SIR ROBERT PEEL AT THE LORD MAYOR'S DINNER.
AN authorized version of Sir ROBERT PEEL'S speech at the Man- sionhouse dinner has been published in the Tory newspapers. Sir ROBERT appears to be anxious about the manner in which his say- ings are placed on record. He no doubt anticipates some future advantage from a reference to the moderate tone of his own pro- fessions, at a time when the choice of his colleagues in the 'Minis-
try, and their known sentiments and recent declarations, would induce the belief that their nominal Premier had become an ultra bigot in politics and political religion. He must know that the present Cabinet cannot endure the shock of public opinion. Hav- ing promised to take otlice with his party, who cannot afford to dispense with the services of so useful and stipple a tool, lie has been forced to fulfil his engagement at a most inconvenient time; and, his overtures having been rejected by Lord STANLEY, lie has been necessarily driven to form his Cabinet out of Ultra Tory materials, with a plentiful admixture of Jobbers and Red Tapists. He has his own want of foresight to blame for this: he ought to have guarded against being pieced in such a dilemma. Per- sonally, his position must be most disagreeable. Ile cannot forget the virulent abuse which several of his colleagues poured on him five years ago: there can be no cordiailty between him and the Anti-Catholic party whom he betrayed: he cannot flatter him- self with the silly notion that he is using them for his own pur- poses,—for it plainly cannot answer his purpose to take office at the present time, and under the present circumstances : he must be aware that the Duke of WELLINGTON is looked upon as the controlling spirit of the Cabinet, and that lie is merely a hole- stopper, whom it suits the Duke's designs to put into the Premier- ship. All this must mortify the vanity of a very vain man, and inevitably render him desirous of escaping from his thraldom. Sir ROBERT IS still in the prime of life, and looks forward to the future possession of power. Nothing, however, is so likely to bar him out of it, as a union with the Ultra Tory bigots, whom circumstances —that is to say, the superior vigour and influence of the Duke— obliged him to receive as colleagues. With a view, therefore, to his future exaltation, Sir ROBERT PEEL has, both in his address to his constituents and his Mansionhouse speech, endeavoured to give his Tory principles as agreeable a colouring as possible. He denies haying apostatized from them ; and, as we observed last week, we see no evidence of apostacy in his words or deeds. But the differ-- ence between an artful man of easy political virtue, and such_ blunder-headed bigots as Lords STORMONT and RODEN, consists very much in the phraseology they make use of to express their opinions. Now when in the fulness of time it becomes expedient, Sir ROBERT PEEL will doubtless be found referring to his address and speech, authorized versions of which he has warily caused to he published, its evidence of his very mitigated Toryism. For although, when taken in connexion with the colleagues he has been led to associate with himself, his declarations are conclusive as to the policy of the present Ministry, yet, a few years hence,. when the freshness of the circumstances now before us shall have worn off, an adroit person like Sir ROBERT PEEL will be able to mist and turn about the documents alluded to, so as to give them• a rather Liberal instead of a Tory signification. So much for the general character of the speech, and the more remote views which it is probably intended to answer. We will now direct attention to two or three passages which struck us as being particularly jesuitical—worthy of Lord LYNDHURST, or his tricky predecessor, but such as CHARLES Fox or Lord GREY never could have condescended to utter. "It is impossible to deny that, since the important events which have taken place within the last six weeks, there has been a state of calm and tranquillity in the country— a calm and tranquillity which, after the political excitement that had preraikl, could not well have been anticipated."
Here a falsehood is insinuated. Sir ROBERT wished to convey the impression that the dismissal of the Whigs and the recall of the Tories had calmed the previously disturbed spirit of the •
country ; whereas it is notorious, that for some time before, and up to the day of Lord Mitsisoualek's dismissal, the country had been unusually tranquil. True it is, that immediately after that event no great excitement was visible; the previous calm continued. But it is untrue and absurd to affirm, that the country is now, or that it has been for the last three or four weeks, in a tranquil state. Why, only a few hours before Sir ROBERT gave utterance to this most impudent assertion, one of the stormiest political meet- ings ever known in London had taken place ; and the actors at that meeting, too, were not of the lowest classes—the low Radicals— but men moving in the middle ranks of life, whose feelings were so much excited as to cause a most disgraceful Enid senseless dis- turbance. Both parties were equally boisterous; both Reformers and Tories were equally obstinate in their vociferation. A pretty sort of tranquillity reigned in the neighbourhood of the Bank and in Bishopsgate Street from eleven to three on Tuesday last! Such excitement haknot been witnessed in the City, at any rate since the Interregnum of 1832.
Sir ROBERT went on to put the following expression into the mouths of the People-
" We are tired of agitation; we are tired of that state of continued excitement, the effect of which in private life is to withdraw men from their proper business, and in public life is to consume the energies of public men on other dim their proper duties."
Unquestionably the People are averse to agitation; and but for the intrusion of the Tories into the places of Lord MELBOURNE and his Reforming colleagues, it is safe to say that the country would have been free from agitation. But is it free now 1' Is it not in a state of bustle and confusion from one end to the other ? Is Ireland tranquil, or likely to become so, under the reign of the Orangemen? The recall of the Tories has precipitated England and Scotland from a state of quiescence into the vortex of agita- tion, and has aggravated the social evils of Ireland in a fearful degree. Yet, forsooth, Englishmen are said to rejoice in the return of the Tories to power, because they are tired of agitation ! The maxim of " measures, not men" is repudiated by Sir ROBERT- " I do not agree with the views of some persons, who are disposed to over- look the rum who constitute a Government, and regard merely the measures they propose. I do not believe that any Government can be stable or perma- nent which does not possess public confidence. I do not believe that a cold approbation of measures, after previous scrutiny, will avail for the support of a Government, without reference to the heads which conceived and the hands which are to execute those measures."
This is little more than claptrap ; and Sir ROBERT succeeded in obtaining the personal compliment which he asked for. To suppose that he really expects the country to support the WEL- LINGTON Ministry on the credit of the men who compose it, would be too absurd. In his Tamworth letter, lie claims a fair trial on the ground of his policy and promised measures; not because he sits in the Same Cabinet with HERRIES, KNATCHBULL, GOUL- BURN, and the rest. It would by ne means suit Sir ROBERT 10 promise particular measures. It is probable that his colleagues would have some difficulty in agreeing upon any one of im- portance.
" I ant charged with having offered no particular pledges as to specific mea- sures. My answer is, A month has not yet elapsed since I left Home: I have within that period travelled from the South of Europe, and reconstructed the King's Government.' But could any thing be more absurd than to pledge the Government to details and particulars which there has as vet been no time to consider, and in reference to which, if pledges were now offered, we might find ourselves unable to redeem?"
But though Sir ROBERT will not personally commit himself, his organs of the press, for electioneering purposes, announce that the repeal or reduction of the Malt-tax is under consideration. That is a specific measure; and the Ministry wish to have the credit of intending to carry it, though every man of sense in the country knows that they cannot, and that they will not attempt it.
Enough has been said to render our readers aware of the sly nature of the elaborate Mansionhouse address. It contains no- thing tangible, nothing decided as to general policy or particular measures. We are persuaded that it was delivered, and so care- fully published, to be used at some future time. Sir ROBERT PEEL'S colleagues may rely upon it, that, like the unjust steward, he is providing for prospective changes in the political world, and plotting even now to give them the slip. Public or party confi- dence in this subtle, timeserving rhetorician, if it were possible to exist, would be grossly misplaced.
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