The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-04 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING; MAY 4, 1855.

Clark indeed for England unless the propositions language of indignant remonstrance for his too
which this meeting is summoned to endorse be palpable duplicity and treachery, tear off the
" lion's hide" which ho has ventured to assume,
Speedily reduced to practice. We have never been
and in the face of Europe brand him with the
I.aiontist the croakers, but events must have proved
disgrace he has so richly merited, "and hang a
[,o all that we have but the alternatives of a dis.
call's skin on those recreant limbs."
ionourable and war-begetting peace, or of imme•
diate administrative reform. It would be cruelty
and folly equally to go on with old incompetent
Generals, surrounded by staffs of equally incom-
petent nephews and kinsfolk ;—with a commis-
sariat, a civil service, and to a large extent a
vlinistry too, equally inefficient ;—to go on sacri-
icing soldiers by thousands, and money by scores

,f millions, just because our incapables must be
',lpt in office. The nation will not do

;hat. We must either therefore' put our
head management to rights, or sink back
4upinely into an Austrian peace, and en-
joy the costly pleasure of keeping our useless
but costly aristocracy still on our backs. The

alternatives on which this meeting is sum-
moned to decide are, in fact, costly failure and
infamy, or, comparatively, cheap victory and
honour. We trust our fellow-citizens will muster
to their duty.

We may just mention that it will be well the
meeting should bear in mind, that though the
main question is not one of party politics, yet it
vill be difficult to keep clear of political questions
altogether. The writer of a spirited little pamph-
let, "Red-Tapism ; its Cause"—by One Behind
`the Scenes (Ridgway), has pointed out how deeply
our political habits are implicated with the in-
efficiency of the public service. The persons
employed in it are so extensively introduced

Really we have had quite enough of fanatical
intolerance in relation to the first day of the
week. To have to go on listening to its ravings
is disagreeable enough in all conscience, without
having to undergo any further aggravation of the
infliction. As it is, thousands of bona fide travellers
are every Sunday debarred foi hours of needful
refreshment on their arrival in the metropolis, to
say nothing of what takes place from the. same
cause in the country. And yet an attempt is now
being made to carry this sort of legislation fur-
ther, and to deprive the poor in the metropolis
of what in thousands of instances is their only,
and generally their best, opportunity to purchase
their Sunday's food. If the Pharisaic road to
heaven be thorny it surely is too bad for gentle-
men who feel it so to pitchfork the thorns into
the other. In the name of charity, and for the
honour of commonsense, we call upon the indepen-
dent members of the House of Commons to throw
out the " Sunday Trading Bill." If they value a
decent observance of the day in question, they
cannot but refuse their sanction to the provisions
of a measure which, alike uncalled-for and invi-
dious in its operation on the poor, can only in-
crease the evil which it is the pretended object of
its authors to diminish.

for political reasons ; the successive politi-
cal chiefs have so little inducement to use
their influence to perfect at a great sacrifice
the service for their successors, and the diffi-
culty of dismissal for incompetency is, for
political reason; so great, that it is next to im-
possible our civil service should be what it ought
.vhile po)itical power must be bought by means of
it. Then, again, we have not a House of Com-
nous chosen by the voice of the people. County
Nlembers are but the breath of the landlords, and
lie Members for small towns are much the same.
‘. real Reform Bill, with the Ballot, seems an in-
lispensable precursor of a House of Commons
vhich shall compel administrative reform. It
*ill, indeed be singular if the War should cause
he dropping of a sham Reform Bill, and originate
a real one.

Lord CLARENDON last night attempted to dig-
trm criticism by the candid confession that their
Lordships might not consider the statement he
lad just made respecting the negotiations at Vienna
' either satisfactory or conclusive," even in the
itnitedisense in which he used the latter term,
lamely, as il" to what had taken place." The
Noble Lord also declared that he was unable to
nform the house "of the course which Austria
ntends to take hereafter, and hoped that on this
'articular point a prudent reserve might be main-
tained." In all other respects the explanation• has
been merely a rechauffee of what Lord J. RUSSELL
!lad previously announced in the House of Com-
mons ; and that although the Marquis of LANS-
' DOWNE had in the early part of the week declared
;hat it was of infinite importance that the earliest
possible information should be given to the House
and the country respecting the result of the
uegotiations. All the information accorded, how-
ever, epnaists of a repetition of the stereotyped
Ministerial platitudes respecting the propriety of
maintaining " a prudent reserve !" A " prudent
reserve" is also displayed respecting the intelli- 1
gence from the Crimea, and on every other
point worth knowing ; so that, in fact,
the object of the Government is neither
more nor less than to reduce both Houses of
Parliament into mere cyphers, whose only duties
shall be to register the ukases and give vitality to
the propositions of the PALMERSTON Administrd-
tion ! Well might Lord DERBY express his deep
regret at listening to such an unsatisfactory state-
ment from a British Minister—a statement which
left everything " in the same state of uncertainty,
vacillation, and hesitation," which they have re-
mained in from the very commencement of the
Eastern difficulty.
Although no direct or positive information could
be collected from the Foreign Secretary, much
might be inferred from his " prudent reserve."
It may fairly be assumed that the suspicions pre-
viously entertained of the good faith and honesty
of Austria are but too well founded, and that Iva
have nothing to hope (or fear, perhaps, is the
more correct phrase) from the active co-operation
of that double-dealing Government. For nearly
two years the Western Powers have been bam-
boozled, and the same game is still attempted. All
the calamities that have occurred may be traced to
its timid or treacherous policy, and should France
and England still suffer themselves to be be-
fooled, we may, ih some three or four years,
heir that we are still " waiting for Austria," still
truckling to Germanism, sacrificing the national
honour and the national interests, and imperilling
,our very existence, in consequence of the defer-
ence due to an EMPEROR to whcm the House of
COBURG is anxious to pay the greatest possible
respect.
When, after the long and useless delay afforded
to the Russian Plenipotentiary, in order that he
might initiate the mode in which the principle of
the Third Point could be carried into practical
operaticn, the propositions of France and Eng-
land, supported by Austria, were peremptorily
and contumeliously rejected—when the sugges-
tions so tardily offered by Prince GORTSCITAKOFF
were found so unacceptable that the details were
not even taken into consideration, and Lord
JOHN RUSSELL and M. DROUYN DE UHUYS had
departed from Vienna, the conferences were not
broken off, but merely "suspended." This ridi-
culous pretext was clearly tolerated for the
purpose of allowing Austria an excuse for
farther procrastination, so that this year might
be wasted as the two last have been.
After going much further than they were justi•
fie,: in doing to conciliate Russia, Count Buor,
makes the notable discovery that " the means for
obtaining a peace were not wholly exhausted ;"
adding that " it would be the special duty of
i Austria to discover some mode of attaining that
I end, consistently with the engagements into which
le;70 had entered with the other Powers !" Prince

Now that there is so much to occasion depres-
sion in the public mind, it becomes a -grateful
duty on our part to draw' attention to an event of
a contrary tendency. We allude to the reception
of the Commander of the Baltic Fleet, Admiral
DUNDAS, by the Danish Court. Last year, it
may be remembered, Admiral NAHEr. had abun-
dant reason to complain of his reception in the
same quarter. The Russian party were then
predominant, and took care to have infused
as much surliness and insult in 'the Royal
hospitality as was compatible with pru-
dence. On this occasion the change was
remarkable. Instead of surliness and insult
the Biitish Commander-in-Chief met with the
utmost cordiality and every token of respect.
Not only was he most graciously welcomed by the
King, but every attention was shown him by
the Government, and he took his departure much
gratified with his reception. The inference is
obvious. Russian influence is in abeyance, and
rothing is required but a cordial reciprocation of
this unexpected good feeling to assure the Admiral
of a friendly instead of a doubtful neutral in
his rear, and, we trust, to secure Great Britain a
desirable ally.

DRURY•LANE THEATRE.-ALARM OF FIRE.