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Leader (1850-1860), 29th January 1853, Edition Country of 2, Page 98

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      Mr. Cobden Has Contributed To The Novelt...

      pamphlet was only a preface or epilogue for the " Peace Conference" at Manchester , whk & is becoming a periodical entertainmWlfc Almost contemporary with this corflMpondence , appears the correspondence betwtfftft Mr . or Major , William Beresford , better [ knowrt M "W . B ., " and Lord Drumlanrig . "H ^ B . ihdfeKft on satis- * faction , because Lord Drumlanrig had been " impertinent" in supposing it possible that W . B .

      could interfere at elections in Dumfriesshire Lord Drumlanrig disclaims the assertion ; he had only shown that interference by the Carlton Club had been threatened , and that there had been interference in Dumfries . It was quite natural that , under these circumstances , W . B . should feel himself criticised ; and as he has borne her Majesty ' s commission , of course he behaved as if he were insulted , and demanded satisfaction . Lord

      Drumlanrig gave it him ; and with a gentler complaint of new aggression in the disclaimer , W . B . is satisfied . Another trait of English society in the upper circles is disclosed by the case of Pries , just committed for trial , on a charge of gigantie frauds on the corn merchants . His frauds were rather transparent ; but he escaped detection in

      a marvellous degree . Of course no one can feel mistrust towards a gentleman whose dealings are realized by tens or hundreds of thousands sterling The attempt to ( rap a young clergyman , by offers to lend money , and then giving him no money for his bill , but only demanding it—exposed in the case of Casey v . Arden—is a more commonplace incident of educated society .

      On Wednesday , the Achilii case came on again . The question this time was , whether the rule nisi should be made absolute , or whether it should be discharged—i . e ., whether Doctor Newman should have a new trial or not . Lord Campbell , who has all along been " on the other side / 5 delivered the judgment of the court , and having exhausted his stock of jocularities during Serjeant Wilkins ' s speech , was decently dull on the occasion . The upshot of a very long , and rathe * tedious oration

      was that no second hearing could be allowed , the reason being that the defendant had not proved the whole of his plea of justification , and that consequently it being only attempted to be partialh r established , it would be illegal to have the case reheard . Lord Campbell , however , took great pains to explain , that , as yet , he had expressed no opinion whatever with regard to the soundness of the verdict . He only said that the issue had been properly formed , and that as Doctor Newman had alleged certain things unprovable , though possibly true , the jury must again , if they

      again had the chance , find that the defendant wrongfully published the libel , but at the same time he went laboriously to work for the purpose of showing that the entire question of punishment was with the court , at id that , whereas in a civil action the jury assessed the damages ; here the sentence rested entirely with the bench who , taking animus and all other circumstances into consideration , might , without disrespect to the jury , give as slight or as heavy a penalty as they pleased . On Monday , as we understand , the case is to be finally adjudged . Dr . Newman ' s counsel will then be heard , for the * last time , in his favour , and as it

      seems that from his advanced age and feeble state of health , Dr . Newman ' s life would be seriously endangered by imprisonment , it may be reasonably presumed that such will not be his sentence . The general opinion , so far as it can be collected , points to a merely nominal penalty—justifiable according to Lord Campbell ' s own principles , p robably avowed for the occasion—on the grounds that the verdict

      was against the weight of evidence , that twentytwo peutpns were discredited on the testimony of x ontf yvbom the jury themselves found to be perjttfreuV tMat . Dr . Newman , knowing nothing of Achilii , nnx ^ toever having seen him , could be actuated by | ti <^ personal malice , and that , already , Dr . N ^ wi &^ J had been put to immense anxiety und t # p # i * t . W « look rather anxiously for th « o ^ > i <\

      result , but after Wednesday ' s proceedings , we can Stfcrcely doubt Hiat this protracted investigation wM imphaiMiy , tfotfugh , perhaps ndt technically , viftfftcate tfab defendant . Before the public consetefcee at my rd * £ , the portions of p laintiff atf & & efendt & fc are Steady reversed .

      58 - Thf ^ Lfaj E R. . { [Saturday,

      58 THf ^ LfAJ E R . . { [ Saturday ,

      Peace Coffleeence If Ma&&Iester. The Mee...

      PEACE COfflEEENCE If MA && IESTER . The meetings of the friends of international arbitration and peace commenced on Thursday morning at Manchester ; The first meeting of the Conference was held at the Com Exchange , when Mr . G . Wilson was elected chairman , supported by Mr . Cobden , M . P ., Mr . Bright , M . P ., Mr . J . B . Smith , M . P ., Mr . Joseph Brotherton , M . P ., Mr . G . Hadfield , M . P ., Mr . Joseph Sturge , Mr . C . Hindley , M . P ., and other members of the Legislature and persons of distinction . After the

      usual preliminary business , during which it was stated that 500 members had promised to be present , and most of whom were present , the Conference was opened by a speech from Mr . George Wilson , who dealt , with his usual ability , with the abuses of our naval and military systems , showing how we have an excess of officers in both services , kept tip at an enormous cost . He insisted that the Peace Conference had especial claims on the financial reformer and free trader ; arid on the whole lie effectively put that side of the question which appeals to the pocket .

      Letters were then read from numerous gentlemen who , cordially sympathizing with the . ^ Ejects of the society , were unable to be present . Awing them wais the following : — " Paris , Jan . 18 . " Sib , —I have received the letter in which you inform me that a conference of the friends of peace will be held in Manchester on the 27 th and 28 th of January . I regret the more earnestly my inability to be present because I think I should have expressed the unanimous opinion of indnstrial France in * saying that never has it better comprehended than now that the durable maintenance of

      peace will be the inevitable re-establishment of liberty by the progress of civilization and the exchange of ideas : also , that it does not at all understand the preparations and armaments of the English Government—arrangements and preparations that are without an aim , unless they have SjOme other than the absurd supposition of a disembarcatibn without object . " Receive , Sir , and convey to the conference , the new and constant expression of my & atdrn » l sentiments . " Emtle t > e Gikabdiw . "

      Mr . George Hadfield moved the following resolution : —• " That ifc is the special and solemn duty of all ministers of religion , parents , instructors of youth , and conductors of the public press , to employ their great influence in the diffusion of pacific principles and sentiments , and in eradicating from the minds of men those hereditary animosities and political and commercial jealousies , which have been so often the cause of disastrous wars . " Mr . Hadfield admitted that the war party are making great inroad on public opinion , and that if the

      ministers of the Gospel , the instructors of our youth , the educators' of the people , the newspaper editors , come forward and stem this torrent , we shall be at loggerheads very soon . There is no greater mistake , Mr . Chairman , in my humble opinion , than is made in supposing that all danger is over when we are armed to the teeth . That is the moment of danger ( applause ) , depend upon it ; and if two hostile armies are within 20 miles of each other—at Calais and Dover—they will have blows . You may try to stop them when it is too late ; but arm them cap-a-pie , and , depend upon it , they will come to violence .

      The Reverend W . Aspinall , of Liverpool , seconded the resolution , on well-known Scriptural grounds , but with great moderation and charity , without a single word of bitter attack on his opponents . Then followed the Reverend G . W . Condor , of Leeds , who sustained the same line of argument in a similar spirit , and strong expressions of hope that the end of war is near at hand . The Reverend John JBurnet , of London , moved the following resolution : —

      " That , as an appeal to the sword can settle no question on any principle of equity and right , it is tho duty of Governments to enter into treaties on behalf of tho nations they respectively represent , binding tho parties to refer to the decision of competent and impartial arbitrators such differences arising between them as cannot bo otherwiso amicably adjusted , and to abide by such decision . " Mr . Burnet did not take up the CUriBtiuu ground . Ho thought proper to stigmatize war as a humbug ; the causes of war u « humbugging ; all the opponents of tho Peace Society , all military men ns humbugs : all ultra loyalty and nlfcra royalty as hurnbuggery .

      ' There is no end to tho humbugging of these warlike men . They are all humbugs togethor . Tho only thing they can possibly < lo to turn away tho charge is to fling it on fchoir neighbours , just ns when a thief is running' away for fear ho should bo ouught , ho cries " Stop thief ; " and no one supposes h « is tho thief himself . It io iuat ho with statesmen , when they cQncoal tho character of other nations , and moke John Bull tho dupe of their humbug . Hat the resolution I Iiavo to propose tolla us that war can never

      a natio nal board like the Amphyctionic Council in Greece ; but we propose that the differing parties shall select their own arbiters for the settlement of the dispute , and that only , and select men who are not interested in the quarrel , and by whose deliberate judgment they can abide . Let us , then , continue to advocate the principle that men should settle their quarrels like men , and leave beasts to settle their quarrels like brutes . ( Cheers . ) Mr . John Bright followed , seconding the resolution , as he said on the spur of the moment , at the request of the managers of the conference . Mr . Bright made an excellent speech from his point of view ; contending

      settle anythm - ff on * ft & cfoles ofJustice and equity , and i anyman feels tftat if c * fty I tJH him he is humbugging . When the sword » tfrawri , justice leaves the battle held , jjad theie is notteng feffe but brute strife . Who ever t freamt that justice cfcujd be wrapped up in a bomb-shell ftfreat laughter ) ,- a * d fired upon people who had nothing tS do with the qu «* r * el , exploding in the midst of those * ho don't understand it at all ? The statesmen humbug tfie soldiers * and & ey go to battle without knowing what they are fitting for . I don't think there is any g lory m that , I can only find something very inglorious in this ignorance . Let us , then , substitute arbitration for war . We are not such fools as to wish to revive anything like

      that war decided nothing as to the right or the wrong of a question ; that numbers , courage , skill , not Providence , decided the fate of battles , and that the arbitration of the sword was expensive , unsatisfactory , and unjust . The peace-policy , it is said , is impracticable ; but so it was thought some years ago , was the abolition of duelling . But the system of duelling is altogether changed . Then how the influence of public opinion has increased , as evidenced by the effect it had in preventing Russia and Austria from obtaining the surrender of Lobos

      the Hungarian exiles from Turkey . The question furnished a capital illustration . In the treaty between Peru and the United States , there was a clause inserted by which both powers bound themselves to submit any differences to arbitration . No doubfj * that caused the United States to look into the grounds of their claims to the Lobos , which ended by a honourable withdrawal on their part of those claims . The Times was advising us never to go to war with America ; bufc what security have we against w , ar unless some arbitration convention be agreed upon ?

      " We pretend to lead the world in some things . We are conceited and very vain , and ifc is imagined we do a great deal that we do not do , and a good deal more than other countries which are , at least , on a level with us . But if we live on this island with a mercantile navy surpassing that of almost all the world—if we have a people pugnacious beyond all former example—if we have an industry bo productive that the thousands of millions which have been spent in former wars have not yet pauperised and exhausted us—if we have glory recorded on our pages of history , so that the most gluttonous among us ought to be satisfied and ask no more—and if , besides that , we have

      liberal institutions which give to the people of this country that measure of contentment that gives security to the Government , then I say are we not in a position before all other nations of offering to the nations of Europe , and to the United States , a new policy—a policy which , though it differs as much as white from black from the policy of past times , yet shall be one that in the future shall give greater security to Governments and greater happiness and contentment to peoples , and shall promote the advance and progress of all that is good in the world , ipAnitely beyond anything that can ever be hoped for from tho most glorious and bloody conflicts of armed men ?" ( Loud applause . )

      Mr . Bright's speech was very remarkable for the absence of anything like personal charges or imputation of motives , except as regards the cause of military expenditure , whicli he referred to the large interested party in the State , who can build their magnificent stores in Pall Mall . Nevertheless , it was u statesmanlike speech , and full of hope and trust in the justice of the cause in which ho is embarked . The resolutions were carried , anid the conference adjourned until the evening .

      Letters Prom Paris. [From Our Own Corres...

      LETTERS PROM PARIS . [ From our own Correspondent . ] Lettish LVII . Paris , January 25 , 18 S 3 . In conformity with the invitation addressed to them officially , through the Moniteur , tho Grand Uodiea ot the State , tho Senate , tho Council of State , and tho Legislative Corps , proceeded on Saturday lust f , o tho Tuilcries , to receive tho official notification of Bonaparte ' s marriage with Mdllo . do Montojo . Tho reception took place nt noon precisely , in tho Srillo du Trone .

      All the official world was present . IJoimpurto then connnuincohiu , in a spoken moHsageto tins Grand liodies of tho State , his intention to espouse Mdlle . do Montejo . Thin ineBsuge , pregnant as it in with menacing eventualities , \ h too remarkable not to be given in full . Mere it is tcxtually : — " F yield to the wish so often manifested by the country iit coining to announce to you my marriage . " The alliance which I contract is not in accord with tho t raditioiiH of ancient policy , and therein is its advantage . Prance , by its nucceasiye revolutions , has ev « r abruptly Noparetud from tho ro « t of Europe . Every wiuo Govern-

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 29, 1853, page 98, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_29011853/page/2/