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    fend him , by pointing out that . the Times ought to be the first served , because it sells five times as many copies as all the other morning papers put together—which is not true , which the Times , in making the assertion , knew "was not true , and for mating which tlie editor of the Times is entitled to some of the epithets he levelled lately , at' the . subaltern naval and military officers he found -out to be no gentlemen .

    The other journals have other complaints -against the Times . It appears that the correspondent sent by the Times to accompany the Eastern expedition , and who has dfstinguished himself by writing miracles of brilliant narrative , has been favoured by the Government , by the admirals , and by the generals , with facilities in obtaining precious news denied to the correspondents of the other journals , who frankly . seem to admit that they have been snubbed in every direction . They represented papers of

    sniall circulation— -for though the Times * multiple is false , it does ; : as a fact , sell somewhat inpre than all the other morning papers put together——and they were regarded by the Government , by admirals , and by generals , as persons whose opinions and whose writings were matters of no consequence . The complaints of the humiliated journals have no effect ; the public only laughs at the ludicrous remonstrance of limited organs attempting the airs of potent journals ; the Times insults them ; Government pays no attention whatever to them .

    The Times is also at war with the Q , ueen . That journal had ascertained that her Majesty was about to leave Balmoral for the south , and its editor accordingly wrote an article indignantly inquiring why , when , battles were being fought , the first person , in the realm was amusing herself at a distance of three hundred miles from the capital ? The public

    stared at this ; but the public in a few days found that the Queen was on her way to London , and then the public , which is understood by its favourite journal , exclaimed , " Ah , see what power the Times has—at controls the Queen ! " The trading object of the acute editor was answered ; and he is indifferent to the natural vexation of the Court

    at being maligned by the imputation of indifference to the fate of our gallant army . This is not the first time that the English Cour-t has experienced the inconvenience of the existence of a journal circulating " five times as many copies as all the others put together . " The Monarchy is humiliated by the presence in the realm of such a power , purely an individual power , so that perhaps the Court sympathises with the subordinate journals .

    Against all the daily journals—that is to Bay the wetospapers—the public has a complaint at present . The Government paperthe Extraordinary Gazette itself—does not escape the censure . There lias , during the last ten days , been a mania for news ; everyone lias boon buying papers or trying to buy papers ; and everyone has discovered the singular fact that , notwithstanding our highly civilisod state , news is one of the very dourest articles of necessity . The Battle of Alma was price 5 cl . or Gd . at a nowsvender ' s or a railway stall—was price a pint of beer , and

    an hour s loss of time at a public-house—so thnt tho poor have been dobarrod from the g ^ roat national news—so that the rich have felt that a war costs aovoral shillings a week . Tho Government paper , the JEjcCraordinari / Gazette , appeared , by roport , to be the cheapest journal going , being prico 4 d . ; but where was it to bo hud ? JNo iiowsvcncter had over soon it : no jniblic-houso took it ; and the public impression , about it seems to bo that it is just as much a mythical

    publication as the Tnvalide Russe . ^ Furthermore , the public has to complain of all the daily journals , that they give bad news and late news . It was not creditable to our acute editors to have grasped at the story about Sebastopol ; and it is not creditable to them that they depend on Grovernment couriers for reliable news . The three sets of considerations — the quarrels among the journals—the silly impertinence to the Queen . —and the dearness and badness of news—seem to suggest that

    it would be better to have no penny stamp on newspapers . The small journals will never get fair treatment from the Government until they cease to be small journals—until they are on . some sort of an equality in point of sale with the Thnes , which would not retain its advantage against penny and twopenny daily papers . The incidents of the week must , surely , have proved to the daily piapers that when news is costly only one paper can have a large sale , and that the

    Times , which _ by _ ji variety of ^ felicities , has got the greatest repuEa ^ on , will obtain this sale even though it may not have priority of news , as it has not had except by favour of the Government , it being only fair to say that the Daily News and the Morning Chronicle have outstripped all the journals of Europe in pursuit of early intelligence during this war . Then , the court cannot fail

    to perceive that it does not consult its interests by allowing the class of Sir Jam ' es Grahams to continue upon newspapers an impost the effect of which is to institute a monopoly for one journal—a journal at last so insolent and so secure that it can fib about its circulation and suggest falsehoods of the Queen . As to the public , does it not feel , in war time , that cheap news would be a blessing ?

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    There is no learned man but will confess lie hath much pxofited by reading controversies , his senses awakened , and his judgment sharpened . If , then , it be profitable for him to read , ¦ why shoul . d ' it not , at least , be tolerablefor hia adversary to write . —Milton .

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    BABEL . { From a various Correspondence . ' ) — A coaitEsroNMBNT of the Daily News , who is scandalised at the deficiency of cavalry in tho East , points oat a resource which is too much forgotten . Why should wo stint ourselves in cavalry , lie aska , whon we waste 600 , 000 / . a-year upon the bishops ? Ho would therefore , it seems , confiscate our episcopate for the purpose of cavalry ; he would melt down tho treasures of the church , and convert them into spurs . Perhaps it is a moment at which one squadron , of cavalry is worth more than that expensive article a bishop , The church 13 " in danger , "

    then , with a vengeance . Cannot tho bishops find some means of superseding their awn peril ? As they do so little for their monpy , they might ; add to their engagements , and even perform tho duty for which their confiscation is demanded ? Lot ua havo a corps of mounted bishops to do cavalry duty in tho East . It has been remarked that tailors always make capital soldiers , as each ono feels that ho must do nine timos an ordinary soldier ' s work to prove his virility . Bishops should do no loss . They can hunt ; and , for our part , wo can expect tho cussocked squadron to bo at least iis brilliant in tho flold as it is in tho pulpit .

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    — It would amuse Lord Raglan to be present , unseen , for half an . hour in tlie reading-rooms of the West-end Clubs . It is about 2 o'clock , p . m . 5 the second editions have just ; arrived ; and happy is the man who has laid a successful ambush for the waiter as he brings in his precious load . A few minutes , however , and the news has become public property " . Groups are collected here a . nd there , discussing the battle of the Alma . Men who never saw a , shot

    fired in . anger , whoso lives have been spent on Change , or in the centre of political struggles , declaiming , with the authority of veterans on the merits or demerits of my Lord Raglan . Some greybeard millionaire , less confident than the rest , suggests a difficulty ., What an opportunity is this ! Look at that would-be general ! Plow his eyo glistens and his cheek burns -with emotion as he explains to his inquiring friend the reasons which dictated the plan of the campaign ! " Nothing of tho kind , Sir . Let me explain the matter in Jh-alf a dozen words . Can ' t you understand that if Raglan had not anticipated the crisis of the day , tho battle would infallibly have been lost . Here were tho Russians , there the English , there tlie French—and , in short- what was , was best . "

    To speak the truth , it ia atrango to find , all on a sudden , that we are a natio-n of warriors . SVhy you may hear young and old alike , criticising with marvellous atidacity , the conduct of our greatest generals . Ono man lays down the plan of tlie campaign ; another risks live pounds on the chance of Sebastopol being taken after his fashion ; a thir"d knows everything that passes in the mind of Lord Raglan—and , in a word , tho nation of shopkeepers ia a nation of soldiers .

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    —The fat agriculturists of Leicestershire and Warwickshire assert their right to have wives who can play upon tho piano . Why not ? Tho agriculturists are submitting themselves to the softening process of education , and are gradually appreciating tho steamengine , subsoils , sulphates , and guanoj why , then , should not their better halves decorate tho fiuniliar duties of the furiu with soano flowers of accomplishment ? It is true that many merchants and manufacturers havo wives who don ' t know a minim from a crotchet—or at least hare forgotten—but that ia no reason why PhMUs ahoald ho denied her musicmaator . Is not tho country musical ? Apollo piped to tho nymphs . Whs nolfc tho inventor of tUe Fun-

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    poisonous offal as " meat 1 ^ Q&gct&&E- $ > fross a kind that it approximates " ftiir ^^^^^ , ei The authorities in London have tileW § y ^ pip ^« ofenders ; but they have not yet hit ti | SS ? j » ^ p ^ J . l jenalty ; ' for the offence is repeat ed , " " ^^ W ^ &iggest one punishment , double-edg ^ $ ^ j : $ jj | i : § j ^ tiro birds with one stone—of beefcfj , ^ & « re ^^^ places which live by corruption—herd | 3 ^ ej !| v 9 !§ p < fV let all such nests of corrupt voters fiOTe ' sffiSpj ^ i ^ fers and salesmen for their purveyoife ^ ma ^ j ^ 9 ^ |) ther hand , for the punishment of saleimSffitilji Ifonfciiers dealing ia corrupt meatlet thli ^^ feP ^ iSgPinto a distinct

    , electoral body , with 3 §^?^^| & ^^ ail for returning officers , and with " ^^ Mkl |^^ tafford for their perpetual representa € ? i ^^ i | i 5 j 5 | ponj ^ d'elire nominating those candidates , untilEli ^ ir right of election shall be superseded by . 4 hteyg ^ i > Si | fci ^ . t others are better qualified . § t fg ^ jpg ij Vg& — % /^ llfe ' : 'W& — Connect this ne \^ yi 0 ^ 0 ^ i ^ 3 piraordin ar !/ Gazettes—which now haMiiK ^^ t ^ Biary editor . In all classes of oceupad ^ ijll ^ jpiBBia ^ ifi ^ losts which . demand experience , respoifeilifflii ^ SajilljSct , without great exertion . The editoraJtfw ^ ito ^ ZiiriSore Gazette

    was just such a post . Brojjfe ^ . b ^ i ;| ipQ ^ iolumeiits , yet not needing great laboju ^ : &we $ »'' jj d&i ^ ee ' it is a sinecure ; yet it is not BO ^^ -0 ^ 0 xy sense . Hence it was exactly the gliB §^^ 5 ^^ t fox a literary man , efficient still ^^^ pi ^ days of exertion , —able yefc not ^ r ^ l 9 f | t # j ^^ p ^ b young enough to recommence life . r ^ i ^ j& ^ f > 3 % ^ j ^ ih men ; and Charles Knight , with Ws ^ flg ^| pte » jit ^( iis practical experience in editing aj ^ ij ^ gaiggjiand his encyclopaedical knowledge , was vfitticausetKivifie man . Yet he is passed over , and the Jortuna ^ -man is one whose name is as unknown taVJpjerature as it is to the public .

    — Among tho horrors of peace , even in a war week , lot this bo pointod out . All tho bud meat , it seems , does not come IVom Spain . Somo of it comua from Somersetshire , and some from other parts of the United Kingdom ; and " eminent" salesmen do not scruplo to join in tho fraud . Certainly , to uoll

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    £ l » THIS DEPARTMENT , A 3 All . OPINIONS , TtCHVEVJjn EXTKWME , ABB AIAOWED AN EXPRESSION , THE EJMTO . lt NECESSARILY HOLDS HIMSELF BESrONSIBLE FOB NONE . !

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    974 T THE LEADER . \ Jtftffl ! g 0 pr >

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 14, 1854, page 974, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2060/page/14/