The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-02 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, DEC. 2, 1867.

We cannot admire the course which Lord RUS-
SELL has thought proper to pursue in bringing the
question of education forward in this premature
fashion. It is not likely that he will gain much by
his ill-judged attempt to forestall the work of the
Government. If the
.Speech from the Throne had
contained no mention of this important subject, it
would have been very well for the noble earl the
leader of the Opposition to have taken the task
upon himself, but as it is he loses all pos-
sible excuse that can be made for him. :No
one expected that her MAJESTY'S Ministers
would bring the question on before Christmas,
but surely there will be plenty of time afterwards for
its discussion ; and, besides this, the Chancellor of
the Exchequer took occcasion to inform the House
of Commons the first night of the Session that the
paragraph in the QUEEN'S Speech was no form of
words, but indicated the firm intention of the
Cabinet to deal with the matter heartily. Whence
came this sudden haste on the part of Lord RUSSELL
then, and why is the House of Lords to be called
upon to consider the question when the specified
time has not elapsed which those most fit to deal with
the affair have fixed upon? We see in all this
the jealousy of a baffled opponent and the illustra-
tion of the bitter dislike which Lord RUSSELL feels
towards any of those measures of Reform, Parlia-
mentary or otherwise, which the Conservatives have
shown such spirit in bringing forward, and promise
to proceed with so far, and as fast as practicable.
Without any disrespect, it may be said that the
Whigs or Radicals have bad every opportunity
afforded to them which statesmen could demand or
desire. Their ambition has found full hope, and their
activity has had every chance of being manifested.
Either through misbehaviour or neglect they have
forfeited their privilege, and their bounden duty
now is to let their rivals take their turn. They
may depend upon it that they will gain nothing iu
the opinion of the House and the country by rush-
ing forward in an indiscriminate manner, and with
ill-judged zeal to do other people's work before it
has been seen if the parties concerned are fit to do
that work or not. In other words, Earl RUSSELL
objects to the present Government inaugurating the
Reform of Education, and therefore he seeks to com-
mit the House of Lords tosume expressions of opinion
that may prejudice the task undertaken by the
Government, and militate against the success of their
scheme when it appears before the public and in
Parliament. This is uncourteous, to say the least
of it ; but it is more than this : it is unfair, and it
is quite against the usual custom of Parliamentary
usage, and the sudden zeal comes with a very bad
grace from one who was for some time a Minister
of the Crown, and yet did nothing to forward the
work he is now eager to push on.
The time has gone by, however, *hen the people
of this country will agree to the dog-and-the-manger
policy which has so long flourished under the aus-
pices of recent Governments. As the Chancellor of
the Exchequer appropriately styled it, the " Mono-
poly of Liberalism" has been put an end to, and
people are beginning to inquire what these men
have done that no one else should presume to inter-
fere with them. For some years the Liberals had
it all their own way, and yet what measures ema-
nated from their counsels for the improvement of
the people or for the progress of the country ? All
who ate at all versed in the politics of the past
must recognise at a glace the unwilling
and ungracious spirit which the leaders of
the Opposition had displayed in the course
of this year while Parliamentary Reform was
on the tapis ; and it will be, indeed, a matter of
regret if they pursue the same with respect to educa-
tion, for this is a subject that especially calls for
careful consideration, and the exercise of a judg-
ment unwarped by prejudice. We trust, however,
that the members of the House of Lords will not
be taken in by the artful dodger who is to try his
claim upon them to-night, but that they will refuse
to commit themselves to anything that may here-
after hamper their course and fetter their pro-
gress. No one can question the skill of the
noble earl who has drawn up these Resolutions, and
they produce iu themselves ample evidence of a
practised hand in their arrangement. The first
Resolution contains much that is valuable in itself,
and moreover refers to matters upon which little
difference of opinion will exist. By this time it is
the general conclusion to which we have all arrived,
that the education of the working classes ought to be
extended and improved, and that it is the duty of the
State to guard and maintain the right which every
child possesses to the blessings of education. The
resolution, however, touches upon more dangerous
ground, and suggests obstacles at once. It is said
that Parliament and Government should aid in the
education of the middle classes by providing for the
better administration of charitable endowments.
The third is worse still, however, and, indeed, is like
the trumpet blast that urges the heedless and un-
certain to the contest. It eh .rges the Universities.
and decl ares, that in the opinion of the House,
Oxford and Cambii lge may be made more
useful to the nation by the appointment
of a comini:sipn to consider the better dis-
tribution of their large revenues for purposes of
instruction in connection with the said Universities.
The fourth resolution, relative to a Minister of
Education, is not in itself so objectionable, but it is
not likely to meet with approval in the form now
presented to us. If the noble lord really wishes to
succeed in his endeavours, he had better not have
been quite so sweeping in his prpposals, for there is
a great deal iu these rctolutions —or whatever
they may be called —to offend prejudice
and awaken doubt. It is a mistake besides

to begin characterising things such as we
find practised in the paragraph concerning the
Universities ; their revenues are styled " large,"
which is hardly a fair way of treating the matter
before those who may not be so familiar with the
thing as the House of Lords will be, and it may be
shortly stated that if the revenues are large they
are not too large for their purpose. On the whole,
there does not seem a very good chance for this scheme
of Earl RUSSELL'S meeting with the favour of the
House of Lords, and this is the less to be regretted,
because, as we said before, there is no occasion for
him to come forward upon the occasion, and he is
thereby interfering with the work of the Govern-
ment. The proper course to have pursued would
have been to have waited, and to have seen what
they bad to propose, and if that was unsuitable or
inadequate to have suggested something better him-
self. The method he has chosen of seeking to out-
wit his opponents is not one to be admired, and in
all probability he will meet with an answer from the
House that will not encourage him to try the same
game again, and it is not one that can be repeated
with much credit.

The news from the seat of war in South America
must be received with considerable reserve. The
accounts which we publish to-day from Rio de
Janeiro, via Lisbon, state that a cavalry engage-
ment has taken place, in which the Brazilians assert
that the Paraguayans lost 1,000 killed and 200 pri-
soners, while their own loss was only 80. It is
admitted that this is a Brazilian account, a fact
which, without that admission, would have been
easily detected. We have previously had specimens
of the veracity and moderation of Brazilian ac-
counts of their own prowess and success, but
not unfrequently the success has presented
a very questionable aspect on the receipt
of more reliable and less partial news. We
were told a short time since that the allies had
gained an important position, and were preparing
to push on their advantage with vigour. When the
truth came out it appeared that on land and water
the invaders were caught in a double trap ; that
the much-vaunted Brazilian fleet was hemmed in
between two unconquerable ports of the enemy,
and that serious differences had arisen between the
rival commanders. Further, it appeared that the
population of the Argentine Republic was growing
extremely dissatisfied with the prolongation of the
war, and impatient of the burdens which
it imposed upon them, and a change of
Ministry in Buenos Ayres indicated a change of
policy. Now the Brazilians would have us believe
that a complete change has taken place, that an
engagement has been fought, and that the Para-
guayans, who had the advantage of position, have
lost twelve times as many men as themselves, be-
sides a long list of prisoners. The Paraguayans are
remarkable nut only for their martial spirit, but fur
the firmness and unity with which they have
throughout maintained the war. Their indepen-
dence is as dear to them as it was to Chili, when
a year or two since she defied the power of Spain.
These gallant little Republics ou the other side of
the Atlantic deserve the sympathy of Englishmen.
They are backward in the race of freedom and pro-
gress, no doubt ; but they have fairly entered on
the course, and have already achieved a good deal.
Their national history is short, but it is memorable ;
and both in administrative and in military and naval
talent they have shown that their people are capable
of great things. They possess in a high degree the
faculty of self-government. In time of national
danger or alarm they lay aside all minor differences
to rally boldly and resolutely round their
chosen leader, and unhesitatingly sacrifice
their private interests to the public require-
ments of the State. It is this spirit which
has already carried them through many perils, and
which will, if they continue to maintain it, eventu-
ally crown them with success. They have collec-
tively and individually taught them a lesson which,
in her present disturbed and impoverished state, she
cannot afford to forget. Their next great danger
comes from Brazil, their powerful and unscrupulous
neighbour, who, not content with her own over-
grown possessions, wishes to cast her shadow.over
the whole Southern Continent. What she cannot
do by force of arms she will endeavour to effect by
strategy, and by sowing disunion and jealousy
between the several smaller States. This she has
already partly done, but we hope her object will be
eventually frustrated, and we shall be able to con-
gratulate the gallant Paraguayans on the final
triumph of their cause.

Just as we are all watching with keen interest
for the news from Abyssinia comes startling and
painful intelligence from another part of the
African Continent. The news from the Niger,
brought by the steamer Mandingo, relates a most
tragic occurrence, which has resulted in the death of
the British Consul, and the temporary capture of
the Bishop of Sierra Leone. It seems that early in
October Bishop CROWTHER went on a visitation up
the river Niger, and arrived at a place named '.['ola,
where he proposed to stay a short time. The na-
tives of the village, on ascertaining who he was, re-
solved to detain him until they obtained a ransom.
The chief of the natives sent word to the British
Consul] at the confluence of the Niger that the
value of 1,070 slaves must be delivered to them before
the bishop could be set at liberty. The Consul being
absent, the Vice-Consul, Mr. FELL, and some of the
European traders went down the Niger to the spot
to demand the release of the captive. This the
chief refused, and a squabble took place, in ;he
course of which the Bishop succeeded in making his
escape to the shore, and was taken on board the
steamer. The rest of the party succeeded in getting
down to the beach, when, unfortunately, one of the
arrows which the natives were showering upon them
pierced Mr. FELL t) the heart, and caused instant
death. The captain of the steamer, seeing the state
of affairs, came close to the shore and fired some shots
among the natives, which dispersed them, and the
steamer returned safely to the Niger. It is a melan-
choly incident, and has cost a useful life ; but, under
the circumstances, we may be glad that there was
no further mishap.

The story is not without its moral, and it is one
which deserves to be borne in mind by all whose
duties or whose business bring them into contact
with uncivilised nations. Zeal should be tempered
with discretion, courage with prudence. What is
the use of a bishop making visitations among
people who have evidently got to learn not only the
rudiments of Christianity, but the commonest
principles of civilised intercourse? Ther.3 is work
enough for humbler labourers to do down the Niger
before any of the usual forms of ecclesi.stical cac-
mon ial be adopted. The bishop must have gone with
some sort of dignity and attendance, or the natives
would hardly have thought it worth their while to
detain him, and to demand a heavy ransom. Who-
ever sets out on the attempt to Christianise the
population of Ida must, it is plain, go in the sim-
plest manner, so that it may not be thought that
his person is a greater prize than his teaching.
There is much to be done, no doubt, in this locality,
and we are glad to find that the European traders
of the West Coast are acting with vigour and
humanity, and have succeeded in rescuing several
human victims from the slaughter to which they