Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-04-20
THE RICHMOND ENQUIRER.
by RITCHIE e. DUNNAVANT.
TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL 40, 1888


TURsDAY MORNING, APRIL 40, 1883
ENGLISH AFFAIRS-TlIE DERBY MINISTRY
The following extract from late popular felton,
presents just idea of the present situation OF the
British Cabinet:
"Were you ever a member Of the opposition, sa-
tirica and posvsi and did all adroit minister, whom
you had bsdgered overmuch, ever say suddenly to
you, witha twinkle in his eye, you are right, my
lads govern the oountryr And on that did your
great heart collapse like pricked bladder7 and did
your poor littleea ud outhat it is easy to see and
cay one side Of things three sided, but the hardest
thing on earth to balance sIternativesl-Eh1'
So 1t 10. The eloqusnce of Lord Derby in the
House of Lords, and Mr.. D'Israe in the Lower
House, has been employed for years past in the easy
task of picking pieces the carefully prepared mea
surss of their political adversares. Wit and tact
and pluck have not bean wantng-nether have fre.
qusnt opportunities for the more important display
of didacto or impassoned rhetoric been permitted
to pass unemployed.
Now the Opposition changes places with the Ad.
minstration, and the noble Lord and his very eff.
cient cosdjutor furnish daily exempldcation of
the axiom, that 1t Is difficult to demosh than
to construct. Indeed, they find themselves altogether
precludsd from the chance Of building up any system
Of measures which bears the peculiar stamp Of their
own party principles, or for which they can claim
originality of conception. The fact is patent that
they are obliged to adopt, t,wlthou material alterations
additions every prominent measure of the previous
administration.
The "Loudon Times" has ranged itself In avowed
opposition to the new Cabinet, and with characteristic
ability rings all the changes on state Of things which
is the inevitable result Of circumstances and cannot
be imputed a fault to the Derbytes, however con-
elusive may be the moral triumph which it secures
| to the craftsmanship Of Lord Palmerston. And in
Justice to the new ministry it must be conceded that
the position which they have assumed s not 80 da-
mericaly opposed either to their past professions, or
to the principles of ultra it might ap
pear TO casual observer. That the same men who
| opposed the inception Of the war in China, may
| concur with their opponents in the best means OF
leading the war to a satisfactory result after the
| continuance of the war has become inevitable, in
| wolves no necessary or probable contradiction
| The final extinction of the East India Company
| is indeed, the completion Of liberal triumph. The
overthrow of all immense po,co commercial 1880
citation, where the means Of it's contamination are re.
earded 10 one unbroken connection clear defeat Of
the ura conservative sentiments Of orysm But this
defeat was accomplished before Lord Derby was called
into power One by ono the powers and privileges Of
the East India Company have been totally Withdrawn
or stringently restricted until the Company has been
stript of it's political importance. That 1t should long
continue to wear the emblems Of departed strength,
s morally impossible. To oppose sentence for tho
.coup de grace" Lord Derby must cease to occupy
the position Of conservative, especially the position
of liberal vatism, which his parsans now re
present as the basis of their party association. He
must declare himself re.actionst. He must not be
content with the fulflment of his avowed intention
| 10 stop the further advance OF revolution; but he
must hmselflbecome revolutionist, in order to re
store state of things which, at this day, would be
great novelty to the British public as If 1t bad never
once existed.
The partial political success Of Lord Derby is of
itself conclusive evidence that be has never been
thoroughly attached to the cause Of monopoly and
restriction as to urge the practcsbity eIpedency
OF driving revolution backwards. No. The worst
that can be said of the premier ia that he is warm
partisan of that respectable class OF old foges. who
hold to the doctrine that revolutionary Improvement
in England has reached the utmoe desirable stage
advancement. This doctrine is bad enough, but 1t is
by no means inconsistent with Lord Psmerston' g
India bill.
50 far as the Reform bill ia concerned, the Tory
ministry las stretched the practicable limit Of its
capacity by defeing ell present consideration of the
l measure.
All things taken into consideration, the members oi
the New Cabinet have entered upon their tenure oi
power not upgracefully. How long they may be
able to maintain 1t, Ia another question.
MARSHAL PELISSIER AS AMBASSADOR.
Foreign correspondents of our leading journals
have been spinning out numerous contradictory spe-
ouations as to the motive and intent of Marshal Pc.
lisser's appointment as Ambassador to England
Whether It means peace or war, msnacs or concilia
ton; whether it s the result of characteristic stroke
of the Napoleonic dynasty, appessing opposite senii
msnts without departing from that imperial policy
which alike dsregards English and anti English sym
pathiss; whether the mission Of bluff soldier, not al
oil dsngulshed for conciliatory nclinaons, will no,
present q sufficient propitistion to the sangunary
l ardor of snti.English Bonapsrtists, which has so
lately prevailed to render certain French coones the
laughing stock of Europe and whether this sacrifice
to the furies will not be equally eficacous, notwith
standing that subsequent development. may ind
cate oonoistory intent; all these questions, and
many similar ones have furnished ample material for
the shrewd conjectures of those Of our countrymer
abroad who make It their task 10 furnish IA with
views of European policy, prepared with especial re.
ference to the requirements Of the American market
From what we can gather from facts, independent
" of ingenious specuations, are inclined to think
that too much Importance has been attached to this
change In the French embassy at London. As we
understand the facts Of the case, they stand thus:
An attempt was made on the life of the French EN-
psror, In which attempt, as ssems, certain foreign
refugees, residing in England we're implicated. This
offered the opportunity for loyal demonstration, in
tended to produce the effect Of real or pretended
attachment of the French people TO the person Of the
Emperor. Whether or not this attachment was real
ly intense enough and general enough to have de-
manded the remonstrance of Count Walewski or the
defiance of the French colonies, it was surely the in
terest of the Emperor to have it appear so. There
osn be no doubt that both the diplomatic and militia
~ spstles published shortly afterwards, were penned
In obedience to signal from headquarters, and we're
intended to act upon public sentiment In France, in.
stead of governmental policy in England. Lord
Pslmerston understood the movement Of his august
sly and seconded It, with view to furthering the
foreign policy of Eoglsnd, which, in this instance.
soinoded with the home policy Of France. Had
the English Minister been careful Of his in.
.sres.s, he would have accomplished the same object
| in more guarded manner Lord Derby has follow.
ed up the course indicated by his predecessor Count
| Wslewsk has concluded the correspondence with a
despatch which sufficiently indicates that the refugee
question never did seriously threaten to disturb An.
slo French relations There has been no reconoia.
ton for the simple reason that no cause OF rupture
has required one. Official congratulations over the
imperial escape have received additional Slaf from
the bombsstic display of the military and the Pick
wicklan propristes of diplomatic correspondence,