Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-04-11
From the London Spectator.
d John Russell.


Why has Lord John Russell wasted such noble
opportunities, and sunk his political in fails
ure so contrasted with his earlier successes why
in spite of all that people have thought him to be- has
he so overtly proved what he is 2 The question is
to be solved by turning from the position of the man
to his character.
By the facts shall you know its main features 1t
is impossible that those who best with
the man can be wholly mistaken, and there are
traits which come out at times even pubhc!y. IN
the picture drawn by his friends, Lord John Is OF
kind and aectonate disposition, anxious to please
and be pleased, and proportionately beloved. ms
NAV seem incomuatible with his GOODNESS ana hd~-
teur to strangers but such an inconsistency Is not
rare Suppose his nature to need strictiy personal
relations in order to move his feelings ana you &C
count at once for the fidelity to adherents Wnch pur
schases him such a faithful retinue, and the total
want of hearty peopleloving hberaity IN his public
conduct He evinces an oyerweening value tor his
birth he inherited certain principles" and those
he sustains he would the untarnished honor OF his
escutcheon his patriotism is intellectual and honor
airy, and is not animated by stirring and deeply
moved regard for the multitude that lies in the wide
field beyond his personal circle. He loves his
country but it is the country of history not of the
living souls that people it.
Lord Johns intellect is cultivated, rather than
naturally great; and the culture has tended rather
to check positive errors than to mpart positive pow
er. Hence the discrepancy between Sydney Smiths
famous saying, that he has audacty enough to take
the command of the Channel fleet at a moments no
tice and the faltering in his craftsmanship. He
wants political insight and foresight his speeches
are singular among those of their rank for baroness
of reasoning; he scarcely ever seems to know the
drift and inevitable effect of his measures; to
this day he does not understand reform every year
exhibits an increasing want of cearness to the
real nature of his earliest idol, igious liberty "
and he has just afronted that early idol by bill
which he excuses the score that his views of
Catholic emancipation were mistake! Thus, when
legisating for the future. he does not know whittier
he is going and, in spite of personal courage,
which mayhap would lead him to the block with as
cool intrepidity William Russell, his states
manship is dilatory tentatves and helplessy timid
Probably his education, which was peculiar, was
not the happiest for his nature Departing from the
usual curriculum in which English youth of high
family are trained, he was sent to Edinburgh. He
lived in the house of Playfalr, and was educated
among the Scotch philosophers and whig Hterati.-
Hence early disposition to literary rather than
Oxford bred habits hence a negative liberalism,
which may be taken the English reflex of the
douce skepticsm that then distinguished the Scott
ish Athens His birth sent him into Parliament as
a matter of privilege his literary training displayed
itself about the same time in his essays the
stitution he was lion of the day, hope of the
wing party, political descendant of Fox his STAN
dard and model the lead of the test and corpora
ton act-debating was placed in his care and,
from that time not too well endowed with patrons
in high places, the liberals played their game into
his hands. They more thar. half made the
whom they erected into their idol and they were
lictous not to discern how much of his successive
lustres borrowed. For it may be said that Lord
John has originated nothing of the achievements
connected with his name and career; the religious
liberty crusade gift to his hands; free trade
he took up after Peel; Mr.. Ward gave him the APP
propriation-clause, not long since expressly aban-
doned and when left to himself, he cried, like a
fainting woman, Support me ?'-by the pressure
from without This want of selfreliance in con-
structve acts partly explains that want of command
over subordinaes which left foreign policy at the
mercy of Palmerston-- colonel of Grey-fnance
of Wood it explains his haukering to accept
even something like Locke Kings adverse motion,
and to seek budget among the slayers of Wood.
The political activity of Lord John Russell has
passed-in action he has no future. His most phil
osophic views are retrospective-an contained with
in the constitutional range from the reign of Henry
the First to the reform bill There, despite his
pudiations of fnality he stops he does not perhaps
to STOP but he does not see further. His re-
quotations honest, but not the less false. The
reform bill is still his future-as the widow dwels
in the days of her courtshp. Yet he will have his
USE Not of the kind projected for him by writer
in the Morning Chronicle-an imitation of Macau-
lays retreat from active craftsmanship to history
But the writer in the Chronicle had purpose tc
serve; with a cleverness, painstaking, and malice
that remind of the bitter political writings in
vogue some thirty years ago. he drags from the
shelves early work by Lord John RUSSELL in order
to damage and blacken his personal character. The
Nun of Arrouca is used to represent the fallen Pre-
mier as the sentimentalist writer of Portuguese
Werter: the retrospective reviewer labors with FL
outward manner of easy pleasantly which i'll dis
guises the unfair twisting to hold up Lord John
green" romancst, and in morals prototype of the
modern French novests This is - too bad.'
NO-literature is not the ex-Premiers vocation
neither to progressive' craftsmanship. Lord Johr
has done his active work his vocation henceforwarC
to repose amidst his ORDER or occasionally to dor
his hung-up arms in defence of the ancient ways
Liberal in relation to the past without tergiversa
ton or backsliding Lord John is tory in relation
to the future; and we need not be very despondine
of future which has John Russell instead of a
Castlereagh for its tory type He should be transla
ted to the quiet of the Upper House-there sit anc
revise the acts of the Commons-to delay abate anc
veto.
THE CREDITORS OF TExAs-A lengthy Treasury
Circular is published in the Washington papers. to
gether with correspondence between that depart
ment and the Comptroller of Texas, which is botl
interesting and important to those having claims
that State in connection with the indemnity she il
TO receive from the United States under the act o
the last Congress, for settling her boundary. TIL
Circular speaks of numerous letters having been re
celved from the creditors, and says:
The general impression of the writer's of the let
tiers thus received, appears to be that this Depart
ment will pay from the reserved five millions tn
amount due to those creditors who hold that portion
of the debt for which the duties on imports wer
I~.ol II l,.1 all H..