The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-26 00:00:00

Mon of lords—as if the sphere of commoners in this the acceptance of the United f ;bites Government. It
life was to play second fiddle to lords, tied up and is to be apprehended that flee excitement prevailing
adorned with red tape. 'What we sould like to see among Transatlantic politicians with reference to
would be a new Foreign Minister every three years, as ' questions which unhappily have far less claim on their
they have in America, where they are never at a loss attention than bone fide schemes for the material ad-
for one. Focal! these reasons, and retaining our admire- vancement of their country, will prevent any decisive
tion of Lord Palmerston, we are quite reconciled to his steps being taken in Congress to give effect to the
resignation, provided it has been brought about by general sentiments of the American public in favour
circumstances—not dictated by the alarm or fasti- of Mr. Whitney's views. The rhodomontade to be ex-
diousness of the Court—not brought about by the changed with M. Kossuth, t!ae re-agitation of the
cunning intrigues of Russia and Austria, and Anglo- slavery question, and the abs orbing topic of the next
Austrian diplomacy ; which is so fussy in the society, Presidential election, will, in all likelihood, render the
and so influential with one portion of the press, of the labours of the Federal Legislature exceedingly barren
metropolis. We shall all probably learn the reasons of useful results. It is also not improbable that the
for his retirement from the speeches of Lord Pal- delay which has taken place at Washington in de-
merston himself, who, if lost to the Cabinet, will tiding upon Mr. Whitney's plan, may have rendered
doubtless be found in the House of Commons, and be it impracticable for the United States any longer
looked up to there. Flagrant and immediate opposition to afford the facilities which at one time existed
is not to be looked for from that veteran official. But within their territory for the construction of the
that he will be found in his place, and that any act Pacific line. Happily, however, it may not be im-
of foreign policy, subservient to the despots of the possible to carry out the work on the British side of
east of Europe, or implicating England in the dynastic the border; and a few weeks may determine whether
struggles or interests of the Continent, will find in or not this enterprise, which the violence of party
Lord Palmerston a ready, an able, and an inevitable politics has indefinitely and unwisely postponed at
denouncer—that at least we both look and hope for. Washington, shall be transferred to British ground.
Meantime we are glad to be told that the seceassion For our own part, we have felt so strongly the de-
of Lord Palmerston may lead to the re-construction sirableness of carrying out, if possible, such a scheme
of a Cabinet upon a broader basis. To be sure, the of communication, that we have repeatedly, during
first step—the appointment of Earl Granville—far the last few months, brought the leading facts and
from widening that basis, may be said to narrow it. arguments connected with Mr. Whitney's project
But if the change leads to the acquisition of Re- under the notice of our readers. Since we last ad-
formers, and to opening the doors of the Cabinet at verted to the subject that gentleman has had the good
length to men of the people, it will be a good sign and fortune to have his plans discussed, in his own Are-
a goof deed. And we may place some credit on these sence, by distinguished men and learned associations,
assurances ; for without something of the kind the to whose opinions, in all matters connected with
Whig Cabinet cannot and ought not to stand. We science, the English people are accustomed to pay
are entering evidently upon a very difficult and knotty much deference. Nor is their influence confined to
period, both of domestic and foreign policy. Our this countay merely; for any judgment which may
financial system and commercial prosperity are bound be strongly pronounced by the authorities to whom we
up with both. Too many councillors cannot be con- shall presently have to refer cannot fail of being
suited on such a crisis; too many interests cannot be respected in every part of the civilized world.
called to take an active and conditional part in the Coming to England as the expositor of a scheme
guidance of the nation. Time may possibly bring which was very imperfectly understood out of
the necessity of great resolves, entailing great sacri- the United States, Mr. Whitney had the good
fives, and these cannot be decided by a clique, either sense to see that his best chance of success lay in the
of courtiers or politicians. Let not, therefore, the Times adoption, from the very first, of a perfectly frank and
prattle to us of the great strength that is to accrue to straightforward line of conduct, and in a total avoid-
the Cabinet from increased union. No doubt, a Ca- ante of all those airs of assumption and mystery which
binet consisting of one Prime Minister and half-a- too often accompany and mar the promulgation of
dozen striplings as clerks, would be a very united new projects. He was evidently well aware that, if
Cabinet. But such union can scarcely be called be was to produce any deep and lasting impression in
strength. The people of England are not so very this country, it could only be by submitting his plans
anxious for unanimity in Cabinet Councils by obe- to the most
.unsparing scrutiny, and by being ready
dience of the many to the one. They are more in- at all times to consider and answer objections. He
terested in having a Cabinet, the members of which pursued this course, and the result did not disappoint
may not so very perfectly agree, but who, viewing him. At first he found but little sympathy, and he
affairs from different points, and in the light of dif- met with formidable opposition. His data were dis-
ferent interests, may carry in their final decision a puted, and his practical conclusions were held to be
larger/ sympathy from the country, and especially exceedingly questionable. Still he persevered, and,
from its untitled and industrious classes. strong in the integrity of his purpose and in the
It is to be hoped that a sense of what is needed for boils fide nature of his proceedings, he was
their own self-preservation may prompt the Whig more successful in converting opponents,
Government to do what neither reason, justice, nor satisfying objectors, and winning the cordial
far-sighted prudence has hitherto led them to yield. confidence and support of impartial persons,
The Cabinet, after some few shiftings and modifica- than perhaps any other American who ever visited us
tiens, remains as essentially exclusive and oligarchical for the purpose of promoting a commercial enterprise.
as it was when first ushered into being in 1846. This result is the more honourable to him because he
Circumstances have changed, and with them measures achieved it without resorting to any of the usual arts
have varied in turn with every wind of heaven. Maule, of a popular missionary; and we are not sure that the
and Seymour, and Granville, have been admitted to influence which his visit has produced, in giving us
the Cabinet, and the names of Auckland and Pal- better and juster views of the sterling American cha-
merston are no longer found upon its list. But the inter, will not be among the most important of the
jealous and greedy character of aristocratic monopoly indirect benefits which will arise from the discussion
is stamped on it as conspicuously as in the begin- of his project. One of the first scientific bodies before
ning. The grasping and insolent spirit of clique which Mr. Whitney laid his views was the Royal
has up to the present hour prevailed. There is not Geographical Society; and although it was generally
a merchant nor a man of science, a manufacturer or acknowledged among those who heard him on that
a man of letters, not even a soldier or a sailor of pie- occasion that his scheme was ingenious, there was no
beian rank and fortune, who is permitted to share lack of objections of the most fundamental character.
in the administrative council of a realm which, but It was, we believe, at the meeting referred to that
for the worth, and wisdom, and work of the classes Captain Fitzroy and Mr. Robert Stephenson both ex-
we have adverted to, would be but a third or fourth- pressed themselves, in terms more or less decided, ad-
rate state in Europe. Hitherto it must be owned that verse to the project. Other public bodies and meet-
the position of parties in the Legislature has seemed to ings were addressed with very much the same result.
favour the fond dream of the Whigs, that this lucre- Mr. Whitney then made his appearance before the
tive and agreeable scheme of rule by family compact British Association, at its late Ipswich meeting, and his
might be indefinitely prolonged. They were fortu- scheme there under went a searching discussion, the
nate in possessing three or four men of great ability issue of which was most satisfactory. We believe
and experience ; and no disaffected section was strong that it had the effect of producing a complete change
enough to take the reins out of their hands. So, the in the sentiments of Captain Fitzroy and Mr. Ste-
hereditary bureaucracy said unto its soul—" Take phenson, and that both those eminent authorities are
thine ease, job, blunder, and be merry; tomorrow now convinced of the practicability of the enterprise.
shall be even as yesterday, or yet more abundant I" We understand also that Sir Roderick Murchison, the
Recent events, however, may well serve to awaken President of the Royal Geographical Society, having
Whiggery from its selfish dream. Its lamps surmounted some early misgivings as to the sound-
are gone out, or beginning to burn dim. If ness of the project, rendered most material assistance
new light be not speedily borrowed from some to Mr. Whitney in his later proceedings in this
friendly quarter all will soon be darkness. country. And whilst, on the one hand, the support
Whatever may have been the proximate or remote of the most distinguished scientific authorities has
—the real or assigned—causes of Lord Palmerston's thus been accorded to his scheme, it has been duly
removal from the post he so long occupied, and what- appreciated by capitalists on the other.l Offers of the
ever success may attend the experiment by which it requisite means—in return, of course, for correspond-
is proposed to supply his loss in the department over ing grants of participation in the profits of the enter-
which be so long presided—it is plain that his retire- prise—have been made from several quarters ;
went must materially weaken the prestige and power but, in the present state of the negotiations
of the Administration generally both in Parliament with the American Congress, they have necessarily
and in the country. The personal qualities which been declined. Such offers are, however, of great
contributed to render the ex-Minister popular his importance, as indicating the opinions of those
bitterest adversaries never have denied, and the energy, who, leaving to others the philosophy and the theory
courage, and versatility which he brought to the per- of the undertaking, concern themselves mainly with
formance of arduous and varied duties admit of as little its practical merits as a commercial speculation. We
question. In the House of Commons he was emi- have more than once alluded to the impediment which
neatly a favourite; and it were difficult to imagine might not improbably arise to the realisation of Mr.
any sufficient reason why his popularity in that as- Whitney's scheme within the United States territory,
setnbly should be less after he has thrown aside the in consequence of the pre-occupation of all or most of
trammels of office than it has hitherto been. If the the lands on the western side of Lake Michigan, and
drudgery of having to pull blundering colleagues and on the belt of country which, in that region, would
subordinates out of the mire, was not able to form the eastern terminus of the line—or, to use in
quench the spirit of his humour, or to quell the this case a more appropriate word, its eastern " delta."
audacity of his bearing—what may we not expect The occupation of those lands is proceeding with
when he enters the course unweighted, and when the great rapidity, and Mr. Whitney is, we believe, pre-
falterings and shortcomings of those who have repu-
pared to find that, by delaying to pass the Bill of au-
dieted his veteran aid, will have became fair game thorisation, Congress has in effect deprived itself of
for the damaging candour of his pity, if not the po- the means of granting the requisite powers and feel-
fished irony of his scorn ? Assuming that the Pre- lities for carrying out the work, In that event,
mien is in future to shape and guide the foreign policy however, there still remains the parallel belt of
of the country, and that Lord Granville is, in fact, ceuntry on the British side of the frontier. It is cer•
only to do the courtesies, hospitalities, and other cir- tain that the line could be made through that terri-
cumstantial details of the Foreign-office, it is no tory ; and if, from the cause to which we have adverted,
doubt possible that in debate the change may not at the American scheme should fail, the alternative
first be felt so strikingly when foreign affairs are the thus offered will, we trust, be duly considered. There
theme. But, with the exception of the First Minister, is no question of national rivalry in this matter. Pro-
there is nobody on the Treasury Bench capable of vided that the line be made, it is of little consequence
encountering such an assailant as the evicted Viscount, whether it be constructed within the American or the
To these considerations must be added the certain alien- British border, or American or British settlers. What
istion of support and renunciation of forbearance from we want is the railway, and the hearty co-operation
professed opponents, which his withdrawal will inevi- of both nations in making it. This is emphatically
tably cause. There were many occasions during the one of those works which are fur the whole world
last five years on which Lord Palmerston's influence and for all time—which are toe gigantic in their scope
was found useful by a feeble Government, both in and too universal in their influence, to become the
securing lukewarm allies and neutralising doubtful mere property of any
single nation—not even of
enemies. The Whigs would probably care less for empires such as those which obey the laws of the
the loss of intellectual strength if they were sure of Federal Republic or bear allegiance to the British
not suffering a diminution of votes on critical divi- Crown. Mr. Whitney has recently returned to
sions. But when both are inevitable and impending, America, leaving the great project to which he
it manifestly behoves them to take active measures to has devoted himself
in a position, so far as regards
recruit from other quarters their impaired and shat- this country, which must be highly satisfactory to
tered force. Lord Granville may be acceptable at the friends of progress and improvement on both
Court, and rather a favourite in the House of Lords. sides of the Atlantic. He came amongst us almost
But as regards the stability of a Liberal Administra- a stranger, and he was, perhaps, not entirely de-
tion, pledged to reform, the extension of education, void of those prejudices and apprehensions which
and the maintenance of tree-trade, what does the are prevalent in American society with reference
inoffensiveness of the new Secretary of State to English treatment of Transatlantic schemes and
signify ? It is in the House of Commons that enterprises. He soon ceased to be a stranger, and he
the struggle must be waged. It is there that the has carried back with him the most abundant testi-
issue must be determined during the residue of the mony that neither the attention nor the support
present Parliament : and it will in no trifling degree of Englishmen is withheld from men who, like him,
depend upon the impression made upon the mind of present themselves as the honest, straightforward,
the public by the incidents of next session what the and intelligent representatives of projects that are
predominant party colour of the new Parliament will sufficiently solid to sustain a thorough examination.
be. If, as in 1841, ridicule and shame are heaped by He can report favourably of the old country. He
elated adversaries of mingled hue upon the arrogant can tell his countrymen, that if we have had a
and obstinate monopolists of power, the general elec- somewhat longer national experience than their own
tion will inevitably prove, as in 1841, a knell of poll- Republic, we show no signs of senility—and, in
tical doom. Yet, exclusive as they were then, the particular, that we are as far as possible from being
spirit of administration is, if possible, still more so deficient in that readiness to appreciate and foster
now ; and disheartened and effete as the expiring great and daring enterprises which is sometimes said
Cabinet of Lord Melbourne was then said to be, it con- by superficial observers to belong almost exclusively
tained beyond question a greater number of men of to the United States, and to be the distinctive feature
real ability and deserved weight in the country than the of the American character. But he can tell them
Cabinet of Lord John Russell at present contains. more than this. He can say, with the most perfect
We point to no individual, or sot of individuals, truth, that there is in this country no feeling of hos-
whose pretensions to office we would be supposed as tile rivalry towards them ; and he may refer, in proof
desiring to recommend. Such a task were invidious of this, to the reception which we have given to his
and mischievous. We shall not incur the reproach of project, and to the cordial interest which we have
seeming to undertake it. What we contend for is, manifested in the success of an undertaking by which
a great popular right—a great national principle— their welfare and our own would be alike promoted.
that exalted office should be open—not as of fa-
vour, but as of right—to men of talents, virtues, and
attainments, no matter to what class in life they hap-
pen to belong. We want to see equality of conditions
in this respect established. We want to see the in-
sufferable usurpation of the landed oligarchy in this
respect broken down. Personal preference and selec-
tion from among competitors equally fit must always
be left, in some measure, to the head of the Admini-
stration. What we contend for is, that his choice be
not limited to a narrow clique, or bounded by a rule
of wrongful and insulting popular exclusion.
CHRONICLE.—The rapid progress which the
United States are making towards the completion of
a vast and intricate network of railway communica-
tion, not only between the populous towns and dis-
tricts in their territory, but through regions remote
from civilization and difficult of access, is one of the
most striking features in the social and industrial his-
tory of the Confederation. For example, recent in-
telligence from New York announces the opening of
the Hudson-River Railway, one hundred and forty-
three miles in length; and notwithstanding all we
have heard about the " mere tramways" of America,
the first complete journey over that line was performed
in three hours arid a half—or at the very respectable
speed of rather more than forty miles an hour. But,
of all the schemes of this description which have ever
been brought before the American people, Mr. Asa
Whitney's plan for a railway from Lake Michigan to
the Pacific is unqestionably the most important; andit
is probable that during the session of Congress which
has j ust commenced it will be finally determined wbe-
-1 tiler or not the project shall be pressed any further upon

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, DEC. 25.
There was no addition to the Royal dinner party
last evening.
The band of the Grenadier Guards was in attend-
ance at the Castle, and in the evening her Majesty's
private band attended, and performed the following
selection :
Overture, " Zanetta" Auber.
Chceur et Couplets, Chceur et Marche de
Bceuf Apis, " L'Enfant Prodigue" Auber.
Quintetto, "IL Barbiere"
Divertissement, "Le Prophete"
The Queen and Prince Albert walked in the Home-
park and Slopes this morning.
The Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and
younger members of the Royal family, walked in the
Home-park.
Her Majesty, his Royal Highness Prince Albert,
the Prince of Wales, and the Princess Royal, the
ladies and gentlemen of the Court and the domestic
household, attended Divine service this morning in
the private chapel of the Castle. The Hon. and Rev.
G. Wellesley officiated.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent was also
at the service.

Dispatches were received at the Colonial-office
yesterday from the Governor of New Zealand.

The Prince of Wales's tutor, the Rev. Henry
Mildred Birch, MA., Fellow of King's College, Cambridge,
has been admitted a priest of the Church of England by the
Bishop of Lincoln.