HISTORICAL PARALLELS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5808, 15 July 1885, Page 3

HISTORICAL PARALLELS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — In the political aspect of England in 1840 nnd now there is such a coincidence that with your permission I will take a retrospect, if only to prove, as I have endeavoured to indicate previously, that whilst England is but true to herself these troubles are only like cutaneous eruptions to purify the body politic. A succession of bad harvests from 1836 made food high, wages low, and manufactures and trade stagnant. Since 1836 the revenue had shown an annual deficit, which in 1840 had risen to over one and a-half million pounds sterling. Pauperism also prevailed to an unprecedented degree. Chartist agitation culminated into insurrection in Newport, South Wales. Birmingham riots were rife, and strikes and combination riots were paramount in England and Scotland. Ireland was in auch a state that the late Lord Derby, in 1839, told Parliament that ia eleven counties, exclusive of Tipperary, there were 277 committals for murder, and only 3 convictions. Tho cry for the repeal of the Union (which would only produce rtis-uninn amongst themselves) was so persistently agitated by O'Connell that he actually said, " Refuse us this, and then in the day of your weakness dare to go to war with the most insignificant of the powers of Europe !" A positive insult to the Irish soldiers, entirely different to what Burns said of the Scotch :—: — "Bring but n Scotchman from his hill, Clap in his cheek a Highland gill, Say such is Boyal George's will, An' {here's the foe, He has nae thought bnl how to kill Twa at a blow." Thia menace was uttered when our armies by sea and land were notoriously iDtdequate. Soon after Canada had revolted. Our Weßt India Colonies too were a source of anxiety. We had in our hands a for midable war in Afghanistan, nnd were involved in hostilities with China. Early in 1840 difficulties ensued with France on the Eastern Question, who supported Mehemet Ali in his revolt against the Sultao, with the design of establishing a Becond-rate maritime Power in conneclion with her own as a counterpoise to that of England. Palmereton, who was at the head of foreign affairs, did not have "three courses to pursue," like Gladstone, but had a treaty made and signed, on 15th July, 1840, by which the four great Powers of England, Austria, Prussia, and Russia formed a joint protectorate for Turkey ; and this was the first intimation that T/iiers received when the question had passed the region of diplomacy. At this, France made as much clatter ns her own postillions, but when the French Cabinet talked of a large increase of the army, which would endanger Europe, Melbourne, the English Premier, wrote to the King of the Belgians — in order that it might reach the ear of Louis Phillippe— that if the proposed increase took place he must immediately summon Parliament, and take a vote fer forty additional sail of the line, which would very shortly sweep everything hoß'.ile from the faGe of the sea. And this letter settled that, and the Tahiti difficulty. After these various and conflicting troubles, and the loss o£ 15,849 mcD, all told, in the Cabul retreat, and subsequent pacification, Sir Robert Peel, five years afterwards, had a surplus of £5,800,000. I will not comment upon these facts. Verb sap. —I am, etc., H. J. Goodman. July 14, 1885.