Mr. Cowen made a very eloquent and elaborate speech to
his Newcastle constituents this day week. He declared that we ought never to have gone to Egypt, but that having gone, we could never retire, whether it were a false prophet, or any other cause which constituted the excuse for our remaining. Mr. Cobbett once offered to be roasted on a gridiron, if Mr. Spring Rice's financial predictions should be fulfilled. Had he been alive now, he might with still greater safety have offered to be roasted on a gridiron, if our dominant influence were ever with- drawn from Egypt. Mr. Cowen predicted a collision between Austria (backed by Germany) and Russia in the Balkan penin- sula, and appeared to think it not far off. As regards South Africa, he taunted the Government with falling between two stools by vacillating between giving up the Transvaal and not giving it up, and declared that we must at least protect our native allies, and prevent them from being " robbed and ruined by pious, slave-driving Boers."
