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Leader (1850-1860), 15th July 1854, Edition 2 of 2, Page 2, 650 THE LEADER. [Saturday,

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      Rtonfusion In Official Proceedings — Dou...

      the hands of the Board of Control . Mr . Whiteside ' s Bill ( on Nuns' Property ) has been withdrawn—and appropriately on the great " Orange " Irish anniversary , the 12 th of July , when , indicating an improved state of society in Ireland , the " Grand Master , " Lord Enniskillen , advised the " brethren , " who so hate their brothers , not to " -walk" in the customary offensive procession , so often , in so many districts , the occasion of loss of

      life . The Peers have passed the Bill abolishing the dog-cart system , but not without a debate in which there was ingenious argument , used "with as much solemn earnestness as though the question affected the constiution , to show that the measure would throw 1500 people out of occupation , cause all the disharnessed dogs to be hung , and caninise our pork-pies for a considerable time to come . Last ni < rht the House of Commons

      continued the analysis of the Bribery Bill . This js the Parliamentary work of the week . There has been a singular absence , during the week , of questions on Foreign Affairs ; notwithstanding that the incidents abroad are numerous enough to excite curiosity , and some of them sufficiently serious for anxiety . The Spanish throne may be in direct danger from a Spanish insurrection , which , despite the absence of news , we cannot yet consider as a failure ; and Spanish interests , as connected with , Cuba , arc being directly brought into consideration by the judicial proceedings in ! N ~ ew Orleans against assumed

      agents of the Cuban annexators . Then there is the second American annexation , question ; the " authorities ' in the Sandwich Islands having pronounced for the protection of the States : —the fact , and the future it indicates , raising the whole question—can . the United States , which cannot annex without extending the United States' institutions , take an outlying island , —scarcely yet in a condition to send members to Congress ? What * however , is most remarkable , is that no one , in either of our Houses of Parliament , has intervened for explanations about the political crisis in Canada .

      The Foreign Question , the war , does not appear to be a Parliamentary question at all . No one asks wliat is Colonel ManteufFel ' s business in London ; no one inquires—what is the real answer given by the Czar to Austria , and "what is the other answer which he has sent to Berlin ?—and can Austria be relied on ? It ia left to an accidental personage , of no political position , like Mr . Isaac Butt , to " move" the House of Commons on the cui-rent diplomatic doings ; and Mr . Butt fixes merely on such an incident as an old Russian Count ( Pahlen ) being

      seen , or heard of , in company , about town , with that civil Cabinet Minister , Lord Granville . IJord Gran-ville thinks ifc right to reply , in his place , to the insinuations against his patriotism ; and he is supported by a mass of lordly evidence to character in assuring the nervous nation that the Count is not a spy , and . not a diplomatistbut merely an " old friend" —an invalid— " dropping in" on our aristocracy , as he passes through London from Madeira , to the German baths . Mr . Butt is laughed at ; and very properly . But it should be remarked , as all the world suspects that every Russian , allowed by his master to travel , is an agent of the Russian system , there

      ¦ was some justification for the impulsive terror of the patriots—who , however , are not anxious about the more accredited diplomatists , such as Colonel Mantouffel , who can bo invited to court . Among foreign affairs tvo must count the varieties of " loans ? ' which are in the market : Russia ' s having failed ; Austria ' s being forced : France ] s suggested second ono not yet clearly ascertained as even a probability . There is still a dropping fire of paragraphs in the papers about the Turkish loan 5 but there is no information as to the Financiers either of England or France contemplating any veritable guarantee which would enable the Sultan to raiso money . The funds are not in a position here to indicate that

      the Liberals coQld carry out a project which is a common topic of conversation : that the French and English peoples ahoukl subscribe u loan for Turkey . There is , indeed , groat unonsinoss in trade ; for reasons requiring development . But boeauBQ wo , cannot rui . se a Turkish loan there is all the greater reason why we should cease to pay * ho Rusao-Dutch Loan . It is an old Whig principle , \^ fi ard aware , to keep up punctual payments "ttttdW that h «> ad to the Czar ; but does tho preco-^ fi ^^ fta . tlwj ' CoaJifcion P , ¦ ¦ Vft ^ $ W ^ j & res 3 insists that Quoen Yictoria is -KffiW ^ At ' -tihp . ' Fronoh . coast , during Louis ^{<\ r '¦' , ' . - ¦

      Napoleons sojourn in the neighbourhood of his two grand camps—Boulogne and St . Orncr ; the circumstance that the royal yachts are being kept " in readiness" affording some evidence that the expectation is not altogether absurd ; and this meeting of the imperial allies would , probably , not offend the quidnuncs who are hunting Count Pahlen out of his comfortable west-end iotel ; while the two peoples would , no doubt , be pleased . The English ships , with the French infantry and artillery on board , sail to-day , ( or sailed yesterday ) from , the Calais roads ; and the " uniqne event" ought to have a fine day for its consummation—for , then the fleet could be seen from the shores of both countries as it passes up that channel which has been the immemorial battle-stage of British and French sailors .

      650 The Leader. [Saturday,

      650 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,

      The First Thing To Be Remarked In Survey...

      The first thing to be remarked in surveying the map of war is still the fact which we pointed out last week—that the Russians have not retreated in any way that can lead to the belief that they intend to abandon Moldavia or even Wallachia . All that they have done is to withdraw from the Danube to securer positions on the northern roads leading to Moldavia . Alarmed by the first report that an Austrian division would enter Wallachia by the Danube , and defeated before Silistria , there is some reason for believing that they withdrew rather hastily at first from Kalarasch , and hastened the transportation of the wounded and the stores towards Fokschany , the point of concentration on the north of Wallachia . But that this retrograde

      movement did not continue we have now abundant evidence . So little indeed did the generals think of retreating behind the Pruth that , their Cossack outposts at Simnitza and other places were not withdrawn ; for the Austrian steamer , Arpad , proceeding down the Danube with the military men appointed to consult with the allies , was recently fired on from the left bank , and forced to return . Subsequently Prince Gortschakoff pushed forward a strong column from Urshitzeni upon Bucharest , and finding that the Turks had abandoned Lesser Wallachia , or at least had not

      passed the Aluta , he even threw out his pickets as far as Slatina , and spread Cossack patrols down the left bank of that river . Should this be correct the Russian forces are still in possession of the great road leading to the Rothen Thurm Pass ; and may be said to make front to the Austrians on all the practicable points along the mountain barrier of the Carpathians . Of course the line of the Jalomintza is still maintained , and the extreme right at Kimpina has been strengthened by the erection of a battery of twenty-four guns at the Tomosch Pass—the centre road in the break

      of the mountain ridge , leading directly upon Cronstadt in Transylvania . In the rear of the line of the Jalomintza , stretching across Wallachia , the Russians have strengthened the line of the Sereth , and have increased tho army of Moldavia , by the addition of the force hitherto encamped at Odessa , which in its turn has been relioved by troops from the interior . Besides this , the massing of troops round the Austrian frontier continues without abatement ; and should Austria actively co-operate with the Western Powers , there seems little doubt but that her Polish provinces -would bo speedily occupied by

      the enemy . As we remarked last week , Russia holds in her hand all the great lines of operation leading to the heart of Gallicia , by holding both banks of its rivers . Such would appear to be the position of the enemy . If we may believe the telegraph , the allies have commenced offensive operations by striking n blow at Giuvgcvo , and again crossing the river at OltemtKa . As it is now stated , the former operation involved a serious battle . Tho Turks , under Omor Pasha (?) crossed tho Danube and " surrounded" the Russians under General Sounonoll '; tho latter only escaping by cutting : through his

      foes with a heavy loss . Prince GortschakolF was said to bo marcliing down from Bucharest to doal with tho TurlcH , who are eaid to bo supported by an Anglo-French force at Ruatchuck , 15 , 000 strong . These statements do not ncom accurate . It is not likely tliat Omor Panlm would abandon tho main body of his troops to head an expeditionary assault upon Giurgovo ; nor do wo know how tlio . 15 , 000 Britiwh and French troops could have roached Rustohuolc , Boeing thnt Rustchuck h at least ono hundred miles from tlio camp of tho alliee near Varna , whore thoy lay on tho 20 th oi Juno , & i \ d \ y in want of a waggon train , and

      eullbring under the terrible mismanagement of the Commissariat Department . Still it may be as the telegraph reports ; and the Light Division , or seme other corps , repeatedly under marching orders , may have actually got to the Danube . But the probability is that the telegraph is not accurate . What is certain is , that Lord Cardigan , ¦ with some li g ht horse , had been sent towards the Danube , with the view of obtaining information . At and near Varna there were not less than

      60 , 000 French and British troops ; and we must wait patiently for intelligence of their doings . The Black Sea fleet is again before Sebastopol ; Sir Edmund Lyons is reported to be engaged in the reduction of Anapa ; and assisted by some small heavily armed Turkish steamers , some menof-war ' s boats have penetrated the Sulina mouth of the Danube , and have completed the blockade of that river . Better news has arrived from the seat of war in

      Asia . Although a division of Selim Pashas corps has been defeated near Kutais , the army at Kars is in a state fit for active operations . The Russians , as we have before stated , are acting on the defensive ; and the Turks , anxious to take the offensive , are only restrained by the dissensions and want of military aptitude of their commanders . General Guyon , indeed , has brought the army into a state of efficiency ; and General Kmety has

      reduced the Bashi Bazooks to order and proved their metal , but the Poles intrigue against the Hungarians , and whatever the latter propose , the former declare against . We must not expect much from the army in Asia until it receives better leaders . With respect to Schamyl the news is obscure . He is reported to have been roughlyhandled on the road to Teflis ; but these accounts are , ' course , Russian in their origin .

      The war in the Baltic is about to assume grand , proportions . A corps of French troops , under Baraguay d ' Hilliers , collected at Boulogne , and destined for the Baltic , were reviewed by the Emperor on Wednesday . British ships of war and French sailing transports will carry this army to its destination ; the first corps starting to-day . Admiral Napier , who with the combined fleets lay for twelve days before Cronstadt , defying its fleet , and flinging down his challenge , surveying its forts , and sounding its waters , returned on the 6 th instant to Barosund to wait for the troops . Should the report prove true that Sweden will furnish an army of 40 , 000 men , great things may even yet be done . At all events there will be no troops to spare from St . Petersburg and Finland with which to reinforce the armies on the frontier .

      Parliament Of The Week. There Was To Hav...

      PARLIAMENT OF THE WEEK . There was to have been a great debate this week on the whole question of the war and tho Government ' s position , the opportunity being afforded by the new vote in supply for tho new office of Minister of War . But tlio vote , which was to have been taken last night , stands over until Monday . TENANT IllOUr ( inKI-AND ) BILLS . —CONDUCT OP THE GOVERNMENT . Tho first of these important measures was brought before tho House of Commons on Tuesday . Mr . Serjeant Siieb , entrusted with the question by the independent Irish party , immediately insisted upon tlio bill being withdrawn ; arguing , that at that period of the session it wos a farce to pretend that tho code could bo passed . Other meinljoro took tho same view ; and , apparently as if by arrangement ^ Sir « Tohn Young , the Secretary for Ireland , consented to " " withdraw . " This was considered disgraceful to tlio Government , which had pledged itself to the committees of Lords and Commons , who have sat on tho bills , to press on the question . On Thursday , the " grievance" produced lengthy acrimonious conversations in both Houses . In tho Lords , Lord Mai . mesdukv , who , in Lord Derby ' s absence or disgust , would seem to bo leader of tho Poors' Opposition , opened flro on tho Dulco of Nowcnstlo , who , on Tuesday , had spoken of tho bills in a preciaoly opposite tono to that of Sir < T . Young —admitting that the bills were Government bills , wlrilo tho Sc « rotary for Ireland had aflected to doo . 1 with thorn ns " stray" bills , tho responsibility o withdrawing which ho wna ready , under a pressure ? to take , but tho going on with which lie would loavo either to Mr . Serjeant Blieo or to Mr . Napier ( tlio guardian and tho putative father ) , if they liked . The Duke oi' Niswcuhtlk defended liinisolf as well as ho could , and , having no dofenco , rather lost his temper . Lord DoNouoimonii ; , Lord SAMBiumv , and Lord Montmagjus took part in tho " , " blaming tho Government and pitying Mr . Nupiur , all whoso

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  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), July 15, 1854, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_15071854/page/2/