The Press. — London, England, 1857-05-16 00:00:00

THE WEEK. THE week in Parliament has been one more of words than work. Tho CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER broke ground on Monday with the Savings-bank Bill, which excites the apprehensions of every manager and trustee throughout the kingdom ; and Sir GEORGE GREY followed with his clumsy device for pleasing the supporters and opponents of transportation. The great public meeting held yesterday may be accepted as a palpable proof that the Home Secretary has completely failed to satisfy the anti-transportation party ; and we doubt whether this knotty question of convict treatment can be so easily disposed of as the philanthropists believe. The motion of Mr. LOCKS KING for leave to introduce a bill to abolish the property qualification of Members of Parliament brought up the Premier, who easily put aside the Honourable Member for East Surrey, by saying that the time for such discussions would be when the new Reform Bill of next session should be before the Legislature. " The Liberals" seemed complaisantly to take the hint from the Treasury benches. Mr.Loexr KING represents the extreme opinions entertained by many of the Radical party. The Hon. Member for East Surrey is, ur doubt.ldly, an independent Liberal, but his views on this subject have the crudeness of a levelling mind. He was mistaken in his history of the laws requiring property qualification for members. Originally the independence of the representative interest was endangered by the rapid growth of the capitalists in the towns, and it was thought advisable to connect the Parliamentary representation with property in land, a measure which was passed in the reign of Queen ANNE. Mr. LOCKE K - NG'S motion produced at least one result—in more positively committing the Prime Minister to the introduction of a Reform measure. Mr. FAGAN'S Ministers' Money Bill met, on the one hand, with the warm approval of Lord PALMERSTON, and on the other with a promise of determined opposition from Mr. DISRAELI. Heretofore its abolition has been opposed by every Ministry, and Mr. DISRAELI was quite right in saying that the measure of the Member for Cork struck at the root of all Church property. Such a bill should certainly be introduced with the authority of the Government, as Ministers have committed themselves to its support. We are glad to find that the Leader of the Conservatives boldly announced his intention of giving the measure his earnest opposition. On this, occasion we shall not enter into the particulars of the whole question ; but, briefly, it is the old subject of the Appropriation Clause, upon which the Reform party and Earl GREY'S Cabinet broke up in 1834. If Parlia ment has a right to confiscate the prescriptive property of the Protes tant clergy in certain cities in Ireland, the Church is endangered, and the fifth Article of the Act of Union is infringed upon. The impor tance of this momentous subject cannot possibly be exaggerated, and we must remind our friends through the country that it was upon this subject of Imperial Protestantism that the Conservative connec tion regained its strength in the country. Last night concluded the Parliamentary week with the third reading of Sir GEORGE GREY'S Transportation Bill and the leave ob tained by Lord PALMERSTON to introduce a bill for the admission of Jews to Parliament. Among a mass of notices of motion of more or less importance, and the introduction of bills, w•e briefly notice, reserving for future comment, Sir JOHN PAKINGTON'S promise to call attention to popular education, Mr. HARDY'S Beer Bill, and the Government programme of reform for that portion of the la►v relating to the rights of married women. With respect to foreign affairs, the long-promised settlement of the Neufchatel question appears to be at hand. No►one should more sincerely rejoice at the prospect than the Noble Earl her Majesty's representative at Paris. The full and complete amnesty granted to his Hungarian subjects by the Emperor of AUSTRIA is a gratifying proof that the Emperor bolds the welfare and happiness of his subjects most warmly at heart. The intelligence from China is unimportant In India the dis affection of the native troops, we regret to see, has not yet subsided. It is ridiculous to deny the dangerous tendency of such insubordina tion. The operations of the Persian expedition have concluded with the cleverly-planned and well-executed capture of Mohammerah. The forts were taken in reverse with admirable skill, and the place cap tured at a blow. Unfortunately, our apprehensions of its unhealthiness have been publicly confirmed by Sir HENRY RAWLINSON, who pro nounces it to be "a pestilential hole." Sir JAMES OUTRAM, no doubt, will take every necessary step for the preservation of the health of his troops, but the miserable deaths of Major-General STALKER and Commodore ETHERIDGE are not favourable omens. " Who is to be the new Solicitor-Geueral '?" is a question eagerly asked in legal circles. The names of Mr. kruEttrox, SergeantKlNG LOME, Mr. COLLIN S , And Mr. HEATING, have been freely mentioned. Some of these gentlemen have large practice, but we confess that we do not see the special resources for juridical reforms in the law in any of these gentlemen. Mr. kriiihrroa has a most extensive prac tice ; Mr. COLLINS is sometimes shrewd and ready in debate ; but, without any disparagement of their powers, we do not think that an effective law reformer will be found in any one of them. Scientific lawyers are wanted to aid the Crown in drafts for new measures of legal reform. Toe Liberal Bar has latterly been degenerating, and seine of the eminent practitioners professing Ministerial polities have not seats in Parliament. Mr. QUINN, of the Northern Circuit, is spoken of in Whig ci oleo as one of the chief rising Ken of their connection. He has THE PRESS. some academical attainments, the results of a German education blended with the Chitty school of English practice. He has a neat style of forensic argumentation, but whether he would prove a debater in Parliament could only be tested by experience. On th e whole, the Liberal lawyers are vastly inferior to the host of legal abilities connected with Conservatism. We acknowledge with pleasure the eloquence and elegant tone which characterise Lord NAPIER'S first address to the American people. Jt displays uncommon fluency and rhetorical vigour. But we do not observe in it that total absence from diplomatic reticence which has elicited the applause of our contemporaries. On the contrary, it seems to us a remarkable example of euphonious taciturnity. The Central American question, the Bay Islands question, and the Panama difficulty are all as yet unsettled. But his Lordship floats gaily along, with drums beating and colours flying, as if not a cloud darkenel the horizon, and Yankee Doodle and the British lion had exchanged snuff-boxes. We have a shrewd suspicion that this is beginning at the wrong end. If the Americans will not be bullied, still less will they be cajoled. That smart people is a keen valuer of honied words. They cost so little that they cannot be worth so much. That is about their view. And though we cordially hope the future may be all that Lord NAPIER so glowingly depicts, yet we doubt whether by totally ignoring the exist ence of sunken rocks he is taking the best way of steering his vessel into the desired port. A serio-comic farce is just now being acted in the Danubian pro vinces. Her Majesty's Government a short time since despatched an experienced diplomatist on a mission, to inquire into the wants and wishes of the Moldo-Wallachian people. But before this accomplished envoy had even commenced his task, almost before he could. have enjoyed an opportunity of forming an opinion. Lord PALMERSTON came to the foregone conclusion that the Moldo-Wallachian race was not worth all this trouble, and resolved to give it up to Austria to be dealt with as she pleases. Nor•, if this was a wise and necessary measure, dictated by State policy and grave political considera tions, the decision should have been arrived at some time previous. Instead of this, the entire policy of England, in conjunction with France, had been to awaken hopes in the Moldo-Wallachians that they should be indulged with all the boons of the West ; that they should be independent, constitutional, free-trading, and should enjoy a press and an army. The promise was even made of consulting the wishes of the Principalities on these important points The consequence is, that if all these pro mises are to be broken, and all their hopes disappointed, the power which is at last to swallow up the Moldo-Wallachs, whether that power be Turkey or be Austria, will merely acquire a nation of certain malcon tents, of probable insurgents, and the world will be entertained by the tale of insurrection, military occupation, proscription, and—executions. Lord PALMERSTON will not hear a word in favour of the Levantino Christians. The French Government has remonstrated, but the Noble Lord declares himself inexorable. The result is, that France upon. Eastern affairs is driven in self-defence to come to an understanding with Russia, while England is left in semi-antagonism to ponder over Eastern politics with REDSCHID PACHA and Count BUOL. Our com missioner in the Principalities is told to cling by and protect all that is old and effete, though despatched ostentatiously to breathe vitality into the Moldo-Wallachian race, and to inaugurate an entirely new order of rule. But Lord PALMERSTON, who has so often deceived the Liberals of Italy, has resolved that those of Moldo-Wallachia should experience the full benefit of his Liberal policy. At Bucharest, Prince GHIKA and his Ministers, detested and despised by the Liberal classes and by the aristocracy of the country, are to be the proteges of England. Sir HENRY RULWER, according to his instructions and against his better judgment, has taken up their cause. This defiance of public opinion has had the instant effect to empty Sir HENRY'S salons, and to prevent the Bucharestians from paying him that court and that respect to which he was entitled, and with which they were prepared. It was remarkable, also, to observe that when complaints came from Jassy of the tyrannical acts of the Kaimacans there, the foreign Commissioners immediately set out to inquire into the case and see justice done. The English Commissioner did not accompany them. Throughout the Principalities the conduct of the English Government is felt to be nothing but rank treachery and illiberality. As in Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Germany, Poland, so in Moldo-Wallachia. Lord PALMERSTnN has once more made a tool of a Liberal party, once more stimulated them into action, and once more he will reward their trust by deceit and betrayal. The recent judgment - of Mr. Commissioner HOLROYD is as welcome as it was unexpected. Henceforward, the game of company mongers will be neither so easy nor so pleasant. It is indeed to be feared that the spirit of swindling is of such Protean versatility, as to defy in the long run all legislative enactments, and to find a field for itself in spite of the most stringent regulations. Still, this judgment must be regarded as a great blow and discouragement, which we are happy to see the Attorney-General proposes to follow up by an in vestigation of the papers of the Royal British Bank, with a view to the prosecution of the offenders. Should this be successfully accomplished it will act as a most powerful awakener to all those by whom the punishment of Sir J. D. PAUL and Co. was being rapidly forgotten. They, too, trusted to their immunity from the law. Let us hope the late plunderer of the public may be as egregiously deceived as they were. Kr SATURDAY,