LORD G. BENT1NCK and IRISH AGITATORS (From Bell's Life in London, Sept. 17.)

New Zealander, Volume 4, Issue 284, 17 February 1849, Page 6

LORD G. BENTINCK and IRISH AGITATORS (From Bell's Life in London, Sept. 17.)

[Th 3 lust p»li;icdl act of Lord Georgt Btntinck was thus referred to by our London contemporary a lew days before hi* Lordship's lamentel death.] The outcry of the Irish agitators teems now to be well understood by everybody. The more the Irish question it looked into, the clearer becomes the proof, and the more positive the conviction that many, if not most, of the evils of that country are to be attributed to its inhabitants themselves. They are too fond of imitating the caiter in the fable, and crying out to Jupiter for aid ins cad of putting their own shoulders to the wheel to help themselves out of the ruts into which they have fallen. And what is still worse there are many among them who will jump into the carl and add to its weight just at the moment it is sinking deeply in the mire. Those who pre-eminently set up to be Irish " patriots" are peculiarly given to this practice. There is less of union, less of combined purpose, lets of the consideration that, if all are to be bent fitted, all muat Rid each other, among the Irish than among any people of similar natural capacity and of equal individual energy. There seems to be with them a predominant sen«e of self which of en defeßts (it is good lhat it should do so) its own selfish purposes. Irish Mien can fi^ht bravely, but unless officered by men of other nations they have never fought effectively. The want of habits of order prevents them from doing so. Each man thinks too much of and for himself, and all aie too fond of favour and intiigue to make good meu of business, and they lay their misfortunes to any chuges but the true ones, and consequently never letk the right remedies for them. They have just received from Loid George Bentinck an excellent lesson. Whether they will profit by it is another matter. But a' all erenls it has been given them, and if they do not profit by it, the fault is their o»n. His lordship, it wai believed, was going to Ireland to rival Lord John Russell's inspection of (hat country. There is little doubt that had he carried into effect the intention which men imputed to him, the opposition inspection would have been bet'er than the ininuteiial inspection. There Mould have been a better mode of searching after facts —a more direct c >romunica'ion with the people by Lord George Ben 1 in k dim by Lord John Russell ; he would h ive been presen' at f.wer ctite dinners, but would 1 ftve s:ught und o' tamed * fuller acquuintanc;

Wl rh the peasantry. But hit loriKhip never bad the intention to make this inspection. In two letters, published during the course of the past week, be lias expressly declared that he never proposed to visit Ireland, that he does not think he should do any good by such a visit, and that the real evils of the country are easily enough to be understood. He tells the Irish people that in encou> aging the trading agitation, o r which they have been now for some yean the slavei and the dupes, they are encouraging that which ii most fatal to their own in'erests, both ai regards the application of their own means to remove their own evils, and as regards the assiitance they wish to derive from oth rs for the same purpose. H<* adds, that they should shun those who trade in agitation as persons seeking no other object than their private advancement. Let them ponder on this statement from one who does not make it out of freindliness to the ministry, but out of a profound sense of its truth.

''[Save us from our Friends "—Lord G. Bent inch — The Conv>ct Mitchel. — The Weekly Register ga yi : _«< The following letter has been addreicd to a gentleman in this city, in reply to a remonstrance concerning Lord George's remarks upjn John Mitchel : — "•Harcourt House, Sefi. 8, 1848. " ' Fir :— You mistake me. I don't care two pencfor ill-earned popularity. lam lor those who obey, and not for those who break the laws. If the gra eful recollections of Irishmen for old ici vices a c wiped out by an honest man's speaking out the truth, the gratitude of Irishmen is of very light value. I care nothing whether Mr. Mitchel be the ' idol' or not of thousands. I know that hu is a traitor to his country and a 'convicted felon.' I know that he is an educated man, and has not the excuse either of ignorance or of poverty for his crimes. lam sjrry for uny country— lorry for Ireland— that the infatuaton of any portion of the people ihould be mch, tbnt ihousandt (as you say — God forbid it ihould be true !) can be found to sympathise with a man convicted by a jury of his countrymen, and by his own writing!, ot being a traitor to hit Queen and country."

Cholera.— lt comes : the cholera keeps its steadfast path across (he world. That which seemed an abstraction in the remote regions of Turkey or Russ'a, becomes a tangible reality now that it is in the countries nea est to us. It holds possession of the com mercinl Hamburgh, and has actually entered the capital of fashion, civilization, and revolution— Paris. It cannot be kept back, like the armies of the greatest Imuan potentates— no Thermopylfi will hinder its path ; nation* cannot fly from it. The ouly safety is in a spirit of patient courage, of careful but cheerful vigilance. It behoves all to be diligent in their appointed duty, and then to accept the result with perfect trust. The executive has obvious functi ns, which, it is to be hoped, will be pei formed in a spirit of zeal proportionate to the need, and altogether dis. proportion «te to the faltering- conduct of its legislation. Even from the patchwork legislation of the past session we shall derive some advantage. For its part, the public must rely on the nos'rums of well-meaning ignorance : the au horitative adv cc of our appointed Sanatory Commissioners has been issued both in Lon. don and Dublin, which is trustworthy, reassuring, and distinct. There is no occasion for panic. The commissioners seem to have established these facts : that th« disease is non-contagious, so that no danger for the attendants lurks at the brdside of the sufferer; that the early stage ii easy of cure ; but that all who are seized with symptoms, suspicious or even equivocal, should at once invoke the aid of duly-ecstituted medical advuers. It appears to be probable, that with the simple observance of such rules a§ common seme will dictate, any one may etcape ; and that if the bulk of the people can but do as they are bid in this matter, the storm may past over the laud comparatively harmless.— Spectator. Egypt. — The cholera is rapidly disappearing from Egypt. In Alexandria there are not more than one or two deaths daily from this disease. In Cairo for the last three days there have been no cases at all. In Syria, also, this epidemic is rapidly vanishing, It is calculated that during the past seven wetks there must have been throughout Egypt upwards of 16,0 victims to this epidemic; but tbis is very much below what it was when the cholera visited this country in 1831. Tne greater part of the Italian and Fiench families, as also imny of the better class of naiives, performed strict quar<trtins by shutting themselves up in their house 3, but this precaution proved of uo avail, as cases of cholera (occurred even among them. The most accurate atmospherical observations have shown that the air presented no remarkable features whatever during the whole time of the prevalence of the disease. — Atlas, Sc2)(. 30. Russia.— A let'er from St. Petersburg of the 10th notices some disturbance in St Petersburg caused by a renewel of the cholera. The letter says : — " We have just had a little iniurrecti jn, and even barricades'" The following are the de'ai s :— " The cholera had diminished in intensity, but at the commencement ot last week it suddenly broke out anew, and the number of new cases and deaths increased daily in an al ironing manner. As it was especially among the inferior classes that the disease made vic'ims, it became rumouiel that the noble and the rich, in order to get riJ of the poor, had engaged the pbysi ians to poisoned medic'ne to those atheked. This rumour becoming generally credited, the inferior c lasses became so in hated that they insulted physi ians aid all well-dressed persons in the streets. On Wednesday last assemblages took place on the Neve Prospect. At the moment the troops were about to commc. cc the attack the Emperor arrived on horseback, accompanied by a single aide-de-camp. His M jesty ordered the troops to retire a little, aud alighted from his horse, be then ascended the first barricade, and made a sign tint he would harangue the insurgents. These insurgents on seeing the Czir, knelt dowu and joined their hands as if abuut to pray. 'Thecholep, my children,' said the Emperor, 'is a chastisement which God infl.cta on men, and which mast be submitted to with resignation. All the rumours of poi«onin* are pure falsehoods, invented by the ma'evolent and entniiesof the people !' Two of the insurgents commenc d a reply to the Emperor, but his M ijesty interrupted them, and told the other insui gents to arrest them. The Emperor then ordered the troops to go back to their barracks, and he withdrew. The insurgent* immediattly arrested thcr two companions, and aye them up to the police, after which they demolished the barricades and peacefully dispersed. And so ended this rebellion, which has uo left a trace behind it." The Army.— War Office Sept. 12.— 96 th FootEnsign G. F Allman to be Lieutenant, without purcha>e, vice Rant, who retires ; Ensign A. J. Ford, from 58th foot to be Eusi.n, vee A 'man. — 99th Foot — Leucnant \V. J. Hamilton to be Captain, by purchase, vice BjII, who retires; Ensign VV. F. Austen to be Lieuteri-it, by purchase, vice Hamilton; A. MUrdjnald, gent., to be Ensign, by purchise, vice Austen. Lieut. Edwardbs and the I m*N Army.— This you.ig officer, whose skill and gnlla try in routing the army of the Moultan R >j ill with a handful of men,

have been for the lust fortnight the subject of 10 niv A commendation in the contincntbl as well at in ' 1 British press, is a native of Frodeiley, in Salop, wh he was born on the l?th of January, 1820, so that hi* hurels, of which the oldest general in the army mighl be proud, have been won early indeed. Hit father, The Rev. B. Edwardes, brotherto Sir Henry Edwaide=, of Ryton Grove, Shrewsbury, was at that period, and for many years, rector of Frodeiley, at an income ol £S7Q per annum. After receiving a preparatory education in his native villnge, the subject of this notice was gent to King's college, London, where, under the admirable superintendence of the Rev Dr. Lonsrjale, now Bishop of Lichfield, his instruction wai completed. He was one of those cadeti, therefore, who had not thj advantage affurdid him of an education in the Hon. East India Company's Establishment at Addiscambe. To a fortunate accident, therefore, do the Company and the country owe the po^sesBion of the young hero's Sd-vicrs. T'uough the Initrumentality of his uncle, Sir Htnry EJvvaides, was the young man nominated' to a cade.ship by Sir Richard Jenkin?, K. C. 8., lute M, P. for Shrewsbury, many years on the civil d part cent in India, lie was passed und bw.irn on v^S 26th of August, 1810, as a direct cadet of infantry o j ths B i gal establishment, and shorily afe. waidi pro-] ceeded to the scene of Ins futuie gloiious career. It] may be added, for distinction rake, that the name I the officer is Heibert Benjamin Edwardes, as ScVci J directors, from similarity of surname in their o-fl protSgh, have been led into the mistake that the no ,/fl nation of the young officer was theirs. A pleat ;^B incident may be here mentioned :— On Mr. Hume m? | in the home a few nights since to inquire us to th 1 nature of the leward intended to be conferred on Lieu 1 Edwardes, Lord John Rasaell somewhat quickly ii ] terposed, and addre sing Sir John Hobhouse and M, Hume, said that the nature of the reward would bo made known jto the officer by a communication from the Sovereign herself. A difficulty will arise at to the promotion of Lieut. Edwardei, owing to the peculiar < regulations of the Company's service, he being but at yet a junior lieutenant ; but it it generally thought (hat, in the present instar.ee, a tpeeial case will be made,and that he will at once be pi omo ted to (be rank of fie'd officer.— GUbe. Francs. —Energetic measure* were taken « Thursday, Friday, and Saturday week to maintain tr jH tranquillity of Paris. It appears that some personfl had organized a species of ova' ion in favour of Phd >fl Louis Napoleon, which was to consist cf a numero,fl procession along the Boulevards to the Hotel of tifi President of the Executive Government, demanding tf*H repeal of the law of banishment brought tern pora:jH into execution after the late elections. Thank* to t^^B firm attitude assumed by the government and the acfl tive measures which it took, the parties who had di'.fl signed this manifestation were induced to renounce ir.l Prince Louis Napoleon aniVed in Paris yesterdaj.l evening week. No attempt was made to distuil>th<s ' public tranquillity, as the prepaidtiuns of General Cavaignac were so complete as to render a'l such attempts hopeless. On Tuesday evening Piince Louis Napoleon made his enre'a into the Assem >Iy. A great sensation attended his appearance, and the prince hhoi t y after entered the tribune and read Irom a written document his adhesion to the Republic, and Us devotion to the cause of order. A rise of a quarter per cent, followed on the Bourse this satisfacto y solution of the uncertainty which before had hung over the intentions of the prince. The delay in the arrival of the prince was by some attributed to indiipoiition, brothers to a politic desire to escape any appearance r^l entering the capital with eclat. The Assembly irS guarded by a couple of brass howitzers and not U~jH than 20,00 J troopi.—^/*ion, Oct. 20.