Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 66, No 409, November 1849Various
History
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 66, No 409, November 1849
Various
England -- Periodicals; Scotland -- Periodicals
Late in July, Mr Bernal Osborne, backed by Mr R. M. Milnes, whose
knowledge of politics is about equal to his skill in the construction
of dactyls, brought forward the Hungarian question in the House of
Commons, and thereby gave Lord Palmerston an opportunity of unbosoming
himself on that branch of our European relations. His lordship's
speech, on that occasion, was very much lauded at the time; but on
referring to it now, we are somewhat at a loss to understand how it
could have given satisfaction to any one. It was, indeed, as insulting
to Austria, whose back was then supposed to be at the wall, as any
opponent of constitutional government could have desired. Alliance
was sneered at, as a mere empty word of no significance whatever:
nor can we much wonder at this ebullition, considering the manner in
which his lordship has thought proper to deal with other powers, who
attached some value to the term. This topic was, further, a congenial
one, inasmuch as it afforded the Foreign Secretary an opportunity
of gibing at his predecessor, Lord Aberdeen, whose sense of honour
does not permit him to identify the solemn treaties of nations with
folios of waste paper; and who, therefore, was held up to ridicule as
a pattern of "antiquated imbecility." But, after all this persiflage,
which could serve no purpose whatever, save that of giving vent to an
unusual secretion of Palmerstonian bile, it appeared that his lordship
was actually to do nothing at all. He regretted, just as much as we do,
and probably not more than the Austrian cabinet, that no accommodation
of differences had taken place. He said, very truly, that whatever the
result of the struggle might be, it could not strengthen the stability
of the Austrian empire; but at the same time he distinctly repudiated
all intention of interfering beyond mere passive advice, and he could
not deny the right of Austria, if it thought proper, to call in the
aid of the Russian arms. His conclusion, in short, was sound, and we
only regret that, while it was so, the tone and temper of his speech
were not equally judicious. This debate in the House of Commons was
immediately followed up by a public meeting at the London Tavern,
presided over by Mr Alderman Salomons.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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