The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-14 00:00:00

ruicE.... 4(l.
STA MI'ID sd.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The reception of his Royal Highness the Duke of
Edinburgh in the fifth quarter of the globe is the subject
of a leader in the Times. It would have us bear in mind
that in that immense continent and in the other Austral-
asian islands there haVe now sprung up seven colonies, run-
ning a race of prosperity, getting on towards two millions
of British subjects, the greater part of whom have only
heard of British Royalty and its surrounding institutions.
But the sentiment is in the blood ; the bond cannot be
broken ; and as a gentle touch will rule the steed which
a hard hand only infuriates, the mild policy of these
days proves stronger than the rod of iron was found
in the last century. We may be amused, we must
be delighted, yet with now and then a passing thought
of sadness, at the enthusiasm which has dri•'su the
populous communities of South Australia and Vic-
toria almost beside themselves. Loyalty never
went to such excesses at home, where we are still
numbered among the king-ridden, priest-ridden nations,
and where it is still wise to " fear the King."
Think, exclaims our contemporary, of balls attended by
nine hundred danceis, in magnificent rooms, and with the
most costly decorations, in that huge dreaiy continent we
used to call New Holland, of which the only known
locality was Botany Bay ! Think of thirteen thousand
school-Children here, four thousand there, and a thousand
or two anywhere, being found singing " God save the
Queen," heard well two mike off, and cheering still
louder ! Think of reviews of volunteer cavalry, infantry,
and artillery in a region where, a few years ago, one
believed a white man could hardly shew himself !.
There has been no such instance of spontaneous
growth. Convicts can hardly be thought an encourage.
ment to colonisation ; but at Adelaide they never had
convicts, and at Melbourne the element is quite inap-
preciable. These are not favoured colonies, protected
plantations, commercial monopolies, but simply gather.
ings of British• subjects, quietly and peaceably
elbowed out of this island, and making the best of their
case by looking for elbow-room elsewhere. Happily, the
great bulk of them left without a quarrel, and have none
to cherish and transmit to their offspring. . Some roots of
bitterness, indeed, remain. At Melbourne, it seems, the
irrepressible Orangeman made an appearance even on this
almost sacred occasion, and the irrepressible native Irish-
man was there to accept the challenge. An Orange trans-
parency in front of the Orange Hall rather naturally pro-
voked attack, met, we grieve to read, with deadly weapons.
Otherwise the whole scene, and the temper everywhere
showing itself, are as much like the first step to a British
Millennium as one can reasonably expect in our time..
True, they do not seem quite up to ceremonials ; they can-
not be placed or timed by card or clockwork ; their ideas
of precedence are hazy, and, for want of method, they do
a world of work which hardly makes a show, but the
spirit is the same.

The Post also takes up the theme, believing that the
Australians have shewn in a most unmistakable and
acceptable manner the affection they retain for the family
of the sovereign under whose mild and now almost imper-
ceptible rule they have made such enormous 7rozress.
The account of the brilliant reception given to the Puke
of Edinburgh by the people of Melbourne comes to us from
over the sea with a peculiarly touching and cheerful sound
in these times when treason is stalking abroad at home,
and when lye are all asking oursekes whether, indeed, the
English GOvernment and people deserve all the evil which
has been said of them. The people of America seem for
the present to hive none but the bitterest feelings for the
land from which they sprung, and there appears but too
great a probability that many generations must elapse
before the mutual jealousy and distrust which have arisen
from the mistakes _and selfishness of both countries will
die away. The Australians, whose origin is the sallies
have had a very different history, and these manifesta-
tions of feeling with which tilcy have received an English
prince, and which show that they still remember the old
Country with love, are a proof that we have profit!d by
the bitter experience afforded by the loss of our first great
,offshoot.

The Laity Hews replies to the observations of the Stan-
dard on its publishing an appeal for funds for the defence
of Burke. It remarks : The bare mention of a fair trial is
at any time sufficient to throw the Standard off his
balance. A fair trial is what he 'Times to his enemies,
and deprecates for his friends. When we complained that
Mr. Gordon's life had been taken without a fair trial, the
Standard was astonished at the objection ; when we de-
manded that Mr. Eyre should be put upon his trial, we
were told that we were persecutors. But so it is : a court
of justice always seems to us the most august and sacred
thing upon earth. The point of view from which it is
regarded as a place where magistrates and counsel
meet to run down an accused person, because he
is accused, is Continental rather than English.
. The Standard, nevertheless, thought that Mr.
Eyre was only acting like a prudent, sensible man
when he was regulating his movements so as to avoid
facing the Chief Justice. We entertain no hope of eon.
Verting the Standard to views so widely different from hie
own, but we have no objection to give him this short
explanation. One word more: if any persons, afterreading
our contemporary's article, feel inclined to send us a sub-
Ocription for Colonel Burke, we beg them to note that w(
tave not invited, and shall not receive such contribution
`hc suggestion that we were ready to do so is not coun
tenanced by anything that we have said, but is simply
product of the imagination. It is notorious that w(
tuntormly decline to receive subscriptions for any purpose
As to the Standard's question, with which we started, wl
do :not feel that our course respecting Fenianism has
been so equivocal as to require explanation at this time of
day. . _

In remarking on the application made to the Court of
Queen's Bench, to remove Burke's trial from Warwick to
the Old Bailey, the Herald observes that probably, though
less was said about the pecuniary aspect of the removaTto
Warwick, the real reason for the application is to be
found in the statement that if the prisoners are taken
down there their defence will cost a great deal more than
it would if they were to be tried at the Old Bailey. But
it really cannot see why this should influence the decision.
The Fenian Brotherhood, which seems able to give whole-
sale cash orders for firearms and munitions of war, can
scarcely be hard up for a hundred or two when their agents
have come to grief through their industry in spending the
brotherhood's funds in the way most accordant with the
brotherhood's wishes and most promotive of the brother-
hood's designs. It would, of course, be'sorry to see any one
itanding in the dock to answer a serious charge, precluded
by actual poverty from making the best defence he could
under the circumstances. But at present there is no reason
to apprehend this. At each examination Burke especially
has been well represented ; nor is it believed that a pri-
soner who can fee counsel will be in any difficulty about
securing the attendance of witnesses. Mr. Coleridge,
indeed, said that treason-felony was an imperial crime,
And one which, therefore, ought to be tried in London.
The answer is, that the people of Warwickshire are as
much interested in the preservation of the Constitution as
the dwellers in the metropolis ; that most of the act,
'charged were done in their neighbourhood.
The Standard maintains that the facts connected with
'the dismissal of fourteen volunteer officers must be
thoroughly sifted. Was the commanding officer of the
Havelocks " asked, first by his noncommissioned and
then by his commis4ioned officers, to resign ? Did he
agree to resign ? Did he solicit the forbearance of his
subalterns ? Did they memorialise the War Department
through. the lord-lieutenant of the county rather than
through the lieutenant-colonel of the regiment? Was
there any correspondence between the War Office and the
headquarters of the corps before the order for dismissal
came ? Was that order peremptory-, without previous
inquiry or reference to facts outside of the statement con-
tained in the memorial? Hero is a topic, whatever gloss
may be put upon the special incident, of the utmost_ impor-
tance to volunteers. Many regiments have fora
.long time
regretted, and not unreason ilbly regye.ted, their original
selection of officers. They mistook individual popular ity
for practical capacity; thy chose Men whom they per-
sonally liked, and who had been conspicuously zealous
in the movement. It was a =take. Our con-
.: does not now sitmalise Mr. Cruikshank
or anyone else peculiarly; bum In proportion as (Air
rifle force becomes more genuinely military, it
will require in its commanding officers qualities approach
ing at least the military standard.

The Telegraph, while regretting that such an occurrence
snould have taken place, points out that discipline must be
maintained in volunteer as well as regular regiments, and
it is astonished that fourteen gentlemen, bearing commis-
sions, could be found so ignorant of law and usage as to
forward a round robin to the lord-lieutenant direct, in-
stead of sending it through the commanding, officer.
Patience and obedience are essential to any soldier, but
especially to a volunteer, who may resign at a. ny moment ;
and a careful observance of rules is not the less ineunibent
on him. Defects in a commandant may justify resigna-
tion, but will not warrant a breach of discipline ; and
although in the present case there are extenuating circum-
stances, still good sense will uphold the decision of the
War Office. The painful incident reveals a great defect
in volunteer organisation ; the absence of any means by
which an officer, unfit in consequence of age or manifest
incompetence, can he removed from his command. The
remedy may not be easily discovered, but the evilis
serious, and it detracts from the efficiency of the force. At
.
the same, time, the duty of volunteer commanding officers
qbviously is, to retire when they no longer possess the con
tience of a corps ; and none should await perpetual requests
to bring about their withdrawal.