The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-28 00:00:00

unequal struggle have carried on their transactions
and regulated their policy by means of manage-
ment and a course of action which we instinctively
shrink from, as diametrically opposed to the dic-
tates of reason, the language of truth, and the
claims of honour. It has been, however, more re-
cently that the feeling of spite, or revenge, has so
plainly manifested itself as to preclude the idea
altogether that the war has been carried on in the
ordinary style that prevails among civilised nations,
and was regulated and controlled according to the
principles inculcated among a high and honourable
nation. Lord ELLENBOROUGH very briefly but
very forcibly explained his meaning, set forth his
strongest points of argument in a clear and concise
form, and finally wound up by telling the Ministers
their duty in language that neitEer they nor the
House will be likely to forget soon. The Con-
ference, which does nothing when it meets, and
then is postponed for an indefinite time to allow its
members to recruit after the great exertions of
looking at each other, was the basis of the noble
lord's speech. He said that the engagements entered
into by the belligerents and stipulated for at the Con-
ference had not been kept, and therefore we could not
put faith in any future promises that might be made
in the deliberations which ensued, and were so far
ratified by the contending Powers. If one thing
more than another is a sham and a delusion it is to
put forward this plea of a Conference to hoodwink
the people of this country, and to bridle the expres-
sion of their just wrath and virtuous indignation at
the treatment whieh the Danes have received. It is
notorious that the Prussians have not condescended
to play at keeping the engagements entered upon,
and Lord ELLENBOROUGH deserves great credit for
putting a tongue, as it were, to the irritated feelings,
and outraged sympathies of his countrymen, and also
it may be added of all men who have a spark of
honourable sentiments or kind wishes animating
them. The Prussians have checked the commerce,
they have interfered with the means of communica-
tion, and they have broken off the wires of the
telegraph. They have made a pretence of paying
for what goods they have received, or provisions
provided for them, but it has been a mere farce of
remuneration after all. When any acknowledg-
ment has been given it has not been in the form of
money, but merely a receipt for goods delivered, or
something of that nature, which documents are of
no " marketable value" at all. Such devices are
almost too pitiable to think of, and it is "aiding insult
to injury for them to perpetrate these disgraceful
expedients upon a suffering and struggling nopula-
tion. The times are not so very far distant when a
whisper of such double dealing would have raised
the dormant feelings of the community and put e
stop .t once and for ever to the farce of a Conference,
whose decrees were waste paper, and whose stipu-
lations as stable as water. Nowadays, however,
political economists, peace-mongers, end time-
serving place-holders have so changed the aspect
of our social being, and tampered with the inte-
grity of our public affairs, that all things are
changed for the worse, and a hint is scarcely
dropped where a generation ago there would have
been murmurs loud and deep. It is certainly true
that Denmark has been bitterly wronged, but the
charge against the Prussians rests on other
grounds, and is founded on many grave offences of
a general and not an exclusive nature. It may be
the first count of the indictment that they have so
acted as belligerents as to draw down the indigna-
tion of Earope ; but beyond this, it must be added,
that they have grievously insulted other nations,
besides cruelly injuring the one marked out as a
special victim and signalised as a spoil, where the
greed for gain and the mania for the acquisition of
territory, which inflames the desires and excites
the ambition of the Germans of the present day,
may be satiated to the uttermost. Lord ELLEN-
BOROUGH very truly declared that, " in not adher-
ing to the stipalatioss agreed to they committed
an offence not only against Denmark, but against
every one of the contracting Powers." The
sooner the case is looked upon in this
light the better. There can never be any
advantage gained by shirking the responsibility
that devolves upon us, and persisting to put aside
the real bearings of the question. We had better
contemplate the aspect of affairs from the point in
which the other nations of Europe and the world
at large regard it. They see that we have been
duped, cajoled, and completely set at nought. The
next thing to do is to consider whether it is worth
while to put up with these affronts, and to render
ourselves so ignominiously conspicuous by appear-
ing so poltroon in our policy and false to our en-
gagements as we are now doing. Another good
point in this excellent discourse before us was that
which described the opinion that prevailed in
Germany at present. They have got the idea that
whatever they do, or whatever we may say, there
will be no ultimate measures resorted to, " that it
is not our intention in any case to lift up our arm
for the purpose of arresting the progress of their
wrong doing." Can a more dangerous sentiment
prevail amid a nation that very plainly can exer-
cise no restraining power on itself by the dictates
of humanity and honour. Lord ELLENBOROUGH,
in conclusion, made some allusions to the
imperfect manner in which the present Cabi-
net conducted affairs, and lamented that they
seemed always willing to let German influences
prevail to the exclusion of their claims, and the de
triment of other States. Earl RUSSELL indignantly
disdained the idea that he suffered any impression
to influence his course, or to guide his conduct, and
directly assumed the responsibility of all foreign
transactions to himself. This is no very light thing
to do, and if he is to stand or fall by his foreign
policy, he and his colleagues are in a very shaky
position. The attempt to rule by " moral" force
has proved most unfortunate. It would be far more
dignified to let all foreign affairs alone than to be
thus perpetually mixing up ourselves in these em-
broglios, and then declaring when things come to a
crisis that we cannot or must not go to war. Dig-
land attained her present proud pre-eminence under
the guidance of wiser and more inspired men than
any that now sway her destiny, and neither the
Monarchs who led forth her armies to conquer
nor the Statesmen who directed her councils to
impress and influence the world, adopted the mean-
spirited policy fighting
that we have no claim for
in any other cause but our own. Selfish views will
ruin any State, and it is lamentable to find them
thus so prevalent in places where they should be
bulished and driven forth with scorn. Lord
BROUGHAM has clearly defined the state of things
by saying that never was there so strong a feeling,
SJ unanimous, among all classes as that which now
prevails in favour of Denmark and against Prussia.
This is the text of the argument, and it remains for
the Cabinet to study its bearings and reflect on its
consequences, for upon their issue there depends all
that they hold dear as regards place and power,
and all that they should reckon as of far greater
moment in the way of character, and of rendering
up a faithful account of their stewardship to that
public they are bound to serve.
duct ----2

For a very
long period the defects and sbort-
comings of our Admiralty administration have
been matters of public comment. Whether as
regards efficiency or economy, comp;aints are con-
tinually made, unfortunately in most cases with

too much reason, against our naval authorities.
While the votes are censured as unnecessarily
large, and the expenditure condemned as preposte-
rously lavish, it is at the same time contended
that the officers and seamen of the Royal Navy are
the most inadequately remunerated of any class of
public servants. This is the more unreasonable, as
in no department of the administration do English-
men take more pride than in the navy, and no
amount is begrudged to it if fairly required for any
purpose of the service. Least of all is it the
national wish that men who follow an arduous
and hezardous profession, and the value of wLose
services to the country are so great and conspi-
cuous, should be stinted in their receipts, kept for
a long term of years in a position which in many
cases is scarcely raised above absolute poverty.
Such, for instance, would in these days be the
position of a married lieutenant in receipt of the
magnificent income of £lBO, and unfortunately
most of the inferior grades of the service could
supply similar exatrples. The fault of all this
seems to lie rather with the system than with any
particular individual or party, and while in most
other instances continual complaint and well-
founded opposition have at last brought about the
desired reform with regard to the Admiralty, and
all belonging to it, matters are left pretty much as
they were. Some faint indications of better days
are occasionally visible, and from time to time
some of the most grievous abuses are discussed, if
not remedied. On Thursday evening Lord
CLARENCE PAGET brought for ward a question of
considerable importance in the Committee of
Supply, and his proposal, although incomplete and
partial in its nature, and subjected to severe
scrutiny and considerable censure, was nevertheless
a step in the right direction. The noble lord moved
for a supplementary estimate for the pay of the
Nagy, with a view of remedying some of the exist-
ing deficiencies. Lord C. PAGET proceeded to
show that the receipts of naval officers had been
much diminished of late years, owing to the loss ot
two sources of emolument—the prize money ob
tainable in time of war, and the freight that was
formerly received on the carriage of gold. In con-
sequence of the changes in these respect the pay 01
the navy is, according to Lord C. PAGET'S testimony,
very inferior to what it was in the days ot a former
generation. The petty officers are not paid so highly
as the same class of men in the merchant service,
and most foreign nations make more liberal allow-
ances for their superior officers than we do. Lord
CLARENCE PAGET entered at some length into a
careful explanation of the various additions which
ho proposed to make to the pay and allowances of
the different grades of cfficers ar.d petty officers.
He gave also some explanation of the inconveni-
ences arising from the changes of 1860, when it
was ordered that officers arriving at the age of 60
should retire 'nolens volens—a determination which
was taken with the view of assisting promotion,
and of securing a more active class of flag officers.
The noble lord, after concluding his observations,
moved that a sum of £55,266 be granted for in-
creasing the fall pay of executive officers of the
navy. With very few exceptions the speakers
who followed approved of the principle which he
advocated, and readily admitted the necessity for
increased liberality, but considerable exceptions
were taken to many parts of the official scheme.
It contains many inequalities, and is, on some
points, very unsatisfactory, but we are surprised
that Lord C. PAGET should have failed to remedy
one of the most glaring pieces of injustice in the
service. We allude to the regulations respecting
the promotion of masters. Sir LANVRENCE PALK
in animadverting upon this unaccountable neglect
remarked that this valuable body of officers ap
peered to be the only ones of all the ship's crew
who were disqualfied fruit receiving marks of
Royal approbation for distinguished strvices, and
in support of this assertion he cited the case of
Mr. Roberts, a master in the Royal Navy, who,
during the Crimean war, commanded the
Cyclops while in action, and performed many
other signal services. The same gentlemen,
it will be remembered, displayed remark-
able ingenuity and promptitude on one im-
portant occasion, when the senior officers were
puzzled how to disembark the troops, and Sir L
PALK might have instanced that occasion as a
proof of the sound practical ability so often pos-
sessed by these officers. Yet from one of those
official prejudices which so often keep back merit
in this country, they have never been fairly treated.
Their pay is very inadequate, their chance of pro-
motion nil, for what reason, save routine, it would
be difficult to say. The very order of June, 1863,
which professed to redress their grievances by con-
ferring upon masters who had served 15 years the
rank of staff commander, without additional pay,
placed them, in all cases, junior to the lieutenants
and, as Sir L. PALK justly observed, a man who'
had served with credit for many years might natu-
rally feel aggrieved at being placed, perhaps, under
a youth who knew nothing of the service. Why
should the masters be deprived of the power of
rising in the service ? Why should they of all
men in the Navy be restricted to the one particular
office when in so many instances they are fit and
proper persons for holding much higher ones ?
This is so glaring an injustice that we agree with
Mr. DUFF in finding it difficult to understand how
the noble lord who introduced this measure of so-
called reform could have possibly overlooked it.
Why should the pay of the masters be so dispro
portionate to that of other officers, so that

after twenty years' service a paymaster
receives £6OO, and a master £328 ? Why
when men are fauna capable of performing
great public services in a time of difficulty and
trial should those services be altogether overlooked
because they happen to hold the rank of masters.
Mr, ROBERTS, whose case we have mentioned, was
entirely unrewarded for his exertions during the
Crimean War, we believe to his great disappoint-
ment. This is not the way to induce able and
energetic men to enter our navy or to keep them
there. There can be no greater mistake than to
discourage any class of public servants—to give
them the conviction that whatever services they
may ,render, or however great may be their zeal
for the public good, no mark of favour or of re-
cognition will be accorded to them. The very men
who are most calculated to be valuable officers
will be the ones most quickly disgusted with a
system which cramps their energies and fetters
their laudable ambition. Alen of talent and spirit
will be slow to enter a profession in which not
only they have but a small chance of rising, but
an absolute certainty of not being permitted to
rise, whatever their meri s. We confess that the
masters appear to us to present much greater
cause for inquiry
and attention than the grie-
vances of the flag officers, to C.
PAGET seems to have given all his which
wsyhmphathLya.rd

MDLLE. BETTLEHEIM, the contralto who is so
successfully making her way at Her Majesty's
Theatre, is a pianist of mark as well as a singer. She was
born, says a V ,enna paper, on June Ist, 1845, at Pesth ; was
educated as a pianoforte player ; and made a successful debut
as such in 1861. That she has not forgotten a branch of
the art so valuable to a vocalist was proved by her per•
formance at Herr Pauer's concert last week, where she
joined the concert-giver in a duet for two pianofortes, and
was as much applauded in her character of instrumentalist
as for her singing,—Zhe ,Reader,

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

LRELTTER'S TELEGRAMS.]

RUSSIA.
ST. PETERSBURG, MAY 27.

It is asserted that Prince Gortschakoff, the
Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs, with his
private secretary M• Hamburger, will accompany
the Czar to Germany on the 6th proximo.

LETTER FROM GARIBALDI,

TURIN, May 27.

The Turin journals publish a letter from Gari-
baldi, in reply to an article in the Morning Post.
Garibaldi says :—"I pray my friends to partake
with me the deep gratitude I owe to all the Eng-
lishmen whom I have known in their noble coun-
try. My friends know that I resolved to visit Eng-
land to pay a sacred debt of gratitude, and I with
drew when I thought fit to do so, without ceding
to any instigation. With regard to those from
whom I received hospitality, I can never sufficiently
acknowledge their immense courtesy, so splendidly
lavished."