The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-07 00:00:00

Lord PALMERSTON has taken care that there
shall not be too much time for the study of his
address, for it is dated on the day of the dissolution
of Parliament ; not that there is much in it to
criticise, for the noble lord's statement is chiefly
remarkable for its omissions, and we learn sur-
prisingly:ittle of any future policy. This reticence
is certainly peculiar, and from one in his position
it is inconsistent in the extreme. On the eve of a
new Parliament, especially after so long a suspen-
sion of active measures, one might naturally suppose
that the public might receive some intimation of
more energetic steps being taken, and some more
striking policy sketched out before them. The
noble lord seems to feel a dim foreboding of this
himself, for he says that if he were addressing his
constituents for the first time it might be necessary
for him to enter into some details, and " dilate
upon the future," but that, as circumstances are,
it is enough for him to refer to the past.
It must be confessed that this is an unfortunate
allusion, for the six years that have elapsed since
Lord PAL3IERSTON'S last accession to office have
not been such that they may be so complacently
referred to, and held out as a beacon for the future.
It is indeed melancholy to reflect that much has
taken place to tarnish the lustre of Lord PAL3IER-
STON'S reputation during the period referred to.

He gave the sanction of his support to a regular
trick which Earl RUSSELL condescended to play
respecting Reform; and, above all, the foreign
policy of the Government has been conducted
in a manner which Lord ,PAL3IERSTON would
never have consented to in his better days.
Nothing would have aroused his indignation to a
greater degree than the same tactics had they been
pursued by his opponents ; and had a political
prophet, in the zenith of the noble lord's reputation,
foreshadowed his closing career as Premier, no one
would have believed it. No wonder that in this
address Lord PALMERSTON is mute concerning the
course pursued towards Denmark, and the fatal
encouragement given to the designs of Prussia.
Silence is the most decorous mode to adopt when
such themes suggest themselves to the mind.
Neither is much said on the subject of the Ameri-
can war, nor the conduct of the Government to-
wards the belligerent parties.
As for the Premier taking credit to the Govern-
ment for the progressive prosperity of the country,
notwithstanding the distress in the manufacturing
districts, that is quite out of character, because it
was through the noble exertions of the community
at large that all impending danger was averted,
and private energy, joined to public liberality, sus-
tained the weight of the calamity, and carried the
nation safely through the crisis. It is very con-
venient, however, for Ministers to assume a virtue
if they have it not occasionally, and to take credit
for what belongs to others. This feeling is ably
satirized in " Sybil," where it is said that the
14 great measures of Sir ROBERT PEEL produced
three good harvests."

When Lord PALMERSTON declares that " Peace
has been' preServed with foreign nations, and this
country has been exempt from the exertions and
sacrifices which within that period other countries
have been required to make, he forgets that there
are other things to consider, and higher objects in
view than mere material advantages and the con-
siderations of wealth. The chief questions to ask are,
Has the honour of the nation been preserved pure
and immaculate? have we as a mighty people been
as sedulous to protect the weak as we were to
show the strong that we were indifferent to them ?
These are all-important inquiries to make at the
close of a new Parliament ; and if they were pro-
perly instituted what answers could be made to
them? Have not the most disastrous consequences
ensued because of the tame demeanour of our Mi-
nisters, and has not England lost her rightful influ-
ence among the nations of the world throughthefalse
steps taken, and the imprudent schemes resorted to
by the advisers of the Crown ? eldom hai a