The Sun.
London, England, 1837-01-06 00:00:00

LITERATURE

NAVAL HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN,
PART VIII.
Colburn, London, 1836.

The present Number of this useful naval record,
contains an engraved map of the harbour of Navarin,
with a plan of the battle fought there in 1827. In
addition to this, we have a good portrait—so far as
the engraving is concerned—of Admiral Rainier, a
fine-looking old tar, who is staring with great glee,
through a pair of black-horn spectacles, apparently at
a French man of war. In the literary department,
there is an animated account of the gallant Hoste's
action of Lissa. We have no space for extracts.

THE LONDON and WESTMINSTER REVIEW
for JANUARY, 1837.
Macrone.
There exists among all honest-minded men of liberal
opinions, a strong desire to ascertain the conditions
and the extent of the compact between the leaders of
the Whig and Radical parties in the House of Corn-
mons. It is certainly high time that the truth should

be known, in order that the country may be made ac-
quainted with what it may hope to obtain from the
longer continuance in office of the Melbourne Admi-
nistration. The London and Westminster Review,
in an able and well-timed article on the terms of alli-
ance between Radicals and Whigs, well observes that
the latter are now but the remains of a dying faction—
that they no longer represent either a party or a princi-
ple in the nation. The country is now divided between
Liberals and Conservatives—for the Tory leaders who
had hitherto been merely the chiefs of a faction, have,
as Conservatives, become the representatives of a prin-
ciple ; whereas the Whig party, by identifying itself
with no .principle, has in reality been all but utterly de-
stroyed. All, therefore, that remains for the Whigs, if
they would continue in office, is to connect themselves by
some tie, which the country may be able fully to recog-
nise, with their more liberal allies. Our own conviction
is, that the Radicals have undoubtedly great cause of
complaint against the Whigs. As far as the stipu-
lated agreement between them is known, the Radicals
appear to have performed their part of the engage-
ment, with the greatest fidelity, alacrity, and disinte-
restedness. They cheerfully made every sacrifice de-
manded of them as necessary to keep the Tories out of
office ; and" we must admit that they were not treated
altogether with a corresponding degree of good faith.
This is so well expressed in the article under conside-
ration, that we shall quote the passage for the benefit of

our readers :
" The principle of union between the two parties was that
of uncompromising hostility to the then Tory administra-
tion : the conditions of the union were, that all denomina-
tions of Liberals should mutually support each other in the
various elections. The object of the union was to reinstate
the Melbourne administration, and to support that admi-
nistration as long as it adhered to its professed opinions ;
and those opinions were of the most liberal description,
founded upon two principles, that of satisfying as much as
possible the Radicals, and of injuring as much as possible
the Tories. The Ministry was reinstated, and the Radicals
continued their support at a far greater sacrifice of the duty
of promulgating their separate opinions than can ordinarily
be justified for the sake of supporting a Ministry. What
has been the consequence, and how has this conduct been
rewarded ?
" The policy which the Whigs ought to have pursued,
was a clear and straightforward one. They ought to have
brought forward only really good and liberal measures, such
as the body of Reformers in the nation would zealously
have supported. These measures they ought to have laid
upon the table of the Upper House, and assented to no
compromise. By pursuing a bold and manly course, they
would have secured the esteem of the people, and perhaps
have daunted the Peers. Their aristocratic feelings pre-
venting their acting in this manner. They did not, indeed,
like the Grey Ministry, abstain from proposing any mea-
sures but such as the Tories would support. They did not
sacrifice everything to shielding the Lords. But they sa-
crificed the comprehensiveness, the consistency, and the
practical utility of their measures to it ; and when their
small measures of reform were made smaller by their ene-
mies, they, with the timid policy of irresolute men, at-
tempted to conciliate the Lords by partial submission, and
to curry favour with the people by loud-sounding words.
They thus curiously contrived to debase themselves in the
eyes of the nation, and at the same time to excite strongly
the popular feeling against those whom they wished to de-
fend. No line of conduct which they could possibly have
pursued, could have done so much injury to the House of
Peers ; for Ministers, by degrading themselves to the utter-
most, and by making the nation indifferent to them,
strengthened the Lords in their resolution of resisting po-
pular measures ; while, at the same time, they clearly de-
monstrated that the feelings and opinions of the Lords were
opposed to those of the people, and that the former would
accept of no compromise from the representatives of the
latter.
" Almost every measure which Ministers proposed to the
House of Commons was carefully framed so that it might
contain the semblance of a liberal principle with the
smallest possible application of that principle (for instance,
the Irish Church Bill), and might thus be as little obnoxious
as possible to the House of Lords. It is not to be sup-
posed that they induced their followers to assent to these
timid proceedings without the greatest difficulty. Gene-
rally, first, a meeting was held at the Foreign Office, at
which Ministers stated the principle in broad and general
terms, amongst the cheers of those assembled. Silence and
astonishment succeeded too often, when the meeting learnt
the manner in which that principle was to be applied.
Then, generally, some Radical member remonstrated. Im-
mediately one of those respectable gentlemen, whose years
and constant devotion to the Whig party commanded
respect amongst a certain class of members, rose and talked
about union amongst Reformers, obout the glorious results
(in the reinstatement of the Whigs in office) of that union,
and asked whether the meeting would destroy its own great
work, and allow the Tories to return to power ? at which
there was generally a cry of No, no ! from his friends. He
frequently concluded by stating that a little was better than
nothing, and if the Lords refused to grant that little, why
they would be put utterly in the wrong,' and then the
meeting would see what Ministers would do : which gene-
rally was, to call another meeting, and to ask for still further
concessions. In private every species of sophistry, flattery,
entreaty, and menace, was employed by the minions of
the Ministry to obtain the consent of the more liberal
members to these degrading concessions, and generally with
success. It was painfully amusing at times to read the
speeches of popular candidates at the meetings of their
constituents, and then a few days afterwards to see their
votes in the House of Commons. Such influence has a