The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-22 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY, SEPT. 22, 1870.

IF only for its serio-comic allusion to the CHAN-
CELLOR of the EXCHEQUER as a clever but cynical
Minister, who is just now "dancing about Scotland,
and congratulating the country that he has nothing
better to do than to dance, when Empires are falling
and England is called upon to perform her duty by
GOD and her neighbour in the high position in which
Providence has placed her," Sir HENRY BULWER'S
letter to the 7 iines in reference to mediation must be
regarded as at this moment positively refreshing.
It is far more than that, however ; it is something
better than simply refreshing. It is a
trumpet call to the magnanimity of her
Majesty's Government. It is an appeal to
their sense of justice, to their courage, to their
patriotism—and one worthy in finny respects of Sir
HENRY BULWER'S reputation as a diplomatist, as a
statesman, and as a thoroughly independent and
thoroughly outspoken Liberal member of Parlia-
liament. What he first of all insists upon is the
anomaly that, simply because this is the month of
September, all the political elements of action
and consultation in this country are separated
and dissolved, no matter how critical the position in
which England, Europe, the whole world, are placed
by actual circumstances. "Ought we to let it be
supposed," he asks, with perfectly justifiable scorn,
"that the representatives of England are fitly em-
ployed in incessantly talking about business that
might be adequately discussed by a parish vestry,
but that they are not qualified to deal
with great national concerns." He protests
that he has great confidence in Mr. GLADSTONE,
and great confidence also in Lord GRANVILLE, " but,"
he says, "their fault in Foreign Affairs, if they have
any, is not presumption, and I doubt if they will
have full confidence in themselves without being in
legitimate communication with the nation." Never
was an argument more cogently put for
the holding of an autumnal session of Par-
liament. Sir HENRY BULWER, however, by no
means contents himself with simply suggesting that
the Lords and Commons should meet for an extraordi-
nary consultation. Recognising that time is everything
at this supreme emergency, and that any one who
has a suggestion to make in the interests of media-
tion between the Franco-German belligerents should,
in GoD's name and in the name of common
humanity, make it at once, he has not hesitated, frankly
and manfully, to avow several of the conclusions he
himself has arrived at. He argues, happily with
good reason, that a tendency towards accommodation
is already manifest, adding that the friendly offices
of a neutral State, if skilfully exercised, would
still further diminish existing differences. He
refers, almost indignantly,- to the prevailing im-
pression that England, until recently, has been the
Power most backward in feeling that Europe has
rights as well as have France and Prussia. Remind-
ing us all that "within our own remembrance, the
armies of France and Russia, of France and Austria,
have stood hostilely confronted in battle array;''
while " the French and English banners, on the other
hand, have floated side by side, the hands of the
two nations have joined, their blood has inter-
mingled"—he insists that "if France has a right to
expect sympathy from any nation it is from ours."
Finally, for this is in truth the one only wise,
genial, practical deduction to be arrived at from his
whole argument; "If, honour, interest or humanity
tell us we ought to intervene, we should do so
with generosity and without partiality, with
caution and without timidity. It is not
what you do, but the manner in which
you do it, that irritates or soothes, You may offer
friendly counsel without officiousness; and the part
of a mediator is not necessarily combined either
with impertinence or with servility." For words so
well timed, so bold and yet so judicious, we feel
grateful to the eminent diplomatist who has thus
given utterance to the thoughts and feelings dear
at this moment to the hearts of a vast multitude
of earnest Englishmen.