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902 THE LEADER. tSA^EDA^
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THE TWO EMPERORS;. OB, ¦ ¦¦ -" . ".THE W...
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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.
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The Governing Classes. No. Iii.—The Earl...
of his life : his management of England in Spain , and his management of England in Ireland . It would , perhaps , be very unfair to suppose that Lord Clarendon was responsible for the policy , in either case : in the one country he was the mere frightened tool of Lord Palmerston , in the other the abject agent of the Duke of Wellington ; But there were little episodical acts of his own , or , rather , little episodical speeches , which manifested the man . That Lord Palmerston ever believed in the cant of Constitutionalism , which he talked when it suited his purpose , to put down Don Carlos in Spain , is , of course , not credited , at this day , by any one beyond the charmed circle of those Liberal gentlemen who presented Lady Palmerston with her husband's portrait . But it is remarkable that Mr . " Villiers , then our Minister at Madrid , did believe in the cant , and was an enthusiastic , though occasionally terrified , agent in the cause which crushed a most respectable Prince , and changed a dynasty in the name of constitutionalism . What constitutionalism is in Spain we now know ; and how moral a Queen we have given to the Castilians is the gossip of " good society . " It was very natural that Lord Palmerston should succeed in rousing English ardour , exemplified in the gallant Legion , for the causo which was to give to Spain our own noble institutions , including a House of Commons , into which anybody rich enough might buy his way . But it is very astonishing that the English Minister at Madrid , who must have known something of the country , something of the tone of society , something of the morale of the priests , and a little of the peasant population , should have predicted that Spain would readily be converted into a free nation of rotten boroughs . When he got home from Madrid , and took his title and his seat ( and it should be understood that if Mr . Villiers had not become an Earl , which was a lucky hit not originally calculated on when he was put to the trade of governing , he would have stopped at least short of K . G . ) , the Marquis of Londonderry—a nobleman whom I reverence , for he never affects to believe this a self-governed country , or that it is a free country—attacked Lord Clarendon for the silliness of his Spanish administration ; and on that occasion the new Peer defended himself , and his defence consisted of a vindication of the fitness of the Spanish people for British institutions . His speech was rapturously cheered by the Whig lords : from what they heard they made up their minds that Spain was about to be- come a paradise , and that tho people wero only await- % ¦» i ~ m a "\ * t ^\»^ w S ^ IfeT ¦ * n « h « -4- « « - t " 4 ^ s ~\• -J J ~\ /* r * 4 V- I w rt" ^ # ¦ 4 * 1 fe rw w " ¦ b w ¦ f ^ _ . .- « - < . _ * 1 "Mr WUU
^ * * . * * * _ Jlliy illl \ . ) ± >[ JUL blllllVy LU ( , ; UIWUftS Lllilll IiIIU ^ SUlgOlS . ^ He , however , did more than crush Don Carlos : the price of his services to the new Powers was a treaty , by which Spain engaged to suppress the slave trade ; and on this point , too , Lord Clarendon insisted on philanthropic enthusiasm in England , which was accordod with the usual trust of this enlightened nation . That Lord Clarendon should have got such a treaty Avas proper enough ; but that he should have believed , and encouraged English belief , that tho treaty would bo kept by Spaniards , indicates a calibre of mind hardly to be depended upon in a . governor . Teat again Lord Clarendon ' s peculiar innocence of disposition , as developed in his Irish government . The laudation of which he has been the object , for " suppressing tho Irish rebellion , " was always most ludicrous . What should wo or ho think of tho chances of a rebellion in Spain , when all tho priests wero on tho aide of tho ( lovernnient ? Yet Catholic Ireland in as much under tho influence of tho priests as Spain ia , though the influence is of a different , character , and there in no comparison between Spain and Ireland wil . li regard to tho advancement either of priests or populace ; and in 1848 tho "Irish rebellion , " bo called , had not the countenance of n do / on priests—¦ probably boouuso the priests knew that tho pcoplo won ; not prepared . It was a rebellion of a fo \ v leaders of u section of tho national party : the whole powers of O'Connoll traditions being against ; tho attempt , or even tho thought of rebellion . There wore 80 , 000 troops in the country ; and England was sit poaco with Wnnl ; of rij > nc (> alono precludes us from quoting ( his etruiiKo , ( uulj read in tho % ht of proacnt fiu ; tw , auflicioutly lidiculoua vrutiuui
France and America ; so that the rebels were never even dignified with the chance of a conspiracy for foreign aid or even sympathy . It was a rebellion which lasted fifteen minutes ! The personal character of some of the rebels—their intellect and tlieir enthusiasm—should have made the heroism of the venture respected . Had the venture been of Hungarians in -Hungary or of
Italians in Milan , it would have been admired ; but it was in Ireland , and it failed ; and the earnest young gentlemen who had believed in human nature were laughed at—and deserved to be . Yet silly as they were , easy as the " suppression" was , strong as was the army tile Duko had poured into Ireland , Lord Clarendon did not get through the business without those failures which result from the intellectual
process termed , freely , " a funk . " As he believed in Spain that the Spanish were " English Liberals , he believed in Ireland that Irishmen were French Red Republicans ! In his whole conduct he illustrated the morale of the British Liberal—tho genus Lord Palmerston so foolishly , but so insincerely , sustains . In Spain , Mr .. Villiers was an ardent Liberal ; he was grandly on the side of a , people throwing off a yoke which they did not like . But in Ireland , Lord Clarendon , really convinced that it was a nation he was opposing , was a
perfect Russian in his despotic Toryism . Martial law in several provinces : the press put down ! This , in the eyes of Englishmen , was " proper precaution" in Ireland ; but in Italy , or Hungary , or Poland , or France , it is—despotism . Yet let us see what Lord Clarendon did besides ; - —Lord Clarendon hit upon a scheme of his own . He suppressed the revolutionary papers , in obedience to orders ; but he hit upon a special measure—he suborned the quiet papers ! This folly was fully exposed in a debate last session before-the House
; i i i ; of Commons , when the whole case of Birch v . Lord Clarendon was maliciously gone into by the Tory party . Fancy London in rebellion—the Times put down—and the Government offering a million for the support of the Satirist ! Mr . Birch ' s paper was the Dublin Satirist ; and this was the paper Lord Clarendon bought over in the cause of " law and order "—his own phrase . In doing this , there can be no question he esteemed himself eminently diplomatic ; and it illustrates at once his statesmanship , and his knowledge of the world . As Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland , he was intensely and
i < < always the diplomatist ; and the result of his ignorance of the world was , that he gained no party , and left the country—hissed by Orangeman and by Catholic . He is incapable of a comprehension of human affair s on any large scale ; and he Ml Ireland , as he had lof t Spain , —in profound ignorance of the country ho had so long resided in . Yet , for tho one mission he became G . C . B , —for the other , K . G . Contrast these rewards , for such services , heaped upon an Earl , with the miserable prize , grudgingly given by his class , to Sir Charles James Napier .
1 he Earl of Clarendon is now Secretary of State for Foreign nflairs ; and tho elevation of such a man to such an office would bo inexplicable , if wo did not remember that strongmen like weak men . Lord Aberdeen could not hold tho office ; Lord Palmerston could not ; Lord John suited neither Lord Aberdeen norLord Palmerston : the Coalition , consequently , compromises , and elects Lord Clarendon . Ho is a man who had never committed himself ; who can speak French , receives well , is gracious in his manners—ho its a highly finished English
gentleman ; and no hotter represoututive of i \ Coalition , facing Europe , could have boon chosen ! But how unhappy Lord Clarendon must bo puzzled between tho contending forces and policies ! Ah musk of a ninglo strong man , he would bo felicitous and facile ; but how cover so many fuees ? Four or fivo of tho cleverest 11100 in Uuropo are conspiring at , and cajoling , and ma | in injr hi ,,,. ii ( miH Napoleon , Baron Brunnow , Lords Aberdeen and Palmorstoii , and I ' riiico Albert . Fearful is hi * position despicable his perplexity !
Since Snout netted Wall between Pyminus »» d Thisbo , or since Rabelais ' dead giant served as a weapon to livo l ' antatfruel , a \ { . , 111 ) gni ( icent function has seldom been performed than that fulfilled by Lord Clarendon , as Secretary for Foreign Affairs , between two ex-SeorotarioH for Foreign AttUlw . Which
wnggests , that , after all , tho Governing Classes , when tb aro ambitious without ability , have their troubles , als ^ Notf- Emicior
902 The Leader. Tsa^Eda^
902 THE LEADER . tSA ^ EDA ^
The Two Emperors;. Ob, ¦ ¦¦ -" . ".The W...
THE TWO EMPERORS ; . OB ¦ ¦¦ - " . " . THE WARa . OF THE CLYDE & NJ ) THE TAMaJr The Emperor on the Clyde reigneth right royally TT hath faithful subjects , he commandeth armies attack f ) " gillies /' . overcoinetii -fortifications , and generally . x ? neth victories . Sir James Colquhoun employs tr '"" of somewhat rarefied Covenanters , with wooden Dof * I and wooden heads , to poke and to scare off his northo ^ Majesty , when he attempts to land "his people" * " ? Gareloch . Of course a little heretical joustin ^ tak place , and a Sunday morning tournament is unexpect edly added to the amusements of the Clyde . Lori Eglinton enjoys this species of diversion " at ' sectdL seasons , at Irvine ' Castle . ; it has been reserved for Si James Colquhoun to ¦ hold tournaments durino divine service at Careloch Head . This worth y Kni g ht L-, ordered one pier to be removed , so that no accessible accommodation may remain for landing passengers from the steamer . The Lords of the Admiralt y , happily less bigoted than this . Scotch Knight , are willing that the public shall have the use of all piers on the ° Iiiver under their jurisdiction—and an action at law may , therefore , teach Sir James Colquhoun his public duty . ' And fortifications , brazen ones certainly , are actually erected for the molestation of the excursionists , and the vessel had , on Sunday week ^ at high tide , to run against them and knock them down , or the crew to saw them down or otherwise remove them . The Emperor must , therefore , carry a corps , of sappers and miners to scale the said fortress , and conduct and execute assaults . W-ir
reigneth on the Clyde between the Presbytery , commanded by the wooden General , Saint Colquhoun , and his Imperial Majesty—the Emperor Steamer . Should not the Peace Society interfere . ? It would bo to the credit of Scotland that blows should be prevented in this case . The world 2 ias been told of the " auld" Scotch lady who , assured b y -the geologist that he was merely breaking stones on the Seventh day , answered that lie was doing " mair , " he was breaking " the Sabbath . But who can penetrate the subtleties of Scotch morals ? The " toddy" may be « lifted" from morning till night , but a single leaf of the granite book of Nature may not be turned over . Tho ring of the hammer may not bo heard on the rock , but the bludgeons of the Presbytery may resound on the heads of the humble excursionists , —
breaking heads is not breaking the Sabbath in Scotland . The proprietors of the Emperor wrote to the Sheriff to inform him that unless ho took means to preserve the public peace , broken by Commander Colqnlioini ' a timber servants , they would not be held responsible . They also wrote to the Lord Advocate , who instruetod them to repeat the letter in his name to the Sheriff , which was done , and since , barricades have been put up , but no defenders have appeared behind them .
On Sunday last , on the Emperor ' s arrival at ( Jaroloch Head , two " tremendous" barricades ( erected by order of tho Lord Lieutenant of tho county ) appeared , deep , lofty , and of good new wood . Tlio Emperor , disdaining Lord Lieutenants , ordered out his imperial " sappers , " and a boat was lowered of trusty and loy : d carpenters , bearing a suitable assortment of the weapon * of their " service . " Immediately ( as the reporter Kind at Chobhum ) " the bravo men opened fire , " <> n 0 ol > tll () barricades fell crash , splash into tho sea , " amid cheers from tho v whole field . " Tho second fortification they attacked in this wise—they cut a door-way rig ht through the centre , and loft tho barricade standing «»'" and uninjured . A consentaneous , ringing , resonant boatfull of laughter greeted this . stratagem ; ii » '" passengers safely and comfortably inarched through tho
aperture to the mountain side . Some time ago , two oi- three boats did « ail m "" ' kHtcd down the Clyde on tho Sunday , and the expel' * ' " under which it was accomplished was chnraden . stu' « the national ingenuity . Intimations wero given 1 > - ' on certain Sundays the Bicr . inient would lie »< n '" " !*" tored to tho devout of . Dunoon , and friend . * oi ¦ " celebration ( in favour of which teetotal mcictUw i ""' - exception ) wero offered the opportunity of jon "" K
in it , as u Hteumcr would nail from tho ¦ 1 Jr (> n : r l J V , " ' . suitable hour , with , passengers io . Dunoon . ' * '''' ''^^ . succeeded , and the pan ^ sngerH increased . < ( . ' , ] I ( J always credulous as to tho numerical Htrontf ! , h ° . ^ faithful , was itself astonished at tho numbers "" j devout mission bent . The numbers grow with lll ° J { % portunity . First one- steamer , then two , then ^ _^ j wero loaded with Huersunonlul recip ients , wl «> ^ cheerfully past Konfrew by nino o ' clock '" " "" 'L ,. ^ of tho " unlawful" day ; siud many who never ^^ before that they woro in n " Htato of g > ' ««« _ CVm , thoraisolvoB / suddenly cnliutcd in Me cliW ° '
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 17, 1853, page 14, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_17091853/page/14/
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