The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-17 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 17, 1858.

VICTORIA, and responsible to the British Parlia-
ment for the important duties confided to its
charge. It is not always, however, that the votes
and speeches of honourable gentlemen are in ac-
cordance, and therefore it is by no means impro-
bable that Mr. BAILLIE was fighting the battle of
the Company by producing the delay for which
they are so very solicitous.
If any of the annexations that have taken place
could be justified, it was that of 0 ude. It was iu the
interest of the suffering population to remove the
misgovernment and oppression under which they
were groaning, and to place them under the
protection of the British law. It was not like the
confiscation of a pension, the sole remaining
token of sovereign power which could have been
dictated by the greed of gain. There might be
doubts as to the legal right to interfere with the
internal government of an independent kingdom
—there might be questions as to the power of
deposing a Sovereign because he was ignorant and
voluptuous ; but if we had the power to
do so, it would be for the welfare and happi-
ness of millions that it should be exer-
cised. Many European Sovereigns may not
govern in accordance with our views and wishes,
but we do not on that account claim the right to
dethrone them and amalgamate their dominions
with our own. It might be well that it were so,
but certainly the doctrine would alarm other
Powers who felt that their turns would come on
in due course, and that they could only hops to
avert the evil by early and organised resistance.

We believe that there can be no doubt that the
annexation system wail one at least of the causes
of the mutiny. It gave a direct interest to many
parties to subvert the Anglo-Indian Government,
and every available pretext was eagerly sought
after to shock the prejudices and shake the fidelity
of the native troops. A large body of trained
soldiers had been thrown out of employment in
Oude, and therefore naturally became turbulent
and restless. The sepoy, troops were recruited
from their brothers and relatives, and naturally
sympathised with their sufferings. But while
the danger was increasing, there was no corre-
sponding addition to the European forces
in India. The most important stations were
left in the hands of discontented soldiers,
who had the power, if they possessed the
will, to obtain great temporary advantages.
There was a grevious want of foresight displayed
by the Anglo-Indian Government. But surely
it is on that very account that we should strive to
remove it, and substitute a better one in its place,
which will be more amenable to public opinion,
and sooner compelled to yield to "the pressure
from without," when firmly and unflinchingly
applied.

The long-delayed negociations for the extension
of the system of electric telegraphs along the bed
of the Mediterranean to Alexandria are actually—
it now appears—not even commenced ! Such, in
truth, was the admission made the other evening
in the House of Commons, with matchless effron-
tery, by the First Lord of the Treasury. It was
in answer to the inquiry of Mr. CRAWFORD
whether arrangements had been entered into by
this means with a view to the establishment of
direct telegraphic communication between this
country (by way of Egypt and the Red Sea), and
our remote East Indian possessions. Invariably
the burden of the reply vouchsafed to all ques-
tions of this kind is comprised in the "damnably
ittorated" dissyllable of—Nothing. What has
been done? Nothing. 'What has been attempted
to be donee Nothing. What may reasonably
be expected to be done / Well, honestly and
frankly, next to—Nothing. The Noble 'Viscount,
ever gay and ever sprightly, under the load of
his seventy-five winters, lounges there in an easy
attitude, night after night during the session,
upon that comfortably-padded Treasury bench,
with his hat rakishly cocked on one side, ready
at all times, with all possible good humour, at
everybody's summons, to say his catechism. The
interrogative ordeal, indeed, Is easily enough to
be passed through by any one upon the same terms
of consistent and persistent negation. Mr. CAN-
NING'S knife grinder, for that matter, might just as
lief assume tke reins of Government. "Story, GOD
bless you, they have none to tell, sir 1" if you
come down hopefully to the House some fine
afternoon, about four of the clock, primed, some-
times with a single-barrelled, sometimes with a
double-barrelled poser in the way of a preliminary
inquiry l--sometimes wren confronting my Lord
PALMHZEITON and the Ministerial cyphers on either
'Liana of him with a regrlar six-barrelled revolver,
loaded, capped, cocked, and hair-trigged. The
coolly-confident and even hilarious air assumed at
these times by the gay, sparkling, " light-in-
hand, touch-and-go" young veteran at the bead
of the Administration, is only comparable to that
of the jolly Tar in JOll MILLEZ, who replied to
the highwayman's challenge, looking coolly from
the coach-box down that agreeable metallic vista
presented to him by the muzzle of the blunder-
buss—" Shoot !" (together with a rather strong
expression in allusion to the eyes of his new
acquaintance), "better lose one's life than one's
money." The "air" of my Lord PALUERSTOX
is precisely similar, if his language be slightly
different. He surpasses even the fame won for
himself by Sir JAs. GRA.HAIt as Home Secretary
during the late Sir ROZEAT Pima's Administra-
tion. And Sir Jlatzs, it will be remembered,
was famous enough in his time for replying at
any moment to all sorts of inquiries in the moat
plausible manner imaginable, and sitting down at
the end of his courteous explanation—having really
explained Nothing. Never letting the cat out of
the bag, simply because there was no cat in it to
let out. So it is with Lord PALMERSTON. Nothing
is revealed—because there is no material for
explanation.
Nevertheless, look for a moment at the signi-
ficance of the latest vacuity thus presented to our
observation. Nothing whatever has been done with
a view to the continuance of the eleotrio wire to
Alexandria, and ultimately by way of Egypt and
the Red Sea to Calcutta ! Nothing—with India
in revolt—with our Asiatic empire jeopardised—
with a new war with China upon our hands—with
70,000 sepoy mutineers to deal with on the one side,
and on the other a nation of foes numbering
400,000,000 as its population. With every in-
ducement, and every
facility, before up, nothing,
absolutely nothing in this matter even Begun by
the Government. Red. tape again ! What the
keenest Observer of cur Age has aptly called Cir-
cumlocution 1 Here is another charming speci-
men of it. It is the latest sample with its fresh
aroma still around it. Aroma ! Does it not
rather " stink into the nostrils" of the community?
Why, it is scarcely endurable to think of ! " As
yet," Bays Lord PAIaIIiRSTON, " no definite pro-
eway Government
th
e it?: csaorar 3t•
0-
pi
nog a lt
hheaTsebleeeguramphadbeytoththe
India." Can anything be well more monstrous,
more frivolous, more preposterous t Why, it i:
the Government itself that ought to make the
proposal instead of waiting to have the proposal
made to it ! The dead-lock of the situation is
simply ridiculous. Meantime, while we are
laughing at such absurdities, are we really to go
on indefinitely without even attempting one ener-

getic effort for the completion of the electric tele-
graph from London to Calcutta ? We put our
Question not to Lord PALMERSTO; but to the
Imperial Legislature.

LATEST NEWS.

merchant ships, it will simply be in conformity with
ordinary regulations in such matters, and with the
intentions and requirements of the masters of said
vessels ; nothing more and nothing less.
" Moreover, let the Patrie reassure itself ; the
crews of the old Russian squadron in the Black Sea
are dispersed—one part in the Caspian Sea, the
other in the Pacific Ocean. With respect to the
cannon with which it is pretended the Russian
merchant ships in the Euxine are to be armed,
there is in this nothing more than one of those
mystifications of which the Austrian journals have
at all times had the monopoly—a monopoly we
should regret to see disputed by La Patric."

TRE DUKE OF MONTEBELLO.

(Prom the Paris Correspondent of the Times.)
The Duke of Montobello's appointment to the
Russian Embaysy appears in this day's Moniteitr.
Thus another friend of the house of Orleans is de-
tached from it ; and the testimonial for his con-
version is the post which even M. de Morny did
not disdain. It would probably have been said
that the Duke lost no time i❑ responding to the
eloquent appeal of the reporter on the Penal Law to
the eminent men who held office under the previous
regimes, had it not been known that for some
months past the new Ambassador gave unmis-
takeable signs that conviction was progressively
coming on him. The Orleans party must, indeed,
be in a ruinous condition when such men as M.
Dupin and the Duke of Montebello take leave of it
for ever.
The case of the Duke of Montebello is one of
peculiar interest. Seldom has there been an in-
stance of more complete retribution; seldom a more
convincing proof of magnanimity, and forgetfulness
of the past on the part of any Sovereign than this
nomination. The Duke is, as you are aware,
the son of the celebrated Marshal Lannes ; of
him who was the most loved of all those extraor-
dinary men who sprung from the great Revolution,
and whose powers were developed by the great
Napoleon; of him who was called the Orlando of the
French army. He fell gloriously and fortunately at
the battle of Essling, fought in 1809. I say " for-
tunately," because he did not witness the reverses
of the man to whom he owed everything ; and ho
thus escaped the contagion of treachery, and of
the worst ingratitude of which history makes men-
tion. Lannes died in the full blaze of his glory. The
dark spot that rests on the reputation of other
military chiefs and statesmen who swore fidelity to
their master while in prosperity, and whe deserted
him at his utmost need, does not attach to Lanues.
Had he lived to see darker days, what would ho
have done ?

His son, the present Duke, does not now for th©
first time enter on diplomatic employment in the
service of the French Government. In 1838 he was
Minister Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Confedera-
tion. Prince Louis Napoleon had returned from
his exile iu America to the canton of Thurgovie,
and again occupied the chateau of Arenemberg.
His presence, for some reason or other, gave great
umbrage to the Duke of Montetello, who in Aug.,
1838, addressed a note to the magistrates of the
canton of Lucerne, peremptorily demanding the
Princ'3's immediate expulsion from the territory of
the Confederation.

This menacing demand produced much sensation
in Switzerland; and, with the view of intimidating
the Diet, the French Government ordered a corps
of 25,000 men to be stationed on tho frontier, artil-
lery from Lyons to proceed towards Switzerland,
and two battalions occupied Gers on the 30th
Sept. General Aymar published a general order of
theilmost menacing character ; on the other hand,
the Swiss Confederation, which had refused to expel
the Prince, made its preparations to defend their
country from invasion. The crisis was put au end
to by the judicious conduct of the Prince Louis, on
whose account all this danger was incurred. He
announced his resolution to quit Switzerland. His
letter to the Government of Thurgovie was to this
effect :

" To his Excellency the Landamenn Ander wert, Pre-
sident of the Council of the Ceuton of Thurgovie.
" Monsieur le Landatnann,—When the Duke de
Montebelle's note was addressed to the Diet, I did
not wish to submit to the unreasonable exacts of
the French Government, inasmuch as it was incum-
bent. on me to show by ray refusal to remove
that I had returned to Switzerland without vio-
lating any engagement ; that I had a right to
reside there ; and that I Should find there
aid and protection. Switzerland has shown for the last
month by her energetic protests, and now by the deci-
sions of the Great Councils which have assonsbled, that
she was prepared to make the greatest sacrifices to up-
hold her dignity and her rights. She has done her duty
like an independent nation ; I will do mine, and remain
faithful to the voice of honour. I may be persecuted,
but never degraded. The French Government having
declared that the refusal of the Diet to comply
with its cenand would be the signal of a
conflagration of which Switzerland might become the
victim, it only remains for me to quit a ceuitry
where my presence is the motive for such unjust pre-
tensions, and where it would be the pretext for such great
calamities. I pray you, therefore, M. le Landamaen,
to announce to the Federal Directors that I shall leave
as soon as I have obtained from the Ambassadors of the
various Powers the passports Reeeseary for me to proceed
to a country where I shall find a secure asylum. In
now departing voluntarily from the only country
in Europe where 1 found aid and protection, on
quitting spots endeared to me by so many ties,
I hope to prove to the Swiss people that I was worthy
of the esteem and affection which they have bestowed
on me. I never shall forget the ❑oble conduct of
the Cantons that declared so courageously in my
favour, and particularly the recollection of the gene-
rous hospitality which the canton of Thurgovie
afforded me will remain profoundly engraved in my
heart. I trust that this separation will not be eternal,
and that a day will arrive when I may, without injuring
the interests of the two nations which ought to re-
main friends, again find the asylum where a resi-
dence of twenty years and acquired rights had created
for me a second country. Express, Monsieur le Lan-
darnann, my feelings of gratitude to the Councils,
and believe that the recollection of having spared
Switzerland some trouble will alone diminish the re-
great I feel at quitting it. Receive the expression of
my high esteem and my distinguished sentiments.
NAPOLEON Louis BONAPARTB.
" Annenberg, Sept. 22, 1838.
It is hardly necessary to add that the country
where the Prince knew he " should find a secure
asylum" was England. To England he repaired.
No such demand as that of the Duke de Monte-
bello was addressed to England by Louis Philippe.
Had it been addressed there is no doubt as to the
answer it would have received. The Prince was
not, I believe, deceived as to the security of his
new asylum. He lived in England till 1840.
Touching the Duke de Montebello's letter, it
will be admitted that to forgive and forget it sup-
poses great generosity ; and the forgiven will
show his sense of it by more than ordinary zeal
and devotedness. Undoubtedly the Duke then
acted under the orders of his Sovereign, Louis
Philippe, whatever his private feelings may have
been. Perhaps othe man might have remembered
past times, and would, have asked to be removed
to another port, or retired altogether, rather than
be the channel for the demand of expulsion against
the nephew of the man who was the benefactor, the
friend, and the founder of the ducal honours of
Montebello. With the Court to which the Duke is
now accredited, I do not think he will have much
trouble on the subject of refugees ; political wan-
derers rarely seek an asylum in the dominions of
the Czar. They are reserved only for such old
fashioned and uncivilized countries as England.