The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-19 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, 'THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 19, 1865.

well known in many quarters that the end was
near, if nof quite so imminent. Surely it is some-
thing-for a statesman to aspire to thus to command
the respect and attract the sympathies of his fellow-
countrymen. Those who witnessed the sorrow
which was expressed yesterday far and wide as the
mournful news was circulated might well have
realised the truth of the saying, " to live in hearts
we leave behind is not to die." Such a memory is
far more precious than to have ruled cabinets by
wisdom, or to have swayed senates by eloquence.
It is an epoch in the history of statesmen this long
career of Lord PALMFRSTON, and doubtless it was
a satisfaction to him to die in harness, and remain
Premier until the end. The man who yesterday
expired at Brockett Hall, and who was so intimately
associated with our every-day existence, was also
connected with events that seem to us to belong to
the past, and are quite out of the ken of the obser-
vation of the present day. He was in the midst of
the stirring scenes that occurred in the time of the
French Revolution, and thus took an active part in
events that oceurred before some of his late col-
leagues were born, before many of them had ever
thought of political life. Almost every Cabinet
that has been formed since his entrance into public
life has comprised Lord PALMERSTON amongst
its members ; and no doubt it was owing to
this protracted experience that he rendered such
valuable services to his country, and was of such
inestimable importance at the Councils of State.
The prime of the noble lord's career was spent at
the Foreign-office, and in that important posi-
tion he won for himself undying fame, making his'
country honoured and respected-far and wide. Earl
RUSSELL, when Premier, it may be remembered,
gave a noble description of the man who was the
chief prop of his Administration, when exclaimed
in regard to Lord PALMERSTON the " noble lord is
not the Minister of France, of Austria, or of Prussia,
but he is the Minister of England." This, in fact,
was pre-eminently the characteristic of his
foreign policy and by keepingto this principle
he gained his world-wide renown, and acquired
his universal popularity. This is ohviously
no fitting time in which to make invidious re-
marks, or to dwell upon the drawbacks to
success which -must inevitably occur in any public
career s:)f however brief a duration. But it is to be
regretted that in his later days the noble lord did
not altogether carry out his old notions, sufffered
himself, on the contrary, to be influenced by those
who had neither his prescient skill to discern, nor
his public spirit to carry out his designs.
Apart from all his mistakes and errors, he stands
out a noble specimen of an English statesman, such
as no foreign country can show, because nowhere
but in England can a subject exercise so much
power and gain so great an influence. A career
like the grand one which closed yesterday could
never have been run in lauds where absolutism
holds sway any more than it could have flourished
in communities where republicanism fetters the intel-
lect and inflames the passions of men to a degree
which renders it impossible for them to exer-
cise their independence, which alone creates great-
ness. After so long a life, passed in eventful
scenes, it seems strange that its close should have
been so peaceful ; but it is a satisfactory reflec-
tion that he died tranquilly, surrounded by his
kindred. WORDSWORTH, in one of his touching de-
scriptions of social scenes, has -given us an excel-
lent portraiture of those who sustain their courage
and retain their spirits to the very last. Such an
one, he says, is not a melancholy slave to regrets or
past recollections—.

"But an old age serene and bright,
And lovely as a Lapland night,
Shall light thee to tho grave."

Lord PALMERSTON'S closing years may well remind
us of this quotation, for it would have been im-
possible for any one to have displayed more vigour
and determination than did the noble lord. His
genial qualities rendered him a general favourite,
and his popularity was unbounded. When he was
absent from his parliamentary duties for any length
of time, his entrance to his seat on the Treasury
Bench was always greeted with loud cheers from
both sides of the House. He also gave entertain-
ments at his residence where the leaders of the
Opposition and all ranks and shades of public
opinion met, so that an agreeable rendezvous was
afforded to those whose differences of opinion pre-
vented them from coming into contact at other
times. At the death of no public man could we
exclaim with more truth, in the words of Byron—

"His mourners are his friends and foes."

It is a warning to those who rush into extremes of
any kind to notice the great influence which Lord
PALMERSTON possessed; and no doubt it mainly
depended upon his avoidance of excess in any direc-
tion. It is never those who are violent in their
demeanour, and vehement in their opinions, who
attain to any great results. They may rule a
clique or direct a sect, but can never win the
confidence of the community at large. It has been
said by some who were envious of his renown that
he was not sufficiently decided in anything, never-
theless_he contrived to carry on the business of the
country with great success, and if he wrought no
startling political changes, he prevented any
collision of interests, which might have proved inju-
rious to the public service. He was a general favou-
rite in his life, he is universally honoured in his
death, and by his grave all rival factions will meet
to lament the loss of a common friend. To achieve
so much is something to say of any de-
parted
statesman ; and surely a wide-spread
regard among all classes of the community, and a
deep gloom through the length and breadth of the
land, are better trophies for the living and tributes
for the dead than the stupid starers and the load
huzzas which follow the demagogue in his bois-
terous career, but which fail to lend decorum to his
life, or impart dignity to his memory. In many
respects Lord PALMERSTON does not come up to the
standard of those who are the leading characters
of their own day, and bright and particular stars
in the firmament of history for all times succeeding.
But he possessed qualities which made him their
equal in importance and influence, and will asso-
ciate his name with theirs in the future. Mr.
DISRAELI has truly defined the characteristics of a
great man as " one who affects the mind of his
generation," and, tried by this test, Lord PALMER-
STON was truly great, for throughout his career he
was memorable, and from its meridian to its close
he was the statesman par excellence, the Minister
most regarded by the English people. He was the
life and soul of every Cabinet in which he took
a part, and he only assumed his natural place when
he became Premier. After having once held that
office he could never take a secondary place like
Lord RUSSELL.

In the House of Commons the noble lord was
unequalled for his dexterity in management. He
rarely lost his temper, and on the most tlyi • ng occa-
sions he could smooth away difficulties, and often
created amusement when others had irritated and
perplexed the House. It was fortunate
that the noble lord remained in the
Lower House to the last, for it would have been an
irreparable loss to the public had he been trans-
ferred to " the prim benches of the upper school." No
one ever possessed a greater readiness at reply, no
matter what the subject might have been that called

forth his powers, and out of the most awkward pre-
dicaments that those in official life fell into he could
generally extricate them without giving offence to

anyone.

It is impossible to dwell upon the death of Lord
PALMERSTON without feeling that we have lost one
whom our generation cannot replace. He held a
particular place in the hearts of the people that none
among living statesmen can fill, and his loss will be
more lamented as time goes on, and we miss the
familiar presence and genial influence of one who
has been associated with English life and connected
with the political world since the earliest date of the
memories of even the middle aged. And not only in the
arena of politics, the strife of senates, and the con-
tentions of Cabinets did the noble lord distinguish
himself, he was everywhere a favourite, and was always
well received by all ranks and classes. Many will feel
to-day that they have lost a friend when they peruse
the details of the last momentsof the late Premier.
Sad as our reflections are at the thoughts of the de-
parted, it must not be said that all is gloom in the
memory of one so widely respected and deeply be-
loved. When the first shock has passed away it
will be felt by those nearest and dearest to him that
his work was done, and that the time for rest had
arrived. The shadow feared of man never took
from his post one more capable of filling it than our
departed Premier, and although he had passed be-
yond the ordinary limits of mortality, we all feel
that his loss is premature, perhaps, because it is
irreparable. His death will be remembered for
a long time to come, and the succession of events
and the rapid changes of public life will not efface
his memory, from the lively recollection of all who
had the privilege of knowing him. His general
appreciation ny tne community was ins 13t .it, proof of
success, and will be his best monument, for it is
written on tablets that will know no decay. Thus
living, the name of Lord PALMERSTON has been
associated with our most honoured statesmen, and
thus dying, his name will be ranked high in the
immortal scroll of history among England's illus-
trious dead.

It is said that, in spite of the threatening tone
adopted by Mr. SEWARD, the Government of the
United States is anxious to preserve pacific rela-
tions with France, and indeed with all the European
Powers, but that it is feared that Congress will in-
sist upon extreme measures should additional troops
be sent to Mexico. There are, of course, still ele-
ments of disturbance in the body politic, and those
persons and parties who were gaining fame and for-
tune by the war are naturally disinclined to subside
into the unprofitable monotony of peace. General
GRANT, who appears to find his occupation gone
with the suspension of hostilities, is openly
declaring that France must be driven out of
Mexico, and that before very long the Govern-
ment will declare war. It is said, whether
with truth or not, that this conduct is disapproved
by the Government, which means to do all in its
power to avoid an open rupture. The financial
difficulties of the country alone might make even
American statesmen pause before they provoked so
powerful a nation as France to direct antagonism.
One would suppose that the Congress has had
enough of war and of the levying of war taxes, while
in commercial circles a rupture with France must
naturally excite the very gravest apprehensions.
Four years of a war, which was sufficient to desolate
any country, seems to have left the people of
the Northern States sufficient pugnacity and enter-
prise to enter upon a contest which, if not more
deadly, would certainly- be more unequal. For-
midable as the Confederate cruisers proved to the
Northern commerce, the ironclads of France would
produce a very different effect, and would soon make
the merchants of New York cry out for peace. The
Generals, too, would find the difference in obtain-
ing their supplies of men, arms, and ammunition,
for very certainly the exhausted resources of the
Southern States would not supply the place occupied
during the last struggle by the English purveyors of
the munitions of war. The little back-handed
movement which the Americans have been favour-
ing against this country has not yet altogether
subsided. The Central Council of Fenians, at a
meeting held at the Astor House on the sth of
October, resolved to convoke a special congress of
the entire organization in America at Philadelphia
on the 16th. The congress will have the agree-
able office of discussing the trials of its mem-
bers in this part of the world, and the
total collapse of the grand liberation movement in
the Emerald Isle. Another large meeting had been
already held at Memphis on the 3d, though what
was the result of the deliberations is not stated.
Perhaps the Yankees themselves may learn a lesson
from the total and ignominious failure of the move-
ment, which may give them a truer insight into the state
of affairs in Ireland. Meanwhile the task of reconstruc-
tion seems to be going on steadily. North Carolina
has unanimously declared the ordinance null and
void, and the Missouri Courts have determined
that practising attorneys must subscribe to the test
oath of loyalty. So far there seems to be no oppo-
sition to the gradual consolidation of the States. Itis
only to be hopedthat no rash and hasty measure may
precipitate the country into fresh difficulties and
dangers.

ABOLITION OF TOLLS ON THE SURREY AND SUSSEX
ROADS.—Yesterday morning all the gates and bars on these
roads were thrown open. The materials of the toll-houses,
gates, side bars, &c., were disposed of by auction on Mon-
day and Tuesday last, and fetched high prices. Within
a week not a vestige will remain of the gates so well known
to Derbyites—viz., Bennington and Sutton.
DETERMINED SUICIDE IN THE P ÜBLIC ROAD.-
On Tuesday evening a man named named Edward Bur-
wood, manager to a fashionable hairdresser, residing at 21,
Adam-street West, Bryanstone-squmn- destroyed himself
by lying down under the wleels of one of the Great
Western Railway Company's vans in the Edgware-road.
The wheels passed over his chest, and he was instantly
killed. Grief at the recent death of his wife is said to be
the cause of the rash act.

DANISH COAST. FINDS.—Stone implements of the
forms above described are frequently found on the
surface of the ground, or are dug up in agricultural or
other operations. But those found singly in this manner

have comparatively little scientific value; it is only when
found in considerable numbers, and especially when as-
sociated with other remains, that they serve to throw
much light on the manners and customs of ancient times.
As already mentioned, the tumuli, the lake habitations
and the shell mounds, are specially valuable in this respect,
but I must also say a few words about the " Coastfinds"
of tho Danish antiquaries. " Coastfinds" are discoveries of
rude flint implements, which are found lying in large num-
bers on certain spots along the old line of coast. These
discoveries have received from the Danish antiquaries the
namelof "Kystfunden," or, as wo may translate it, "Coast-
finds." Owing probably to the elevation. of the land which
has taken place in Jutland since the stone age, some of
them are now on dry ground, and as the shore is very fiat
the elevation, slight as it is, has in some cases been suffi-
cient to separate them by a considerable distance from the
present water lino. Some, on the other hand, are at lower
levels ; one, for instance, close to the railway station at
Korsoer, is exposed only at low tide, and others are al-
ways covered. The " Coastfinds," however, belong pro-
bably to different classes. Thus, one at Anholt was evi-
dently a workshop of flint implements, as is shown by the
character of the chips, and by the discovery of more than
GO flint cores. Those on, the contrary, which even at the
present day are under water, must have been so in old

times, and as there are no traces of like habitations in Den-
mark, it seems the most natural supposition that they were
the places where the fishermen used to drag their nets. It.
is still usual to choose particular spots for this purpose,
and it is evident that many of the rude objects used in fish-
ing, especially of the stones employed as not weights, would
there be lost. The objects discovered are just what might
have been expected under these circumstances. They con-
sist of irregular flint chippings, net weights or sling stones,
flakes, scrapers, awls, and axes.—Lubbock's Pre-historic
Times.

DEATH

LORD PALMERSTON.

After the last report Lord Palmerston's strength
continued to fail, and at a quarter before 11 o'clock
this morning he expired without suffering.
Mos. WATSON, M.D.
PROTHEROE SMITH, M.D.
CHAS. DRADOE, M.D.

Brockett-hall, Oct. 18, 1865.
In the City, since the death of the Prince Con-
sort, no event of the kind has occasioned a more
profound impression than the announcement yes-
terday—first, of the alarming illness, and then of
the death of Lord Palmerston. Throughout the
morning eager inquiries were made at the Mansion-
house, at Lloyd's, and at every place of public re-
sort, as to whether any additional intelligence had
been received of the state of the sufferer. The ap-
pearance of the second editions of the morning
papers was anxiously looked for, and when at
length they began to be put in circulation they were
instantly in extraordinary demand. The intelli-

gence they contained that the noble lord was sink
ing fast produced a melancholy foreboding in th
public mind, and prepared it for the still sadder
event which became generally known later in the
afternoon. The evening papers carried the sorrow-
ful news far and wide, and it soon became the
theme of every tongue.