Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1855-01-05
rne Lenders and chleft.ln. OF the Day.

The Leaders and Chieftains OF the Day.
Is this TO be an age of mediocrityan era of small
meu Did nature, the great mother, as she was cal
led in the Mysteries of Eleusis exhaust herself in
producing the BonaPartes, Nays, WellIpgtons' Su'
warrows Pitts, Tallyrands, Cannlngs, Goaths, By
rons SCOTS, Websters, Clays, Calhouns and others
of like mould and kidney, whom she lavished so un-
eparngly upon the first quarter of this century Ma
ture gives more signs OF sorrow when great man
dies when domineering and regal intellect is echP
sed by the shadows of the dark valley than she does
at the decease of peasant therefore the inference is
that she always has plenty of the same sort left
whom in her own good time she will usher into this
realm of time, whom she will let appear on the coasts
of light
In the vegetable world an uncommon crop this
year is apt 10 be succeeded by far Inferior one
next. 1t never rains. but it poursn The last age
abounded in able men, in men good at need There
was almost superhuity, what the French call an
embarrassment of riches. in this respect We OF the
present time are not likey to labor under any such
embarrassment Seldom never does great social
convulsion, like the one with which Europe is now
stirred to its CENTRE take place, without casting up
to the surface man of the time," as be Is cal
led who was born and reared apparently for just
such crisis and occasion. Perhaps even now the
troubled waters WILL long, disclose this desldera
tum; yet there are no premontory symptoms OF such
an advent. The three ablest men now in Europe as
rulers leaders and statesmen at this moment, SO TAR
as we knoaU, are Lord Palmerston, Louis Napoleon,
EmDeTOf
ent is concerned there is not prominent officer
either in the English, French Russian ranks, at
this moment who would have been looked upon in
the armies of the elder Napoleon Wellington, as
more than second or thrd-rate commander. Raglan
stood high it is said, in the estimation of the iron
Duke and doubtless Raglan is Ia brave man, and well
versed in the business and routine of his profession
He is not much above the standard OF those old
Wurmsers, and other Austrian stickers for the sys-
tematic mode of warfare then in vogue, whom the
young Bonaparte fogged so terribly in his first glor
Gus Italian campaign. Gen. Taylor had more mill
iary genius had more of that nameless something in
his composition, which goes to make up successful
and inVincible warrior, than can be found In Gems
Canrobert, Raglan, Menschikof and all their subor
din ates put together. Military men and good judges
of such matters say that the dispatches which the
above three Generas-in Chief sent to their respec
tive Governments after the battle of lnkermann, IN
Dictated Enthusiastically that they had nothing more
than confused and, in or two particulars, an
absolutely incorrect idea of the battle which lad just
been foug ht under their command To be sure, the
fight commenced unexpectedly, and was carried on
under a cloud of fog and mist, and in copses and
brushwoods; still, if commander chief cannot
give his government tolerably correct notion of an
important battle which has been fought under his
immediate eve and direction, he had better delay
writing despatch until he At any rate, he
ought not in such paper to commit gross blunders,
and lay himself open to severe criticism. Gen. Can
robert is undoubtly the ablest of the allied Gen
erals Fortunately the fighting mater'et of the armies
under their command is beyond reproach. Without
any officers at all, the French and British soldiers
could fog their antagonists out and out; but with
men of decided military genius at their head, with
Bonaparte or a Wellington, or a Taylor to direct
them, they would have finished up the Crimea busi-
ness before this time The sckening efuson of blood
which has decimated the English ranks in particular,
has been for the most part quite needless has been
for the most part due to palpabe want of foresight
and on the part of the chief officers.
Turning from Europe to this country, where are
the successors of the of statesmen which has
directed the councils of this nation for the last six
or seven lustres? Echo returns nothing by way of
reply but dubious and unsatisfactory repetition of
the query. Indeed, able men are, according to all
accounts, rather dscountenanced by young America,
man, who has fought his way up from obscurity
to renown, who is covered with the of conflict,
who is regular trained athlete, is summarily dis
posed of, by stigmatisng him as an old fogy" and
superann uated parsonage The proverb, that practice
and experience makes perfect is becoming uncurrent
Dsraeli first started this action of Youth Matur
ty to resort to court docket for phraseoIogy. In
Dsraelis early novels, the heroes, who are all fac
smiles of himself, represented attaining the
summit of earthly renown, achieving the greatest
possible feats of craftsmanship and authorship before
they have reached their ma orty. Meantime Dis
raeli the original inventor and patentee of Young
England and Young America, is getting old himself
like the heavens and earth, is himself becoming a
candidate for the rank of old fogyism. Yet he does
not to think that he is lncapaciated by his in
creasng years for playing conspicuous part
than ever on the of British politics. Why is
he not true to the principles and dogmas of his
youth Why does he not confess himself an old
fogy and retire from the STAGE bequeathng his place
10 some ardent youth mans theories are never
intended for self.appication.
A Foreign Legion for the War.
The British Ministry have committed another blum
der in their business. They have virtually confessed
that they recruit troops of their and must
get them from abroad On Tuesday night the Duke
of Newcastle then brought forward the Enlistment of
Foreigners Bill, the object of which is 10 raise force
of foreign not exceeding Is 600 in number to be
drilled and trained in this country and to form, in
| fact, foreign legion
The Earl of Peterborough was perfectly astonshed
at the proposition of the Duke of Newcastle. Here
were Is, 900 foreigners to be drilled and trained in
this country and TO be substituted for equal
| Der OF Militiamen sent abroad. There was nothing
in the attitude conduct of the nation since war had
been declared, 10 give any countenance to such a
sacrifice of constitutional principle. In of any
domestic riot, if this legion were to act against the
mob, you would soon have the whole country in
arms against these foreign mercenares What Sc
curity could you have that these troops would
behave we'll or be worth the money spent upon them
Was II to be supposed that if exposed to the enemys
fire on such day that OF Inkermann, they would
show the same constancy British so!diers9 The
German Legion of the last great was no prece-
dent for this force, for Hanover then belonged Eng
land, and the Germans who composed that legion
were supposed to be subjects of the sovereign for
whom they fought The Government ought to have
called out the whole of the Militia nine months ago,
and then they would not have been driven to this
experiment, which he was prepared to oppose by
ry means in his power.