to that effect having been ler.
address
learned gentleman,
two3trhjeedelteocthoirms, signified his consent.
Te
was quite clear that
,thgaeyidhiatd not had the right
deaanydoifdahties' supportersl‘ fr W hll
ealtY't hQe.
Colonel Blathwayoteapeerses;idgerde.at
a‘t
ii
en
tthe course
cot f hisf
thaeddwraesrs
erations were wanted
which the several
modethe
in
imnetnhein
up. Ho was bound as a true. Protestant
offices were filled
was not expedient to renew the
Maynoothrotestant to say that it
address was received with the applause grant. This
and a resolution pledging the
eapplause of the auditors,
speaker carried amid loud cheering. meeting to support the
expected to take place The nomination is
on Thursday or Friday next.
UNFENCED MAORI NERY. --Between five and six o'clock
on Thursday evening last a very afflictin accident took
Place at Messrs.
Sails Schwabe and Co.'s printing and
bleach works
Joseph Way Rhodes, Middleton. It appears that
was fastening one Of the clams at the
bleach works, when his woollen apron (such as are worn
by crofters and bleachers) became entangled with an up-
right shaft, and dragged him round many times ; his
head and body also came in contact with an iron pipe,
near to the shaft, and killed him on the spot. The shaft
is in one corner of the room, and about eighteen inches
distant from the wall. The unfortunate individual was
a single man, 49 years of age, and has been employed
at the bleach works about 35 years. —Manchester
Examiner.
MAD 'ME TUSSAVD'S EXHIBITION.—Among the mili-
tary heroes lately, exhibited in this museum we observed
a most excellent likeness of his Royal Highness the Duke
of Cambridge. His royal highifess is represented in the
uniform of a major-general, his breast decorated with
several military orders ;_ among them is the last distinc-
tion, the Crimean medal. It is cart • analy one of the
moat interesting figures in this Exhibition. e.

4 ..At'r
1)
r 71.4
I 5 ,

LONDON, MONDAY., MAX 28, 1855.