Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 7.djvu/355

Till'; DEMEAKOUll OF ENGLAND. 311 our Englisli anomalies, and seemingly tuibulent chap. strife, but at the least he was a careful student ' . of this wayward nation, and he certainly got to believe, nay, even somewhat later declared, that — not merely our administrative system, but — the very constitution of the realm was undergoing a ' heavy trial.'(^^) In other times, violent outcries kept up by the press through the autumn and half through the winter, have been stayed with a curious sudden- ness on the reassembly of members of Parlia- ment ; (^^) but here, as we have seen, the sheer The feeimg facts were painfully eloquent, and besides, the p^sed by -r-r c r^ 111 1 111 the reassera House or Commons had been weakened by hav- biy of Par- ing its most statesmanlike members placed under arraignment, so that, after making deduction of not only those accused Ministers, but also of those who by stress of party were driven to join in attacking them, the remnant was not one of such kind as to be strong in moderation or wis- dom. The Opposition might have exerted great power, and with wholesome effect, but it showed no patriot wish to spare political adversaries for the sake of the mere public good. Its leader in the House of Commons gave way to temptation, and set himself to construct pointed phrases with which to go down and cry havoc. There was one question— hard of solution — that Parliament might well have debated ; for was it truly inevitable — were the Eussians indeed so blest — that the duty — the military duty — of determining wliether a fact could be safely dis- closed to the enemy must remain, as before,