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mar . and diplomatic relations may be at their height , an &&T « rae vote in Parliament may at a moment deprive the -. jQaeen of the -whole of her . confidential ^ servants . Genctlemen , our constitutional government is undergoing a . teary trial , and we shall not get successfully through it zaale sa the country will grant its confidence—patriotic , intelligent , and self-denying confidence—to her Majesty's ¦ .: government . ( Loud cheers . ") Gentlemen , I propose to you to drink the health of Viscount Palmerston and her Majesty ' s Ministers . " Lord Palmerston , in acknowledging this toast , made a very commonplace speech , full of stale quotations and . metaphors about " the battle and the breeze , " " a long pull , a strong pull , and a pull , altogether , " " the vessel of the state , " " weathering the storm , " " noble crew , " &c . Of course he was loudly cheered .
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PRESENTATION OF BURMESE MEDALS . ( "We were compelled by the extreme pressure of other matter to omit the following from our last week ' s paper . ] The presentation , by the Queen , of the Crimean medals has been followed by a ceremony of a similar kind , less imposing , indeed , less touching , and less brilliant , yet of interest in these war times , when the . profession of the soldier has a gravity and importance Very different from the idle , sauntering , holiday character of military men during the days of peace . On Monday week , Sir Harry Smith presented at Manchester the medals granted by the East India Company to the 51 st ( King ' s Own ) Light Infantry , which was engaged in the late Burmese war . The fact of the regiment being under orders for the Crimea added a -deep , and we might almost say pathetic , interest to the occasion . The medals distributed were upwards xjf four hundred . Sir Harry Smith , having addressed each soldier separately during the presentation , made some reremarks to the regiment collectively at the concluclusion . In the course of these , he said : — " You are about , my men , to proceed on another arduous service . I say arduous , because many of you know what it is to be a soldier . The life of a soldier is not that of a feather-bed . We don't expect a comfortable bed , but enough to eat and drink ; . and fighting is all we look forward to , and an endeavour to keep out of hospital . And now , you old soldiers , try to teach the young ones what they have to do in camp and not to expose themselves unnecessarily to tlie sun , or to drink when they had better be asleep ;
teach them that our duty is to preserve ourselves for the purpose of destroying our enemy . Then , my men , we may obtain that glorious result of war — peace . And now , 51 st 1 / igbt Infantry , go where you may , well do I know vyou "will uphold that character which the regiment -ifc » s « eaTned , and which is written on its colours . Do ^ your duty , my men , fear no one , and look forward to promotion . There is no reason why many of you now ;; hv the ranks should not attain to elevated stations in her ^ Mojesty ' s army ; and it is the desire of the Queen vand the country to promote those who have shown ^• examples of gallantry , by the side of those who have 'Stood in the ranks like yourselves , and are now wearing medals , and are officers in her Majesty ' s service . this
Let t » s therefore hope that , by your assistance , war » walLi « oon be terminated , and that , when you come to 'iy < mr native land once more , you will strut about the seteeets like gentlemen with the medals which havo been 4 feia' day distributed to you , and with others that your 'gallantry will earn . " T There are certain points of comparison between ther-two ceremonies—that in the park at London , and "that at Manchester—which involuntarily present "themselves to the mind . The Queen distributed her "rewards to men who had already gathered their fame in the fields of the far-off Chersonese , and who had "returned , pale and faint and shattered , from that Titanic contest which now holds the world breathless :
HSir Harry Smith bestowed the medals of a private company upon men distinguished in a more distant but less arduous scene , and who are now about to depart for that blood-stained peninsula from which "their comrades have come back with honourable 'acitrs . In the one case there was the sickness of ¦ long suffering , the premature lameness anil helpless dependency of men hacked and rent in tho pride of 'their youthful manhood : in the other , confident and ' healthy strength , as yet untouched , but going hopefully forth to confront at any rate a chunco of the ' oamo fate , Let us trust , however , that at loast a majority of those now on their route will return , to receive ( as they will assuredly deserve to receive ) tho added laurels of still higher deeds than those which they have even now performed , and to take their station -witli tho recognised l > undn of Crimean heroes .
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AMERICA . Tide examinations of tho persons charged with enlisting recruits for tho Crimea continue ; and the caaoa havo been adjourned . Throo individuals have « 1 b& been examined ou a charge of fitting out a brig
at the port of New York for the African slave trade ; a . nd have been remanded . —Captain Kinney ' s " filibustering" vessel has been blockaded by three Government steamers and a revenue cutter in East River , New York . An attempt to sail was frustrated . —Accounts from California mention that the crops are in admirable condition . The mistake or imposition about new diggings at Kern river was thoroughly exploded ; but fresh reports of still further gold discoveries were in existence . Business was dull . The Legislature had adopted an act to levy a capitation tax of fifty dollars on every Chinaman arriving in the State . —Santa Anna , at the latest accounts , was advancing on Zamora ; and
report spoke of the Government troops having gained a victory at Guanaxuato . The army or Santa Anna had been separated by the skilful manoeuvring of his opponents . —The news of the combination of the Sioux Indians against the whites is confirmed : their attitude is extremely menacing . — The Canadian Legislature has been prorogued , after throwing out a bill for applying the principle of popular elections to the House . The Toronto Globe intimates that the removal of the seat of the Canadian Government to Toronto is pretty certain . A Government agent has been at Toronto making arrangements for the necessary buildings . —The house of Page , Bacon , and Co ., of San . Francisco , has again failed .
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M . Sople and Mr . Perry : Serious Charges . — The New York papers contain a letter addressed to the President by Mr . Ferry , United States charyd d ' affaires at Madrid , in reply to the charges recently brought against him by M . Soule , who had denounced him as " a spy and a traitor . " Mr . Perry , in reply , taxes the Americo-Frenehnum with having transmitted erroneous information to the Washington Government with respect to the real views of tlie Spanish Cabinet and people in reference to the sale of Cuba . He also accuses him of having purposely
mismanaged the affair of the Black Warrior , so as to impede the success of the reclamations of the American ministry ; and of suppressing for five months an important despatch from the Secretary of State to the Spanish Government , relating to that affair . Mr . Perry asserts that , after the departure of M . Soule , the case was properly adjusted ; a settlement was obtained of certain claims which had been standing over since 1834 ; and an overture was made for the negotiation of a great treaty conferring immense mutual advantages upon Americans and Spaniards .
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ADMINISTRATIY-E » REFORM DEMONSTKJPflON . A meeting of the Administrative Reform Association was held on Wednesday evening , in Drury-lane Theatre , which was crowded in every part . Mr . Morley was in the chair , and read letters , apologising for absence , and approving of the objects- of the movement , from the Rev . S . G . Osborne , Mr . Hey wood , M . P ., Sir William Clay , M . P ., avid Mr . Charles Dickens . He spoke at some length ; but his arguments were similar to those which have already been advanced on several occasions , and do not call for analysis . Mr . Luyard then came forward , and was received with repeated bursts of applause . He said : — " If he were called upon to divide England into two parties as connected with this movement , ho should aay that on one side were all the men of common sense , of
respectability , and wealth , who by their perseverance and industry hoped to raise a name for themselves and to do good to the public service ; while on the other there was a small party who claimed to themselves tho monopoly of Government , and who lived , grew fat , and vegetated upon those corruptions and evils which tho Association wore determined , if possible , to remove . ( Cheers . " ) .... What had been tho manner in which tho war hitherto had been conducted ? Generally tho blame was thrown upon tho system , and an endeavour was made to exculpate persons . In the evidence given before tho Scbastopol Committee , no singlo fault had been pointed out which was not cither thrown upon tho system or upon Mr . Ward , who died several months ago . ( Lanahlcr . ) If anything was found
wanting which ought to havo been supplied for tho comfort of tho troops , it was always aaid to havo gone down in tho Prince . ( Lauy / tter . ) Now , ho believed that all the misfortunes ^ hat had arisen wcro to bo attributed to that nyHtom of misgovernmont of which tho society complained , and which tho public had for many yearn permitted to exist . . . . Need thoy feel surprised at this when thoy know , from tho testimony of Lord Aberdeen ( murmur * o /' disapprobation ) and Sidnay llorbert (¦/«?<;• - mum ') , that during two months , while the greatest ovonts wore in progress , nnd while tho dignity and honour of this country woro pledged as they had never before been pledged , thorn wan no Cabinet Council hold ? ( Cries of' JShama / ' ) All the Cabinet , with three exceptions—and thoy were Poeliton — woro away ainiisiiuy thomsolvoa . Thoy found at tho commencement of the
Crimean : expedition , on the testimony of Lord Aberdeen , all the information which the Government received wap almost entirely . derived , from the reports in the public papers . " Mr . Layard commented on the corrupt mode of distributing situations in public offices , and denounced our system of secret diplomacy , as well as the spirit of aristocratical cliqueism which rules in . the formation of our Governments . Mr . Lindsay , M . P ., gave some singular instances of Government apathy and mismanagement with respect to shipping .
" Aboutsix weeks ago he ¦ was asked by Sir DeLacy Evans if the scarcity of shipping was still as great as . it had been . His reply was , that shipping might be found to any amount ; when Sir De Lacy Evans said hW statement was very strange , because for more than a month he had been desirous of sending out 3000 horses to his division in the Crimea , and he had been told that it was impossible to find ships to carry them out . He ( Mr . Lindsay ) made inquiries into the matter , and subsequently addressed a letter to Sir De Lacy Evans , stating that some time ago a friend of his had written
to Lord Panmure , offering to supply , in twenty-four hours , a magnificent fleet of the finest ships in the world , capable of carrying out 2200 horses , at the low rate of 16 s . or 17 s . per ton registered tonnage . The answer received was the usual one—that the offer would be considered . Some time afterwards , another offer was made to the Government to find a fleet capable of taking out 2660 horses , and yet h . e ( Mr . Lindsay ) understood that to this day the larger portion of the horses referred to by Sir De Lacy Evans had not gone out . " ( ' ¦ ' ¦ Hear , hear ' and cries of" Shame" )
Mr . Lindsay then adduced further cases , in which the vexatious and inconsiderate conduct of Government with respect to shipowners had led to the loss of several valuable vessels , which had been taken , by tlie French Government . In conclusion , he observed : — " He had moved for returns to be made with respect to the transport service ; and , although the Government had taken five months to make them , yet there -were so many errors in them—even wilful errors he was afraidthat if a clerk of his had made one-tenth part of them he would have dismissed him , and he would not rest until the men who had made the errors in these returns were dismissed . " Mr . Tite , M . P ., Mr . Otway , M . P ., and Sir Charles Napier , briefly addressed the meeting , which then terminated .
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MURDER BY AN ENGLISHMAN IN FRANCE . John Edwakd Piers , a native of the Isle of Man , has been tried in France for a murder committed under very singular circumstances . He had resided for five-andtwenty years at St . Omer , and in the course of last April occupied the first floor of a house belonging to a coal-dealer named Barbion . On the 17 th of that month , Barbion was in his yard , talking with a workman ; and Piers was at his window , listening to then conversation . Shortly afterwards , Piers invited Barbion up into his room , and instantly shot 'him . On being taken into custody , he stated that his motive for committiug the deed was the fact of Barbion having made abominable imputations against him ; that these
imputations were of a nature to . dishonour him in England ; and that therefore he considered himself justified in taking Barbion ' s life . His answers to tho interrogatories of the President of the Court of Assizes exhibited singular determination , and tho existence of a most deadly feeling of revenge . Being asked if he admitted having killed tho man , ho at once said " Yes . " He hud been found after the murder armed with pistols and . other weapons ; and he now acknowledged that this was to protect himself from violence . He said that , on inviting Barbion up into his room , ho was firmly resolved to kill him . '' The act you have committed , " observed tho President , "is the greatest of crimes . " "The imputation cast on me , " retorted Piers , " was infinitely more serious than what I have done . It was the most
dreadful outrage that can bo made on a man ; mid , without being dishonoured , a man cannot allow the person who made it to live . " Ho addod , that Ijg did not / ire at Barbion while ho v / aa in tho yard because ho was afraid of missing him . Tho President desired to know why , if he believed hiinsolf insulted , ho hud not chullonged Uarbion to fight a duel . " A duel , " replied Piers , " was impossible between us , because it was necessary to put him to death , and it would not have been possible to haTO found seconds who would have consented to that . Besides , 1 wanted to take his life and not expose my own , ; for if ho had killed mo , I should have died dishonoured . " Upon tho public prosecutor demanding whether , under tho same circumstances , ho would again act in the eauio way 1 'ioM replied , " Yen , Sir . "
, in defence , it was asserted that the man was demented ; that Jio lay under continual rtiiHjjidoii of persons talking ill of him ; that ho would frajuently rise at night to listuii whether people were spunking against him in tlio street ; and that on one ocuntiion lie lired a pistol at three individuals who woro talking benoath his window . Two medical niou atated that tlioy believed him . to bo
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jffiraeBFld . 3 . 855 . J THE LEADER . * M& 9
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Leader (1850-1860), June 16, 1855, page 559, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2095/page/7/
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