The First Lord of the Admiralty was entertained by the
Con- servative Association on Thursday, and made a speech in which, after expressing his surprise to find himself there as a Cabinet Minister, and declaring that taxation had not increased, and prais- ing the devotion of Mr. Ward Hunt to public duty, he said the British Navy now contained ships fit for every purpose, from the vessel of 30 tons to the ironclad of 10,000 tons. With regard to the war he was vague, but seemed to think Turkey had atoned with blood for the wrongs she had done, and was urgent for speedy peace. We had said in clear terms, but with no threat, that British interests must not be menaced by hostile armies, but that statement had been received by the Emperor of Russia in a man- ner which showed that he recognised the justice of our views. Mr. Cross, who followed, adhered to his old declarations about British interests,—that is, Egypt, the Persian Gulf, and Constantinople, —and denied that any member of the Government had ever departed from that programme.
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