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    ' ^ % . ~ ~ " <i)l[l]YUUU wOn'^.SBOJKlCHC?. '"' L '

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    time . The more stringent lie is in resistance to popular freedom , the severer the reaction . ^ It is not long within human memory that the right of Englishmen—their acknowledged birthright— -to have arms was contested . The dominant party , that for thirty years had ruled by increasing and continual restrictions , feared for itself , conscious of its misrule , and dreaded an insurrection , almost justifiable by the continual breaches of constitutional and individual right . A change in the dominant councils forced by the nation , a reform in Parliament and continued ameliorations , have rendered the proceedings of the

    time to . which I allude almost impossible of belief , did not some millions , still alive in this country , -well remember them . What lias been the result of this " yielding to progress , and of banishing distrust in the people by wiser political measures ? "what but that the throne of Queen Victoria is the firmest in the world ; that no realm is really so free as that over which she is chief magistrate- —a realm where all may speak their minds , print their opinions , be protected in their reliarious observances , be secured in their property ,

    and live in peace . In . the . meanwhile ' our race is colonising new lands , and founding mighty empires , even at the antipodes . Commerce and wealth are marvelloxisly increasing , and the name of an Englishman was never more respected , and all this through the people forcing the Government to reverse its former actions and pursue a course so unpalatable to the spirit of Austrian despotism and German petty kingshi p * that they should be in the Litany as things from which we should daily pray to be delivered " now and for evermore . "

    The alarm of " England in danger" —it Used to be " the Church in danger" —is / unaccountable , except through , German influence . John Bull does not reason ; he does not boast a memory worth having , or he would recollect that when Napoleon I . threatened to ' invade England , had 100 , 000 men and vessels ready at Boulogne , which our navy prevented coming out , that a heavy bribe to venal Austria made her declare war against France . Napoleon inarched his 100 , men to Vienna , and all fear of invasion was over . Napoleon III . is pur friend , his arrny is in Italy , and he has quite enough upon his hands . He has

    no means of invading us ; he must pray a ^ southeast wind , perjure himself , and mount his army into the air in balloons to get here , and violate our alliance—things he has never dreamed about . He knows the value of our friendship ^ and the tremendous weight of our power ; he is not one of the "in and in breed . " He is no fool ; and those who call him a usurper , may recollect that he appealed to the suffrage of millions in France , Jtnd was their choice , with which we in England have nothing more to do

    than to x-emaik that the beautiful city of l ' aris is kept at peace . Blood no longer flows hi the streets , the blood of contending factions , after having had an opportunity of governing themselves again and again ,, and hating each other into anarchy . Napoleon , they said , dared not leave Paris ; he ruled it with an army— -he has left it , and with few troop ? , yet the houses are no longer shaken by camion , nor personal rights violated by contending politicians . When will Austria appeal to the people by . vote to settle the sovereignty of the House of Hapaburg , should its power become dubious ? Tlmt principle in France is worth something .

    Whence , then , the alarm of England without the shadow of danger , that a few more ships in commission might not reasonably remove , if t h ere were ground for it P I reply that it arises out of an attempt to vaiso a German , and through that an Austrian , interest here- —no matter how hostile to reedom . Every word that indicates friendship to the glorious cause- of Italy and freedom is held to bo blasphemy , I too mucw fear , in some quarters in this country . Let the ministry look to it . The counter to

    throne itself cannot now run public opinion , nor will any administration be spared that dashes the present golden cup from the lip of the toiling and fireeborn of England , to uphold the power of the common enemies of mankind . Stern neutrality is owv duty . Let us leave the Auntriana and Germane to batten still , if it bo thoir wish , in the rooking sty of . their , self-willed slavery , but let ms givo Italy our good wishes . 1 ' aoj ^ o . At Rochdulo it is intended to hold a banquet in honour of Mr . Cobdon , shortly after that gentleman ' s return to Knglund .

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    ^ GERMANY . [ . FROM A SPKCIAIi COItltKSPONDKNT . ] June 1 st ... -: The apparently decided neutrality of England , and th ' e strength -development ( JKraft-ejittcicklunij ) , as it is termed by Austrian official reports , at Mqntehello , have produced a considerable' . change in tlie public mind since my last communication . NotwitlistaiNliriir the' very

    favourable reports of the Tiinas , and , if we may believe the German papers , the dispatches of Mr .- Mihimay , of whom is given a biography , including an account of how he lost his rank in the army once in consequence of a ¦ mesalliance— 'all served up as a sort of guarantee , Ipresuuie , of his credibility , —the mass of the people' here give the victory to the French . Tin : Austriaiis- are now not regarded as quite so Germanic as they were , two weeks ago . Voices are now and tlion heard applying the term Croats to them instead of -Deutschcn , and should the French gain the first grand battle yourreadcrs ot

    may rely upon it they will meet with the welcome very distant and very poor relations afthe hands of their pre- ' sent German brethren . The people of Hamburg , more particularly , openly express their delight at the defeat of their oppressors of " 1848 . They are not touched by any sentiments of sympathy on account of blood relationship , as is my Lord Malmesbury , whom , by the way , I would recommend to go to school again and study history . Where did he learn that the Austrians were kinsmen ot the English ? He sympathises with the Sardinians because tliev have a Constitution , and with the Austrian *

    because—however divergent in liberty , religion , manners , customs , physiognomy , &c ., &c ., ~ they are of the saine origin . This is pretty language for a statesman , and , indeed , does England very little credit . My astonishment was great when 1 rend that cftusion , but I remembered the saying of Gxeustiorna to his son : My son , thou little knoweat with how small an amount ot wisdom the world is governed . " The motion made by Hnnover in the l-i-durnj Diet-to the effect that an army of observnti . on should bt . stationed on the llhlno , " has exposed the unfortunate lfinn- tn mnnli ridicule , for it is supposed ho h « s Itoen icu in

    to this step by his wife ' s relations , or his Iirilrrl r . ^ cr , Whom it is asserted he has placed all his conlldunco , n id Un-ou ^ very decidedly upon the matter . She proton id 11 ougli her Ambassador agninst this assumption of dicta on in the military affairs of the Confederation on ho part oi Hanover , and gnvc the Diet to understand tlntflucli motions inndq % i anticipation of tho cvoiitn wJic they were intended to meet would over bc » ; imwt stio ] x 0 ™ 1 ? . opposed . Since this doclnmtlnn tho ftl Iddlu fc . tn « s au > bliown a much less bold front than formerly , nnd in dutf begin to ovinco aa much fear of Prussia as ot Irancu a fo . fr which is incensed by tlm close ul lance ol , t ic ' two Koyal Houbos of England and Prussia . r lho tl < - i won K know j . nnd will never lbi « et-Sux « ny more o » ^ l-Uly not—thut Prussia has becomu a great power tluoig , tl . einstru . nontnnty of England , and at . tliu expon ^ tho other States of Germany . . ft 'T ? m " * it wns Lord Cnstlorengh ' s desfre , in IBIS , to « j all Snxony , nnd ovon Ilnnoyer to Vnir >»» tin t j powerful Protestant nation might '' VT Uno i * tho scalea ngainst tho GroJk Catholic , » o j on the ono side , and tho lloninn Catholic ilesj otl * u on tho other . Ho w . ia , of courso , » P 1 >« » ^ »> all parties , nnd Prussia hnd to be contnut wltu mo plunder of tho scapegoat Saxony . . ,,, , ...,,, Tho Prussian Oonornl > VJ 1 lacn is now i t J on ., negotiating on behalf of Prussia for lie sl l > roi « e cu mand of tho Federal Army | but tho Aiwirln ¦ « •" Bavarians will nover consont . to Hint , )»^ m , ij nPJ . tho . former meet ; with n sovoro defimt . It lij , ]» ' > 'j J » to give them an exouso for ryfueing tho 1 ' vubbIiiu tta

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    TRAFFIC ROADS THROUGH BATTEESEA FIEUDS . [ communicated . ] It not unfrequently happens that we pay more attenr tion to objects -which appeal to our predilections , our passions ; our prejudices , or our fears , than to-those which , though less striking or attractive , are yet really more certain to affect , personally and continuously , our convenience , our business , bur pockets , or our pleasures ; and thus it seems to be at the present moment with regard to the lines of road to which Chelsea new Suspension Bridge is the key .

    A very large proportion of us are mere money spinners , regardless of all but immediate pecuniary gain ; and those who are not , are generally so absorbed by the questions of the day , " that any marauders who please may rob us , under pur very poses , of what may hvee cost years of trouble to philanthropic men and a large amount of public money to accomplish . It is upwards of twenty years since the new park and bridge at Batteasea-fields were first proposed , and the proposal received with a general though negative approval ; and though even now they have heen but just carried out , at an expense of upwards of . £ 380 , 000 . to the public , yet their value and utility are already jeopardised , and will be lost this session of Parliament unless the public at once speak out to prohibit it .

    by increasing the traffic over it so as to paj' off the money borrowed on that security , —and with the Commissioners of the park and bridge declaring themselves powerless "toexecute " or even " to con tribute towards the execution Of" this approach " which collectively and officially they " state ( as their opinion ) ¦ . .. would be very desirable both as regards the interest of the public generally , . and that of the owners and occupiers of lands in the neighbourhood " by which we may infer that they feel perhaps correctly , that the public rather than themselves ought to take the lead in endeavouring to obtain ) , —we say that , with all these advantag es and incitements on the contrary side , we can scarcely understand so monstrous an anomaly as that a private trading company should , exclusively for their own gain , be allowed thus permanently to obstruct , and inconvenience the public .

    As these new lines will not come before the private committee of the House of Commons until thereopening of Parliament * there is still time , by using despatch , for petitions to be got up , praying a reconi " mittal of the selected bill , with special instructions to the committee to examine into this particular point ; and that the plans and . sections may be amended so that all the lines across Battersea-fields may be kept on embankment , as the South-Western and Richmond lines now are ; and that the Victoriaroad , from the end of the bridge southwards , may be carried under them at once * after which plenty of parties will be found to continue it to the Wandswort lr-road'by more than one route .- ' ¦

    Independently of the park itself and its purposes , the bridge would be invaluable to a very large section of the inhabitants of . London , could it be used as a means of intercommunicot on between the districts contiguous to it on both sides of the Thames , which , unfortunately , is not yet the case , from the approach on the south side being still incomplete . The admitted necessity for increased railway terminal , accommodation brought no less than five competing companies before Parliament for powers to continue " the West London Railway" ' from Hammersmith , round through Battersea-fields , to the new Victoria Station in Piml ' ico > and although two of these are now defunct , there are still three to " fight for the Act . "

    This may be said to be their own affair , and as -none of them presents any peculiar features of superior public advantage as compared with its rivals , it would bis so were it not that the whole of them have been projected to cross Battersea-fields , on a level with their surface , or very nearly so , and all close to the present JLondon and South Western Railway , which is on an embankment . The obvious effect of this will be to render the completion of a southern approach to the new bridge impossible , otherwise than by carrying a viaduct over all the lines , embankment included , which , from the height thus required , will be a very costly work , extremely inconvenient when finished , and irremediably destructive of the ground as sites for firstclass residences , with which , were the road , carried under the railways , its sides would be certain to be occupied .

    " We find , from the South London Journal , that this subject has already been brought before the notice oi the inhabitants of Clapham and Battersea by Mr . F . W . Beaumont , C . M . E ., of Clapham , who has also corresponded favourably with Lord John Manners , W . Ronpell , Esq ., M . P ., Sir Charles Barry , and other gentlemen , copies of which were given by the South London Journalof last Saturday week . As Mr . Beaumont is continuing his spirited exertions , we certainly hope that ho will bo cordially and energetically supported , as ho deserves to bo , not only by his ovrh ' neighbourhood , but by Phulico also , the inhabitants of which will bo quite « s much benefittcd aa those on the south side of tho Thames , if not more

    so . We were , of course , qxiitc aware that tho Crystal Palaco Railway is already on the surface of Battorsea-flelda , and , close to the embankment of tho other line at an objectionable point , but are obliged to Mr . JJeaumont for tho information that this has been done in contravention of tho act of incorporation , and is , therefore , remediable . by Parliament , if not by any less powerful tribunal ; and wo certainly do not see that tho Crystal Palaco Railway Company will have the slightest ground for" crying out against their . being compelled to comply with tho terms on which they obtained thoir Act , us boing a hardship on them , because there cannot be a doubt

    that , had they on their deposited sections shown thoir line as to bo on the surface of the ground , they would have been opposed ovon more strenuously than tho proposed new linos now are . Wo can scarcely understand bo monstrous an nnoumly us thatwith an outcry for increased bridge nccomniodatiou , —with a bridge actually built at a cost of DO . ODOJ . to tho public ( independently of ita approaches)—with flrat-olass building sites lying useless around and belonging to Battersea Park , and which might , by completing tho southern approach , bo miido available as a reduction of tho cost of Battorseiv 3 P « rk , ~^ vith a clamour for tho removul of tho toll on the now bridge , which might bo accomplished

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    700 THE LEADER , [ Public Affair

    ' ^ % . ~ ~ " &Lt;I)L[L]Yuuu Won'^.Sbojklchc?. '"' L '

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• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), June 4, 1859, page 700, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2297/page/16/