POSTSCRIPT.
SAITTEDAY.
'The morning journals come laden with speeches from Lord Palmerston Sir Edward,Lytten' and Sir Joseph Paxton ; the first perfect of its kind, the second very goocl, the third as good as might be expected. The speech of the Premier was delivered yesterday, to the inhabitants of Romsey, from the market-place in that town, in reply to an address of congratulation on our Crimean successes received from the municipal authorities. Lord Palmerston, accompanied by Lady Palmerston, was escorted from and to Broadlands by the Mayor and Corporation in pro- cession. His theme was the fall of Sebastopol, and the course of the war. The fall of Sebastopol, 'mimic!, "must inspire joy and exultation in the breast of every generous freeman on the surface of the globe." He dilated on the magnitude of the contest,—" we have been fighting the whole military force of the Russian empire " ; and we have possessed ourselves of the -prize for which we have been fight- ing,—blood-stained ruins, truly, but containing vast supplies of warlike material. Why was that material collected ? because the Rus- sians felt that this Sebastopol was the stronghold of their power in the East; that from that centre was to radiate that intense and extensive power which was to lead them to the conquest of Constantinople, and to enable them from that centre of empire to away in a great degree the des- tinies of Europe. He contrasted the evils arising from submission to grasping ambition and triumphant violence with the calamities of war ; and drew a picture of England and France, " the two greatest nations in the world," forgetting their former rivalry, and uniting to wage war, not wantonly, but for sound political considerations. "It would ill become any man in the situation which I have the honour to hold to talk of the future anct to advert to prospective measures; but this I think I am well warranted in saying, that, viewing the manly and un- flinchingwpirit that animates the people of this country—viewing the gene- rous support that Parliament has given to the Government in every measure connected with the prosecution el the war—viewing the perfect good faith and undeviating constancy of purpose which animate our great ally the mperor of the French—viewing the sympathy which our cause excites among every free people and in every free country in the world, and even-in places where mistaken views of their interest, as I think, lead the Govern- ments to a different course—viewing the justice of our cause, which entitles us to look for the protection of Providence on our exertions,—I say, in view- ing all these things, I am confident that we may look for such a result of the contest in which we are engaged as may place the future liberties of Europe and the main and permanent interests of the countries which are now *Weil upon a sure a stable, and a lasting foundation." Sir Edward Lytton found an audience over the dinner-table a the ,Herts Agricultural Society, at the annual meeting held on Thursday at Buntingford. His topics were various,—suggestions to the society ; the -bravery of Hertfordshire men in the Crimea ; the necessity for adminis- trative reform. Some passages have at this moment a peculiar -sig- nificance, perhaps, in the present condition of parties. "It is not here, and I hove it would not be anywhere,, that I would dwell on what has been urged, I think, somewhat hastily, in some of the news- paper', in mitigation of our joy at the victory for which we have rendered up our thanksgivings to the Divine Arbiter of human destinies. It is true that we did not storm the Malakoff, and therefore had not as direct and innaedi- ate a share in the taking of Sebastopol as the French—but what their/ Look at that emblem before you; it is inscribed with the initials of Victoria and Napoleon, surrounded by the same wreath. What doss that mean ? Why, it means that England and Franee are a single army, and that the glory of the one is the glory of the other. Do you believe there is any Frenchman who would deny us our full share of the laurel-tree which took its roots on the hills of Alma, because the last gale in the storm of battle drifted its leaves towards the ranks of the French ? Why, in the next turn of the wind those leaves might be drifted towards us. But, gentlemen, I will never for the paltry purpose of damaging a Government to whom I may have been opposed—no, I never will consent to disparage English soldiers • and though I will not, upon imperfect and hasty evidence, ()ensure an absent general, for whom, as for all military ap- pointments, the Government alone can be held responsible, still, there is one useful and most wholesome lesson that ought to be impressed upon our minds,—for we Englishmen can bear to be told of our faults, and I haat always observed through life, that the man who is most painfully sensitive to the fear of failure isalways the man most sure of ultimate success." The seceders of last session are of course condemned, and the majority in Parlia- ment are praised for deserting them when they deserted "the cause of eternal justice." "For myself as a Member of Parliament, I say to you, in my proud position as one of the Members for the county of Hertford, that I never will, either from party motives, or, God forbid, from personal ambition, be an instrument to displace any Government which shall seem to me firmly and skilfully to maintain the national honour and finally to conclude our quarreL Neither will I, on the other hand, stoop to support any Government from whose feeble or faithless hands the sword would drop paralyzed or the olive-branch be dishonoured. But, gentlemen, never let us forget that we fight not for dominion nor revenge ; we fight for another and different ob- ject—we fight for the tranquillity of Europe, and for its defence. Never, in the flush of triumph, or fear of disaster, or heat of contest, let our passions blind us to those definite objects, and never let us be content with less. Duly mindful of the horrors of carnage, and the iniquity of vengeance, do not let us, by demanding more than we are entitled to claim, become the scourge of humanity, instead of being, what we now are, its shield and de- fence."
Sir Joseph Paxton's speech was delivered on Wednesday, to his con- stituents at Coventry, in public dinner assembled. It amounted to a justification of his Parliamentary course ; the history of the Army Works Corps, gratuitously organized by Sir Joseph ; and a pronounce- ment against an ignominious peace, and in favour of extracting an in, demnity for the war from Russia.
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