The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-08 00:00:00

Zit

LONDON, THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 1855.

• Each day a more formidable cas, is established
against the late Government. The evidence of
negligence and incapacity already elicited is over-
whelming. It is not merely the system that was
in fault, but also the men by whom it was admi-
nistered. It certainly appears to have been in-
geniously devised to do the least quantity of work
with the greatest amount of trouble, to disregard
the substance by a stupid adhesion to forms, and
to consider the comfort, health, and even lives of
her MAJESTY'S subjects as of less importance than
obtaining the requisite number of signatures and
counter signatures, and having the terms of
each consignment and requisition in strict accord-
ance with established precedent.
But, while admitting to the fullest extent
all its evils, we cannot exonerate those in autho-
rity, who, if they possessed any degree of energy,
zeal, or, we are sorry to be compelled to add,
humanity, would speedily have enforced more
judicious regulations. Wo want men, not ma-
chines, in positions of difficulty ; persons pos-
sessed of a reasoning power, and willing to
exercise it—aye, and if necessary, to assume—the
responsibility of any violation of the rules, when
it could be shown that it was calculated to prove
beneficial to the community. But none dared to
resist the despotic ukases of King Red-Tape,
and hence the fearful losses we have sustained,
and the disgrace and dishonour inflicted on the
British name and the injury to British interests.

Although the investigation may be protracted,
new witnesses produced, and evidence heaped on
evidence, it will be difficult to add to the case
already established. The strong impressions
that prevailed have been converted into cer-
tainties—we now know what we formerly be-
lieved. The Crime has been established. The
Criminals must be sought after—and that not
only among subordinates, but in high quarters.

It is manifest that there is " a screw loose " at
the Horse Guards. Why, then, has not Lord
1121.RDINGE been called ? Why has the Comman-
-der-in-Chief not been required to make a clean
liqe.ast of it, and account for the deficiencies of the
department over which he presides 7 It may,
and we no.rnestly hope will, be that Lord HAR=
DING Will appear before the Committee. If the
members are determined efficiently to discharge
the important duties confided to their hands, it
must be so. Nay, more,
should it appear that
-there were any undue influences in, operation,
they must not suffer themselves to be deterred by
any considerations from probing the matter to the
*bottom, and having the parties implicated, who-
ever they may be, before them.
The clue supplied by Sir DE LACY EvAlTs
should be followed up to the utmost extent. The
• nation was disgusted at the want of energy dis-
played in the earlier stages of the transaction, the
blind confidence reposed in the professions of the
AUTOCRAT, and the ridiculous expectation
that the matter could be brought to a
atisfactory termination by _negotiations, con-
ferences, or protocols. It saw how incapable
were our diplomatists of coping with their wily
and unscrupulous opponents, and beheld with dis-
gust, but without astonishment, the inevitable re-
sults of such weakness and timidity. But, when
War was proclaimed, when the invasion of the
enemy's territory, and the assault on his strong- 1
hold was determined on, we had a right to expect
thit-matters would be conducted vigorously and
energetfroally—that the lives of our Pun should

sot lae sacrificed to the crotchets of the Prime
inter or the interests of " Germanism." We
;snow, however, on the unexceptionable testi-
mony of General EVANS, that " the War
was commenced under the delusion that
it would be settled without any explosion of
gunpowder, and that there was no necessity for
any magazines." This delusion was the source of
all the evils. It was this which led to the financial
policy of the late Chancellor of the Exchequer,
which starved the War, and to the indifference as
to the efficiency of what were regarded as merely
temporary measures. Where, then, is Lord
HARDLNGE 7 Where Lord ABERDEEN ? Another,
or others, may possibly be required, but these are
indispensable, for whose absence no excuse can be
received or sanctioned.

Whatever the abstract fitness or unfitness of
appointing national days for solemn fasting,
humiliation, and prayer, the circumstances of tho
QUEEN'S command in the present instance are of
the most objectionable kind ; they raise all kinds
of most undesirable reflections. Indeed, we won-
der that the author of the letter to the Edinburgh
Presbytery should have advised the Royal Procla-
mation. Perhaps he finds that English bishops are
rather more formidable than Scotch D.D.'s. Be
it observed that the bishops did, in fact, steal a
march on the Premier. One of the most pragma-
-Itical, and another of the most adroit among
them, advertised their clergy of the importance of
directing their congregations' thoughts to prayer
for the army—exhorting them at the same time
not to venture a public prayer for it, lest they
should thereby modify the Liturgy to the urgency
of the hour. At a moment when the nation is
half frantio with the fatal results of routine in the
army, these worthy Fathers in GOD paraded be-
fore the nation the inflexibility of routine in the
Church. No one might have noticed it had they
but kept their glib pens still. Their missives, of
course, had only the effect of enabling every dissent-
ing teacher to declaim on the incompetence of a clergy
who could not be trusted to shape ono brief peti-
tion to HEAVEN for the nation's army, or on the
miserable slavery and high-handed tyranny which
restrains them, if competent. Was it wise to
place the Church before the community in such a
light ? To tell its members to think and think
again, but not to venture to pray till his Lordship
of Lambeth had found them words, and my Lord
PALMERSTON had found them a day ?

In one respect, however, they were wise. Lord
PALMERSTON could not answer letters not written
to him, ; they wrote at him, not to him. The won-
der is that he did not speak at them. However,
when Governments were shifting like dissolving
views, it was no time to quarrel with the Lords
Spiritual. In another respect, very wise, indeed,
were the men of lawn. Had the clergy been
thrown upon their impromptu supplications, who
can tell but that some confessions might have
been of sins in high places I But of that presently.
One of the objections attending Proclamations of
this kind is their inevitable assumption. It
compels her MAJESTY to command the worship of
GOD ; to command humiliation, penitence, and
supplication for pardon. Command is the only
word for a SOVEREIGN ; but, unfortunately, the
thing commanded that which no SOVEREIGN can
enforce. It compels her MAJESTY also to assume
(following the invariable phraseology) that the
" favour of ALMIGHTY Gon," or " His wrath and
indignation," await obedience or disobedience to
a command which half her subjects think beyond
her province. Catholics and Dissenters of every
class have already and spontaneously obeyed

what they deem a higher command in the matter.

Why should they now obey a second and inferior ?
As to the great body of the working classes, they
will either use it as a day of amusement, or a day
of grumbling that fast they must if they are de-
prived of a day's work. The most inexcusable
assumption of all, at least the ono most in viola-
tion of common sense, since the publication of
the Religious Census, is, that on these occasions
the QUEEN ignores all sects but the Anglican
Episcopal Church ! She addresses all her loving
subjects, amongst whom she surely includes those
who do not belong to the State Church, adverts
to none of th• millions who worship GOD sin-
cerely, although not by our Liturgy, and bids them
all to use the Archbishop of CANTERBURY'S
prayer ! If it were said, we all know what
is meant ; the reply is, then why not say what
is meant. Roman Catholics and Dissenters
might as well be requested to fast and pray as
the Christians, of whom the QUEEN is the Eccle-
siastical Head, be commanded to do it.
But the extreme bad taste of the thing is the
time and the occasion. Why, supposing her
MAJESTY'S loving subjects to obey pretty generally,
what will they be thinking of ? We cannot for-
get cause and effect even in our devotions. Men
enraged with the destructive mismanagement of
our aristocracy are commanded to humble them-
selves, to fast and to pray I What for, they will
ask. Are we, like Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT, to stand
in awe of the PROVIDENCE which rebukes us by

storms and pestilence ? Or are we to humble
ourselves that we have tolerated an incompetent
aristocracy in the place of desert and merit ?
Are we not to mourn for the just but disappointed

hopes of thousands of meritorious men who have
died in penury and unhonoured, while the wealthy
and well-connected have bought the rank which

belonged to the deserving? Have we not gone to

the pestilence, and thrown ourselves into the
hurricane by the gross delinquencies of those
whom we put in office Such reflections and
questionings will arise in the minds of all. Men
will feel before their MIKEB, that most of the
calamities deplored have befallen them not directly
from the hand of GOD, but directly through those
Court influences, owing to which War was not
prosecuted in. earnest, Poland and a Polish Le-
gion contemned, Austria allowed to dismiss Rus-
sian reinforcements from the Danube to luker-
man ; and to that aristocratic greed which had
filled every appointment from its own ranks,
ignored men of business, and thus starved and
decimated the army. We repeat that it is the
worst possible taste to proclaim a day for men to
assemble in the Sanctuary when men's thoughts
must fluctuate between the MOST HIGH and Mr.
ROEBUCK'S Committee ; and when the prayer of
so many hearts will really be for the substitution
of worth, merit, and capacity for a mere here-
ditary aristocracy.

At the commencement of the War we were told
iiatnnolmust
wouldouors t thbi
otherwise
or
in-irseccome to a conclusion, since measures
e taken to blockade the Russian coasts,
effectually to prevent Russia export-
+, "1g artkcles of commerce. The Em-
peror, it was said, when trade was stopped, as it
would be, and Russian merchants grew clamorous,
and Russian nobles disaffected in u consequence,
would be glad to give way ; or the
the verge of ruin, would compel him. uTnitr. y, on
may
have been true ; but, unfortunately, the experi-
menty
has been so bungled that trade with Russia
has not been stopped, and her merchants and
nobles are almost as prosperous now as they were
before the War began.
This is the more startling when it is considered
that Great Britain received from 4ussia