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Leader (1850-1860), 27th January 1855, Edition 1 of 2, Page 84, Untitled Article

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    • ^tihlir ' affair*.
    • < SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 1855. 3jp> %r
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      Untitled Article

      \ THE MINISTERIAL . CRISIS . Is the convulsion which , has seized the Cabinet a crisis preceding dissolution , or improved health ? The very nature of it indicates feebleness . Conducting a greatwarin the field , . and a greater war in diplomacy— -accused of mortal disasters in the Crimea , enabled to boast considerable successes in Vienna , the Ministry meets Parliament to commence the ordaiaryjbusiness of the" session j Mr . Roebuck gives notice ~ of a ~ motion for

      inquiry ; and the Ministry is thrown into a -crisis . It cannot maintain an army before Russia , it ' cannot hold together before the invalided member , for Sheffield ! All the world is discusingXiord John ' s purpose . Some assume that he is purely honest , and really shocked at the losses ; others that he is purely dishonest , and that his object was to embarrass his colleagues . Why not ioth ?— -for men can be the most opposite things at once . IJord John is an

      impressible man , and likely enough to take his views from the Times ; his party had evidently beenaiming at- some-modification ~ of the Cabinet ; they had been grumbling at the larger share of power possessed by the " Peelites ; " the loss of patronage sustained by their own leader , without office , or only Lord President of the Council , was felt severely ; when irregularities in subordinate ranks induced some question as to officials whom the Whigs had appointed , the measure of party wrath was full . But how could the Peelites be ousted ? Lord

      John could not make the Peelites resign ; he could resign himself , and so break up the Cabinet ; all then must topple to the ground , office would be vacant , and the Whigs could enjoy their own again .. If such was the calculation , it was plausible ;—it failed . Other members of the Cabinet did not fall in with the move—they kept their places , Lord John lost his . The Cabinet may be modified , or may resign ; but not with a sudden crush , leaving the ground vacant for the victorious recusant . After

      the summary disregard of royal convenience , of faith with colleagues , Lord John is not likely to be " sent for "in a hurry . Lord John has been neither discreet nor chivalrous ; but to expose his fault does not rehabilitate the administration of the war . He has upset the Cabinet—but our soldiers perish . The excuse for the responsible Cabinet Ministers is , that they have done their beafc , but that they are thwarted by their own subordinates in office . Believe their atory , and we are to understand that the most powerful auxiliary force which is

      sustaining Prince Mbnschikofp , is not that of LiPEANDi or OsTEN Sacken , but , the army of officials in our own departments , it is they who have delayed or kept back arms , food ,- clothing , shelter , and recruits , Now we believe this story ; we remember a parallel to it . When FebdptandI . of . Naples was marching from Laybach with an Austrian under Nu g ent , to conquerhis

      army own beloved country , Pbancis was the War Minister charged with supplying arms and ammunition to Pepe ' s army of defence ; he supplied such arms and ammunition as ensured the safety of the invaders . It seems that we have our Pbancis , but his name is Legion . The Czab finds his honest friend in Tapes and Tadpole .

      Granted . Let us realise to ourselves the situation . Our beloved Sovereign is like a traveller in Spain , whose own servants care not to act effectively against the brigands . What then is the course ? Evidently to turn the war upon the Tapeb and Tadpole Legion . If that is the enemy , why stand still , and only point to the cause of defeat ? Remove the cause . Is it to be confessed that our statesmen have courage and devotion enough to confront the Czab and all his

      men , but not the civil servants ? The Whigs have probably been the grand obstructives to any disturbance of the placemen , who have " claims" as faithful supporters ; the defeat of Lord John ' s dashing intrigue has broken the power of old patronage , and has left the Ministers , who remain immovable , all the power to serve their Queen , by scatter ^ ing her enemies , even in-the public offices . If not , the Ministers themselves are enemies . Thev have taken a new lease of office ; they

      are shaken free of a reluctant colleague , and may shake free of any incompetent subordinate , and if they do not now show some vigourwe shall ask whether Cabinets and aristocracies are not themselves obstructive lumber .

      Untitled Article

      OUR PRESTIGE IN FRANCE . Few campaigns have cost England so much as that of 1854 . The 20 , 000 , 000 / ., for which it will probably figure in the national accounts , do but represent a small part of- the real sum . The lost ground will have to be recovered ; and , to render " the third campaign" successful , we shall have to spend in 1856 more than would have been demanded

      by a successful campaign in 1854 . For we have lost ground fearfully—with our allies , with our enemy , and with ourselves . The proofs of our own weakened state are seen in the confessed falling off in the recruitment , which is serious ; in the toleration for such opinions as those which haunt Mr . Cobden and Mr . Bbight ; and in the tangible results of war failure . We do not believe in ourselves

      as we did until we tried what we could do . Our army is not large enough : it is illequipped : its staff , aristocratic favorites , can lead their men to victory , but cannot regulate the camp ; our public departments are not compelled to administer the war generously , diligently , nor even faithfully : the trust is abused , and the abuse passes without censure . The way that our allies regard the matter is plain enough . We speak from personal knowledge , extended by information on the

      best authority , of what is passing in France . The power of this country was npt forgotten there . England was wont to be proud and dictatorial , and she had the power to enforce her will . During forty years of peace her strength has been increasing , and although her spirit of dictation has slumbered , it was fully expected in France that upon occasion her power had only to be put forth to be felt more heavily than over . But lo ! her power is challenged , she puts it forth , it fails , and

      she appears exhausted . Her fleet ^ with immense effort and boasting , is sent to the Baltic , and returns—nothing done . Her army ia sent to the Crimea , and perishes as fast as it is sent . It cannot support itself in camp . It is helpless . And'the jecruitment to strengthen and rescue that army languishes . It was said in France , as well as here that the two countries had never been able to know their full strength while they were opposed ; that united they would discover it . Thkt England united to France by sea , be

      France united to England by land , would resistless . So it was thought .- They united , but France is not for that the better able to conquer in the Baltic . They are encamped side by side in the Crimea , and the Frenchman finds that the Englishman is an invalid , a novice , a helpless charge upon the aid of his neighbour , by whom he is housedfedand clothed . General

      Can-, , bobebt , who , united with the countrymen of Wellington , was to come , see , and conquer , is obliged to take up his lodging in a camp prison ; and he reports to his master that the English are a burden rather than a help . Gallant , no doubt , full j > f high qualities —excellent material ; but not Rhl ' riiW . The militarv strength of England

      was in demand ; she supposes herself to put it forth ; but she puts forth the Crimean army her best . She has wo military strength . With what feeling does France learn that result ? With profound astonishment . But other feelings succeed . England was once regarded as formidable ; recently the alliance disarmed her towards France , but she was still respected . Now ? Both feelings are reversed . How can the conquerors of Algeria respect the lodgers of the Crimea ? The respect is succeeded by something very

      like contempt . Nor does the succession of feelings stop there . During the better time , of recollection and hope , the military sympathy with England ' supposed greatness led to a feeling of friendship under which old rancours were stifled ; but contempt , especially in the Frenchman , begets dislike ; and the ancient enmity to England revives .

      . Do westop . even ^ there ? -l Ko . JParty in France takes advantage of this reawakening jealousy . The anti-British feeling resides chiefly among the Legitimists , partly because they owe England a debt ; partly because England has not redoubled the favour conferred upon Louis Dix Huit by sustaining the imbecile pretensions of Henhi would

      Cinq . The Liberal party , which naturally be in alliance with England , takes advantage of this dawning dislike , makes political capital of our disasters , and , turning round to the Emperor , exclaims , " Here is your boasted ally !—this is the companion in arms that you have given us ! " And it is one of the bitterest of reproaches to a Napoleon that he is associated with the

      helpless countrymen of Wellington . We have only reported French impressions . They may be exaggerated , but they are confirmed by our own leading journal . They may be erroneous , but they are a political fact . They stultify for ub the allianco , since they represent us , England , as the accomplice but not the support of Louis Napoleon—his honorary but not effectivo followers !

      And if Franco regards us thus , how does Russia ? The Times reports the condition of our troops . The Globe itself lifts up its voice from the abysses of ministerial optimism to proclaim the check to the eagerness of our national spirit in the decline of the recruitment . Mr . Cobden and his associates proclaim the manufacturing aversion from war , the dislike of its barbarities , the fear of its

      Untitled Article

      There is nothing so revolutionary , because Nereis nothing so unnatural and convulsive , as the . 3 train to keep things fixed when all the world is by the very law of its creation in eternal progress . —Db . Abitoij > .

      ^Tihlir ' Affair*.

      ^ tihlir ' affair * .

      ≪ Saturday, January 27, 1855. 3jp≫ %R

      < 3 Wp > ^» Q SATURDAY , JANUARY 27 , 1855 .

      Untitled Article

      TERMS OF SU BSCRIPTION TO "® J ) e Seafcet . " Fora Half-Tear ........ .... £ 0 13 0 To be remitted in advance . i « r Money Orders should be drawn upon the SutAsp Branch Office , and be made payable , to Mr . Alkred B . Gau . owat , atrNo . 7 , "Wellington Street , Strand .

      Untitled Article

      • TO CORRESPONDENTS . All letters for the Editor should be addressed to 7 , Welling DuS' ^^ o ^ P ^^ nent it ^ often impossible to find room for correspondence , even the briefest .

      Untitled Article

      THE T . UAPER . [ 8 ATUIW ¦ MzL ¦ . ¦ ¦ . •¦ ¦ . ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ r == z - ^ ^— - ^ - ^^—m ^ m ^^^^^" '

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 27, 1855, page 84, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2075/page/12/