Extracts.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 588, 23 June 1858, Page 3

Extracts.

XOBD PALMERSTON'S ADMINISTATION.

„-■■ .(From the' Times,' Feb. 23.)

He must indeed be.'a narrow and intemperate opponent who would deny to the administration which has just come to an'end the credit of having conducted the national, affairs with extraordinary ability'and success. When we consider the position of England three years since, and its position now, we learn how much we may fairly attribute to the Government of Lord Palmerston. That government has not indeed been ; distinguished by any great amount of oratorical talents, it has not sought for help among the rising'men of the country, it has not advocated any broad-principles of policy or taken the initiative in any. sweeping reforms, and yet it has dorie.more for the honor, the external influence^ and the domestic improvement of -England than any which has held power of late years. These results have been principally owing to the vigour of its. chief, and his ascendancy over his colleagues, his party, and the public opinion of the country.'The government: has been, essentially a strong governmehtj and while it. remained in office,. every Englishman felt that there was a power, established which, though it might not attempt:much that was new and'striking, yet would meet every national question with firmness, activity, and shrewdness. . Lord Palmerston was called to the first post in the government three years ago, as a man of action./.There was nothing to allege against his predecessors on the score of good intentions, long experience, and a full comprehension of affairs. Lord, Aberdeen.and Lord John Russell and Lord Derby may be considered to know as much as Lord Palmerston of the British Constitution,, and 'the..working of. Parliamentary government, and the conduct of an administration in, a free country. Nor are they' : ignorant of our international relations and the hereditary policy of these kingdoms.' But at the beginning .of 1855 a heavy calamity.had fallen on the '' country; An army.'had been wasted, and almost destroyed, by, causes, more or less, avoidable.- The nation, at first, incredulous 'of the news, had given itself up to a frenzy of shame, grief, and Those .who,,were supposed to: be guilty ofremissness. were expelled from oflice, and Lord Palmerston was called to the head, of affairs, by. the unanimous, voice of the nation. may be some who willsay that he came in'with the returning title of prosperity, fand gained the credit of an improvement which, was but tlie natural consequence of'the previous, mishaps; But this reasoning will not stand'|bhe test'of factsV, There cannot be a doubt tha]fc from $he,' thne pf.Lord Pajiherston's accession to office he'devoted himself to that increase

and/improvement of the British ; force in ;the

Crimea, which within a twelvemonth enabled us > to threaten the/enemy witH anarmy,of native or foreign 'levy, amounting to not far from 106,006 nien. The/efficiency /of the Baltic fleet id its second campaign, and the extension of what miiy' be/~called the gunboat system, were also allnbst phtirely'tiie work of the Palmer3toir Administration; 'The resiilts of these naval improvements will probablybe, seen in the war "which isi now 'being: waged in the China seas, Nor was it in materiar things, alone that ithe energy of1 the administration was displayed. Lord Palnierstbn had other opponents than the Russians; and had to wage a war with other •weapons than shot or shell. It ; was always de- " clared by the admirers of the heayenrborri Mr. Pitt, that his chief glory was not his, defence of England against the Freiich Ilepubjici but against its adulators, and would-be >', iniitators at home. Lord Palmerstori has been the, pilot to weather a similar storm. Who can forget the unpatriotic eloquence of rthe last war? Who can forget that men, not upstarts or demagogues, or perverse theorists, but of long acquaintance with affairs,

of a good standing in society, .of liberal, education and culture, rose up night after night in Parliament to, denounce the. policy of resistance to Russia, to point out the impossibility of success, to exaggerate every reverse, to lessen every exploit, anci; finally, to counsel submission, and. the abandonment of France and Turkey by a separate peace?. The Conservatives, to do them justice, uttered no such language, but they may

well'remember it. from the mouths, of some who are now their allies and colleagues. In bringing ; the war to, a close Lord Palmerstohvmay have disappointed the hopes of a few fiery spirits,; but op. reflection all, must allow that lie acted wisely., Certainly ihe solid gains of the treaty have been of immense importance. Who could have thought five years since, when Nicholas was the arbiter of, Europe, and when his praises were sung even in the British House of Commons, that within three years his principal naval station would have been reduced to ruins, his Black Sea fleej; wQuld have ceased to exist, and Ismail, the most brilliant of the greatest' Russian" 'General, beeiTrestored to the Turks with' a large portion of territory? Turkey, saved, the Russian protectorate abolished oh the Danube, Sweden, brought into closer alliance with the Western Powers, and the pernicious influence of, Russia weakened throughout Europe, , have ..,.,been the results of that energetic policy of which Lord Palmerston was in "so' high" a degree the representative. " "

Since the conclusion of peace several questions have arisen, in two of, which ;Lqrd Palmerston's Government has taken a different view from the French Emperor, and eriforced'its opinion with a rigour which bears hut little resemblance to a submissive policy. In the affair of Bqigrad it is now universally admitted that the British Government was right, and that the French took a different view through an imperfect acquaintance with the merits of the question. The Russians, who. had ceded.the Danube, wished to retain the shore of, a Jake opening into it, a proceeding to which theßriiish Government flatly retused to consent,, That the matter was regulated in. accordance with its wishes . shows,how iuiiy ail the Powers, oh consideration^ admitted the justice of its views. The case of the Danubian Principalities is of -still greater importance, it has beeiy, the opinion of the British Oovernment; m common with the Porte and the Tw Srt C& binet-th^ the union of Moldavia and Wallaehia would be. dangerous to the integrity of the Ottoman Empire, This question

is also about to be regulated, in accordance with British opinions, unless, indeed, the sentiments expressed by Mr. Gladstone encourage other Powers to recede from the engagements they have taken. In the Persian and Chinese Wars it cannot be doubted that Lord Palmerston has endeavored to withhold the honor of this country, and who shall say that he has not been successful? Herat has been restored by the Persian Court, and it is likely that our influence at Teheran will for the future be sufficient to prevent the recurrence of any hostile policy. ! The results of the Chinese campaign we have yet to learn; but we may hope that its course, which has been as yet so favorable, will end with the establishment of closer relations with the Celestial Empire, and that in a few years our steamers will ascend the magnificent Yang-tse, and our adventurous tourists .enter in peace the most secluded towns of. the interior. We need not speak of the Indian mutiny and its innumerable tales of .heroism. It is sufficient to remind the country that a British force is encamped on Indian ground larger than any which has ever been sent to a dependency by any European .nation. Among the first acts of the new Government will be to provide a Government for the empire which Lord Palmerston has been mainly instrumental in saving. With regard to domestic policy the services of the Government have not been small. The Premier was never a man who was supposed to study or even to care about law reforms and commercial reforms, and yet by mere dint of keeping his subordinates and the House of Commons to their work, he has passed in the last two Sessions measures of such importance as the Limited Liability Act, the Probate Act, the Divorce Act, together with a number of measures far above the average of ordinary years.

Yet within the last few months there has been, it is useless to deny it, a diminution of his popularity. This it is easy to account for. Lord Palmerston, triumphant abroad, successful and honoured at home, a great Minister, almost a Dictator,. has not been able to withstand the sinister influences which tend to lead every public man into favouritism and jobbery. The Premier, we must repeat, has been very ill advised —advised to his own ruin in respect to many of his recent appointments. His Bishops may, indeed, be men of piety and good intentions, but how is it that they have been chosen almost universally from the narrow class of aristocratic clergy? More than one of his military appointments has been exceptionable. But the chief error was the introduction of Lord Clanricarde into the Cabinet. All the late Premier's friends agree in thinking that this act, more than any public measure, contributed to his overthrow. Throughout the country, in all ranks of society, and on both sides of both Houses, it was felt as a public scandal—as an outrage on public feeling. It has been followed by other appointments not less disgraceful, though less prominent, of which we shall probably hear more. Nor can it be denied that the spectacle lately exhibited of members of aristocracy fastening with a kind of rapacity on minor official places has done much to disgust a large class of people. These were gross faults—if not crimes, they were blunders— but we must in justice add that they cannot be weighed against the great" services which Lord Palmerston has rendered to the country. He found it weak and has left it powerful; he found it carrying on a doubtful war with a great military State; he has left it triumphant over that State and over its enemies in three great countries of Asia. He has administered with success the internal affairs of the kingdom, in spite of their great and ever-increasing perplexity. His long life has been spent in the service of his country, and the last three years have been the most brilliant part of it. He lays down power amid the regrets of many even among those whose votes have overthrown his Cabinet.