Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

7 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

,--_--THE COURT. ..-*,,-----

----POLITICAL GOSSIP.

THE ARTS, LITERATURE, &E.

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. -

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OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. How the Money Goes. Bismarck may be admirable, but he is expensive. He has cost us half a million already. On Monday the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved that the bill for creating terminable annuities should be relinquished, and X495,000 of the half-million or so set aside for that purpose should be applied to the conversion of Enfields into breech-loaders. There is a further sum, we believe, asked for the construction of four immense turreted ships, but Mr. Disraeli was careful to show that he was all for retrenchment. Mr. Gladstone assented to the measure, thought General Peel a little precipitate,, and threatened next year to revive the question of liquidating the National Debt. We trust, if he does, it will be out of some fund not included in the estimates, for the House of Commons cannot be brought permanently to see the propriety of fritter- ing away its means in paying its debts." Englishmen seem as if they could not help being extravagant. On Thursday night it came out that some of the dockyards have for years been paved with iron, so thick that a member then and there offered to repave with anything Sir John Pakingtoa liked, and save the State ^100,000 besides if he mighfc have the existing pavement, and the First Lord acknowledged that the cost of boat- building was inexcusable. It looks like it if a 22 feet gig really costs to build and £ 58 to repair, while, aooordmg to Mr. Seely, zE170,000 has been paid to the single firm of Brown, Lennox, and Co., for anchors, over and above the ordinary market price.- Spectatoi-. Reform Demonstration in Hyde-park. There can be no question that the law is not clear and decided as to the right of large masses of people meeting in Hyue-park for such a purpose as that which was contemplated on Monday night. It is therefore a matter of the utmost importance, both with regard to the parties meeting or intending to meet, and to the law of the land lfcselt, that the point at issue should be submitted to the Court of Queen's Bench. We cannot doubt that this will be done next term, and after the decision so given there will no longer remain any doubt as to what the law really is in connection with the important point in dispute. Morning Advertiser. Unfortunately, a demonstration demonstrates nothing beyosid the fact th&t, for reasons as various as irrelevant to the subject, a more or less *arge number of people have collected at a certain spot; beyond this nothing, except, perhaps, as was the case on Monday, that demonstrations do not include a demonstration of much clean linen, or other forma of respectabilitv. Furthermore, it is too late to disprove—howsvar com- Pietely it could be doyao-the oharge of indifference so late in the day as this. It would have been of some avail had it been done-constitntionally and legally done-when the Reform Bill was introduced; but now it is useless, and worse than useless. But in presence of facts such as we have to reaord to day, it seems almost absurd to consider the uses to which monster meetings can be put. That a mob of ruffians should tear down the railings of the Queen's park, wage organised combat against the officers of the peace, smash the windows of clubs and private individuals, and be only restrained from further enormities by oalling out a military force, is a reproach and lasting disgrace to our boasted civilisation. We trust that means may be found of visiting with condign punish- ment not only the immediate ringleaders, but also those more dangerous and infinitely more culpable agitators to whose conduct the riot is as clearly trace- able as if, with more courage than they showed, they had themselves remained to head the mob they had ao recklessly brought together.-Morning Post. I The time has gone by for the people to be charged by mounted police and Life Guards when they attempt the assertion of their rights. Those who resort to such weapons will find the people too strong for them. The people had no desire to do anything but hold a peaceful meeting, such as has been recognised as the right of Englishmen from time immemorial. But a Tory Government, acting upon Austrian maxims, resolved to put down the demonstration by force. They called out their myrmidons, they had the park gates shut, and kept their troops encamped inside ready to charge the people if they should venture to attempt an entry. The soldiers were ready, but the people cheered the soldiers, and fortunately for Mr. Walpole and Lord Derby they did not use their rifles and bayonets. But no thanks to the Tory Govern- ment, who called out the military, who ordered the horse-police to charge, who did their best to crush the people down by the shedding of blood. It is evident that men who can so act are no longer fit to be the Ministers of her Majesty Qaeen Victoria. Away with the Tories! Blood and steel may be good maxims for Bismarck. We cannot brook these tactics in England. ¡ Away with them, and let us have as Ministers men who understand the people-who are prepared to do them justice—and who do not think it necessary to repress political meetings by the truncheon and the bayonet. —Ths Star. The Spread of Cholera. Preparations cannot be too prompt nor complete; and these having been made, no undue apprehensions should be entertained. It is probable enough that we may have no visitation at all; or, if we have, that the disease may not become epidemio. Giving our best attention to the conditions most conducive to health, we may hope to avoid an outbreak, or, at least, to mitigate its violence; and when the present danger has passed away, let us continue to improve the sanitary arrangements of our town, in the assured confidence that fever and cholera, when they threaten to be epidemic, have no preventatives more powerful than the virtue which stands proverbially next to godliness—cleanliness. If this be neglected-if our streets and our river be foul-if our courts and dwell- ings be unclean-we must pay the penalty of our negligence in disease and death. Sickness must pre- vail where health might otherwise be enjoyed, and mortality must be excessive. If preventible oauses of disease are suffered to remain in our midst, we shall inevitably reap their effecta in a harvest of death. Epidemics will scourge us, and the warnings will be repeated till we lay them to heart and are wise. The poor and the weak will be wasted moat widely by the consequences of our contumacy, but all ranks must be visited in part, and none can be secure.-Newcastle Daily Chronicle. In the document which has just been issued by the authority of the Privy Council certain recommenda- tions are made with a clearness which makes them intelligible to all, and there can be no doubt that their observance on the part of the oommunity will have most important effect. Personal cleanliness, and care and moderation in food are easily to be ob- served. But perhaps, more than all, ia the strength of mind which does not permit us to be influenced by fear. The story of the plague at Damascus is, wo fear, true as regards the cholera. Fear kills far more than the disease. It is not, to be sure, possible to make people courageous; but the reflecting portion of the community, even those who are perhaps naturally timid, must be aware that facing the foe resolutely goes a great way to defeat him. It would be foolish and useless not to recognise the fact that the cholera is among us, but if we recognise it only to take pru- dent precautions against its attacks, to use a little more than ordinary care in our manner of living, to attend promptly to any symptoms that may manifest themselves, and where illness occurs to observe the directions given to prevent the spread of infection, we shall have done much to make our knowledge useful, and we are sure that the attack of 1836 and its results will have shown that in courage and prudence, as well as experience, we have made crreat advance since the last time that panic-stricken London succumbed to this destructive and mysterious but still far from unconquerable disease.-Tlw Globe. The Acceptance of the Preliminaries ox Feace. The Minister of the Interior has transmitted to the Prefect of Police the following note, which has been posted up at the Exchange:— Austria accepts the preliminaries of peace admitted by Prussia. The plenipotentiaries of these two Powers are assembled at the Prussian head-quarters to nego- ) tiate an armistice. The definite reply of Italy is expected, who declared she accepted in principle." The mediation ef the Emperor has therefore attained the great object it had in view-hostilities are definitely suspended. The preliminaries of peace are accepted, and everything gives us reason to anticipate that an agreement will be come to between the belligerent Powers. It is with profound satisfaction that we announce this result. Never did we understand better the evils of war as on seeing them so near us, with all the ex- cesses it provokes and all the sorrows it leaves be. hind. This speedy close of such a bloody war is equally honourable to the conquerors, who have not wished to exaggerate their successes, and to the conquered, who still being able to resist, have sacrificed the bitter re- sentment of defeat; it is especially honourable to the mediator who, to use the just words of M. Rouher, has shown himself as great in his disinterestedness as dis- interested in his greatness. It will be asked, perhaps, what France gains by this 1 peace, which will have the double consequence of satis-; lying the aspirations of Italy and realising the ambi- tion of Prussia. We reply thrit she gains, first of all, peace; that is to say, what best suits her part in the world, and what may be most profitable to civilisation and progress, which she represents in the world. Then she gains the realiaation of her programme of 1859—Italy free from the Alps to the Adriatic. The Quadrilateral in the hands of Austria was a permanent menace for the work aooomplished by the arms of France, and consequently a cause of perturba- tion in Europe. Italy is free; she is not, however, made; and, as the late M. Billaut said, she needs more than ever to con- solidate herself after having completed herself. Struggles are henceforth at an end for her, and it will be her wisdom which will insure her reorganisation, by preserving to her in the friendship of France one j of the guarantees of the situation in Europe henceforth acquired for her. As for Prussia., it will be the moderation of her pre- tensions which will give peace its true character,La France, a Frenoh Imperialist paper.

OUR MISCELLANY.

EXTRACTS FROM "PUNCH" & "FUN."

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