Current:

Leader (1850-1860), 14th October 1854, Edition Country of 2, Page 8

Page 8
Page 8
8 of 24

On this page

  • Text (7)
  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      968 The Leader. [Saturday,

      968 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,

      Illustrations Of The War. Map Ofsebastop...

      ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE WAR . Map ofSebastopol . —Mr . "Wyld , of Charing-cross , has just published a very careful map of Sebastopol and the surrounding country , on which the position of the allied army may be easily and accurately traced . The Battle of the Alma . —A lithograph drawing of the battle of the Alma has been produced by Messrs . Maclure , MacdonaM , ' and MacGregor , of AValbrook .

      The F A Lse Report Of The C Apt U Re Of ...

      THE F A LSE REPORT OF THE C APT U RE OF SEBASTOPOL . The source from whence the false report first originated has been discovered . It was at first suspected that sorne unprincipled speculators in Bucharest and Vienna had fabricated the news ; but the following passage in a letter of the 25 th , received by the Ost Deutsche Post from Constantinople , clears up the mystery : — "At sunset a report spread with the rapidity of lightning through the city-that a steamer ha . l just brought the news of the taking of St : bastop : > l by the Allies . It has , however , been discovered that tlie author of this ' little joke' is M . Sommama , the correspondent of L Impartial de Sniyrne . T ! ie effects of this silty falsehood were , however , tremendous . "

      The Prime Minister, At Aberdeen. On Mond...

      THE PRIME MINISTER , AT ABERDEEN . On Monday last the citizens of Aberdeen were enabled to obtain , the Prime Minister ' s presence at what'is . called the inauguration of his own picture in the Town-hall . An address was presented , ' : highly eulogistic of Lord . Aberdeen ' s services to his nation and country , and expressing great confidence in his ability-, liberality , ant } -spotless integrity as a Minister , paying " a hearty tribute of approval to his policy at home and abroad , while placed in the most trying ' circumstances , and harrassedby the attacks of

      unscrupulous opponents , declaring , that with those attacks his countrymen had no sympathy , and concurring in the sentiment of another great statesman , that the highest eulogy of a British . Minister is his having been actuated by the love of peace ; they appreciated his lordships's ceaseless efforts to avert from this greatempire the horrors of war , while preserving its honour untarnished ; and they did justice to the unparalleled promptitude and vigour with ' which , after war became inevitable , our great armaments , both by sea and land , were despatched to their respective fields of action .

      _ Lord Aberdeen , while expressing : his pleasure at his cordial reception , declared that the address was couched in terms above his deserts , for , said he , * ' Although I yield . to none of my predecessors in office , and shall yield to none who may follow me , in the earnest desire and honest -wish to promote the welfare and prosperity of this country , still , when I consider the means which are necessary to give effect practically to this desire , I cannot but speak with feelings of deep humility . You have been pleased in this address to refer to the portrait which I now see before me , and

      which you have done me the honour to place on these walls . JMy Lord Provost , if I refer with feelings of some pride to the fact that your vote was passed and tlio work executed at a time when , I held no political office , still it is with equally gratifying feelings that I find my conduct in office has not been such as to diminish those friendly feelings which induced you to confer this distinction upon mo . Gentlemen , I greatly value' this addreaa ; and good reason is there that I should do so . First , it ia presented to me in the locality where I am best known , and you are aware that this is a tost which

      uiwuya so ; but especially I value it aa coming from a body of men who havo every claim to my greatest respect and honour . " H « then referred to tlio advance made by tho city of Aberdeen , not " by royal favour , or the special protection of any Government , but by tho industry , intelligence , and integrity of its citizens , " When he was last in that hall it whs on the occasion of the freedom , of the city being conferred on Sir Robert l » ceJ . Then , said Lord Aberdeen ,

      " I well remember , on that occasion , tho unanimous and tho enthusiastic fooling with which you conferred on him the honour of your freedom . Since that time it has pleased hor Majesty tp place me in tho position which ho occupied for several years , to hia own immortal honour and with incalculable advantage to Ins country . I am sure I need not say how utterly hopeless and vain it would bo in ino wore I to presume to expect to establish tho same claims to public gratitude qb ho has done , or to carry into effect such measures aa ha accomplished ; bu t

      nt tho aaino timo I may bo permitted humbly to hopo that tho recollection of hla example and of hla friendship may not altogether bo without its fruita . Gentlemen , when it ploascd hor Mojcisty to place mo in t , ho nituntlon in which I now havo the honour to stand , I thought at my duty , br iefly and genornlly , but explicitly , to doclaro tho principles on which tlio Government , nt tho head of which I was placed , woidil bo carried on . I havo aeon no reason to awervo from thoao principled or from that dechirution . On tho contrary , it i » to these

      principles that I desire to adhere . No doubt our first great object naturally was to maintain and to extend the financial and commercial system of my late lamented friend , which at that time had been recently established ; but , gentlemen , that has now become superfluous work . There is no occasion now for any one to constitute himself a champion or defender of the commercial system of Sir Robert Peel , for , at least in this eountry , that system . has been universally adopted . Even by his enemies it U avowedly and professedly adopted , or at least silently aequieseecl in . I declared , too , that the main principles on which tho measures of tho Government would rest

      were the principles of Conservative progress . Now it has been attempted to cast doubt on the meaning of these terms , and it has been pretended that they are vague , and not easily intelligible . Now , what I mean by that expression is this , that while the great institutions of the country , and the fundamental principles of the constitution shall be religiously preserved , I woxild nevertheless fearlessly carry the hand of reform into every department of the State . I am satisfied it is only on these principles that any Government can long exist in this country or deserve the support of the people . AV " e have endeavoured to act on these principles to a

      considerable extent , and I may look back with satisfaction to measures which have been carried for the advantage of the public at large , and which appear to me to merit the approbation of the country . Even in the last session of Parliament , although from circumstances of a peculiar nature it was not possible to give full development to the projects of her Majesty ' s Government , nevertheless various measures were carried—commercial , fiscal , and legal ,- —all of which were fraught with advantage to the general public , and , in ordinary times , would have been considered to furnish materials for public thanks , and occupation sufficient for a session of Parliament . " lie then referred to the question of the war .

      " It is true , also , that , oil that occasion , I felt it my duty to declare that the policy of thie Government was a policy of peace . I believe it will be admitted that to that policy we have endeavoured to adhere . Nay , more , I am satisfied that the great and universal support we now meet with throughout the country in the war in which we are engaged , is due to tlie belief that we sincerely did our utmost to avoid the calamities of war . The moment it became necessary to declare war , I then , although I can truly say tha , t I clung to the hope of peace with an almost desperate tenacity—still , when , war became inevitable , I declared that , so far as I was concerned ,.-it should be carried on with the utmost vigour and energy of which the Government was capable . Gentlemen , perhaps the moment is not inopportune to ask whether that pledge has been fulfilled ? If , gentlemen , you will only consider what has been done in the

      course of six short months , I think you will admit that this country never made an exertion at all comparable with that which she has just made . An army has- been collected , and transported from the shores of this country , such as never left them in preceding history—an army such as tile Duke of Wellington never commanded , and appointed in all its parts in a manner which , huracnly speaking , is calculated to insure its success . Gentlemen , conceive "what the extent of preparation must have been when you are told that not less then 700 vcssols were engaged in the same operation . The difficulties connected with it and the time required indispensably for such an undertaking must strike " every man of common candour ; and yet wo hear people talk of delay , as if there had been delay ! I will venture to say that such an effort as has now been made was never before in the history of tho world made in so short ' a time . "

      On the recent events in tlio Crimea , he observed : 41 Our army has gone forth and has achieved its first great victory in conjunction with our gallant allies , our strict concord and union with whom have been fully established from tho very first moment , and which hold out the most encouraging prospects to all Europe . " Wo know not tho details of thin event , but they appear tome to be most important , and , I trust , decisive ; for , although by tho natural impatience of tho imblie ,

      m which I myself partook , wo wero led to believe tho reports from different quarters of tho consequences—tho immediate consequences of this victory , which are now found not to bo confirmed—still let us venture to hope that what has boon reported without foundation may in a short time become reality . At tho very moment in which I am now addressing you there is no reason not to hope that that ovont , which in tho course of luat week was erroneously reported , lins now become a fact . 1 havo said that tho war would bo continued with the

      utmost vigour and cnorgy of which tho country was capable , but in tliia I do not abandon a pacific policy . I believe that , to carry on th « war in this manner affords tho beat prospect of arriving at an early and n satisfactory conclusion . I believe that peace , Although Bought by different moans , is aought as effectually , under present circumstances , by this course , as it would bo by written negotiations , or diplomatic discussions . Lot mo observe that , in currying on tho war with thin vigour «« d this energy , wu havo novortholciw done Hoinethinfj to deprive war of ita horrorH , to hunmiri » o its operation )) , and to mitigate those atrocities with which it ia inevitably accompanied . At tho risk ami nt tho sacrifice of Homo belligerent rights wo have admitted tho commerce of

      neutrals , and we have b y our example put an end to privateering , a most dreadful relic of a barbarous age , and which the world will now probably never see revived . I say , then , that , they have endeavoured to mitigate the horrors of war even while carrying it on with tlie utmost vigour , and , ia so carrying it on , I repeat , that I , for one , shall never lose sight of the only legitimate object of all war , that of arriving at a stable , just , and honourable peace . Now , gentlemen , I will say that war , -when it ceases to be a necessity , becomes a crime . I should consider any one who had prolonged the horrors of war for a single day , when it was in his power to make a just , safe , and honourable peace , would be greatly guilty in the ej'es of God and man . "

      Earl Gra.Nville In Staffordshire. The Ch...

      EARL GRA . NVILLE IN STAFFORDSHIRE . The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has been patronising our constitutional forces . He was at n , review of the Staffordshire Yeomanry a fewdays : igo , and dined with tlie officers . He responded to the toast of ' Her Majesty's Ministers , " and discoursed of the war , saying : — " There is one feeling which I entertain stronglythat if her Majesty's Ministers could reproach themselves with the loss of those precious lives which have been sacrificed in the Crimea , by the reflection that they had in the slightest way let slip any opportunity of maintaining peace , I believe if they coidd have forgiven themselves the country never would have forgiven them . I believe that peace being no longer possible , they

      acted in unison with the opinion of all political parties in this country when they felt that the war must be vigorously carried on , not only for the maintenance of the honour of this country—not merely for the settlement of the present question , but with the hope of maintaining peace for many years to come . I believe I may say that the finest army has gone to the East which was ever sent to a foreign country . Lord Raglan-has tinder his command 102 guns of very heavy calibre . When you . compare these with the six guns which "Wellington was able-to collect in battle array , it does sliow that at alt events we have riot fallen into that great error which characterised the Government of that day , when the greatest commander which this country ever knew was in . command . I am almost afraid to state the great amount of ammunition which has been sent out . If I

      were to state it to you it would almost sound like tie tale of Baron Munchausen . I , may , however , say that if it is all used it will actually wear out those 102 guns to which I have referred . " Government did not underrate the difficulties connected with the expedition to Sebastopol , but they believed it would be successful ; and the Victory already gained presaged something more . He went on : — " Certainl y it is not for me , nor any one « lse , to boast of success until it has been achieved . If we should not be successful in the attempt , I believe that Government would ill understand the principal characteristic of Englishmen should they be easily discouraged by any temporary defeat . If , on the other hand , we should be successful , I believe the Government will act only in accordance with tho public feeling of tlie country , by showing tliat

      wo must not rest on our oars , but that we must redouble our efforts to gain the victory j and I cannot help feeling that though it would be highly criminal in any Government to be carried away by the excitement of military glory , of which , God knows , wo have had enough in tliis country , and to refuse to make a peace when that peace could be made perfectly consistent with the honour , dignity , and interests of this country , and with the interests of Europe and the cause of justice and humanity , yet on the other hand I do feel that if the liorrors of war are unnecessarily prolonged by tho enemy—if those terrible sacrifices of treasure which , even according to the resources of this country , are considerable , are rendered necessary , and if precious lives , both of out own soldiers , and , I will add , the soldiers of the enemy , are sacrificed , it must ho folt that tho rigour of tho terms imposed should bo in proportion to the sacrifice occasioned . "

      Murders In High And Low Life. At Brixwor...

      MURDERS IN HIGH AND LOW LIFE . At Brixworth , in Northamptonshire , Major Iahnm was residing with his brother . One day at dinner ho became fearfully excited , and left the dining-room with a Itnifo in hia hand . Ho wna followed by Mr . Wood , his brolherin-lnw , who endeavoured to persuado liini to return , upon which ho stabbed him three times in tho unn , nnd one of tho thrusts dividing tho brachial artery , Mr . Wood died from loss of blood shortly after wards . Major Itiham has been committed for trial .

      At Barford, Nonr Nottingham, A Man Was F...

      At Barford , nonr Nottingham , a man was found in tho river Loa with his throat , out . A labouring man had met his wife , who liad desorted him , walking with tho deceased ' , on which ho attacked him , and thuy wcro neon fighting . Nothing waa aeon of either of the men till tho nuxt morning , when tho body wan found at » short distance from the spot whoro they fought . The Huspccted man in In custody .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 14, 1854, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_14101854/page/8/