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Russia intended to conquer Turkey and cap- | regard to this great Eastern Question. Why, ture and hold Constantinople, and to domi- if you were some poor and hapless criminal nate alike over Europe and over Asia. There brought to trial before one of your courts and was not the slightest proof of it. All the before a jury, if liberty only is at stake, there proof was the other way. Russia, from the is more care still. You have advocates on beginning of these disturbances, has made each side, you have witnesses for the prosethe most distinct and frank offers to the Eng- cution and for the defence, you have an imlish government as to the terms in which the partial jury, and the judge is careful that Russian government and people believe that nothing shall be said against the prisoner peace might be made, to the enormous and that is not proved, and he warns the jury permanent advantage of the Christian sub- against being actuated by prejudice and to jects of the Porte. It is said-it was said put away what they have heard before the then that Turkey was the only safe keeper trial comes on, and he entreats them, if there of the straits of the Bosphorus and the Dar- be any feature in the case which can leave a danelles—that is, the straits which lead from doubt on the mind of any one of them as to the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. There the guilt of the poor wretch at the bar, that was no proof that Turkey is the safe keeper they shall give their verdict in his favor. of those straits. The Porte held those straits But here you go into a great transaction, a for three hundred years and would not allow great war; you spend your millions of money, any mercantile ship to pass through them, and you send your brothers and sons to the slaughit was only by the power of Russia, and by a ter and you condemn to death, it may be, as treaty with Russia after the war with Russia, in the last case, a million of human beings, that these straits were opened to the naviga- and you have not got a single definite or tion of the mercantile ships of the world. And proved fact to justify the course you have no doubt the time will come, and must come, taken. when these straits will be opened, not only to mercantile ships, but to the ships of the navies of all nations of the world. Now and at a former time it was said, too, that England's interests were at stake-interests in India and interests in the Levant. There was no proof of it then; there is no proof of it now. Of all the speakers in public, of all writers in the press who have written against Russia in this matter and in favor of Turkey and in favor of war, there is not one of them who has been able to lay down accurately and distinctly any kind of proof that the interests or honor of England were concerned in the course we have taken with

I deny altogether that there is anything in the aggressive character of Russia, or anything with regard to the guardianship of the straits, or anything with which the honor and the interests of England are concerned, to justify us in the course we are taking with regard to this matter, or that justified us twenty years ago in that war, or would justify us now if the government were to involve the country in another struggle. Look at the map of Europe and measure the distance from London, or, if you like, from the Land's End, round by Gibraltar, the whole length of the Mediterranean, through the Sea of Marmora to Constantinople; you

I

say

will find that we are close upon three thousand miles away. Does any man believe that the honor and interests of England are so involved in the question of territory or of conquest in that part of the world that it can justify us in vast, tremendous and incalculable sacrifices for a war of this nature. The nations that are nearer to Russia are not afraid of her. Germany is a powerful country, and Austria is powerful, though less powerful than Germany; but both of them have interests as direct and as clear as any interest that we can pretend to have, and yet they can be tranquil. They do not get into a passion. Their prime ministers do not speak-what shall I call it ?-rhodomontade and balderdash. They do not blow the trumpet and call the nations to arms for purely fancied causes like those in whichit with as much sincerity as ever I have said anything in my life-in which we have not as much interest as would justify us in sending one single man to slaughter. And now I have said all that is necessary on this occasion. May I ask you, then, to do what you can ?-you are not asked to do more; but whoever you may come in contact. with, whenever you may have the opportunity of discussing this great question, to go to the kernel of it, stripped of all the husk by which statesmen and the press succeed so often in misleading the people, go to the kernel of the matter, and ask yourself the question, Can it be your duty to send out your sons and brothers three thousand miles. to the slaughter-it may be of the Russians or any other people? Can it be your duty to do this? Ask your consciences within the sight of Heaven if it can be your duty; and you cannot find an answer in the affirma

if

tive, then, I say, have nothing to do with the accursed system, and wherever your influence extends let it be honestly and earnestly in favor of Christianity and of peace.

JOHN BRIGHT.

FALSE GREATNESS. YLO, forbear to call him blest

MY

That only boasts a large estate, Should all the treasures of the West Meet and conspire to make him great: I know my better thoughts-I know Thy reason can't descend so low.

Let a broad stream with golden sands Through all his meadows roll,

He's but a wretch, with all his lands, That wears a narrow soul.

He swells amidst his wealthy store,
And, proudly poising what he weighs,
In his own scale he fondly lays

Huge heaps of shining ore;
He spreads the balance wide to hold
His manors and his farms,

And cheats the beam with loads of gold
He hugs between his arms.

So might the ploughboy climb a tree

When Croesus mounts his throne, And both stand up and smile to see

How long their shadow's grown. Alas! how vain their fancies be

To think that shape their own! Thus mingled still with wealth and state,

Croesus himself can never know His true dimensions and his weight

Are far inferior to their show. Were I so tall to reach the pole

Or grasp the ocean with my span, I must be measured by my soul: The mind's the standard of the man. ISAAC WATTS.

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THE SOLDIER'S RETURN.

OW sweet it was to breathe | And guessed some infant hand had placed it

that cooler air

father's chair!

there,

And take possession of my And prized its hue, so exquisite, so rare.
Feelings on feelings
on feelings mingling doubling rose;
Beneath my elbow, on the My heart felt everything but calm repose;
I could not reckon minutes, hours nor years,

solid frame,

Appeared the rough initials But rose at once and bursted into tears,

of my name,

Then, like a fool, confused, sat down again

Cut forty years before. The And thought upon the past with shame and

same old clock

Struck the same bell, and gave my heart a shock A short breeze sprung,

I never can forget. And while a sigh was trembling on my tongue

Caught the old dangling almanacs behind, And up they flew like banners in the wind; Then gently, singly, down, down, down, they went,

And told of twenty years that I had spent Far from my native land. That instant

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pain;

I raved at war and all its horrid cost,
And glory's quagmire, where the brave are

lost;

On carnage, fire and plunder long I mused, And cursed the murdering weapons I had

used.

Two shadows then I saw, two voices heard: One bespoke age, and one a child's appeared. In stepped my father with convulsive start, And in an instant clasped me to his heart. Close by him stood a little blue-eyed maid, And, stooping to the child, the old man said,

"Come hither, Nancy; kiss me once again; This is your uncle Charles, come home from Spain."

The child approached, and with her fingers light

Stroked my old eyes, almost deprived of sight.

But why thus spin my tale-thus tedious. be?

Had been so lovely, brilliant, fresh and Happy old soldier, what's the world to me?

green,

ROBERT BLOOMFIELD.

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Or the still humming of the painful bees;
The gentle murmurs of a purling rill
Or the unwearied chirping of the drill;
The charming harmony of warbling birds.
Or hollow lowings of the grazing herds;
The murmuring stockdoves' melancholy coo
When they their loved mates lament or woo;
The pleasing bleatings of the tender lambs
Or the indistinct mum'ling of their dams;
The musical discord of chiding hounds,
Whereto the echoing hill or rock resounds;
The rural mournful songs of lovesick swains,
Whereby they soothe their raging amorous
pains;

The whistling music of the lagging plough,
Which does the strength of drooping beasts

renew.

Each breath of wind the bearded groves makes bend,

Which seems the fatal sickle to portend.
In autumn, that repays the laborer's pains,
Reapers sweep down the honors of the plains.
Anon black winter, from the frozen North,
Its treasuries of snow and hail pours forth ;
Then stormy winds blow through the hazy
sky,

In desolation Nature seems to lie;

The unstained snow from the full clouds descends,

Whose sparkling lustre open eyes offends;
In maiden white the glittering fields do shine;
Then bleating flocks for want of food repine :
With withered eyes they see all snow around,
And with their fore-feet paw and scrape
the
ground;

They cheerfully crop the insipid grass,
The shepherds, sighing, cry, "Alas! alas!"
Then pinching want the wildest beast does

tame;

Then huntsmen on the snow do trace their game;

Keen frost then turns the liquid lakes to glass,

Arrests the dancing rivulets as they pass.

And as the country rings with pleasant How sweet and innocent are country sports!

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