The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-09 00:00:00

right for England—if asked on terms which
afforded a chance of success—to refuse to take part 1
in a Conference by which a more permanent
arrangement might be made for the security
of Italy ? He did not say they were going to the
Conference, but if difficulties were removed and
objections got rid of, a refusal to do so would be a
dereliction of duty on the part of the Government."
That is in truth not simply an epitome of the
speech delivered last night by the secretary for
War, the right hon gentleman the member for
South Wiltshire—it is really and truly the con-
centration, the condensation and quintessence of the
whole of the Ministerial explanations. They never,
said they, would go to the Conference. They never
yet have been asked to go to the Conference, The
fact of our neutrality during the war is no argu-
ment, now that there is peace, against our
going to the Conference. Wouldn't it be
better, however, wouldn't it be right and proper,
all things considered, if, in such and such a con-
tingency, England did join the Conference ? Mind
they didn't say for an instant that they were actu-
ally going to the Conference. BUT, if so-and-so
were done first of all—and so-and-so—and so-and-
so—then would it not be a dereliction, et cetera,
and so on, down to the very end of the last chapter
of these voluminous Ministerial explanations !

Unquestionably, however, and beyond all manner
of doubt, the most flagrant among all the Minis-
terial exhibitions last evening was the one dis-
played to the astonished house by the right hon.
gentleman the Chancellor of her MAJESTY'S Ex-
chequer. The oratorical tripod ascended, Mr.
GLADSTONE there became possessed, in more than
ordinary excess, of the wstrurn, the afflatus, the fire
and fury (shall we say signifying nothing ?) which
are alone vouchsafed to the master Rhetoricians.
Mr. GLADSTONE spoke yesterday so eagerly, so
loudly, in terms 'so unnecessarily impassioned, and
in language so needlessly hyperbolical, that he has
evidently at last made up his mind to identify him-
self for once and for all with his new associates.
He feels that he is in for it—and signalises his
desertion from the cause of his late friends, and his
adhesion to the cause of his new colleagues, by
an extravagance of exaggerated ingratitude hap-
pily but seldom witnessed nowadays within the
walls of Parliament. It was only yesterday, re-
member, that the Right Hon. Gentleman was the
" most obedient" of the powers that then were—the
Derby Government ! It was only yesterday that
he conceived that it derogated in no way from
the dignity of even his exalted and immaculate
character to accept a diplomatic mission under the
rule of that Derby Government. Now—who so
loud in its condemnation ? Why, such was the
overwrought condition of Mr. GLADSTONE'S feelings
' yesterday that he appeared to find it in a measure
quite impossible to keep his hands off that famous
and maligned, but in reality little read and most
honourable, Italian Blue Book of Lord MALMES-
BURY !

Last evening, as it lay before the infuriated
Chancellor of the Exchequer—late (in succession)
Extraordinary and Ordinary Lord High Commis-
sioner to the lonian Islands—it became by a Hudi-
brastic periphrasis—

"A blue-book—drum elastic,
Beat with fist instead of a stick."

We repeat distinctly, Mr. GLADSTONE was so be-
side
himself with the spleen of his shameless ingra-
titude, that he couldn't keep his hands off the
blue-book. " Here," cried Mr. GLADSTONE at last,
in tones of irony so bitter that they partook almost
of the character of invective, " Here (striking the
blue book) is the great and crowning precedent—
the rich result of the labours of the late Adminis-
tration." It was altogether a melancholy display
of acerbity and of vituperative excitement that, ill

became one fitted rather to be the WYNDHAM of
our generation. It was .a display, we doubt not,
that will fail to be very easily obliterated from the
remembrance of Mr. GLADSTONE'S quondam friends
and associates now in the temporary shade of the
Opposition.

Meanwhile in the midst of the vapid and senile
jokes of Lord PAL3IERSTON, of the dull and amiable
platitudes of Lord JOHN, of the paradoxical ambi-
guities of Mr. HERBERT, and of the unwonted and
unstatesmanlike impulsiveness of Mr. tLADSTONE
—how fares it with—

" Italia, 0 Italia thou who hast
The fatal gift of beauty ?"

Whatever may be thought or said to the contrary,
we cannot but believe and hope on to the last, that
the force of Public Opinion might yet, if but
properly directed, counterpoise even the imperial
compromise at Villafranca. Public Opinion is in
these days the true motive power to set in play the
complex and elaborated machinery of European
Statecraft. Properly directed, honestly and wisely
directed, we believe that that great and paramount
force might yet, and that very speedily, secure to
Italy—from the Alps to the Straits of Messina,
from the Adriatic to the Mediterranean—the
supreme political blessing of Constitutional Govern-
ment. And in the still possible realisation of this
magnificent day-dream, we cannot understand why
England could in any way forward the great work
of its realisation by abdicating her conspicuous and
paramount position, at the Council Board of the
Chief States of Christendom, as the greatest of
all the Constitutional Governments.

Yesterday was a grand day for the " Great
Eastern"—that wonderful combination of genius,
science, and art, never exemplified in so glorious
and so useful an achievment as we witnessed yes-
terday. It was indeed the very perfection, if any-
thing conceived by the mind and worked out by
the hand of man may be so termed. There was the
aristocracy of the land, the principal members of
the Legislature, the representatives of science,
navy and army, the press, in short, everything
that could add splendour to the scene, beauty
and fashion, and all—save one, and that one the
magic mind that conceived the wonderful idea re-
presented yesterday on the bosom of the Thames—
that one was unfortunately wanting in the per-
son of BRUNEL ! He, unhappily, was lying on a
bed of suffering, while the mystery of his creation
was being worshipped by many hundreds of ad-
miring countrymen. Such is too often most
unhappily the fate of Genius, and yesterday
only added another instance to those recorded in
the sad chronicles of time !

In another part of this impression will be found
a particular account of the proceedings of the day.
The speech of Lord STANLEY was all that could
be wished for, and did himself great honour,
while he did but due and befitting honour to others.
The speech of Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL was as
modest as it was manly. Great men do not
vaunt their own deeds. Sufficient for them is the
unspeakable satisfaction that they have done a work
which the world will not willingly let die. And
Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL has accomplished what no man
as yet has done or even attempted to do. He has
sunk his own mechanical achievement in honour of
the glorious, the original genius who first con-
ceived and carried out the Great Western Railway,
and now sets the world to wonder at his conception
of the Great Eastern steam-ship !We sincerely
hope that Mr. BRUNEL will speedily be enabled to
visit the scene of his great labours, to the infinite
the " great fact"*
delNigoh of his friends
rt
mustwov
pass
theu pu
unnoticed