ng--shattering--pursuing to
the right and to the left;--all attempts, we say, to harmonize that past
quiescence (almost _ac_quiescence) with this present demoniac energy, have
seemed to the public either false or feeble, or in some way insufficient.
Five such attempts we have noticed; and of the very best we may say that
perhaps it tells the truth, but not the whole truth. _First_ came the
solution of a great morning journal--to the effect that Government had,
knowingly and wilfully, altered their policy, treading back their own
steps upon finding the inefficiency of gentler measures. On this view no
harmonizing principle was called for the discord existed confessedly, and
the one course had been the _palinode_ of the other. But such a theory is
quite inadmissible to our minds; it tallies neither with the long-headed
and comprehensive sagacity of Sir Robert Peel, nor with the spirit of
simplicity, directness, and determination in the Duke of Wellington.
_Next_ came an evening paper, of high character for Conservative honesty
and ability, which (having all along justified the past policy of vigilant
neutrality) could not be supposed to acknowledge any fickleness in
ministers: the time for moderation and indulgence, according to this
journal, had now passed away: the season had arrived for law to display
its terrors. Not in the Government, but in the conspirators had occurred
the change: and so far--to the extent, namely, of taxing these
conspirators with gradual increase of virulence--it may ultimately turn
out that this journal is right. The fault for the present is--that the
nature of the change, its signs and circumstances, were not specified or
described. How, and by what memorable feature, did last June differ from
this October? and what followed, by its false show of subtlety,
discredited the whole explanation. It seems that notice was required of
this change: in mere equity, proclamation must be made of the royal
pleasure as to the Irish sedition: _that_ was done in the Queen's speech
on adjourning the two Houses. But time also must be granted for this
proclamation to diffuse itself, and _therefore_ it happened that the
Clontarf meeting was selected for the _coup d'essai_ of Government; in its
new character for "handselling" the new system of rigour, this Clontarf
assembly having fallen out just about six weeks from the Royal speech. But
this attempt to establish a metaphysical relation between the time for
issuing