We defy any man, be he Whig, Peelite, Free-trader, or Chartist, to controvert the truth of what we have stated above. We anticipated the result from the first hour that Sir Robert Peel yielded, not to the expressed will of the nation, but to the clamour of a selfish and organised faction; and every move since has been in exact concordance with our anticipations. Last year, Lord John Russell showed some spirit of resistance to the power which was dragging him downward: he refused to tamper with the army. In an article which appeared in this Magazine just twelve months ago, we said--"It is to the credit of the Whigs that, far as they have been led astray by adopting the new-fangled political doctrines--rather, as we believe, for the sake of maintaining power than from any belief in their efficacy--they have declined all participation with the Manchester crew, in their recent attempts to lower the position and diminish the influence of Great Britain." The country knows, by this time, that we cannot repeat the encomium. Last year, _before there was a single disturbance abroad_, before insurrection had arisen in Ireland, Lord John Russell brought forward his budget, and, with the support of the great majority of the House, not only peremptorily refused to accede to a diminution of our forces, but actually proposed an augmentation. _This year_, we find in the royal speech the following paragraph--"The present aspect of affairs has enabled me to make large reductions on the estimates of last year." "The present aspect of affairs!"--Go to, then--let us see what the phrase is worth--how far the context of the whole speech will justify the choice of the expression? This is no time for shuffling or weakness--no time for party-tricks. The atmosphere is dark around us. By the help of Heaven we have stood the pelting of the storm, and yet stand unscathed; but the clouds are still black and threatening. We cannot take a vague assertion, even though it proceeded from a minister a thousand times more able and trustworthy than the present premier. We must have proofs before we loosen our cloak, and lessen the security of our position.