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Leader (1850-1860), 24th June 1854, Edition 1 of 1, Page 584, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      u such a thing is impossible . It is the easiest way , it costs no battles , no blood , not mud money , not a , very long time , and makes all the exploits in the Black Sea and in the Baltic fruitful . " Why is it easy ? the Germans would fight as to th « knife 1 " Would they , indeed ? Have you never heard that there is no Russian party in Gennany-besides the few individuals whom yon know by name ? Do you ignore that every German is English ; that even such men as Chevalier Bunsen ' s friends , as the Bonins , as the Vinckes , as the Bethman , Holwigs , as the Graf Schwerins , are English ? Do you not know that those three-quarters of the male population of Prussia who voted against M . Manteuifel ' s coup tT&at , and who since then are in " passive resistance , " and in the army of the king , will not fight against the

      English party ? Indeed ? and are they prepared to join us ? It is my firm conviction they are . The same burden whicl presses upon our ! chest—the burden of a misled , impossible policy—' presses upcm theirs . It would be like the sun of a new spring , if the English flag appeared on the shore of the old Anglo-Saxons , of Hanover , Bremen , and Hamburg . We , English , must demand to pass through Germany , m order to fight Russia . We will obtain that , as a draught paid on demand , and then they will join us . They do not rear us , like the French . ; they know we do not intend any conquest . They like us ; they admire us , from the democrats up to the Bunsens . They worship England ; they acknowledge oar common-sense liberty , after the failure of 1848 . " But the

      King . " 'The King of Prussia , you mean ? He never will draw sword against Russia ; while the whole nation never will draw sword against England . Have you nob heard what that honest man , In . Bonin , said ? "It would be parricide to go against England . " And so it would . Ob , if you would understand the overwhelming enthusiasm which is at your disposition , that enormous force of truth ; of necessity , of a long-fostered desire , you would not hesitate a moment to speak the grand auos Ego ! which is becoming our all-mighty trident . By this word to Germany , you jratan end to the intrigues of the Russian courts , and combine an immense army , eager to make short work with Bussia . The combined English , . and German forces have only to march to Warsaw , and there they find a second army of equal spirit . Austria is of no consequence as soon as

      Germany has determined what to do . This way is the nearest to Bussia—it is the way straight through Germany , with Germany and-with Poland ; we English have nothing to do but to do it alone . "Alone ?" Yes ; alone ; because we are not suspected , but trusted In Germany . We have no revolution to create , we have only to . put in motion our own party , - pur own resources , and I suppose you will not be afraid to see the Germans act like ourselves , speak like ourselves , and fi ght our battles , wliich indeed are theirs even more . "No , certainly I am not the least afraid of that ; but you may be mistaken about public opinion in Germany . " The Germans are a slow people ; uSey waste a great deal of time in considering a plan over

      and over again , but they never lose sight of what they once have put into then * heads . At this very moment they are all faithful to their Ami-Russian creed ; you find scarcely a single individual besides those acknowledged fools of the King's and the Kreuz-zeitung ' s party , who is not heart and soul ' with our just cause . The whole is like an avalanche resting still upon the top of its mountain , but wanting a very slight pnsh in order to go off . Posh it , and oaakeyonrselycs immortal for ever , and the real saviours of all honest men in Europe . The centre of the Russian position , Germany \ is now turned against us ; it will remain so even if Austria should fight Bussia in the Principalities . Germany must be turned against the very heart of Russia—against Poland ,

      Untitled Article

      AMERICAN NOTES . Lord Elgin has signed a treaty with , the Government of the United States , settling the inveterate disputes respecting the fisheries . The chief points of the treaty are , that the citizens of the United States are to enjoy the same privileges in regard to fishing as are possessed by the colonists on all the coasts of the British North American provinces—that is , they will obtain the right of fishing within three miles of all bays , inlets , coves , &c . They will be allowed to erect and carry oa fishing establishments on British North American territory . The naval force hitherto kept up by Great Britain to protect the provincial

      fishermen will be removed . In exchange for these great privileges there is to be complete reciprocity and free trade between the United States and the provinces in all articles the produce of each , with the exception of sugar and tobacco , coming from the United States , which are to pay the same duties as are levied upon these articles when arriving from British coloniea or other parts of the world . Manufactured articles , although manufactured from products of either country , are not to be admitted under the terms of the treaty . As Canada—especially Western Canada—is daily becoming a more wheat producing country , the operation of the treaty cannot fail to be at once of great importance to the province ,

      and its already immense lumbering- trade will also receive a fresh impetus from the treat 3 . An effort was made by Lord Elgin to obtain American registers for -vessels built at Quebec , St . John ' s , and the other shipbuilding ports of the province ; but the Amerir can Government declined to entertain that proposal . In Now York a body of Irish , in an Irish quarter , recently attacked a procession of Primitive Methodists , who had been engaged in street preaching . Stones flew , and pistol-shots were fired , of course not without inflicting wounds ; but the Methodists kept good military order , und made their way out of the mass in unbroken array . The rioters had to be put down by force .

      Untitled Article

      DECIMAL COINAGE . Last week certain gentlemen formed themselves into a Decimal Coinage Association ; and this week a deputation of that body , headed by Sir William Brown , M . F ., and including Lord Monteagle , Lord Stanley , Sir Joshua Walmesley , Sir Charles Paisley , Mr . Wilson Patten , and a great number of merabeTa of Parliament of all shades of politics . Mr . Brown , stated the case of the association ; what had been done ; and what it is proposed to do ; showing how desirable it is that a decimal system of currency should be established , taking the pound as the unit . In all the following countries the decimal system of coinage was either in existence or was in course of adoption : —Sweden , Holland , Belgium , Lombardy , the Zollverein , Poland , Switzerland , France , Rome ,

      Sardinia , Greece , Madeira , Spain , Portugal , South America , the United States of America , Canada , Bermuda , China , Japan , and Russia . Mr . Gladstone remarked that Mr . Brown had not mentioned the Two Sicilies , where they had a decimal system of account , "but a system which was n ; ot decimal in the actual transactions of life . Mr . Brown was understood to say that he wag , not aware of this fact . Mr . Gladstone said they would find it most difficult to point to a clear case of a country which had a uniformity of coinage having altered that coinage in order to adopt a decimal system . Mr . Brown said that , considering that the countries he had mentioned adopted a decimal system , it did appear to him extraordinary that this , the most commercial country in the world , should be almost the last to follow that system .

      In reply to the deputation , Mr . Gladstone summed up the position of the question in its relation to the Government and the country . He said that with reference to the proposal to issue new coins , it was necessary that the Government should previously have ma < Je up its mind not onlj r as to the propriety of introd ucinga decimal system , but also that a pound should be the unit of account . With regard to a questioa of this kind he might observe that the mnir

      ueooffluch a deputation was not to be a vehicle oi opinions addressed to him , but to be a sort of public demonstration , by which the attention of the country was to be awakened to the subject . Although they had had various commissions and committees upon the subject of a decimal coinage , it had not yet gone through anything near that process of sifting amongst all classes of the community interested in the question that would make it safe for the Government to take any decisive steps . Tliero could not be a doubt

      Untitled Article

      THE KING OF PORTUGAL IN THE CITY . The young King of Portugal has attracted the flattering hospitalities of the Mansion-house ; and he has endured with a good grace the literary attentions of the Common Council . Last week Mr . Anderton and Mr . Deputy Holt moved and seconded an address to the young King ; and Monday was fixed upon for its presentation . Accordingl y his Majesty went into the City , accompanied by his brother the Duke of Oporto , and at the Mansion-house they were received by Lord Mayor Sidney , in full costume , and the rest of the Corporation , wearing their official integuments . There they presented the King with an address of welcome ; hoping that a permanent friendship would exist between Portugal and

      England . To this the King made a modest but appropriate reply , which we are studiously informed he composed himself : — " My Lord Mayor , I thank you and the Aldermen and Commons of the City of London in my own name , and in that of my brother the Duke of Oporto , for the kind expressions with which you have welcomed us upon the occasion of this our first visit to the City . The premature death of my dear and for ever lamented mother , the Queen Dona Maria II ., having obliged me to ascend a throne , which however glorious 1 would rather have ascended moth later , I have undertaken this voyage not fir my amusement , but for ray own instruction , and for the purpose of better fitting myself hereafter to guide the . destinies or the noble people over whom I am called to rule , and in doing so , I do but execute the late Queen ' s wilL

      " Painful as are for me the circumstances which obliged me to quit my 0 wu country sooner than I would perhaps otherwise have done , it is a satisfaction to me that the first soil upon which I tread should be that of our most ancient and faithful ally , and that the first court I visit should be that of your gracious sovereign , to whom as well as to the royal consort ^ being already connected by ties of relationship , I am now attached by the deepest feelings of friendship and gratitude for the cordial and affectionate reception they have given me . "I cannot but acknowledge ; with the utmost satisfaction , that the City of London , wEose worthy representatives you are , has been united by the most intimate relations with the city in which I was born , not only at a time in which European commerce was conducted b y municipal corporations , b y small republics , who in the midst- of monarchies acted with almost sovereign independence , but also in modern times . These relations I confidently hope will be ' maintained for

      ever . " The friendship between England and Portugal has existed for centuries and increased more and more . " England baa always fought for Portugal 'whenever her independence has been threatened . Our liberal institutions powerfully contribute to identify the feelings and interests of both countries . Throughout the course of my reign , my constant and firm purpose will be , under the blessing of Divine Providence , both to maintain tie institutions of my country and to render more and more close the relations which nave united and continue to unite the two nations . " ( Loud Cheers ) This being over , the royal party visited the Bank , the Royal Exchange , and the Stock Exchange , and returning to the Mansion-house partook of a dejeuner a lafourchelte , duly followed , of course , by a drinking of toasts in the good old city fashion .

      Untitled Article

      ELECTING A BISHOP . The Dean and Chapter tof Wells elected the new Bishop of Bath , and Wells , on Thursday week . An unusual degree of interest was excited on this occasion , from the circumstance of this being the first instance , during more than two hundred years , on which the non-residentiary prebendaries and canons had exercised their statutable right of voting at the election of a bishop . The bishop recommended by the Crown was , as our readers know , Lord Auckland , Bishop of Sodor and Man . _ .. ¦ ' - ' '; , Determined to make the most of their position , the High Church party took every opportunity of vindicating their right to elect , short of absolute rebellion . The Archdeacon of Taunton , Mr . George Denison , took occasion , before entering on business , to read a lecture to whomsoever it might apply , because he had not been served with a specific personal notice to attend . It was an important occasion—a solemn occasion ; and the ordinary mode of giving notice by offering a citation on the door of the choir was not sufficient , considering that members of the Chapter live at a distance . His object was to vindicate the importance of the non-residentiary canons and prebendaries . The Reverend Prebendary Downes Willis backed these remonstrances with his concurrence ; but they elicited no remark from anybody . Further instances occurred of the rising spirit of the younger race of Churchmen . When Archdeacon Law proceeded to read her Majesty ' s letter recommendatory , he wais interrupted by several oi' the members requesting to know what authority the chapter hud to propound that letter to the general body . The Dean said , that tho authority wan grounded upon the eonye d'dlire received by tlio chapter , and lying on the table . Archdeacon Gunning asked whether that document- ought not to bo read ? Archdeacon Law thought that it was not necessary . J ' rebendary Downes Willis : "Why tire we here ? You offer to

      read us a letter from her Majesty , recommending us to elect a person named as bur bishop , but you do not make it appear what is your authority for pro . posing such an election to us . " The Dean : " It is contained ia that document . " Prebendary Scarth : " Then the document should be read . " The Dean said , " the members were at liberty to inspect the document , btit he found no precedent for reading it . " The conge dVelire was then unfolded , and afforded some amusement from the number of small vignettes and ornamental borders with which the parchment was illustrated .

      Archdeacon Law then said ,. that he held in his hand a lectex from her most gracious Majesty , addressed to the Dean and Chapter of Wells , recommending the Bight Hon . and Bight Bev . John Baron Auckland , D . D ., Bishop of Sodor and Man , to be by them elected bishop of that see . Prebendary Omrnanney asked whether that document was not to be read . After some demur the document . was read by the clerk . The Dean : " In consequence of this recommendation , and by virtue of the conge d ' elire issued to this chapter , I propose the Bight Rev . and Right Hon . John Baron Auckland , now Bishop of Sodor and Manto be elected bishop of this see . "

      , Nor was this all . Mr . Downes Willis opposed the nomination in a speech , alleging that it had been determined to > stop translations , those opprobria of the church . " And now when the members of this chapter , whose undoubted right to a voice an the election of a bishop of this diocese is acknowledged , are assembled for the first time for these two or three hundred years to exercise that right , could they satisf y their own minds in the execution of that solemn duty by giving their resuscitated votes for the revival of a

      system which had been so righteously condemned , and , as was thought , so entirely abolished ? He for one , at least , would not U £ e his recovered privilege , for the first time ,, to sanction a practice which had been so solemnly and unanimously condemned . But while he protested against the renewal of a . practice so injurious to . the character and best interests of the Church , as that of translating bishops from one see to another for the sake of larger revenues or more convenience , he must not for a moment be understood as saying a word in disparagement of the honourable person who was now proposed for election . "

      Mr .. Willis earned his opposition further than words—he voted against the Bishop of Sodor and Man ; and in the certificate of election his name was inserted as a dissentient 1 [ Why did not Mr . George Anthony Denison do the same ?]

      Untitled Article

      584 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), June 24, 1854, page 584, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2044/page/8/