The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-01-24 00:00:00

DECLARATION OF WAR.

THE following is the address of Admiral the Hon. R.
S. Dundas, C. 8., to the crew of H.M.S. Thetis; which
arrived at Spithead on Saturday, from Plymouth. At one
P.M., the Fire Queen, tender to Victory, Master Com-
mander F. W. Paul, arrived alongside the Thetis, with
Rear-Admiral Dundas, C. 8., one of the Lords of the
Admiralty, who quickly came on board the Thetis, upon
which " all hands " were piped on the quarter-deck. In
a few minutes Admiral Dundas appeared, and thus ad-
dressed the assembled crew :

"My men,—l have come down, by request of the Board
of Admiralty, to make known to you that we are on the
eve of a war, and that war with Russia. My object, there-
fore, in addressing you by desire of their lordships is to
prepare you for such an event; and I am sure that you
will receive this announcement as becomes Englishmen
and British sailors. It is my duty to inform you that the
country cannot dispense with your services, however
hard it may appear after your having been away for so
long a period ; yet the exigencies of the service must be
paramount to all other considerations. Instead, therefore,
of your being paid off; you will all be paid DOWN. You
shall have a few weeks' run, after which I feel assured you
will act as British seamen ever have done in defence of
their country. I trust you will receive this communica-
tion in its right and proper light, and I make this known
to you thus early, to prevent any feelings of disappoint-
ment. I have earnestly to hope that the evil may yet pass
away, but we must be prepared for any and every emer-
gency. ' Pipe down.' "
The admiral shortly after returned on board the Fire
Queen, and came into harbour.

THE ROYAL SPEECH, AS THE PRE-
MIER PREPARED IT,
(But as instantly rejected ignominiously.)

MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,

lam happy to meet you again. I should have assembled
you earlier, but that my Ministers have not had sufficient
time to prepare their attacks upon the honourable member
for Bucks.

I am sorry that Mr. Disraeli's intrigues have involved
this country itt a war with Russia. It was partly Lord
Malmesbury's fault, too, for, if he had not evinced so much
willingness to be friends with the Emperor of France,
Russia would not have been jealous, and would have
accepted the abject apologies Lord Aberdeen would have
been happy to proffer.
I receive assurances of friendship from all nations with
which we are not at war, and, but for the misgovernment
of the late Chancellor of the Exchequer and his colleagues,
I dare say no qualification could have been necessary. 9
I regret to state that my august sister, the Queen of
Spain, has not been successful in rearing her last baby, a
result due to the malignity of Mr. Disraeli, who dislikes
children.

I am sorry to be compelled to say that I mast now sup-
port the Turks against the Russians. However, I find
some consolation in the affair at Sinope, and in the belief
that the Turks are being beaten in Asia. Our admiral
has been ordered to take the worst side of the Black Sea,
and, under Providence, we may hope that our ships will
be disabled from injuring the vessels or fortifications of
Russia. The whole war is Mr. Disraeli's doing, as will be
explained to you.

GENTLEMEN OP THE HOUSE OP COMMONS,

The criminal ambition of Mr. Disraeli has compelled us
to engage in war, and therefore you will have to vote more
ships and more men. You will clearly understand that
my Ministers are in no way to blame for this.
The estimates which will be laid before you have been
framed as carefully as possible ; and, if Mr. Disraeli abstains
from picking holes in them, I dare say you will find them
satisfactory.
MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,

In remitting you to the work of an arduous session,
which will be rendered still heavier by the unjust hostility
of the member for Bucks, I have every confidence that you
will remember the great difficulties under which the pre-
sent Cabinet came together, the awful sacrifices of prin-
ciple and character they were glad to make for the good of
the country, and the great services they have rendered by
their financial skill and diplomatic tact in preserving the
prosperity of this country and the peace of Europe.—The
Press.