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Leader (1850-1860), 28th April 1855, Edition 1 of 2, Page 386

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      Untitled Article

      ferent course on this occasion , or one more friendly to Russia . Respecting the actual position of Austria , therefore ,-we must await further information , treating the somewhat desponding spirit which appears to link under the admonitions of our own official journals te > bej . perhaps ,. « s-ranch overstrained as their previous confidence in oatr ally . This is rendered the more probable by a new tone said to have come * crver the Austrian Ministers , even since this laafc display of BwsBian arrogance and duplicity .

      The French Emperor , who was careful to date an ordinance , addressed to his own subjects , and signed " Napoleon , " from " Windsor Castle , " is equally careful to publish in the Momteur the addresses which he received from London , Manchester , Southampton , &c . There is every sign that , officially , the union with France and England is considered to be as close as it could be rendered by the strongest pledges and the utmost cordiality . This also is a fact which has a more interesting signification than for the moment

      appears . There seems to be no question whether the Emjperob . intends to proceed to the Crimea . Some day soon after the 1 st of next month is now fixed for his departure . He goes to take the field against Russia , and war therefore continues ; arid from the state of affairs it must continue on an enlarged scale , with greater bloodshed , more 1 exertion , and further sacrifices ; for the Emperor . ' wills it- The alliance between the Tuileries and Downing-street is complete , and we must follow the march of the " brave et beau Dunois . "

      It is tinder these circumstances that we proceed with the War Budget . It is made a boast on behalf of the" Chancellor of the Exchequer , that he 1 has amply provided for the year , and has secured even a surplus upon € b . e actual expenditure . The military outlay , we are told , will be 43 , 000 , 000 ? ., while he has taken more than 4 , 000 , 000 £ for contingencies , with power to issue 3 , 000 , 000 ? . of Exchequer Bills—apparently to meet any defalcation , in the Loan , though that is not probable . The Exchequer Bills are not to be issued pending the

      receipt of instalments for the Loan , so that they will either not be issued at all , or only be used in the interval between the 18 th of December and the subsequent meeting of Parliament . But how is any mortal man to know that- the expenditure for the financial year 1855-6 will be limited to the amount set down beforehand by Sir CoRNEWALX . Lewis ? The expenditure of 40 or 50 , 000 , 000 ? . for war alone out of a Budget

      realising 63 , O 00 , OO 0 Z . as revenue , leaves us , in fact , a real deficit . The whole extent of the Loan is a deficit . Xet that is an expenditure calculate only for the war in the Crimea and the Baltic ; but who knows that we shall stop there ? . Who knows that the Sardinian loan will be our only advance to allies ? Who knows , in short , upon what fields the contest may he waged during the current year , or the part which this country may have to take in following the Emperor ?

      While the finance is in this condition of probable development , our administration seems to be threatened with a break-down . The Sebastopol Committee has pushed its trenches right into the War Ministry , and has , with the assistance of the Duke of Newcastle , who was examined at full length for soveral days this week , thoroughly inquired into the disorganised stato of that Ministry , which divides its authority amongst the

      Secretary of State and his subordinates , the Treasury , the Horse Guards , the Ordnance , and even the Admiralty , ¦ w ith all kinds Of subdivision amongst their subordinates . Even Lord Raglan , Commandor-in-Chief in the Crimea , did not fully carry out tho instructions sent to him ; but unable to fulfil tho inquiries which he was ordered to make before- the Crimea expedition , ho set out unassisted by thoso inquiries . Lord IIaudinge appointed Lord Luoan and other Generals

      without consulting the War Minister—Lord Lucan being one ofthe active causes of disagreement . The Board of Admiralty and the Board of Ordnance had debates between themselves as to their liabilities ancfcjBrisdiction in matters of transport and thexKfce . 33 * e spirit of insubordination seems to have been exhibited by all" departments and all ranks * even tip to the Commander-in-Chiefl Lord P a kwbgT < wr h (\ s stated in the House of Commons

      this -wedtj . that a thaRwrgt reform of the-War Department is under consideration ; and it has been announced , not for the first time , that Lord Panmttre has resigned , bis broken health rendering it absolutely impossible for him . to continue at the head of the War Ministry . Until we have Lord P a j > merston ' s promised new administration , we may be said , to a great extent , to be without a military administration . The war is carried on by the Cabinet , and the departments fulfil so much of the instructions received from the Cabinet as they think fit ; so that the ultimate result is a matter of chance .

      Even the small scandals of the army belong to the news that colour the week . We have two cases before us . At Canterbury is stationed a depot of the Enniskillen Dragoons , and in that depot is a Cornet Batctmgarten , who has been subjected to treatment of the Perryan order . Though he has none of the incompatibilities of a Perry , he is warranted by an old College friend at Oxford to be an accomplished sportsman and a

      pleasant companion . His sword broken , the plume of his helmet broken , buckets of water thrown in his bed , his linen-chest deluged , his window and looking-glass smashed , his charger tailed and cropped , with other indignities that gentlemen cannot even mention . Driven at last to some desperate measures , afraid , perhaps , to " peach , " he challenges his tormentors , and then appears worthy Sergeant Brodie with a strong protest against " murder I " The treatment of this sergeant introduces a new

      incident quite unexpected enough for romance . Adjutant Webster comes up with a file of men and seizes , not the duellists , but the sergeant , who is ordered to be knocked down by the men with the butt-ends of the carbines if he resists . The breach of discipline in this last incident is so complicated that we know no parallel-to . it-except the . position . of Whiskerandos and the Nieces . It will be curious to see how Sergeant Brobie is treated by the sophists who rule our military discipline .

      This case was precede by another , in the Thirtieth Regiment ,, where they seem to have brought the practical joking to high perfection . Ensign Falknkr was subjected to threats that he should be thrown outof window ; attempts were made to throw him out ; his mouth was smeared with tallow ; he was kicked out of the room , and otherwise maltreated by " officers and gentlemen . " The Commandor-in-Chief resolutely set his face against these practices : one officer who apologised is let off with a reprimand ; another who repeated tho offensive conduct is threatened with expulsion , and subjected to surveillance with periodical reports .

      So far , well . But wlalo money is made the tost of admission to the army ; while the hands of officers are prevented from defending their own personal inviolability by puritanicul rules against duelling ; and while tho post of officer is a close place , the property of tho purchaser—there must continue a rottonness in our army calculated to render it inefficient before tho enemy .

      Untitled Article

      THE VIENNA CONFERENCES . In ~ reply to- a question from Mr . Bright , on Moi touching the termination of the Vienna Confers Lord Palmewtoit said : — " Tbie question . ' which the hon . member has put such gieat importance that I cannot shrink from { the House and the country some explanation . m * r Ire the tftne at which her Majesty ' s goven may think fit *> give a mare detailed explanation , not at present ia a condition to state . But it i known to the House that the English and Frenci vernments , in concert with the Government of At

      had determined that the proper development of the Point , -which regarded the treaties of 1840 and li respect to the Straits of the Dardanelles and the phorus , required , amongst other things , that the pi derance of Russia in the Black Sea should henc cease . That principle was laid down by Englam France , and was agreed to by Austria , and it principle which , in the abstract , was accepted b Russian plenipotentiary . On Thursday last , the potentiaries of England , France , Austria , Turkey Russia , met to consider this point . The plenipoteir of England , France , Austria , and Turkey proposi the mode of carrying out this principle , which had admitted and accepted by Russia , either that the ai of the Russian naval force in the Black Sea s

      henceforth be limited by treaty , or that the Blac should be declared neutral ground entirely , where ships of war would be excluded from that sea , so it would be a sea for commerce only in future . Russian plenipotentiary required forty-eight hou take that proposition into consideration . These J eight hours having elapsed on Saturday , another ference was held on that day , and there the Rv plenipotentiary absolutely refused to accept eith those alternatives thus pressed unanimously by ti presentatives of the other Jbur powers . Thereupc conference was adjourned sine die , and my noble and M . Drouyn . de Lhuys , the ministers of Englar France , were to take their departure from Vienna course of the present day . "

      Sir H . Willoughby — ' Was any countei position made by Russia ?" Lord Palmerston— " Russia made no coi proposition whatever . " In the House of Lords , on Tuesday , the Ei Malmesbury asked certain questions with rega the debates in the Congress , and the attitud sumed by Russia . He likewise desired to ] whether it is now intended that Prussia shall b

      of the protecting powers over the principalities ; also what the Government consider to be the ol of the war , and a fitting equivalent for the expi ture of so much blood and treasure . Lord Wai bury expressed his opinion that , if Russia hac ceded to the proposal for limiting her ships in Black Sea , she would not have held to the trcatj more than she hua held to that for opening mouths of the Danube . The Earl of Claiiendon replied : —

      " My noble friend is right in his assumption th tho First and Second Points Russia acceded , nnd they were finally determined . When the Third came under discussion , tho representatives of the i Powers , in order to prove that they had no wish tc miliate Russia , but , on tho contrary , desired to co her dignity , proposed to the Russian represents themselves to take the initiative as to the nicai which they would give effect to tho principle of proposition . The Russian plenipotentiaries acknow ! the courtesy of tho proceeding , but naked for time to to their Government . That time was given ; but ii meanwhile , and for obvious reasons , we declined to (

      with tho discussion of the Fourth Point . The an from St . Petersburg arrived , and it was that tho IJii : Governmont had no proposition to make John Russell left Vienna on Monday . With respc tho position which Prussia has occup ied in tho cour these negotiations , I enn only sny that tho position -w nhc has occupied , nnd which she continues to oer entirely excluded her from tho Conference , nnd ( her from Jill the arrangement ** that might havo boon n Regarding the coiiHcquonccs that might bo expected tho limitation of tho power of Russia in the JJIll < : k and tho manner in which Russia would be boun stipulations , I think that at this moment it would n < convenient to refer to them till your lordships uro

      Untitled Article

      Scukw PitoruLSiON . —A committee has been formed for presenting sonic testimonial to Mr . Francis l ' ettit Smith , tho inventor , or at nny rate tho great improver , of tho screw-propeller . Wo understand that Mr . Smith has received no public acknowledgment or pecuniary reward of his services . Tho committee , wo truwt , will meet with tho success it desorvos .

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      IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT ,

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      3 » t > - * - - * - « -- " - " - " * - ¦ . - —¦ — — L- — ^^

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), April 28, 1855, page 386, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2088/page/2/