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Leader (1850-1860), 16th October 1858, Edition 1 of 2, Page 1100

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      Untitled Article

      Prussia was appointed eommander-m-cluef of an army intended to reconquer the Palatinate and Baden for the King of Bavaria and the Grand-Duke . Several ' . corps , amounting in the aggregate to the colossal force of 80 , 000 troops , poured into the insurgent country from the north , west , and east Desperate struggles and many pitched battles in the open field took place during that murderous campaign , in which the fortune of war favoured alternately the Royalist and popular side ; but in the long run ,, as might be expected , the 80 , 000 disciplined troops trampled down all opposition , however gallant and determined . The only place , at last , left for wounded freedom' to shelter herself was the fortress of Rastadt . This also was reduced

      by the Prince directing General Hirschfeld to offer to its defenders advantageous terms of capitulation . But when its gates were thrown open , the garrison , instead of being allowed to depart , as had been agreed on , were treacherously made pi'isoners by the Prince , in true Nana Sahib fashion ; and then began that reign of sanguinary vengeance which the historians must shudder at describing . It is a page of horror in the biography of the Prince ' s life . Under his auspices , grim Death held his court at the drum-head tribunals , and mowed down with relentless hand the best and bravest .

      Inthe fosses of Jlnstadt , or the meadows of Friburg and Mannheim , victims unnumbered were slaughtered in . cool blood . Hundreds were killed without even going through the ghastly farce of the court-martial . ' Others , more distinguished , were allowed that judicial mockery , equally to receive the bullet in their heart as a reward for their love of a free and united fatherland . To give aii idea of the wholesale nature of the executions then carried out , we need only say that , within the short space of a few weeks , the Prince committed some thirty prisoners to a bloody grave ; among them jM . von Trutzschler , the brave deputy-of the National

      Assembly at Frankfort ; Generals Tiedemauii and von Eiedenfeld , commanders at Itastadt ; Max Dprtu , the young enthusiastic champion of the popular cause j grey-headed Boening , the colonel of the volunteer legipn ; Mniewsky , major of the Polish auxiliaries ; Jacobi , commander , of some of the forts at Rastadt ; Heilig , major of artillery ; Professors Neff and Hofer ; Elsenhauns , the secretary in the ministry of war ; Streuber , communalcouncillor and president of the neo-Catholic community at Mannheim ; the Adjutants Janscn and Schade ; and others , whose patriotism or valour had made them hateful to the Prince . Not satisfied with

      this cruel vengeance , the dungeons of Baden were crammed to overflowing , at the command of the Prince , with the luckless objects of his -wrath . In a country whose population docs not reach to a million and a half , there were , in the first weeks , upwards of 10 , 000 political captives , and some 30 , 000 people driven forth into exile ! Hundreds were condemned to ten years' confinement . Women were sentenced to prison for having attended the wounded of both Liberals

      armies , without distinction of party , known for , or suspected of , republican sentiments , were subjected to flogging . Men had their benrds ignominiously torn off , and their faces spit upon , by tlie court-m ' artial myrmidons of the Prince of Prussia . To what lengths the' troops of the Prince went at that time may be seen from the report of an official Prussian gazette , in which it was calmly recorded that prisoners had been thrown from walls and taken up by the bayonets of their tormentors . No wonder Baden resembled a vast chai'ncl-housc .

      3 ? or years , emigration from this land of blood continued , and ' at this moment—almost ton years after the events we have described—the population is actually loss than it was in 1849 ! These were some of the exploits of tho Princo during the epoch of popular aspirations . After he had finished his gory work , ho is said to have exclaimed with savage glee to those around him : <—" Now , indeed , we nave given . Democracy something to batons for ! " A prince of this promising pattern is a , very choice material out of which to make a pcrfeot constitutional ruler .

      Untitled Article

      POLITICAL FOBESHAJDQWI ^ as . Mp . Bkuoe , M . P . — 'Mr . II . A . Bruce , M . P . for Merthyr Tydvll , addressed tho electors of that , borough a fow evenings ago . Ho entered at great length Into a rovlow of tho proceedings of last session , and then , alluding to tho position of the present Govern men t ftt tho closo of the session , fluid our position woa not n satisfactory one . Wo presented the spectacle of a people under tho form

      of a constitutional government governed by a party representing a small minority in the House of Commons . They might say the present Government was as liberal as the one that had been displaced . All they wanted were liberal measure ? , and it ' mattered little to them whether they were Whigs or Tories who proposed ' them . He believed Lord Stanley was a statesman belonging to no party ; Disraeli had no opinion Upon any subject , and . was quite as capable of being a Liberal as a Tory ; Bulwer was a rebel ; and Sir John Pakington in favour of a reform policy . He ( Mr . Bruce ) was not a man to throw stones at another- for changing his opinions when he saw the op inions he had t raditionally expressed were opposed to the feelings of the age and to the progress of the country . Referring to Mr . Roebuck and Mr . Bright ,

      he said they were men of first-rate ability , but they wanted some elements of sound sense and temper , the absence of which made it impossible to give them that power which was given to others their inferiors-In genius . They felt that they would never get into power , and also felt , so far as influence went , that they were as much entitled to power as others ; and they were thus encouraged to show their power by overthrowing Governments and bringing 1 others in . Mr . Bruce said he had no objection to the payment of members of Parliament , but he thought the best men would not then be got , as men not qualified for the office of member would endeavour to obtain it for the sake of the money . He Was in favuur of an extension of the franchise , seeing the great spread of knowledge , but not for universal suffrage . He was not in favour of annual or triennial parliaments .

      Mit . Palmkk , M . r ., and Mr . P . Bouveijik , M . P . — At Maidenhead , last week , on the occasion of the meeting of the Berks Agricultural Association , Mr . Palmer . M . P ., said he had observed that it had been , the custom at several agricultural meetings of late for members of Parliament , or members of G overnment , to talk about the next session . Now , he must say , that he did not think it-advisable to make any pledges as to the future . Let the measures brought forward be what they may , he would give to them his best consideration , an I he trusted that his votes upon such might bo as satisfactory to them as it would be to his own feeling * , lie wr > uld say nothing as to what might happen in the next Parliament . 'During the List session , which was not a very long ' one , but . rather shorter than some he had been in

      tiie haMt of attending for some years past , there were some measures of great importance carried , nil of which he hoped would " be . attended with benefit to the country . " Whether they agreed in politics or not , he IVlt that they could' not - do better than support the interests of tho .-. ' who had'favoured them with their confidence .- ^ - Mr . P . P . Bouverie , M . P ., said that since he had been elected one of the members for the county there had been u change of Government , but that had been followed by very little change in measures . The present was a Tory Government , yet they had brought forward measures of a character similar " to those of the late Premier , Lord Palmorston , and it was * from ' the fact of their adopting more advanced views than the Tories used to do that he ( Mr . Bouverie ) had on several occasions been enabled to give them his support .

      Conseuvativb Mkkting at Nonwicii . —On Monday the anniversary of the Kldon Constitutional Club was attended by Sir Samuel Bignold , who sat as M . P . for Norwich from 1851 to 1 S '> 7 , and Sir llonry Straeey , the late and probably the future Conservative candidate for Enst Norfolk . Sir Samuel BignoUl congratulated the party on tho accession of Lord Derby to oflicn , and the satisfactory results which had followed tho change of Government . Ho observed that a great deal had appeared in tho public journals about the intention of the Government to bring in a Reform Bill . But Lord Derby on t | io first evening on which ho took his sent on the Treasury bench mnde no promise to that effect . Hu simply said * that tho Hussion of 185 H was not a proper

      time for the introduction of a Reform " 13 ill , aji . l that with respect to tlio future ho would give tho subject his most mature and anxious consideration , lie ( Sir S . Bi ^ noM ) was not aware that Lord Durby stood pledged to bring in a Itefurni Bill during tho approaching session ; but if thu Government should bo of opinion that the time had arrived for soiho changes in the constitution of tho country , lie for ono should lwivo much greater conlUlonce in tho changes enunciated by tho Karl ( if Derby than those proposed by Lord Palmerston . —Sir Henry Strawy said lie believed tlio coming Reform Bill would have a liberal tendency ; that it would tend to lower tho franchise , mul apportion the representation more to population . Jftho bill at tho sumo time included the Ballot ,

      ho should be only too glad to support tho measure . The Consurvutivoa had always regarded tho Ballot , with horror , and ho must confess that no ono could have had a Stronger fueling on tho subject than himsuir . Considering that tho influence of property ought always to bo felt , and that it ought to bo known exactly how property was represented- —that In , to « a » lunv portions voted —ho had been of opinion that property would not have its proper influonco if vote by Ballot was established . But ho hnd now had a certain amount of experience in aoolul and political Ufo , and as fur aa Ills oxporionoo wont ho believed tho Conservative cause would not bo injured by tho Ballot . If honesty was to prevail without that abominable thing called tho screw , " ho b 0 llovod that

      •1?N-Ni7«Atta-Nr\I)Trttvt/. Pojjitioaij Fobesirladowljsos

      the Conservatives would in the end be the gainers Of this he was quite sure that the present laws at any rate did not prevent corruption , which had been very general throughout the country . ; Could it be worse with the Ballot ? lie doubted very much whether it would not be a great deal better , and ho thought the' Ballot was well worth a trial . Possibly some of the company mHit not agree with him . on the subject , but he mi ght remind them that Lord Stanley , who was a Government in himself , had voted for the measure .

      Mr . Bkight , M . P . —A requisition has been presented to the Mayor of Birmingham for a public meeting to be held for the purpose of hearing an - address " from J . Bright , Esq ., M . I * , for the borough . Sir J . Rateliff fixed the evening of the 27 th instant for the meeting . An invitation to a public banquet has been sent to Mr , Bright , whose visit to Birmingham will be celebrated in an enthusiastic manner . Rekoksi Conficisknck . —The Northern Reform Union held a meeting at Newcastle on Tuesday . Mr . Cowen reported the results of his interviews with leading Reformers in London , Birmingham , Manchester , and other large towns . Mr . Keed gave the results of liis tour in the northern districts . Both statements were very sanguine . Mr . Cowen hit upon a real weakness in the tactics of the Reformers when he described their want of

      organisation . Mkssks . HaniiuuV a : ; d Byxg . —The members fur Middlesex attended a meeting of the Local Agricultural Association on "Wednesday , but their speeches touched very slightly on politics . Mr . llanbury , M . l \ . congratulated the country that the . war in India -is happily concluded . He said : '' The treaty with China , which will be alike groat in its results to agriculture- and commerce , is now settled , and the financial aspect .- of- the- country is most satisfactory . Her Majesty ' s . Ministers may-lie

      better employed , than in making after-dinner speeches at agricultural dinners , and I think next se ^ ion of l ' arliament will prove I-ain ' not in the wrong in that respect . " The Hon . O . Iiyng , M . I ' ., said : " Like many other members of Parliament , 1 did not ir * ' i to ( 'herVuirir on our Queoii \ s lute . visit , ami thi'ivfore I cannot mako bad jokes about the French people , which , p . ; rrnit me to say ; I regret having read ami heard of . and which aiv not calculated to promote that corili . il and gcrsi- ' nius inter * course that I wish alwavs to m'c exist between two-such ifrpat . nations-as Knijhrml and l- ' nmce . "

      Loud Dkuhy and Loi : i > John . — In the -Murmur / IlvruUi we -find the following ' put forth -with an air of authority : — ' ¦ Wu have peon during the last few weeks speculations propounded of new political combinations . Some of our contemporaries , . supposed to be well infornied , have supplied their readers with inciilents to excite their political curiosity . The vi . Mt of Mr . AValpole to Ireland , with his lady and family , is fraught with . significance : and tho Karl of . Per . bv is represented to be in close

      conclave with Lord John Russell , discu ^ sins ami arranging t | ic el ' nuscs of the new Reform Bill . The real circumstances are , that the hospitality of Knowsley is offered to some . of the distinguished pcrsoiinfjes who are visiting Liverpool this week in connexion . with the Social Science Congress , and Lord , ami Lady John Russell and tho Karl of Carlisle have accepted ian invitation to visit tho Karl and Countess of Derby . »«

      can state on tho highest nuthoritity that no communication whatever , personally or in writing , throug h tlic Unite of IScdfor . l , or through any other person , lms taken place between Lord Derby and Lord John Kinsell having tho slightest reference to political subject * . llie visit of the Karl of Carlisle , and Lord and Lady . Join Russell , is personal and private ; and tho ciifiim-itinUlij detail of political conferences respecting thi « licl ' onn mn or nnv other subject is pure invention . "

      Untitled Article

      1100 ^_ _ THE LEADER . [ No . 447 , October 16 ,. 1858 ^

      Untitled Article

      An iii ) A < ihn < j Ki-kctions . — Tlio elections for Koi a ' ; ite and ( Sulldfonl will taku place about tho - . MM . inMant , nmi probably on tho . Mime day . Tho only candidates lor uw flrmer l . orou-h aro Mr . Wilkinson and Mr . -Monsoii , nn . i fur ( iullilforcl , Mr . Kvelyu and Mr . tJ . Au-tm . * " » wliolo of tho candidates prolWs Liberal priiieipl ' ' - . -- 'J is conluloi . lly stated in Kidderminster that Mr . 1 ;""" 7 Palmer , Q . C ., will bo a candidate for llio ivpru » i'iiU « uon of this borough in Parliament at tho no . st pnu ' i " UL tion , in opposition to tho l ! i h'ht Hon . Itoboit \ - " ** i "" now sits in tho llounu of ( . ' oinmoiirf as iti niuiiib .: ! . Palmur will be supported by Lord Ward , wh o hai "? . ,, political influonco in tho . borough in ouiisc . iiiencv o i ^ oxtciiMivo i > ro | iorty thon-. Tlio iuarno . l KenthMnan i « intininfo friend and associate ( if Mr . ( ihulstom , | whoso views , both in tvUixhm and politic , he v \ n » J coincide , * , lie ropio ^ utcl J'lynioutli In " '" . ' of liamont , but lo « L his boat at tho general clei -iwu Ib 57 . Rajah Buooki :. —The Blrminghnni Cham ber ol U > " " morco lias had und ' or conikluratloii tho l" " M l () H | 11 '' . , Jiiuup liroofco to thu Uriti .-h Govornmcnt r ^ ' «"' » Saruwak , and have agiW to mom orlnllMo I n | 1 " " " oa-Imiuiro into Hip adyantngos of fhlu emmtry tuunib i hc . iuIuji of Siiruwiik . til nt AmmiM . Loud Lyo . nh is lying dangoro ^ ly "' Arundol Ca » tlo . Tho Hon .. Mr . Lyoi . H « irr Ivw " J | a tuniny from l'loroiiee , to be In attcmhinco on »•» = »»"" father .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 16, 1858, page 1100, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2264/page/20/