The Sun.
London, England, 1849-09-05 00:00:00

4,e `.
-

S N 7 SEPTEMBER 5, 1849.

previously warned to disperse. With every wish to
make due allowance for the fact that this was not the
first time that the Minister's residence had been visited
by a mob,;we are bound to say that the case, as it stands,
is one calling for the littlest and most searching inquiry
—and that it must be presented to the public in a• very
different shape from what it at present wears, before Mr.
Lafontaine can be completely exonerated from the charge
of an almost criminal eagerness to take extreme measures.
It must at least be allowed that this Minister's extraor-
dinary promptitude and decision in the defence of his
private abode strangely contrast with the tardiness and
nonchalance evinced by the Governor-General in main-
taining the public peace and the authority of the Queen
and the law. Where tha Parliament-house and archives
of two provinces were concerned, Lord Elgin could see
nothing but " grave objections" to a preventive exer-
tion of force, and he made a merit of having passively
waited for "overt acts" until the mischief was done.
When it comes, however, to something like a personal
question between authority and turbulence, Lord Elgin's
advisers at once rise superior to their principal's ner-
vous horrora of measures having " a tendency to pro-
duce a collision." Some of our readers, by the way,
may be innocent enough to wonder that they hear
nothing, in all this deplorable business, about a Gover-
nor-General—that there is, in fact, nothing to show that
the vice-regal office was not abolished at the same time
with the Parliament-house. This is really the most
disgraceful part of the affair. While the public peace
is openly violated, and the most flagrant outrages are
hourly committed in his capital, Lord Elgin
keeps himself safely stowed away, " with
guards doubled," at his favourite retreat of
Monklands—cultivating, we suppose, cabbages and
" dignified neutrality,"—and leaving the tranquillity
of the province, the authority of the laws, and the ho-
nour and dignity of the British crown to be taken care
of by deputy. Now, we do not presume to say that he
is not :best where he is; nor do we stop to consider
whether it is his " misfortune" or his " fault" that he
cannot show his' face outside his own doors without the
•
imminent risk of making bid worse; but certainly, if
this is " governing" Canada, there is nothing to be said
except that the British North American Viceroyalty is
about the snuggest berth for privileged incompetence
and laziness ever devised by the genius of ainecurism.
And actually this is the monent, of all others, which her
Majesty's Ministers have selected (vide last night's Ga-
zette) for showering new hereditary honours on this
fanieant representative of the Crown, who runs away
frOna riot and arson, and leaves law, order, and " seat
of Government" to shift for themselves. Not-
withstanding our very high opinion of our Co-
lonial Secretary's audacity and obstinacy, we are
much inclined to risk the prediction, that the
newly-created " Baron of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland" will at no distant date enter on the
personal enjoyment of his dignity as a member of the
Upper House of Parliament. We take it to be quite
impossible that Earl Grey's colleagues can be satisfied'
to go on much longer with the experiment of " govern-
ing" Canada through a Viceroy who finds it necessary.
to hide himself from all the world for four months toge-
ther—and who, at a time when seditious and anarchical
turbulence is rife and rampant in the capital of his pro-
vince, thinks (perhaps correctly) that the best thing he
can do is to keep very quiet. This is a case that is
plainly past mending. When a Government has once
brought things to such a pass that it has hopelessly lost
moral weight, dignity, and authority—that its vigour,
only exasperates, while its leniency cannot conciliate and
soothe—there is but one way out of the difficulty. No'
pertinacity of Earl Grey's will ever make Lord Elgin
more than a nominal Governor-General of Canada; and
if that. high office is meant to be a reality, it cannot too.
soon pass into other hands.
HERALD.—That ever wise, ever plausible, and most
consummately self-satisfied and contemptible class of..
politicians, which judges everything by the event, has
recently raised a loud shout of praise at the successes of
the Russian armies over the Hungarians, and has, ac-
cording to its wont, chaunted forth article after article
on the power, the glory, and the greatness of Russia.
But the successes of the united Austrian and Russian
armies over the Hungarians, after a campaign of three '
months, in which the latter almost always exhibited-
science, skill, and military talent of the highest order,
and in which the former rarely exhibited any of these
qualities, so far from proving the invincibility of Russia,
only proves how much Russian power and Muscovite
military strength have been exaggerated by those living
remote and far removed from the scene of action.
Whether in reference to certain scenery or to men, ma-
terial, and those things which are called empire, "dis-
tance lends enchantment to the view," in as great a
ratio as to the Swiss chalet or to the Windermere
cottage. Omne ignotum pro magnifico is the common
rule, and when it is considered how freely Russian
orders, rings, and rubles are bestowed for any modi-
cum of praise, however small, id the Hessian system,
there is no reason why the Emperor, his generals, and
his army. should not come in for an extravagant portion
of laudation. Yet t' this praise the Russian army or
military system is in no degree entitled. Ever since the
French revolution of February, 1848, the Emperor of
Russia-has been biding his time, and making his prepa-
rations quietly and effectually. He has had no Parlia•
natant to control—no finance committee to fetter him.
His Cabinet is not a constitutional Cabinet, bound to
the country as well as to the Sovereign, and accountable
to the nation at large, but a set of head clerks, civil and
military, sitting to register the decrees of a Czar, whom
they worship next to God himself. His senate is not a
senate elected by the people, but a College of Senators
named by the despotical dispenser of all patronage, civil,
military, naval, and ecclesiastical. Nicholas is a man
prone to do what he will with his own, and the life and
fortunes of every man, woman, and child in Russia
being at his disposal, lee can. pornmancl as he listeth,
and is over his great empire obeyed accordingly.
When, therefore, he determined, in February,
1848, to, pour immense bodies of troops and
boundless munitionz, of war into • Poland, he had but
to will it, and the thing_ was done. For eighteen months
these, contingents of men and of warlike material, have'
been daily increasing. Bodies of troops were ordered
from the Caucasus, from the military colonies, and from
Circassia, to Poland and the parts adjacent—to the
Austrian and Hungarian frontiers; while the armies of
Generals Luders and Duhamel in Moldavia and Wal-
lachia were greatly increased. All the resources, ma-
terial, moral, and financial, of the Russian empire, were,
for a period of fifteen months, brought to bear on one
given point. When, at the latter end of April or the
beginning of May, the Russian forces received orders to
march into the Magyar country, there were assembled
on the Various points from which they diverged into
Hungary, the hoarded fruits of fifteen months prepara-
tion—in men—in horses—in chosen generals—in artil-
lery. Not content with such generals as Roth, Rosen,
ICreutz, and De Witt, the Emperor put into requisition
his most famous general and only field-marshal, Prince
Paskewitch Erivansky, whose equivocal laurels
were won in Poland and in Persia • and with this veteran
Lithuanian he associated the German Rudiger. But
although these Russian officers were aided by Luders
and others of high repute in Russia—though a son of
the Czar accompanied the expedition—and though
Haynau, Czerich, Welden, and all the Austrian generals
and staff contributed such science and skill as they pos-
sessed to the combined allied stock—and the Austrian
artillery, be it noted, has always been considered among
the first in the world—yet three months elapsed before
the united armies of Russia and Austria gained the
slightest advantage over the brave but undisciplined
Hungarians. Nor were such advantages even then
gained till dissension and jealousy had spread
in the Hungarian ranks—till Georgey had become
jealous of Bern and Dembinski, and insubordinate
to Kossuth and the Hungarian Central Go-
vernment. Unaware of the reasons_ that induced
hGiseormg
oe
tyi v
etso n sour r roeenudseurr, e wh
ies notn e pronouncehave hoa
had
egoouords'
er ewa shoi
en
hs ahned h
apsa tlrai ot
etliycs
pmuortsiuveeds for pt uerosuusi
considering
r it nh ge
that his corps d'armee was the most numerous and the
best Provided among all the Hungarian divisions—con-
sidering also that he was the most seasoned and the best
diaglplined—considering that he was the first Hungarian
general to adopt such a course, and to give such an
example of yielding, it is not going too far to state that
his "conduct requires explanation—explanation which,
sooner or later, ought to be and must be given before he
is acquitted in the eyes of posterity. No men are more
penetrated with the truth of the proverb, that
an ass laden with gold can enter the gates of the
strongest city, than the Russian generals. The
victories of Russian troops in Turkey, in Persia,' in
Poland, and in Circassia, have been greatly more
owing to gold than to gunpowder, and though we are
far from saying that Georgey 'was • ever Corruptible or
ever corrupted, yet it is plain that Kositith in that in-
tercepted letter to Bem, dated August Teth, not merely
intimates, but roundly expresses an Opinion that there
was treason in his own camp. " The edifice of my
country's freedom, and the sanctuary of European liberty
is destroyed," says Kossuth, " not by our enemies, but
by our brethren." These brethren were not the Poles
Bem or Dembinski, or the Irishman Guyon. These
brethren were Magyars—were Hungarians. Who are
they? Who 'are the traitors, if they be many—or
who is the individual traitor, if he but one? It is
curious and significant that Haynau and Paskewitch,
in their' reports to ' their respective Governments,
both pronounce panegyrics on Georgey, and none on
any other Magyer-GefferaV Though there were half a-
dozen other bred and born Hungarians with the rank of
generals of division. How is this? To praise a van-
quished enemy is good taste and generous • but Georgey
was not vanquished. He might have held out for some
time longer, but instead of pursuing that course he
surrendered to the Russian Field-Marshal, calling for
the intercession of Nicholas with Francis'Joseph. Tice
first use Paskewitch Erivansky made of this surrender
was to lay Hungary at the feet of the Czar. The promtp-
titude and the ostentation with which this was done!--
the great cry that has been raised about it--subffiteciiessnitlyti
indicate the desire of the Russians to have a su.
at any cost. A million or two millions ofrusoiolvee; ruolis,

say, in round numbers 150,000/. of our ._ ,- It
not, it is plain, have been deemed too great a pecunia y
sacrifice to obtain a submission, on which the Russian
commander la s Such great litres's. A fortnight or three
weeks bsfore t e submission, Russian counsels were quite,
at Wilt; cour is 'were 'dispatched for Gknerals OHO
and Woronzoff—sickness and disorganizatiim were I;ie.
ginning to show themselves—the Russian army war SS

-
[PRICE C 51)

much discouraged in Hungary as the same army in
Turkey, under Diebitch in 1828—yet all of a sudden,
and as if by magic, affairs change, and one Hungarian
general, for a period of nearly three months successful,
surrenders without resistance. We blame no individual,
we asperse no commander. These facts may be, and
doubtle.=s are, explainable. All, however, we know is,
that they have not been explained. Supposing, how-
ever, Georgey to have held out obstinately—to have
continued a harassing war with brilliant success for
another month, and to have yielded after a desperate
battle in which he was fairly beaten, ought such a
victory to raise the repute of Russian or Austrian
armies, or of both united? Certainly not. Quite the
contrary, indeed. Those armies, however numerous,
however well supplied with artillery, cannot Le
considered very formidable in the field when we
actually know that 300,000 men, with every appliance of
means and material of war, had taken three months to
put down an undisciplined body of Hungarians, without
munitions and material of war—fighting under every
disadvantage of want of provisions—want of munitions—
and want of artillery. Nor are the Hungarians, after a
three months' struggle, put down at last by fair fighting
in an open field, but by the surrender of a soldier in-
vested with absolute power, acting on his own responsi-
bility, and against the wishes of many of his brother
commanders. So far, therefore, from thinking the Rus-
sian feats in Hungary as calculated to increase the
prestige of Russian power, we are persuaded they will
but serve to demonstrate the real weakness of Russia
out of her own territory out of that inhos-
pitable region in which her soldiers are acclimated.
Though Russia has great natural advantages and
.considerable internal resources on her own soil, yet out
or Russia, and as an aggressive power, opposed either
to England or to France, she is not formidable. Her
armies are numerous in men, and well supplied with
material, but though the body be there, the soul and the
spirit are wanting. All the greatest victories. that the
world has seen have been achieved, not by numerous
hosts of slaves, but by small armies of seasoned soldiers
with a cause, a country to die for and to save. Pre-
cocious in its growth—precocious in its semblance of
power—Russia has a giant's stature and scarcely more
than an infant's strength. The empire is thoroughly
rotten before it is half ripe, and of all the public ser-
♦ices of Russia, cankered alike by corruption, the ser-
vices of the army and navy are the most cankered and
the most demoralised. Regarded, however, in any aspect,
Russian interference in Hungary is a great European
calamity, and may lead to consequences not now fore-
seen—not now apprehended.

BLIVIIIINGHAM MUSICAL FESTIVAL.
BIRMINGHAM, TUESDAY.-The triennial festival
commenced this morning, under the most favourable
auspices, and the results anticipated, and up to the
present moment realised, are in the highest degree
satisfactory. It will be in the recollection of every
one who watches the progress of musical development
that on this day three years Mendelssohn's Elijah was
first performed in England ; since then it has acquired
a national and European celebrity, and by the great
bulk of musical cognoscenti it is regarded as little if at
all inferior to the most cherished productions of Han-
del. Again has this glorious oratorio formed the
subject of the opening day's performance ; but what
a change of circumstances ! The great maestro no
longer lives, though his memory will for ever be per-
petuated in his work, and instead of the living pre.
sence of Mendelssohn we have to-day celebrated the
inauguration of his statue, which has been raised by
his admirers as a fitting tribute to his memory.
The appearance of the hall was in the highest
degree animated and enlivening. Almost all the
entire area was appropriated to reserved seats, and
,not a seat was observed to be vacant. There must
have been upwards of 3,000 persons present, including
the bulk of the midland aristocracy, and the following
persons of distinction :—Viscount Guernsey (Presi-
dent), the Duke of Marlborough, Marquis of North-
ampton, Earls of Denbigh, Aylesford, Talbot, and
Bradford ; Viscount Lifford ; Bishop of Worcester,
Lords Lyttelton, Galway, Sandys, Leigh, Willoughby
de Broke, and Wrottesley; Hon. C. H. Clive, the
Dean of Lichfield, Hon. F. Gough, Sirs G. Skipworth,
J. It. C. B. Cave, T. E. Winnington, W. E. E. liar-
topp, F. Scott, and J. Pakington ; Messrs. Newde-
gate, M.P., It. Spooner, M.P., G. F. Muntz, M.P.,
Adderley, T. C. Whitmore, Scholefield,
M.P., W. S. Dugdale, C. S. Shirley, F. C. Curzon,
J. Taylor, J. F. Ledsam, W. James, S. Sharnton,
J. W. Whateley, G. Whateley, S. Carter, &c.
Since the last festival great alterations have been
made in the orchestra. The organ itself has been
raised to continental pitch, and the position of the
organist has been so changed as to enable the con-
ductor to centralise the instruments, and present them
as a counterfoil to any imperfection on the part of the
chorus, if it be possible that imperfection shauld exist
where all is unimpeachable. Hence the choral body
occupy the extreme wings of the orchestra, and the
conductor is enabled to develop the highest effects of
instrumentation by having them within the imme-
diate range of his baton. The band at the present
meeting comprises 21. first violins, 24 second violins,
16 violas, 16 violoncellos, 15 double basses, 4 flutes,
4 oboes, 4 clarionets, 4 bassoons, 4 trumpets, 4 horns,
3 trombones, 1 ophiclide, 1 serpent, 3 harps, and a
drum of every class. That musical abortion, the
monstre ophiclide was entirely repudiated. The chorus
comprises 80 trebles, 75 altos, 79 tenors, and 83
basses. Hence the band and chorus, with the assist-
ance of the principal singers, give an orchestral total
of 460 performers. When to this it is added that the
band and choir embrace the first available talent in
England, if not in Europe, and that the whole body
have been in constant rehearsal for some days past,
under M. Costa, it will at once be obvious that the
executive character of the present festival must
assume the highest possible rank.

When Elijah was first produced, three years ago,
Staudigl impersonated the prophet. We had to-day
a worthy successor to the great artist in the person of
Pischek. The music then interpreted by Madame
Caradori Allen was to-day assigned to Madame
Castellan, and though doubts might exist as to the
comparative artistic finish of the latter, there is no
question that in the element of tune she was im-
measurably superior. The part of Obadiah, which
embraces several delicious tenor morceaux, was for-
merly taken by Lockey; his place to-day was sup-
plied by Sims Reeves and Signor Mario; and though
it may certainly be questioned whether Miss M.
Williams be a sufficient substitute for Miss Dolby, or
Miss M. B. Hawes, it was obvious from her recep-
tion that the audience were quite satisfied with the
exchange, for she received a warm encore in the air
" 0 rest in the Lord." As the oratorio has within
the last three years been so frequently before the
public, it would be futile to enumerate the beauties
wherewith it abounds, and to recapitulate those of
this morning's performance would be little more
than a catalogue of the gems which the oratorio
1 contains. It will therefore be sufficient to
observe that the great and signal glory of
the present meeting, so far as hitherto ap-
parent, consists in the stupendous choral ef-
fects which have been realised, and the exquisite re-
sults of the concerted pieces. Pischek went through
the part of the prophet, like one upon whom the
mantle of fervid declamation bad alighted; and
though, in one or two instances, the original score
became attenuated in his hands, by taking an octavo
higher than severity permits, he acquitted himself
gloriously. Madame Castellan in " Hear ye, Israel,"
was unquestionably great, and Sims Reeves, though
evidently suffering from recent indisposition, en-
tranced his hearers by his delicious reading of " If
with all your hearts." That he sang at all under ex•
isting circumstances redounds most highly to his
credit, and that he sang so well was the surprise of
every one. The event of the morning, however, was
Mario's performance of that exquisite air, " Then
shall the righteous:' It was delivered with all the
beauty which characterises his most elaborate per-
formance, and with an intensity of pathos to which
the ranks of English sacred music can furnish no
parallel. Miss M. Williams was well received in her
various songs, more especially " 0 rest in the Lord,"
in which she was encored; and Miss A. Williams
sang most exquisitely the music allotted to the youth
in the recitatival dialogue with Pischek. The unac-
companied trio, " 0 rest in the Lord," by the Misses
Williams and Miss Stevens was encored, and so also
was the final quartet, " 0 come every one that
thirsteth," by the Misses Williams, Mr. Sim Reeves,
and Mr. Machin.
As a whole, the opening day of the festivhaelreb,siss
passed off in the most gratifying manner, and
little doubt that the meeting gill prove the most suc-
cessful that has yet been held.
The choruses were stupendous.

MAILS DUE DURING TllErltE SnEtiNdr
GibraltarM oNT ir.—oVn gt
he
15th
o,
Oporto, Lisbon, Madeira,
Cadiz,
ti mit., at Southampton. British North
ad 25c
American and the United States ou the 9th, 16th, 23(1,
and 30th inst, at
Liverpool. British and foreign colo-
nies in the %%refit Indies, Mexico, &c,, on the 22d inst.,
southampton. Chinn, Hong-Kong, India, Mauritius,
Ceylon, Aden, Alexandria, Malta, the lonian Islands,
and the Mediterranean by the fortnightly overland closed
mail through France on the 233 inst. India, &c., Malta,
and Gibraltar, by the monthly packet on the 27th inst.
at Southampton, Buenos Ayres and the Brazils (over
due) and on the 24th inst., at Falmouth. France due
daily (twice). Belgium, &c., daily. Holland, &c.,
Mondays and Thursdays, Hamburgh, &c., Tuesdays and
Saturdays.
Dr. Wilde, in his new book, "The Boyne and the
Blackwater," says that Guyon, the Hungarian General
who has refused to submit, is a native of Rathkeale,
County Limerick.

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