The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-09 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, MARCII u, 1852.

Caprice too frequently appears to be the guiding in
fluent., io the distribution of the national evictoic„ ;
aPProbation. Otherwise the inequality of the honoura
and emoluments scattered among our more eminent
citizens would be altogether incomprehensible. It
repeatedly happens that individuals who have ren-
dered themselves peculiarly illustrious by their
achievments are either entirely passed over, or re-
ceive some niggardly reward, wholly incompatible
with the value of their services. Sometimes a very
different lot, on the other band, is reserved
for persons of occasionally inferior merit, whose
deeds are, nevertheless, recompensed with the most
extravagant profusion and the most exaggerated
munificence. It was in this manner that Sir JOHN
JilitVl3 obtained an Earldom, for the victory secured
for him through the open violation of his orders by
the incomparable Sea Captain to whom the nation
since then has, even upon her public monuments,
accorded the glory of that triumph of British valour
off Cape St. Vincent. It was in this manner that
Sir HORATIO NELSON obtained merely the
31"cnY of the Nile and of Burnham
Thorpe, for his then unequalled victory near
Ablolcir—a victory the lila: of which had never been
Witnessed at sea, either in ancient or modern times,
fought Its Me battle. was at anchor, and at midnight.
It was thus,
of his skill as
moreover, that after this wonderful testi-
monyatnaval commander, Lord NEL-
SON was insulted byllvo)einPg appointed second in com-
mand under Sir
the memorable AR""ii
the occasion of
expedition to tionenhagen—where
again, by the violzition of r - " -
}isiir orders of his superior
officer, he carried the triumphantly
over a thousand diffieulties:r nal
flag
of his continued and astoniahien receiving in recognition
It
was
thus, astonishing successes the coronet
of a Viscount. brief, that the most
extraordinary of all
05, at the close of 18
marititne co
rors, he who has
been well termed " the darling
died on the 21,t of October, iti hero of England,"

THE

the 4.greatest of all his great battles, that fought
off Cape Trafalgar, with the magnificent re-
wards already enumerated—while Sir Joni; JERVIS,
for the victory which he did not gain, and
Lord HOWE for another of a very splendid but still
inferior character, each respectively received the
tribute of an Earldom ! As enigmatical, we doubt
not, will it be to our own posterity—the fact that the
distinguished conqueror of the: province of Scinde is
still nothing more than a G.C.8., while the twin
victors of a revolt in the Punjaub are respec-
tively Viscounts of Lahore and Goojerat. Cer-
tainly some people are born with gold
spoons in their mouths and some with
the shabbiest of " Britannia metal." People
will marvel much, we doubt not, in times to come,
how it came to pass that the twofold commanders on
the latter occasion were recompensed thus superbly,
while the solitary leader in the former instance was re-
paid with little better than disdain and misrepresentation.
For our own part, we can nowhere perceive that the
glorious victories of Meanee and Hyderabad were en-
titled to less consideration than the lamentable
skrimmages at Rainnugger and Chillian-
wallah ! Yet two men were raised to the peerage for
the latter, while the victor and administrator of
Scinde is still receiving instalments of what has been
nearly his sole reward—ingratitude and vituperation.
How it possibly occurred, again, that Lord ELLEN-
BOROUGH obtained an Earldom and Lord DALHOUSIE
a Marquisate has always been beyond the reach of
our oomprehension—seeing that the last-mentioned
has merely shown himself to be a very respectable
Governor-General, one of very ordinary attainments,
and of very fifth-rate eminence : whereas, the first-
mentioned revealed, in the same capacity, a genius
only second to that displayed by CLIME and ,by
HASTINGS. Another melancholy example of the
fickleness with which fortune distributes her favours
has, it would appear, very recently been afforded—
the recipient being one of those same lucky person-
ages whose names we have already mentioned.
Viscount HARDINGE was assuredly not one of
those born to the honours of a wooden ladle, after the
manner of one of the family of the CHUZZLEWITS.
His recent appointment by the Earl of DERBY to the
important military post which is inferior only to that
of the Commander-in-Chief, the elevated and respon-.
sible office of Master-General of the Ordnance,
has naturally enough excited feelings at
once of chagrin and amazement. Under
any circumstances this appointment could
scarcely have been other than matter for surprise, con-
sidering that so very many officers higher on the lists
might reasonably be claimants before Lord HARDINGE
for the consideration of their merits and their services
by the Noble Earl at the head of the present Govern-
ment. But, considering a variety of facts which have
within the last few hours come to light in reference to
this very singular occurrence, the nomination of Vis-
count HARDINGE as Master-General of the Ordnance
under the Derby-Disraeli Administration, must be
allowed on all hands to be remarkable, and not only
remarkable but indecorous, and not only indecorous
but in some respects actually disgraceful. Seeing
that our political opinions are diametrically opposed
to the majority of those entertained by the' various
parties implicated in some manner or other in the
transaction referred to, we may reasonably claim
for our views upon the question at issue the
utmost impartiality—looking upon the whole of
these proceedings, as we do, in a mood the most
unbiassed and dispassionate. The first sentiment of
amazement experienced on witnessing the selection of
Viscount HARDINGE as the Master-General of the
Ordnance is, that he, of all men, should have been
chosen by the PRIME MINISTER, aware, as the Earl of
DERBY must have been, that he was sixty or seventy
lower down the list than a distinguished and
experienced officer, such as the Marquis of LON-
DONDERRY. The second and superior source
of astonishment at the preference is, however, of
still more considerable weight and magnitude.
It has fortunately for the cause of justice, but un-
fortunately for the credit of Lord HARDINGE, been
very recently discovered that but a few hours before
the vacant office was filled up he himself addressed
a communication to the Noble Marquis in the
course of which he observed, " If you should accept
the Ordnance, and that I can at any moment be of the
slightest use from my former connexion with that
office, I shall most cordially be at your service."
Such was the conviction even upon the mind of Lord
HARDINGE himself, that the fittest claimant for the
office was the veteran Marquis of LONDONDERRY !
Yet, almost immediately after thus voluntarily
proffering the aid of his experience to the Noble
Marquis in the important contingency suggested by
himself, Lord HARDINGE, of all men in the military
service, quietly and comfortably drops into the ap-
pointment ! Priority of promotion and every other
consideration is set at nought. The offer of the ad-
vice above specified is conveniently forgotten. Sixty
or seventy names are coolly passed over The claims
of Lord COMBERMERE, and still more, the
claims of Lord LONDONDERRY, are alike
ignored : and the Lord Viscount HARDINGE
figures in the Gazette as the Master -General of the
Ordnance. No wonder proceedings as paltry as
these should have induced the Marquis of LONDON-
DERRY'S SOD, Viscount SEAIIAM, subsequently to refuse
the choice of three appointments in the Royal house-
hould ! No wonder his son-in-law, the Marquis Of
MANDFORD, should scorn in a similar manner to join
in any capacity a Cabinet which has thus violated all
the usages both of the army and of the Govern-
ment ! No wonder that the military profession
in particular should express, on all hands, the surprise
with which its members have observed this rather
tricky course of proceeding towards a gallant
veteran who might reasonably have looked for
somewhat more of respect from the present Master-
General of the Ordnance, and from the present leader
of her MAJESTY'S Government !

Lamentable, and in a way also disgraceful, as the
transaction referred to is, it is, unhappily, by no
means exceptional in its character. It is only
another illustration of the sic vos non vobis principle :
and yet, happier though the fortune of Viscount
HARDINGS has proved in this particular instance, we
cannot but think that we may prefer to his feelings
those experienced at the present moment by the Mar-
quis of LONDONDIRRY.

The Russell Ministry bad for a considerable time
before its final overthrow been tottering on the nar-
row and insecure basis on which it was erected. It
never, even in its most palmy days, possessed any real
strength, and its existence always depended rather
on the forbearance and divisions of its opponents,
than on its own inherent power. It would at any
moment have fallen before a coalition similar to that
by which the sweets of office were placed within its
reach. The Protectionists, however, were rather kindly
disposed towards the Whig Government. Fully aware
of
the utter impossibility of retaining power, even if
full authority to form an
.Administration had been
through an .
fortuitous circumstance conferred on
their leader,yk
latter, not that there 6.
general policy, too, that the only alternative
Pnowin—,
lay between and RUSSELL, . they preferred the
was greater similarity of opinion
mined an intense
on points of
personal antipathy
but because they enter-
aantipathy to the illustrious
author of free trade.
be said of the really Liberal party, th
They, therefore, tolerated,
approve, the Whig Ministry.
did sot
Thea!t h ost lathe
may
y
tkheaotw knowing r
e that
was the
ae
advocates of progress, who,
Whigs were proverbially II made
ablo materials," considered of squecz-
on, receiving
better chance of obtaining some instalments
of instalments
either Protec •
tionists or Peelites. Thus they got
of justice at their bands than from •
the
support of the Manchester school when attacked by
the Protectionists, and vice versa, and of both when
the Peelites occasionally made an onslaught on the
Ministerial ranks.
This was not a very dignified course, but still they
were in the enjoyment of the substantial benefits of
office, and were enabled to exhibit their thorough ap-
preciation of the innate genius and administrative
capacities of the relatives or connexions of the Rus•
SELLS, GREYS, or ELLIOTS, even to the third
or fourth degree. There was a species of
"right divine"
which..the happy family" entitled all connected
by blood or marriage with 66 to a
preference over all other candidates,
no matter
what might be their qualifications. This was, no
doubt, exceedingly agreeable to the fortunate indivi-
duals, but not quite so pleasing to those whose per-
manent claims were disregarded or set aside in cola-