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

THE SUN,

the greatest of all his great battles, that fought
off Cape Trafalgar, with the magnificent re-
wards already enumerated—while Sir JOHN 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 Ramnugger 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 comprehension—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 CervE 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 he
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 ut 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 ever oth
er
consideration 0 OF
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 COMBERSIERE, 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 SEAHASI subsequently
the choice of three appointments in the Royal house-
hould ! No wonder his son-in-law, the Marquis of
BLANDFORD, 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 vas non wobis principle :
and yet, happier though the fortune of Viscount
HARDINGE has proved in this particular instance, we
cannot but think that we may prefer to his feelings
those experienced at the prf.sent moment by the Mar-
quis of LONDONDERRY.

The Russell Ministry had 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 pslmy 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
m _ ornent have fallen before a coalition similar to that
by which the sweets of office were placed within its
reach. The
of the utter
Protectionists, however, were rather kindly
disposed r u towards the Whig Government. Fully aware
impossibility of retaining power, even if
full authority to an Administration had been
through any fortuitousrin circumstance conferred on
their leader, knowingaitoo, that the only alternative
lay between PEEL
was greater
they preferred the
policreabter similarity of opinion
latter, not that there
antiut because they enter-
on points of general
the really
thereforeual.iveypathy to the illustrious
tained an intense personall
author of free trade.
party, tolerated,the
although they
bdeisdanidotofapove, e
.Vhig Ministry.
The same may
Whig
advocates of progress, who, k.„__
.n
"uwi g that the
Whigs were proverbially t, na.4u,_,
e of queez-
able materials," considered that there .w„
better chance of obtaining some instalments
of justice at their hands than from either Protec •
tionists or Peelites. Thus they got on, receiving 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 note 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 Rua-
SELLS, GREYS, or Etaaozs, even to the third
or fourth degree. There was a species of
"right divine" which entitled all connected
by blood or marriage with " the happy family" to a
preference over all ocher candidates, no matter
i no
what might be their qualifications,
othe
t
Phis
fortunate was,idvi-
doubt, exceedingly agreeable
duals, but not quite so pleasing to those whose per-
manent claims were disregarded or set aside in con-