The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-27 00:00:00

TILE SON LoNEJON. WEDNESDAY EVENING FEBRUARY &7l 1556

LINRS e.A.5111.) -.;,,ENTA Ls.

LIVERPOOL RACES.—(This Day.)

THE ROAD THROUGH ST. JA If E'S SPA vir.

.4+.'tOt

i,j/

Cioei,=. Pr!,
yest era ,y

this lay

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH)
SEFTON HANDICAP.

(From. the Tiinls of this day.)
Sir G. Grey, in his character of Home Secretary,
has just given us the assurance that nothing is in-
-1 tended but fair play by the appointment of the Se-
lect Committee to inquire into the best means of
o,ening St. Jamea's-park to the public. Lord Pal-
merston, as Premier, has ratified this assurance. Sir
B. Hall, as Chief iEdile of the Ministry, adds, that
not only was it never intended to exclude public
traffic from that portion of the park which lies in
front of Buckingliain Palace, bat that at the time
the clamour was at the higlie-,t against the apparent
selfishness of the policy pursued he was actually
engaged in the preparation of a plan for admitting:
the traffic over this very ground. Marvellous in-
deed are the ways of statesmen, and of all who
dabble in statecraft. The great art seems to be, that
a proficient in this noble science should carefully
hide that which he ought to reveal, and disclose
that which he should conceal.. .There was no
question here of foreign diplomacy, no Treasury
secret, no suggestion which might not with the
utmost propriety have been discussed by every
cabman in London, and this was jest the occasion
selected by Sir Benjamin Hall for dealing in mys-
teries. He must have been well aware that a
perfect storm of execration was gathering round
the department over which he presides—nay,
that the unpopularity of his supposed measures ex-
tended even to the Court of 'his Royal Mistress ;
yet still he maintained his dignified reserve. Even
when "My dear Shelley" was set up as a corres-
pondent to "My dear Sir Benjamin,"—just like
the timely confidante in an old French tragedy,—
not a syllable of the dread secret was allowed to
ooze out. Sir Benjamin explained that he was the
victim of circumstances ; that true it was he was
preparing a plan upon the line indicated by his
abominable posts, but that he was acting strictly
under orders. The blame lay not with him,
but with the Home Secretary. Now, upon the
supposition that Sir B. Hall was at the mo-
ment engaged, equally, of course, by the
orders of the Home Secretary—in the prepara-
tion of another plan such as was pro-eminently
calculated to give satisfaction to the public,
was it quite fair to Sir George Grey to hold
him up to universal criticism, of a not very flatter-
ing character, as the complaisant agent of the
Court ? Nay, we will venture somewhat further
than this, and ask, was it loyal to his Royal Mis-
tress that Sir Benajamin Hall should have left her
subjects for so many months under the erroneous
belief that she was opposed to a measure so
necessary to the convenience and comfort of the
inhabitants of London, when one word from
him could have set the rumour at rest for ever '

Redford and
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Buckghainnh.
Clydesdale Jr.
Col. Stour jay.
Sud. and Hal.
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This may be statecraft after the good old school of
King James 1., of wise memory, but it is scarce
fitted to the plain dealing and publicity of modern
times. •

After all, this rumour arose not without sufficient
cause. Sir Benjamin did not shrink from giving
us material guarantees of the policy he intended
to pursue. Ho commanded his agents to erect a
line of landmarks which should indicate the pre-
cise spot at which he intended to bisect the Park.
But, as it appears, each of these posts, like the
" tall bully" of the famous distich, "lifted its head
and lied." They were only so many beacons esta-
blished by the Board of 'Works to warn intruders
off. Wherever else the gardens were to be cut up,
that line at least was sacred. Sir Benjamin Hall,
indeed, was all the while busy with his plan for
conducting the traffic under the walls of Bucking-
. .

ham Palace ; which was just all that was wished.
Do the readers of Theodore Hook remember that
pleasant scene in which the practical joker outwits
the retired merchant at Twickenham ? This
practical joker—the Sir Benjamin of the tale—
is represented as floating down the Tlaamcs in a
wherry with his companion. They are weary and
hot, hungry and thirsty, and they have not where-
withal to satisfy their hunger or quench their
thirst. In this uncomfortable position of affairs
they perceive an Alderman and his family enjoying
their claret and fruit in a cool dining-room at the
end of a beautiful lawn. The question for the two
tired boatmen is, how they can obtain an invitation
to join the party ? The practical joker leaps out of
the wherry, strikes first the boathook and then the
two oars into the ground—just like Sir Benjamin
Hall's posts—and then he and his companion go
through the farce of taking a survey as for an in-
tended railroad, which is to be driven through the

Alderman's grounds, and to shave off the pet
corner of his conservatory. The two pseudo-sur-
veyors, of course, soon find themselves at the hos-
pitable board imbibing claret and peeling peaches.
Now this is just such a trick as Sir Benjamin has
been playing the Londoners, always on the suppo-
-Ition that the real idea throughout has been to
open a road in front of Buckingham Palace to the
public. We trust the result may prove that it has
been so, and that the"right hon. joker has been
mystifying the town for his own private amuse-
ment, or from some of those abstruse motives
which regulate the conduct and inspire the action
of such statesmen.

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100 10. eon. gp,
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all 1)o. Pref. 41 per co
all Do. 5/. Pr, f. 4 p. o
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13 Do Leeds 6 p.c ..No.
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There is no very serious objection to the names
selected for the committee upon Sir Benjamin's
plans. There is one thing, however, which
we would strongly impress upon their minds.
If their object he to meet the wishes of the
public, the public desire no expensive improve-
mentsor costly undertakings. We don't want

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all Scot. Cent. ,New Pr,
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a viaduct across the gardens—we don't want
a tunnel under the Duke of York—we simply want
that the circuit of the Park shall be open to the
public, as Birdcage-walk is at the present moment,
with access at Spring-gardens, St. James's Palace,

and Buckingham and Storey's gates. The dis-
placement of a few iron gratingß, the widening of
the passage at Spring-gardens, and the opening of
a road across the upper portion of the Parade,
would give us all we ask. Don't let the committee
be too magnificent.

THE PEACE CONFERENCES.

(From the Morning Herald.)

The Congress, on whose deliberations depend
the issue of peace or war, has held its first sitting,
and, as was anticipated, an armistice extending to
the 31st of March has been agreed upon by the
representatives of the five powers. This truce
does not extend to our maritime operations ; so the
blockades will not be affected by it. This being
so, the conclusion of an armistice looks something
like making a virtue of necessity, as during the
next six weeks military operations in the Crimea
or iu Asia must be difficult if not impossible, and
the opening of the campaign was not really antici-
pated before April. However, the determination
not to raise the bled/odes reduces the armistice
nearly to a matter of form, but will, it may be
hoped, prevent any pssibility of an advantage
being taken by the enemy of the suspension of hos-
tilities either in the Baltic or the Black tz.7e.i.

The plenipotentiaries then are fairly at work,
and the fate of Europe for the remainder of this
century rests with them. If France, England,
and Austria are united and resolved, they can
effectually repress the advance of Russia ; bat if
the Allied Powers miss the opportunity now pre-
sented, ten years hence Russia will be more for-
midable than ever ; the damage sustained by
the war repaired ; her military character ad-
vanced ; her influence over the surrounding
populations of both continents decidedly in-
creased. Now is the time, if ever, to reap the
reward of two years of toil and bloodshed, and to
fix the peace of Europe on a durable basis, so far,
at least, as that object can be attained by " mate-
rial guarantees" extorted from its persistent and
injurious violator. A very few days will now dis-
close the true intentions of Russia, and we may
say also of that power with whom ostensibly has
originated the last proposals of peace. If Russia
be really sincere the question will not be difficult
of adjustment, and she will not hesitate to give the
needful proof of her disposition to abate her egre-
gious protensions, and respect the public law of
Europe. If not, the sooner the conferences aro
broken up the better. There is no intention here or
in France, whatever may be thcf eelings with which
the conferences are regarded in either country, to
tolerate protracted and fruitless negotiations.
We have already stated our opinion that the
whole question of peace or war will turn upon the
proposal for the emancipation of the Black Sea.
Russia is disposed to concede the demands of the
allies respecting the Baltic—she will not make
any difficulty about the Aland Isles ' • but she will
strain every nerve to retain her foothold on the
margin of the Euxine. It seems almost like a truism
to assert that Nicolaieff and Kherson may be-
come formidable to the independence of Tur-
key, and as subversive of the freedom of the
Black Sea and of the Danube as Sebastopol ;
therefore Nicolaieff and Kherson must be given
up unreservedly. The Circassian seaboard must
be secured from the future grasp of Russia.
In short, the liberation of the Black Sea is but a
fiction so long as Russia possesses a fort or an
ar-
senal anywhere on its coasts, or on any of the navi-
gable rivers which flaw into it. On this point our
Minister must be firm as the resolve of the nation
he represents ; for on the surrender of this point
by Russia we foresee everything depends.
The responsibilty which rests upon Lord Claren-
don can hardly be exaggerated. We are willing to
believe he has the honour and interest of his coun-
try at heart ; let him show that he has, and that he
knows how to maintain his distinguished position,
and to meet and foil the address of Count Orloff,
and the more dangerous subtleties of the Austrian
Plenipotentiary, to say nothing of other difficulties
to which we need not now more particularly advert.

Let Lord Clarendon takea straightforward, honest,
English course, and in any case we shall come out
of this affair with credit ; but let him beware of
trifling with the earnest sentiment and fixed resolve
of the country that has committed all she holds
dear to his keeping.