516
LIFE OF COBDEN, (oma?
1854 the conclusion that Cobden and Mr. Bright were right, and
47.80. Lord Palmerston was disastrously wrong. It iseasyto plead
extenuating circumstances for the egregious mistakes in
Lord Palmerston’s policy about the Eastern Question, the
Suez Canal, and some other important subjects; but the
plea can only be allowed after it has been frankly recog
nized that they really were mistakes, and that the abused
Manchester School exposed and avoided them. Lord Palmerston,
for instance, asked why the Czar could nob be
“ satisfied, as we all are, with the progressively liberal
system of Turkey”? Cobden, in his pamphlet twenty
years before, insisted that this progressively liberal system
of Turkey had no existence.” Which of these two propositions
was true, may be left to the decision of those who lent
to the Turk many millions of money on the strength of
Lord Palmerston’s ignorant and delusive assurances. If
was mainly owing to Lord Palmerston, again, that the
efforts of the war were concentrated at Sebastopol. Sixty
thousand English and French troops, he said, with the co
operation of the fleets, would take Sebastopol in six weeks:
Cobden gave reasons for thinking very differently, and
urged that the destruction of Sebastopol, even when it Was
achieved, would neither inflict a crushing blow on Russia,
nor prevent future attacks upon Turkey. Lord Palmerston’
error may have been intelligible and venial ; nevertheless, a8
a fact, he was in error and Cobden was not, and the error cost
the nation one of the most unfortunate, mortifying, and absolutely
useless campaigns in English history.! Cobden held
that if we were to defend Turkey against Russia, the true
policy was to use our navy, and not to send a land force t0
2 See Mr. Ashley’s Life, ii, 280, 281, ? Bee above, vol. i. eh. 4
* The Sebastopol Inquiry Committee reported that the administration
which ordered the expedition had no adequate information as to the forced
in the Crimes; that they were ignorant of he strength of the fortresses 0
be attacked, and the resources of the territory to be invaded.
