The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-18 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1867.

What will the Lords do ? is the question which
is now being put by many sapient observers of
public matte's, and the answer does not seem very
satisfactory when it is given. Lord GREY seems,
willingly or unwillingly, as the case may be, to have
sprung a mine of discontent, doubt, and difficulty
by his observations on Tuesday at the time of the
introduction of the Reform Bill. We considered his
remarks quite uncalled for when he uttered them,
and are still more fully convinced of it by the
impression which his speech has made far and
wide. Not that it all follows that things will
turn out so bad as some expect or prophesy,
but an unfavourable impression has been made,
to say the least of it, and shoals and quick-
sands appear where they were not expected. Such
an effect is an unfortunate one, and it is much to
be regretted that the noble lord should not have
been better advised, and have reconsidered his
plans before he ventured upon the adoption
of so hazardous a course. It was invidious at
any rate. The significance of Lord GREY'S remarks
rests a good bit upon the course which Earl
RUSSELL will take. If the noble lord merely ex-
pressed his own opinion, and wished to make a sort
of protest against the measure as it was sent up
from the House of Commons, it may not after all
signify so much ; but if, on the other hand, he is
the forerunner of evil, the stormy petrel who i
heralds the tempest at home, the case may be of more
consequence, and give rise to results that have not been
thought of by those who have so anxiously watched
the progress of the bill as yet. We earnestly hope
that Lord RUSSELL will in this emergency show
himself more of a statesman than to stoop to such
mean devices as stopping the way of progress and
interfering with the course of a measure that has
been eagerly dethanded and desired by the great
body of the people, and advocated by all well-
wishers to the prosperity and peace of the nation
at large.

Under the peculiar circumstances
ins
tdidffioc.ultlNtroe saky wnowhaftrotmhe
sna odb l
eel
po
er ordfi
emay
tcoha sramay
consideration of patriotism, and no suggestions of
political wisdom, will avail to stop him if he is in-
clined to oppose a certain scheme. Reform is very
dangerous ground with him, and his perversity and
jealousy may mar the effect of his experience
and his desire to have the question settled.
He had better take heed and reflect to his ways,
upon the consequences to his
reputation if ho now appear in the character
of a Marplot. No fame that could have accrued
to him in earlier days, had he succeeded in passing
a measure of Itcforni himself when in power, can
be compared to the ignominy that will attend him if
he should repeat hii words of 1859 in another place
but with the same intensity of feeling. As for
Lord GREY it might have been expected that
the memory of the past alone might have
withheld him from any factious attempt to
impede the progress or assail the security of the
measure. his father had a good deal to undergo
in consequence of the opposition of the House of
Lords to the Reform Bill of his day, and it seems
most inconsistent that he should tread in the steps
of one who created so much confusion, instead of
following the nobler course marked out for him
in a hereditary as well as in a political sense.
Lord LYNDHURST, at that time, gained his
point in postponing the consideration of

the measure by the House of Lords, but the
victory was purchased dear, and no one of reflection
or experience would wish to see its successor at the
present time.
If by any chance the Resolution which Lord
GREY intends to move be carried, the consequence
must be that many vexed questions will have to be
reconsidered, and thus the conclusions which the
House of Commons has arrived at after weary research
and long investigation will be done away with or
contradicted, and the bill in reality be no forwarder
than it was some months ago. We cannot believe
that such is the noble lord's wish, much as he may
disapprove of some of the component parts of
the measure as it stands at present ; but still his
work may have that effect, whether he desires it
or not. After all, then, we would fall back upon
the good sense of the house itself, and place that
reliance upon the members of it generally which we
cannot always feel for particular individuals,
who are carried away by the excitement of the
moment or the peculiarity of their own prejudices.
It is well known that Lord DERBY'S influence in
the Ilouse of Lords is great, and it will be exerted
in the present instance in a patriotic sense, and for
the furtherance of a most popular end ; but still we
would not trust entirely to that, nor would we ad-
vise waverers or indifferent lookers-on to trust
either. Let all who are not definitively
pledged to the support of this Resolution
be on the alert, and, putting aside even minor
things, resolve to support the Government. This
is no party question ; it is a matter of national in-
terest and importance ; the people have fixed their
eyes upon the Mouse of Lords to see how it wil
comport itself in this great struggle that is being
made for their rights, and the present is no time to
disappoint their expectations ; besides it would be
most ill-advised in a mere personal sense to stop the
progress of the Reform Bill by untimely delays, for
the detractors of that assembly would have only too
much reason to say that they had better look at
home, for reform is wanted in that direction more
than anywhere else.

The stormy weather yesterday proved inimical to
the grand naval entertainment provided for our
Imperial guest, and, in fact, altogether altered the
programme of the day. This change was nit en-
tirely unexpected. Ever since Monday weather-
, wise folk had predicted serious difficulties in the
way, and on Tuesday night the Speaker announced
to the House of Commons that it was very probable
the arrangements so carefully and elaborately made
could not be carried out ; and, in spite of a tem-
porary change for the better, so it proved. Wind
and weather chose to asert their supremacy over all
sublunary potentates, and to disarrange the best-
laid plans of Boards of Admiralty and naval com-
manders. The royal party bad, however, an oppor-
tunity for examining the fleet, and in the slow pas-
sage of the QUEEN'S yacht through the long lines
the SULTAN could no doubt form a pretty accurate
idea of the strength and extent of our naval re-
sources. Neither was be left in uncertainty as to
what the sea monsters before him could do in the
way of destruction, for the fire which was opened
from all the ships as soon as the QUEEN'S yacht had
anchored was mostimposiug. For nearly 20 minutes
the deafening peals went on with varying effect, now
in a grand explosion that the listeners half feared
had done some actual damage, now in a rolling
salute, but always giving the impression of the vast
force of the armaments. The attack of the gunboats
upon the forts was also very good, although the
weather greatly interfered with the effect in this as
in every other part of the day's programme. The
spectators on shore were the most to be pitied, for
thanks to the mist, rain, and wind, they could see
very little of what was going on. Oa a reason-
ably fine day there would of course have been
hosts of yachts in the train of the Royal
vessels, and the sea would have been gay with plea-
sure boats. The beauty and vivacity of the scene
were, therefore, diminished by the inclemency of
the skies, although the stern realities of war were
perhaps more faithfully represented by the grim
dark ironclads defying all enemies, actual and in-
tangible. The SULTAN and the VICEROY expressed
themselves warmly in admiration of the fleet, and
in gratification of the day's proceedings, notwith-
standing the failure of the intended manoeuvres,
and they must have acknowledged that their royal
hostess was
.a fitting representative of the national
sovereignty of the seas in her experienced seaman-
ship. The illumination of the fleet in the evening
had a beautiful effect, and would have been still
more brilliant but for the evil agency of that übi-
quitous enemy, the weather. Still the illustrious
visitors must have been fully aware of the great
efforts made to do them honour, and her MAJESTY
chose the occasion for investing the SULTAN
with the Order. of the Garter, and when the
SULTAN was seen on the deck of the Royal
yacht conversing with her MAJESTY and wear-
ing the blue riband great gratification was felt.
The general excellence of the arrangements for the
convenience and comfort of the public mitigated as
far as• possible the disadvantages of the day. So
far, therefore, all was well, and if we have unluckily
been called upon to exhibit to the SULTAN speci-
mens of English good humour and perseverance
under difficulties, we have not failed besides to
show him a fleet worthy of Britannia her-
self. The great question of iron versus wood,
now pretty well decided in naval circles, was argued
over again by the general public yesterday, and the
old popular admiration for the beautiful old wooden
three-deckers was as strong as ever, notwithstanding
the tremendous superiority of their less attractive
rivals in point of destructive force. The Royal
Sovereign was among the vessels, and her almost
insignificant appearance very incorrectly represented
the destructive force of her turrets, Some of the
larger ironclads are fine looking vessels, and
can claim attention on the score of beauty of ap-
prance, as well as of immense power. Altogether
the fleet, wood and iron, was one well worth look-
ing at, eve:.• at the cost of a little temporary incon-
venience, and the sailors are plainly made of the
same stuff as of old. They ehowed their loyalty,
their daring, and their skill very conspicuously as
the yacht steamed through the lines, by displaying
themselves on the most apparently inaccessible
heights, notwithstanding the gale. The review, if
not a success, was in many respects highly satisfac-
tory, and must not therefore be stigmatised as a
failure.