Punch (30.1856)

92

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

[March 8, 1856.

by the admission that it did not regard its own Commissioners'
report as conclusive. For this he was pounced upon by Mr.
Layard, who laid it well into the Government, and by Sir de
Lacy Evans,_ who rebuked poor Fred severely for some imp°rti-
nences touching the general officers in the Crimea. Even Mr.
Gladstone came down upon him, and upon the Bottom Commission ;
and, at last, Palmerston was obliged to make a large acknowledgment
of the services of MNeill and Tulloch, todeclaie that Government

was much obliged to them, and that they had put the Army right. It
was a melancholy night for the unfortunate Frederick ; but, if little
men will shove themselves into important places, they must expect to
be demolished when grave questions come up. The motion, having
done its work, w«s withdrawn. As for the New Commission, Pal-
merston could make no defence of that; and had better have admitted
that it was merely_ a concession to the clamour of Bottom, who is
enraged at being written down an Ass.


DESTKUCTION OF FORT NICHOLAS.
Immediately over the Eastern Explosion, there hung for some seconds what seemed a mighty grey Lion, with, head, mane, and
body perfectly defined in shadowy delineation."—Times' Correspondent.

THE LYONS' SHARE.
The City of London has made Sir Edmund Lyons a freeman, pre-
feuting him with his diploma in a gold box. Very good. Had the
box been as big as a lady's travelling-trunk, still Mr. Punch would
have said—very good. Mr. Deputy Harrison made a very good
speech; a speech worthy of Guildhall, worthy of Temple Bar; never-
tneless Mr. Bunch espies a fault in' the oration ; and this it is :—
" i will make a quotation from a work which we all know bo well, and which
originally appeared in TJw. Times, by tbeir correspondent,—TM War, by W. H. Kussell
—a work which we can all read now with gratification, not only on account of its
graphic and literary merits, but alfo on account of that daring and true courage which
could induce a correspondent at the time to step forward and point out those monstrous
evils which we all have had to deplore."
Why should Deputy Harrison make the above quotation, without
at the same time, attempting to make a like testimonial to .Russell
as to Lyons? Surely "Our Special Correspondent" showed quite as
much daring courage as even a Cardigan. Nevertheless, although
Cardigan has been honoured with offerings by a grateful country;
England, recompensing England, has never bestowed upon Russell so
much as a toothpick. Russell has been tbe means of putting titled
culprits on their trial; Russell has made public light shine up m
official darkness, and William Russell has returned to his post in tbe

Crimea, with not so much as a lantern given to him for dark nigbts and
miry roads.
Lord Derby, in tbe plenitude of his admiration of science and
literature, would have no life-peerages, lest tbey should be as glittering
bribes to philosophers and poets, making them truck tbeir indepen-
dence for a life patent of nobility. Lord Derby is, no doubt, right.
Our " Special Correspondent " in pursuit of a life-peerage, might have
given the history of The War with a difference. Having told the truth,
however; having been tbe means of putting earls, and knights, and
honourables on their t rial, be is rewarded for nis " daring and true
courage " by neglec^.
It was very well of tbe Common Council to give the freedom in a
gold box to Admiral Lyons; but why not another box to Correspon-
dent Russell ? But, perhaps, tbe City can in no way acknowledge
the services of the pen, unless a pen of the ledger.

Cholera and Cant,

Given : if Cant were as fatal to life as Cholera, what would have
been the amount of mortality in the neighbourhood of the House of
Commons, on the late division on the " Sunday billp" Will the Hon,
Mr. F. H. Berkeley resolve the problem ?