THE PRESS.
NEWS OF THE COURT AND CABINET, via EDINBURGH.
C-ALEDONIAN Mt:nutty—To whatever cause it may ascribed, it is no longer doubtful that a certain degree of coldness at present exists between a Great Personage and the illustrious man at the head of the Administration ; and, were we to judge of the feelings of the former from some little circumstances that have transpired, our conclusion would be, that he heartily repents giving his assent to the Catholic Relief Bill, and only waits for an opportunity to signalize his dis- pleasure with all who were in any way accessary to the success of that great measure. What ocher inference can be drawn from his conduct to the Duke of Norfolk and Lord Jerningham at the levee, when he passed by these noble per- sons without deigning to vouchsafe a single word to either; or front the inde- corous expression which escaped hint when the hated name of Daniel O'Connell was announced by the Lord in Waiting ; or, generally, from the aversion he manifests to all those who were in any degree instrumental in furthering and pro- moting the cause of emancipation ? Besides, -there is a serpent at the Royal ear, which, taking advantage of the predisposition alludedlo, is constantly occupied in infusing into it new venom, and, above all, in exciting, in the Royal mind, suspicions of a kind not even to be breathed, respecting the motives and inten- tions of the celebrated man at the head of the Government. In plain terms—for there is no use in mincing matters—the Duke of Cumberland has declared that he will not leave England until he has effected the dismissal of the Duke of Wellington; and were it possible to construct a cabinet which would endure for a single month, out of the rump of Ultra-Toryism, we have little doubt but he would carry his point. By pandering to the fears, the prejudices, and the infir- mities of his Royal brother, this illustrious Don Whiskerandos has contrived to gain an ascendancy over his superior mind, and to thwart, vex, obstruct, and annoy the Government in a great variety of ways. To the Duke of Wellington personally he carries himself respectfully ; and he would be a bolder man than ever stood in the Duke of Cumberland's shoes who would venture to act otherwise ; but when his Grace's back is turned, to use a Scotticism, this Royal personage constantly talks at hint and labours covertly to sow distrust and suspicion of his character and motives. What may come of all this we know not, It is as clear as noon-day, however, that there is some paralyzing influence behind the scenes, which, if the Government do not destroy, will, ere long, destroy the Government. Meanwhile, it is understood that advances were made, on the part of the Ministry, to the leading members of the Ultra Tory party ; and these gentlemen expressed their readiness to join the Duke's Adminis- tration, provided Peel were sacrificed to their resentment. Viewing him as an apostate and traitor to their cause, and ascribing their defeat mainly to his desertion of them at a critical moment, they declared that their support was only to be secured by the dismissal of this recreant, on whose unhappy head the vials of their wrath are constantly poured out without measure. To such a stipulation, however, no honourable mind could for an instant listen; and it is said that the appointments of Lord Rosslyn as Privy Seal, and Sir James Scarlett as Attorney-General, were made after the breaking off of this negotiation, and in order to punish the Ultra Tories for their unreasonable ob- stinacy in regard to the Home Secretary. A dissolution is also talked of, and has strongly been recommended by some, as calculated to strengthen the hands of Ministers both directly and indirectly ; directly, by adding to the numbers of those they can reckon upon out and out ; and indirectly, by disor- ganizing and breaking up, for a time at least, those little subordinate parties in the house who, by trimming their sails dexterously to the wind, and acting ac- cording to circumstances, contrive to render themselves important and formidable. But, in the present temper of the county, the expediency of having recourse to so strong a remedy is more than doubtful, especially as it would be tantamount to a public declaration of the weakness of the Administration; and hence we are ra- ther inclined to think that the Duke will attempt to go on some time longer with the present House of Commons, anomalous and divided as it is, in the hope the Ultra Tories will at length come round, and that, as the memory of Catholic Emancipation fades, their remembrance of the loaves and fishes will revive, and bring with it a sweet oblivion of all past offences. A Tory out of office is like a fish out of water ; he cannot exist long in so rare and exhausting an atmosphere as that which surrounds the Opposition benches. Sooner or later, therefore, he must yield to the combined force of instinct and habit, and once more return to the element where alone he lives and moves and has his being. Our wonder is that the Duke of Wellington, would submit for a single day to the vexations and embarrassments with which he has been so artfully surrounded. He has ac- quired glory enough to satisfy even the most craving ambition ; and he is far above that vulgar infirmity. of vulgar minds, which induces them to cling with a desperate tenacity to the possession of power. Pride may indeed have some share in determining his conduct—the pride natural to a man who was never con- quered, and which impels him never to submit or yield. But the greatest men that ever lived have been forced to bend to the force of circumstances ; nor is it possible even for the most powerful mind to control the passions or direct the interested and selfish views of mankind always into a safe and proper channel. If his Grace, however, is to continue at the helm, we trust that he will look a little more to the course he is to steer, and a little less to the paltry intrigues and devices of those Nvho seek to dispossess him from his post. The good-will and favour of the country at large ought to be the main object of his study and ambi- tion. With this at his back he may defy the Devil and Cumberland ; without it, with all his laurels and all his glory, he is at the mercy of the first favourite demi- iep who may choose to dislike the colour of his beard or the cut of his whiskers.
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