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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 Pahnerston 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 Pahuerston with her husband's portrait . Butt 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 cause 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 ifshould 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 become a paradise , and that the peoplo were only awaiting an opportunity to confess that they were angels . * Ho , 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 philanthrop ic enthusiasm in England , which was accordod with the usual trust of this enlightened nation . That Lord Clarendon should have got such a treaty was proper enough ^ ; but that he should have believed , and encouraged English belief , that the treaty would bo kept by Spaniards , indicates a calibre of mind hardly to be depended upon in a governor . Test again Lord Clarendon ' s peculiar innoconco of disposition , as developed in his Irish government . The laudation of which he has been tho object , for " suppressing tho Irish rebellion , " was always most ludicrous . What should we or ho think of the chances of a rebellion in Spain , when all tho priests were on the side of tho Government ? Yet Catholic Ireland is as much under tho influence of tho priests as Spain is , though tho influence- is of a different , character , and there is no comparison between Spurn and Ireland with regard to the advancement either of priests or populace ; iind in 184 , 8 the " Irish rebellion , " 6 p called , had not the countenance- of a dozen priestsprobably because the priests knew that the peoplo were not prepared . It wan a rebellion of a lh \ v leaders of : i ucction of tho n ational party : tho whole powers of O'Connoll traditions being against tho attempt ; , or even tho thought of rebellion- There were 30 , 000 troops in the country ; and England was at pence with
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 their 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 the Duke 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 Eepublicans ! In his whole conduct he illustrated the morale of the British Liberal—the 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 exposedJn a debate last session befora the House of Commons , when the whole case of Birch v . Lord Clarendon wasT 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 always tho diplomatist ; and the result of his ignorance of the world was , that he gained no party , and left tho
country—hissed by Orangeman and by Catholic . He is incapable of a comprehension of human affair s on any large scale ; and he left Ireland , as ho had left Spain , —in profound ignorance of the country he had so long resided iii . Yet , for tho one mission he became G . C . B , —for tho other , K . G . Contrast these rewards , for such services , heaped upon an Earl , Avith the miserable prize , grudgingly given by his class , to Sir Charles James Napier .
The Earl of Clarendon is now Secretary of State for Foreign affairs ; and tho elevation of such a man to such an oflice would bo inexplicable , if wo did not remember that strongmen like- weak men . Lord Aberdeen could not hold the office ; Lord Pahnorston could not ; Lord John suited neither Lord Aberdeen norLord Palmerston the Coalition , consequently , compromises , and elects Lord Clarendon . He \ a a man who had never committed himself , who can speak French , receives well , is gracious in his manners—he is a highly finished English gentleman ; and no better representative of a Coalition facing Europe , could have been chosen ! But how unhappy Lord Clarendon must be puzzled between tho contending forces and policies ! As mask of a single strong man , ho would bo felicitous and facile ; but how cover ho many faces ? Four or five of tho cleverest men in Europe ure conspiring at , and cajoling , and managing him ; Louis Napoleon , Baron Brunnow , Lords Aberdeen and Pahnorston , and Princo Albert . Fearful is his position " -despieahlo his perplexity !
Since Snout acted Wall between Pyrumus and Thifibo , or since Rubolnis' dead giant served an a weapon to live 1 'antagrucl , a less magnificent function has soldoin been performed than that fulfilled by Lord Clarendon , as Secretary for Foreign Affairs , between two ex-SucroturioH for Foroign Affairs . Which « ug »
gests , that , after all , the Governing Classes , when the are ambitious without ability , have their trou bles al Non-Electob .
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THE TWO EMPERORS ; ¦ ¦ . \ ¦ ¦¦ "' . -ok , . . .. ¦ .: ¦ ¦" „ . THE "WARS OP THE CLYI } E AND THE TAMAR The Emperor on the Clyde reigneth right royally W hath faithful subjects , he commandeth armies , attacketh " gillies , " overcometh fortifications , and generally win neth victories . Sir James Colquhoun employs troops of somewhat rarefied Covenanters , with wooden poles and wooden heads , to poke and to scare off his northern Majesty , when he attempts to land " his people" afc Gareloch . Of course a little heretical jousting takes place , and a Sunday morning tournament is unexpectedly added to the amusements of the Clyde . Lord Eglinton enjoys this species of diversion at secular seasons , at Irvine Castle ; it has been reserved for Sir James Colquhoun to hold tournaments during divine service at Gareloch Head . This worthy Knight has ordered one pier to be removed , so that no accessible accommodation may remain for landing passengers from the steamer . The Lords of the Admiralty , happily less bigoted than this Scotch Knightj are willing that the public shall have the use of all piers on the River under their jurisdiction—and an action at lawniay , therefore , teach Sir James Colquhoun his public duty . And fortifications , Irazen 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 . War reigneth on the Clyde between the Presbytery , commanded by the wooden General , Saint Colqulioun , and his Imperial Majesty—the Emperor Steamer . Should not the Pcacs Society interfere ? It would be to the credit of Scotland that blows should be prevented in this case . The world has been told of the " auld" Scotch
lady who , assured by the geologist that he was merely breaking stones on the Seventh day , answered that lie was doing " mair , " he was breaking the Sabbath . Hut 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 . The ring of the hammer may not ho heard on the rock , but the bludgeons of the Presbytery may resound on the head 3 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 he took means to preserve the public peace , broken by Commander Colquhoun ' s timber servants , they would not be held responsible . They also wrote to the Lord Advocate , who instructed them , to repeat the letter in his name to the Sheriff , which was done , and since , barricades have been put qi , but no defenders have appeared behind them . ^ - >»»— - ^ On Sunday last , on the Emperor ' s arrival at Gareloch Head , two " tremendous" barricades ( erected l > y order of tho Lord Lieutenant of the county ) appeared ,
deep , lofty , and of good new wood . Tho Emperor M daining Lord Lieutenants , ordered out his imperial " sappers , " and u boat was lowered of trusty and loyal carpenters , bearing a suitable assortment of the weuponn of their « service . " Immediately ( as the reporter son at Chohhum ) " the brave men opened fire , " ono of tlio barricades fell crash , splash into tho sen , " niuMl clicei . from the whole field . " Tho second fortification tn y attacked in this wise—they cut a door-wny rig through the centre , and left tho barrieado stunding ^ and uninjured . A consentaneous , ring ing , i " " boutfull of laughter greeted this stratagem ; nna ^ passengers safely and comfortably marched throng i
aperture to the mountain side . iU )() . Some time ago , two or threo boats did mil " ^ lested down the Clyde on the Sunday , a » ( Ulu ' ° X . ! "j jl , () f under which it was accomplished was charncten » , ^ the national ingenuity . Intimations were tf * ' . ^^ on certain Sundays the Sacrament would bo «< ^ tered to the devout of Dunoon , and fneiww ^ celebration ( in favour of which teetotal w < : i () l j ! ' . ^^ exception ) were offered the opportunity " ^ J ^ ^ in it , as n steamer would sail from tho JJl ' ' ;' : ' ,,,, .,:,, ) m ii ., as u steamer woumi sau m > u « « ' ¦•« -- . ( | ovi < ()
Buitable hour , with passengers to Dunoon . / j | llt ^ o \ v , succeeded , and the passengers increase * . , / th " always credulous as to tho numerical strong < ^^ jk faithful , was itself astonished at tho number . ^ ^_ devout mission bent . The numbers grew wi ^ ^^ portunify . First ono steamer , then two , ^ ^ . j ( , i woi-o loaded with Huoramontal recipient 111 () 1 ninK cheerful ly past Renfrew by nine o ' clock in ^ ]{ l ] t ^ of the " " unlawful" day ; and many who l * { hnnL \ before that they were in t \ " ntate of g 1 ' ^ £ „ , „• th « in » elvon suddenly enliutcd in tho caueo
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* Want of npneo alono precludes tin from quoting |] , j H Htrarigfi , and , j roud in tho li ht of jproeont facto , pufliuionM y ridiculous oration *
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902 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 17, 1853, page 902, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2004/page/14/
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