The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-05-09 00:00:00

411
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FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.

MONDAY MORNING

HER MAJESTY, who happily continues in the enjoy-
ment of excellent health, held a levee at St. James's
Palace on Wednesday last, which was very numerously
attended. On Thurs'clay, accompanied by Prince ALE :MT,
the Prince of WALES, and Prince ALFRED, the QUERN
honoured the Royal Italian Opera with her presence, to
witness the performance of BErTrrovEx's only opera,
" Fidelio." The house •:vas densely crowded, and the per-
formance was worthy of the opera presented. Still, the
habitue of the opera, or indeed of most of the fashionable
resorts of London, finds it impossible to disguise from
himself that much of its customary gaiety is wanting.
Of course different parties have different ways by which
to account for this, although the prevailing feeling sug-
gests that the true ground of this seeming sombreness is
to be found in the absence of numerous members of the
youthful aristocracy, who have gone to wait upon the
fortunes of war in the East. The conduct of that war,
and its probable contingencies and consequences, afford at
the present time abundant topics fol. conversation and
conjecture. Conspicuous among those conjectures are
surmises anything but creditable to the good faith of
Austria, or complimentary to the sagacity and honesty of
the British Ministry. The question is now broadly put—
" Is Austria to be trusted ?" and judging by the ominous
monosyllables and the portentous shakes of the head by
which the interrogatory is answered, a favourable inter-
pretation of the query is not generally accorded. On
looking at the position assumed by Austria from the com-
mencement of our Russian disputes, her conduct has been
at the very least dubious. The current declaration out of
Downing-street, for there every one seems purblind on
this topic, is, that, from the promulgation _of the first
Vienna note to the present moment, the conduct of Austria
would bear a double interpretation. If those notes and
protocols which the Court of Vienna advised the adoption
of had been acted on, every one is aware that Russia would
have obtained all, or nearly all, she sought. If ambiguity
has been a leading feature of the Austrian diplomacy in
reference to the Russo-Turkish question, that ambiguity
seems only increased by connecting it with her military
movements and resolutions. At first she declared she
should consider the passage of the Danube by the Russians
as sufficient reason for her abandoning her position of
neutrality; but with singular caution she abstained from
stating to which side her non-neutrality might incline.
France and England, judging by the surface appear-
ance of affairs, assumed it would be in conjunction
with them, and against Russia. The Danube crossed,
she did not take up an active position, but con-
centrated her military resources in such a manner
that they could act with equal facility and effect
either for or against Russia ; at least, so say the inveterate
gossips of the clubs, and not a few who neither claim nor
desire to be ranked in the category of alarmists. In addi-
tion to these grounds of suspicion, the same parties point
significantly to the singular state of affairs in Greece, and
with some anxiety ask whether the transactions which
have taken place there were likely to have occurred if
Austria had lent no countenance to the movement. In
the meantime, no secret is made as to the extensive distri-
bution of Russian agency among the smaller courts of the
German confederation. On the other hand, it is main-
tained that both Austria and Prussia are fixed in opinion,
and have never swerved from the resolution to support it,
that the only mode of securing the peace of Europe is by
restraining the ambition of Russia, and insisting on her
evacuating the Danubian Principalities. Who shall decide
between such widely discrepant acts, declarations, and sus-
picions ? I merely advise watchful jealousy of the pro-
ceedings of all the parties.

The conduct of the war is another topic on which much
animadversion is freely offered, and many opinions have
been hazarded, by persons scarcely qualified to form a judg-
ment, as to the alleged dilatoriness with which the pro-
ceedings are conducted. On one point, however, there
appears a considerable unanimity of feeling and belief,
and that is, notwithstanding the qualified denial, on
the part of the government, there is a considerable sub-
stratum of truth in the averment of the Times' corres-
pondent as to the very inadequate provision made for the
accommodation of our troops at Gallipoli. Every one is
aware that a considerable latitude often exists between a
ministerial explanation and the real state of the case ex-
plained, and in the present instance not a few are inclined
to adopt that latitude with a pretty wide discretion. Such
unbelievers remark, if the accommodation had been in all
respects suitable, how comes it that on Wednesday last the
Niagara brought nearly a hundred invalids to the now
famous military entrepet of Liverpool ?
In my last, touching the legislative promise of the pre-
sent session, I remarked that most people consider the
labours of our senators in that direction will be light; and
rumour—for it is but rumour—even goes so far as to hint
an early close of the session, and a re-assembling before
Christmas. This conjecture is borne out by many cir-
cumstances, among which may be noted the early com-
mencement of "the slaughter of the innocents," an
exhibition of cruelty usually reserved for the termination
of the session, at which period the physical and mental
systems of M.P.'s are understood to be so prostrated and
worn out, that an application of the sacrificial knife
savours more of kindness than of cruelty, and is welcomed
as a blessing even by those whose " buds of promise" are
ruthlessly cut off. The ceremony of immolation was be-
gun by Lord Jon's-, the victim offered at the altar of
parliamentary indolence being the after-spawn of that
monstrous birth, first brought to light in obedience to the
unseemly, if not inebriate and impious, prayers of an
erratic Lord Chancellor, and now appropriately drowned
in the politic tears of its repentant parent. The example
set has been happily followed, and during the week several
noxious bills have been remorselessly slain, including the
bill concerning criminal conversation, and that other
one intended to substitute declarations for oaths. Other
legislative projects, of various qualities, have also been
disposed of for the session by various devices ; some
have been referred to select committees, the consideration
of others has been postponed, some definitely, others to a
period ranging somewhere between now and the Greek
kalends, familiarly represented in the vernacular as " to-
morrow come never." If little appears likely to come
out of the legislative workshop in the form of well-
digested legislation, the members appear inclined to show
the sporting qualities of the establishment as far as pos-
sible, and many a hobby has been industriously stabled
with the parliamentary stud, several of which, having
been favoured with an airing, have proved sorry jades in-
deed—windgalled, spavined, and mostly inveterate roarers.
Among the game proposed to be hunted on such triBte
" mounts" the press appears the favourite, and several
field-days have already taken place. It is nearly as sor-
rowful as it is no doubt true, that "large cry" in this
chase has resulted in " very little wool," and that the illus-
trious sportsmen, when they have run the game to earth,
have ended in that most perplexing of labyrinths, a mare's
nest ; still, it would appear, yawning itself is not more
contageous than the ambition of press-hunting is among
the nascent wisdom of our legislators. The latest "meet"
announced for this animating sport was Lord LOVAINIS'S
hunt for Tuesday last, by whom it was proposed to start
the Times' correspondent somewhere between Printing-
house-square and Southampton, and, having given the
" harkaway," to
" Follow, follow over mountain,
Follow, follow over lea"—

I beg pardon, "over sea," through the sparkling waters
of the blue .7Egean, up the Dardanelles, and through the
intricacies, dilapidation, filth, and misery which awaited
the landing of our troops at Gallipoli. A more inviting
chase was never propounded by an eager NIMROD ; GOR-
DON CUMMING'S lions and tigers could only be driven into
or from the common-place and vulgar jungle, but, as in
MACHEATICS Polly,

" Here every char uorias' united."
Yet, strange to say, on the day arr at the hour appointed,
there was " no field," and the crest-fallen master of the
pack spurred his broken-kneed Rosinante from the cover-
side, a sorrowful and disappointed, if not a wiser and a
better man. In sober earnest, his lordship announced his
intention of asking the government, on Tuesday, whether
the board .of admiralty was acquainted with the circum-
stances under which the person who reported to the
Times newspaper the condition of the troops landed at
Gallipoli" obtained a passage in one of the transport
steamers. The occasion was unquestionably a tempting
one, but honourable members having, on several previous
occasions, burned their fingers by meddling with " press-
irons," prudentially abstained from interference, and on
that day made a no house" escapein
quiry.
Nothing the
Nothing daunted at this unfortunatehis of
e curiosity,
the noble lord succeeded, on Thursday, in catching
of Mr. SPEAKER, and gaining the ear of the SECRETARY to
the ADMIRALTY, and " popped his question." With the
peculiar courtesy which forms so distinguishing a charac-
teristic in the eloquence of the Right Hon. Member for
Middlesex, his lordship was informed that the owners of
vessels for conveying troops had complied with the regu-
lations—that neither the Government nor the Admiralty
knew anything about the Times correspondent ; but that
he (Mr. OSBORNE) of his own knowledge was aware that
the said correspondent was a gentleman of position and
education. With the titillation occasioned by the know-
ledge put thus ungently into his ear, the noble and honour-
able scion of " stout Northumberland" admitted that his
question was so far answered.
The Right Hon. the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER,
finding himself nonplussed in his notable financial scheme
for securing the loan of six millions, which, but afew
weeks ago, he declared he should not need, is

-- in a proper mood
To chide the thunder, if at him it roared ;''

and, yielding to the persuasions of this amiable temper,
he snaps at anything, whether it be in his way or not. On
Thursday evening, he had a grand set-to with Mr. HEN-
I'ET, one of the members for Oxfordshire, relative to the
Tractarian tastes which are said to prevail at Oxford, in
the course of which there was a lively interchange of the
compliments usually employed to ornament such a con-
• troversy. While this vrrangie was proceeding in the
House of Commons, a discussion occurred in the House of
Lords, in the course of which Mr. GLADSTONE'S tight
shoe, and the foot on which it was firmly wedged, were