The Press. — London, England, 1858-09-04 00:00:00

dt,e_ (eV LONDON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 1 1858 • UNST STAMPED ....STXPFNrF.. AMPE.. .FIVEPENCE. No. 2/9.—VOL. VI. ENGLAND'S PROGRESS. IF there is one thing that characterizes the present age, externally, more than another, beyond doubt it is Progress. Progress enters into everything—civilization, mechanical inven tion, philosophy, physic, politics, manufactures, the fine arts, science, agriculture, national wealth and prosperity, social improvement, the means of locomotion, of correspondence, of transmission, — all except man's moral nature ; so that man may fairly be said in these respects to have got ahead of himself. There have been periods in history when the world seemed stationary, or even to go back wards. Our own country has not always been upon the ThP- - time when it had not instructi , back • Gradually, too, she has been consolidating her mighty empire. China is now opened to her ; India has just been added to her imperial domi nion. " Queen Victoria has kingdoms," as a contemporary has justly remarked, "not only in " Europe and Asia, like the CZ Alt ; not only in " Europe and Africa, like the Emperor of the " FRENCH ; not only in Europe and America, " like the ancient Kings of Spain ; but in " Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Australia, " together. From the Arctic to the Antarctic " Ocean, in British Columbia and the Falkland " Islands, on the confines of Bokhara and the " confines of Burmah, in Southern Africa and " Australasia, may be found territories de " pending on the Crown of England." In 'lendid lii of MACK INTOBH emphaticall far from acquire 80 that itself Allan. Wonder won& Progress national, social, and religious, or as it bears upon sophy England has discovered the means of the world at large. lengthening human life, of mitigating pain, of First, let us look at it as it respects the nation. arresting destructive diseases; she has found out Without aggressive wars England has gained how to increase the fertility of the soil—how to unbounded territory; without ambition she has secure almost certain safety to the mariner in acquired universal influence. ller commerce is crossing the mighty waters—how to annihilate the life of all nations ; her language has become space and bring remote continents within speak ilimiliar in all clinics; her liberty is the envy ing distance; she has imported the fruits, plants, and the hope of every other country; her sceptre and productions of all climates into her markets, touches the antipodes; her gigantic embrace and naturalized them to grow in her ground, and goes round the whole globe. New continents adorn her gardens ; she has learned to bridge have been given to her enterprizing population ; over mighty rivers and estuaries at a single span — she has scattered the seeds of mighty empires has added vastly to the mechanical powers of the and constitutions over regions of the existence of human muscles—has furnished new and more which no bright guess even ever gleamed upon effective weapons to the warrior ; she has suc the mind of Grecian or Roman historian; she ceeded in lighting up the night with all the has created a maritime power that would annihi- brightness of the day—in guiding the lightning late in one half-hour the navies of Tyre, Car- harmless from heaven to earth—in penetrating thage, Greece, Rome, Venice, and Genoa put into noxious mines secured from danger of fire altogether ; she has opened up fields for trade, damp, and bringing up their treasures for man's for the advance of civilization, and of true reli- use ; she has extended the human vision by tele gion, in every quarter of the habitable world. scopes, brought new planets into view, and determined their periods. By her invention,. and appliances, in short, she has enabled man to descend into the depths of the sea ; to soar into the air ; to whirl in cars without horses at the rate of sixty miles an hour over the earth ; to cross the ocean in ships that can make swift progress against wind and tide; in fine, she has subdued all the elements to her sway, and turned them into agents for her own advancement. Nor is this progress yet com plete. The goal of to-day is but the starting place for to-morrow. Every new discovery, every new invention, every new appliance, is hut the groundwork and prelude to some further improvement ; so that, socially considered, we arc never able to say that we have already " attained, are already perfect." awake , beginning _ century. But since that period she has been sending forth her missionaries into every quartos of the habitable globe, building churches and founding bishoprics in the most remote regions, and spreading the trove' with " the speed and " splendour of an angel's wing." There is only one respect in which England seems not to have made progress, and that is in morals. But here the heavy drag of corrupt human nature comes in and retards. This is not peculiar to any one country, but is common to all. Progress in this is uphill work—every advance in which, if followed by the slightest remission of the motive power in the by a swift decline. Indivith. efforts, attain to a high degree ment, but to make a ve never yet given to mortal sorrow confess that our no exception to this law may be, and we believe is, worm seemeu STALLIUII4I y t un ~..... ..., h -____ ~ Australasia, may be tonna territAniv. ,t,- Itnints• ,isa,aal , ...... ...---, wards. Our own country has not always been o " pending on the Crown of England." In arc never able to say that we have already upon the advance. There was a time when it had not come under the law of Prog ress. It is the productions of a solid and sple ndid lite- 'L attained, or are already perfect." rature _England may compare with the noblest instructive to observe when this began. It dates There is no just ground, however, for glory in which Greece or Rome has bequeathed to us, appoint- back as far as the reign of " Good 'Queen all this. It is owing far more to the while in physical science she has far out- _ ..), \ Bess," but it emade its most decisive start in ments of PROVIDIINCX than to our own powers; stript all ancient nations by her discoveries, ; I the reign of WiLuAtir 111. "of glorious me- Our insular situation has probably had much to 1.-. more especially as regards the subtle powers of • mory," or at the period of the " glorious Re- do with it; for, as it has been remarked by some stoam and electricity, which ar c working such volution." We have tilt unequivocal testimony one, "No people ever become highly civilized wonders towards the universal intercourse of of MAcensTostt and MACAULAY, and of all the without the sea" ; without the sea men have no •4 4 mankind. In her internal history, too, there has leading writers on our history, that no country of salt to season their thoughts with, and no object been a constant movement of the public mind enter- ancient or modern annals ever attained to such before them to excite them to adventurous towards reforms in the institutions of the country ; ,1 1 1 4 4\ prosperity or made such progress, so rapid and so prize. It was the ALMIGHTY who placed Eng- a desire to advance in these marked by a politic solid, as England between that period and the land in the midst of the ocean ; and there cannot i caution, giving to it emphatically the character present. In one word, the history of England is be a doubt in any devout or reflective mind that .1 of Conservative progress, in all which respects emphatically the history of Progress. she was placed there, and has had such vast England must be acknowledged to be the leader power given her, to fulfil some h i g h destin y The remarkable thing is, that this Progress , so of the human race in the career of improveme nt. towards the nations. far from being stopped or even slackened, is pro - Second. Viewed socially, or as regards the Third. In a religious aspect, the prog ress of t \'' reeding with more rapid strides. It seems to I internal condition of her people, England has England is scarcely less striking. • She com- acquire an ever-increasing velocity as it goes on , I also made marvellous progress. If the half- pletely shook off the trammels of Po p er y p t t i le so that it is impossible to say where it will stay naked and degraded inhabitants of ancient Reformation. From that period to thi s, with itself or find a limit. By its striding over the Britain, or even our forefathers of the age of one short exception, she has been the freest Atlantic in the electric cable, it has already left HENRY VIII, could arise from their graves, they Wonder in the rear, and outstript Surprise. country in the world. It is true she fell into a would be perfectly amazed at the state of things, spiritual slumber for a long time after the Re- It may be interesting to take a review of this the social improvements of all kinds, which they wonderful Progress in its several relations,— formation; her religious activities were not would now behold. By the help of her plat- , awakened till near the beginninK of the present N : individual, is - • ••. • ' riduals ma ,• , , 7 ... . !,. 7 r) effree o6h• v"' '•• a. r r - likgres Thole nittloa'' ~ • tiotii U;I man. , o no. or; '•' V, own cgs* • • 1 1 ''. o i . I 4 ,.., 34 , 0 , rof h ''... • ti,,,),2 'T. , .''''.••sY 4 far beffit " • - E." 4 , J7lsitk •