TOPICS OF THE DAY.
"HONEST WILLIAM BENTINCK."
Lott') DCRIIAM is going to Russia, but Lord WILLIAM BEN' altacis is coining to England. The earnest Reformers are sorry to lose Lord DURIIAm, though it be only for a time ; but they hail the return of Lord AV ILLIAM BENTINCK. By his birth and sta- tion, his excellent temper, his high character in private life, his proverbial integrity. his very Liberal political ooiniuns, his habits of industry, and above all, by his inflexible firmness whew he believes himself to be in the right, Lord WILLIAM BENTINCK is eminently qualified to sit in the Cabinet ; nay, to be at the head of it, we may add, without ietendieg to diaparage bed MEL- BOURNE. By reason of long aleoace, he has been to some ex- tent forgotten here ' • but be will not, we venture to predict, be many weeks in Englaiel without lining a large space in the public eye. Foreseeing this, we are inaliusd to leek bee'a on his pelitical career.
Just br fore the -first oecuoatiun of FoUICe in Isla, Lord WIL- LIAM Be NTINC K was Cuennander-in-Chief of the British forces in the Mediterranean; having mdere to promote, whence or eppor- tuna), should serve, the reestablishment of any of the Govern- ments of Italy which had been overtureed by the Meech. lii pursuance of those inatreetiens, he landed near Ceeca; and pro- claimed that his object w as to restore the ancient Ligurian Re- public. Thereupon, the Genoese revolted against the French, and opened the gates of their impreonable city to the British army. This was one of those promises by which the Governments united against France obtained their victory ; promises, every one of which was shamefully broken. At the Congress of Vienna. the British Plenipotentiary, eegardless of the solemn mealier:neut. which had been made in behalf of mid in pursuance of milers from our Government, by 11 Lord -.Oil. . VI
..ILIA BENTINCK, t•Oled
a treaty by which the Genoese were heeded o‘iir to the Sovereign of a neighbouring country - the despotic I Li ler of Piedmont, who is called King of Sardinizetyprus, and Jeruealein. The Provisional Government of Costa, w hieli lead WILLian BENTINCK had established, loudly roe Arid aeaitist this transfer; but in vain. Lord WILLIAM BENTINCK was ordered to carry the treaty into effect : he immediately resie tied his eninniand, and left the dirty w oi k to be thole by Lauda that were lit for it. Hated for this by the Tory poly, but honeured iii Italy, aed respected at borne hi, all but the Tory party, he Wes
returned to Parliament for the ceeet% of lime:rain. puttee the dark reign of Surmount and Ca oeeetin, ies vett ,1 eon- stantly in Oppositien, and missed no toosetuaity of ceal ;Mg himself in favour of c:vil and religious liheriy at b tee nil .lj.tod.
If public opinion and the while,: of lb a Indie Coinually had
weighed with the LONDONDERRY CABB21, i.e WUllia have sUCCCe id Lord Hasrleos as Goyernor-Geeeral of India. A:poi:eta( allot' the Reform movement had begun, he has displayed in the adenaie- tration of that high office stateamanlike quiditite of the Mat order. In particular, he has shown, by extraordinary thinness iii resist- ing improper demands made by. the whole bueatrueraeie of India, that he judges fur himself, and is not to be turnctl from his deliberate opinion of that is right. Ile retires with a reputation not inferior to that of any uf the able men who have usually governed our Indian empire.
As a Minister, Lord NVILawt BENTINCK would be incapable of sacrificing his opinion,: and his friends in the vain endeavour to conciliate ills enemies. I lad he been a member of Leal Gare's Cabinet, Lot 4 GREY, sustaimal by his firmness, tin ht still have been Prime Minister: if he had succeeded Lord GRLY, Lord Chancellor BEGUGHAM would not have dared to render the Whig Cabinet unpopu:ar by me:idling eltout too much reform and the necessity of less. Even now, the Whig Cabinet is thought to lw somewhat afraid of Lord BROUGHAM : they would not, it i argued, have preferred the Duke of RiciimoNo to the Doke of NORFOLK, for the Lord-Lieutenancy 01 Sussex, if they lied not been afraid of somebody else. Moral courage is said to be the first quality in a statesman ; and this, after his stiaightforward earnestness, is Leal WILLIAM BENTINCIC nighest qualification for °like in these (1ill:cult Mace. Add sech beverity as his, (CaaiNtam, his relative by marriage with a sister of time Dulehess of PORTLAND' and his warml)-attached friend, used to say, "Honest as lArILLiam Bearracit,") his industry, his sober tl1111 of mind, which inspires confidence in his judgincet, his remark- able selfeeliance, and his knowkdge of the world acquired during a long and varied public career; take all these things intoaccount, and who,whether Tory or Reformer, will deny ilea his admission to the Cabinet would greatly strengthen the Reforming Govern- ment?
But Lord WILLIAM BENTINCK has never shone as a public speaker. So much the better, we are inclined to think, reflecting on the miserable position of the two great debaters of our time, the Lords BROUGHAM and STANLEY. The tongue of a shining speaker is apt to be his master. Lord WILLIu.l BENTINCK is as much of a speaker, to say the very least, as the Duke of WEL- LINGTON, who would be his chief opponent in debate if he were persuaded to enter the Cableet and the "Jerks! of Leols at Cie same time. Moreover, it is in the Cabinet, where spouting is worse than useless, rather than ma either House of Parliament, that the Reform cause would gain by an aceeseion cf firmness. Will the Times or (ho &Incited tell us what the ToiLis think of our suggestion? They will not like it, we know ; but what are their objections to Lord WILLIAM BENTINCK? Is he a Destruc- tive? Not quite: but then, improving on the story of Lord J onx RUSSELL'S Roman Catholic wife, they will perhaps tell us, that Ludy WILLIAM BENTINCK is either a Papist or an Atheist!
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