The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-30 00:00:00

POLITICAL .RTIMOURS.

It is scarcely, perhaps, worth while to allude to the
rumours which yesterday evening were prevr.lent, that a
[partial modification of the Ministry was about to take
place by the retirement of the Duke of Newcastle and
Mr. Sidney Herbert, and the substitution of Earl Grey I
and Lord- Pan mure ! ! We need scarcely say that the
country would gain nothing by the exchange, and it
might, perhaps, have suggested a doubt of the accuracy
of their information M the rumourmongers had remem-
bered that the office of Secretary-at-War, being, in truth,
the finance minister of the army, is one which a necimsary
etiquette invariably assigns to a member of the House of
Commons.

Rumours, however, like these are, let us say, but one
form of the natural impatience which is felt at the con-
tinued and apparently hopeless mismanagement of the
War-office. It is impossible to convey any adequate
idea of the number of complaints, every day increasing,
which are uttered against the hauteur, the incapacity,
and the blundering of the Duke of Newcastle. He is
the very evil genius of British war. Wherever his in-
fluence extends confusion and mismanagement appear as
a necessary consequence to prevail. There is not a
clerk in his office who, if he could speak his mind, would
not tell you that the wonder is that any Ministry alive
to their responsibility could tolerate the Duke of New-
castle in his present position for one week. It is, in a
word, the universal feeling that he ought to be removed,
nu
which gives rise to these
merous rumours, which, we
presume, will one day or ether turn out to be true.
But let us say, also, that if we trace the statement of
the Duke of Newcastle's removal to the very general be-
lief that is entertained of his incapacity, we can also
trace in the substituted names the influence of a feeling
which is actively and powerfully at
work. We have
more thaw me pointed out that in the distribution of
-the Coalition offices every department practically influ-
encing the conduct of the war has been studiously and
designedly conferred upen a creature or partisan of Lord
Aberdeen. From all these departments the Whigs have
been most religiously excluded, and are so up to this
hour. We believe they will be so as long as they con-
sent to occupy their present position of subservience to
the views and policy of Lord Aberdeen.
It must not be supposed that this exclusion of the
Whig party from these offices is viewed with perfect
complacency by that party, either within the Cabinet
or without it. What passes within the Cabinet can
only be conjectured by dim and probably uncertain
indications. Still it is not very unsafe to affirm that
this extraordinary distribution of offices is the subject,
even among Ministers, of both jealousy and suspicion.
The 1.12 e Whig party not in ofEle do not
hesitate very freely to express their opinion both upon
the character and the motives of that exclusion.

We, who in a party sense may perhaps be considered
impartial between the rival sections, have already ex-
pressed our sense of the arrangement by which
Lord Aberdeen has contrived to monopolise these
Offices, and centre in the hands of his personal adherents
all praotical control over the operations of the war.
When the rumour of yesterday pointed to Whigs as likely
to be appointed to the places made vacant by the expel-
Rion of the Peelites, it only gave expression to the senti-
ment of the Whig party that some each change ought
to be made.
The occasion, however, recalls our attention to the
fact, that after a fortnight's sitting •f the House of
Commons, Lord Aberdeen and his little knot of un-
principled adherents still hold in their hand the
entire control of the movements of the war. The
result of their management is unhappily too noto-
rious. Truth, however, obliges us to add, that it
is just what might have been expected. No posi-
tion that we can remember at all resembles that of the
personal coterie who have managed to fill up one half of
the Cabinet offices, and in that half to seize on every one
of those connected with the management of the war.
Followers they have none. To say that they have no
weight in the country would be untrue ; but unquestion-
ably they have nerve which Could entitle them to meet on
equal terms with the great Whig party led by Lord John
Russell. Their pP.ition may be briefly summed up in
this, that they have neither principles ner party. They
look with veneration to the memory of Peel as that of the
man who taught them how t,) surrender the one and be-
tray the other ; and in this superstitious veneration for
this ma,3ter and this lesson they find a substitute for the
ordinary ties that unite Dien in political pursuits.
I) priced, however, of the power which belongs

only to I oliticians. who car, command a following in

A VISIT TO THE BULLDOG.

1854

1,470

224
2,230

4,445
11,253
4,571
4,425
121
220

1,367
688

S9B
5 223
21,003
2,775

599
5,156
23,569
6,159
29,332

G 3,311
1,114
12,045
14,741

9,741
677
740
29,025
2,716

3,152
4,G83

773
2,259
bOl,

2,111

90G
2,044
15.549
&,Gt.ll

3,513

1,153
8,400

1,903
30,536
34,166

7,802

3,418

the country, they are driven to maintain an equivo•
' cal poiiiion Ly expedients to, which their necessity
ob iges Clem to resort. There is no party so small that
they will not court it. There is no measure so opposed
to all their declared political opinions that they may not
find reasons to adopt it. To-day they are ready to fawn
1 upon the Popish brigade ; to-morrow to flatter the
!Court. And over all their inconsistencies they have
hitherto managed, with consummate skill, to throw a
i-veil, by the artifice, now almost worn out, of saying they
did everything for the sake of free trade ! !
To this little faction, we once more ring in the ears Of
!the English people, the whole management of the war is
confided. Into every one of tha war department of ad.
ministration Lord Aberdeen has thrust a personal de.
pendent of hie own. Lord John Russell, as a matter of
personal dignity, ought never to have submittted to this.
Re received but a poor atonement for the slight when
is personal vanity was gratified by his nomination to be
resident of the Connell. But the time is gone by when
...n be treated as a matter of personal feeling. We
pt,
have had experiences enough of the evils of making the
adherents of Lord Aberdeen the exclusive managers of
the war. Whether or not it be consistent with the
honour or the dignity of the Whig party it is not for us
to say. Events, however, justify us in declaring that it
has not turned out to be either for the honour or safety
of England.
We should indeed be sorry to see this exclusion broken
down by the introduction of such a man as Lord Grey.
But to the fact of the exclusion it is right once more to
direct the attention of the country. Lord Aberdeen has
contrived to retain in the hands of his own adherents
every official department directly controlling the admini.
tration of the war. The result ii that the war has been
carried on—England has felt to her very heart's core
How.—Morning Herald.

This fine six-gun steamer, which bore the flag of Sir ,
Charles Napier at Bomarsund, is now lying at North
Shields, and has been inspected by thousands of visitors
from the shore. On Monday last the crowds which put
off to her were immense, and nothing could exceed the
civility with which all were received on board. Go to
what part of the vessel you bad a mind, the blue jackets
or the marines were all attention when information was
sought by young or old ; and one corporal of marines,
in particular, rather took our attention from the complete
indifference with which he and his men treated a smok-
ing plum padding on their table, compared with replying
to the scores of queries put to them about the Miele
rides piled at their backs. The pudding seemed to Le
regarded as nothing compared with the proper enlighten-
ment of civilians upon the "grooving of the barrel,"
ard the peculiar advantages which the simple contriv-
ance for " sighting" afforded to the mai ksman. " Bless
you," said the corporal, '° we can pick off a man at a
thousand yards' distance with this quite wed, when the
old rifle wouldn't look at 'im !" The shrill whistle of
the boatswain's mate produced silence for a moment, and
a serjeant of marines prepared to take the i synee of
"those who are going shore." A goad y number were
pencilled down, and the serjeant took upon himself to Le
the friendly adviser of some of the choicer spirits, apt.
cially warning two young fellows against mistaking " the
bridge" (at Newcastle) for the " Bulldog," as they had
apparently done upon a recent occasion. The fiddler
shortly afterwards began ,to labour in his vocation, and a
dance of a vigorous although not of a very neatly pos-
tured description followed. We took advantage of the hub-
bub to learn from' one of the men how the tare accounted
for the comparative failure of the Baltic expedition, and
pitched by chance upon a sensible Aberdonian. Speaking
of the capture of Bomarsund, he said the most of the
Ru,sian prisoners taken off by the boats of their ship were
tipsy, and numbers of them threw their caps into the
water after they had pushed off. Although the British
icolours were fixed in the stern of the boats, the Musco-
vites did not seem to recognise the nationality of their
captors, and by their repeated inquiries of " Franke I"
" Franke ?" evinced their anxiety to learn if they were
in the hands of the French. On being told that they
were in the custody of the English, they seemed more
at ewe, avid the others pulled out their snuff-boxes to
treat our lads to a pinch. Regarding the popularity ef
Sir Charles in the ships generally, the Scot could give
us no precise information, but as far as their ship's coin-
pany was
concerned, be said they would have done any-
thing to serve the good old man. The circumstance of
all others, however, which had fixed itself most indelibly
upon tho mind of our friend, in connection with Sir
Charles's stay in the Bulldog, was that he bad requested
the captain on one occasion to treat all hands to an
extra glass of grog, and for this liberality the Admiral
had been unanimously voted "one of the best old
chaps alive " by every single Bulldog in the ship.
Being curious to hear what might be the opinion of
the A.B.'s on the Cronstadt business, we remarked
that folks at home were greatly disappointed with the
proceedings of the fleet up there. " Well," was the
answer, "us in the light ships Were within range of
the forts, but they didn't let us do anything. Char-
lie and wrote home to
L o wouldrd A be rhdaeveen taken
hteh e
wouldplace, manage it with the loss
of half the fleet ; but somehow or other he never got
an answer, and the thing was humbugged." Poor
Lord Aberdeen ! everybody must have a kick at him
in some shape, because he wasn't swift to shed blood ;
but with an approving conscience he can afford to buir
it all in meekness. After discussing Cronstadt, our friend
edged over to a formidable 84-pounder, and did his
best to instruct us in the rudiments of scientific gunnery,
but with what amount of success it would be very mor-
tifying in us to confess. However, we left the tidy
craft rather wiser than we stepped on board, convinced
that, like Sam Slick, we bad added a wrinkle to our
horn, and were up to a thing cr two in the fire-eating
\line which before bad only been guessed at through the
medium of a very remote agency. The Bulldog is to
remain in the Tyne for a couple of months, and efforts
aro being made to add to her complement of hands. A
number have joined her already, and, so far as we could
see, they will have no cause to regret the step, for pains
seems to be taken on board to fender all her crew at
once comfortable and contented.—Sunderland Herald.

ANTRIM ELECTION.—Captain Pakenham has been
elected for the seat vacant by the death of his gallant
brother in the Crimea. The proceedings at the eleotion
were pro forma, no opposition being apprehended or
offered.