The Press. — London, England, 1853-12-17 00:00:00

770 been ultimately adopted, though only sup ported by a minority for, with the exception of Lord Joux Beast:Li. and the estimable Lord LANSDOWNE, 11 4 0Td PAL)IIMSToN has not counted a sincere adherent on Uwse mutters. Lord ABERDEEN WWI, feswever, resolved that Lord PALMERSTON. alloalld not, eiespe from the Cabinet on a for up gsvition : though he had the majority, he Always, therefore, eventually succumbed, hut • with a (Iclay that virtually secured his ends. Had the British fleet, for example, left Malta when Lord PAtmensrox recommended that course, the Pruth would never have been passed. And what will happen now? " The tone of " the Cabinet on foreign atlitirii," we are told, s' is not to be lowered, and their energy is not "to be relaxed." As for lowering the tone of the Oehinet—Ohnt we defy them to do. As to their energy. its evidence way be fuuud in the Bay of Sinop.. But. at present, the prospects of It sublimer spirit and increased vigour may be found in the circumstance that the Emperor of the FASNOI has just declared that a eon section with Lord ABIIRDIIIIN is " too humili ating," while the Emperor of Rows has just informed Baron BRUNOW that, notwithstand ing the provocations he has received, he still retains his native magnanimity, and that, when he has eonquered the Turks, both by sea and lands earl in both giarters of the glebe, he trill be prepared to accept the VIZNNA NOTE.n. Wilma ssodilieetione. THE PASSIONS OF NEW COMMUNITIES. IT was not generally known in England till within the last few days that the Congress of " the smallest nation in all creation," a few years since, took a marked step, in advance of "'the old eoui►tr7," to establish their claim to ti* Pr9nd designation. That many of the States of which the glorious Union is coma posed had borrowed millions of English gold,— that the gold so borrowed had been expended in making roads, canals, and other internal int provewente, which greatly enriched America,— was, indeed, too well and widely known : first, by the suffering, of the widows and orphans whcmt those States of the great and free re• rldtwecl to beggary, when they rept'• dieted their obligations ; and secondly, by what we were wont to call the wit of SinNtlf 81404. in England that Rev. Canon of St. Nitre was regarded as ajoker of joker a funny fellow; indeed it was understood that his seeding Jests were rather obstacles to his advancement in the Church. Of him as well ali of win it could ha ,N) been said that, " Hai be bean a tees wiuy writer, lie might, pests's, have had a mitre." But now we learn that these are slow old. eeuntry notions, or that, at least, if Rinnv was witty himself, he was also, like Faht4/f, the cause of wit in others. We read in the le4ter of the New York correspondent of the Times of last llonday : aktney Smith raised a laugh in 'Congress at his ci. pease, by a petition to that federal body, asking it to pay 'Alm of the bonds of the State of fonnsylvannt he hap pened to hold ; and yet Sidney Smith ferthirty years wasp prinelpel eontribetor to the Edinburgh Qea,lrrty ! Lull fellow ! And what must the nation he in which a " principal contributor " to one of its principal periodicals is so stupid as gravely to suppose that the Congress of America could view the claims of the " Britislicrs," whom renntrylvania had so cleverly done out of their money, in any_ but a humorous anti ridi onloue light? We are aelunued of our dulness. sad can only plead in excuse that Penn sylvania has been for morn than thirty year: , a principal component part of the 17nited Staley, and one is apt to suppose that the honour of the Union is in some way involved in that of its members. We are. however. better instructed now, and must ell:lnge our MI twatation into NEfila at ab, Ile. The oecn sion.of this soniniscauce of the jocularity of THE PRESS. Congress, its genial appreciation of humour, its keen and quick sense of the ridiculous, is the conduct oil Miissippi, which has followed the example of Pennsylvania. There is this dilterunee certainly between the two, viz., that, whilst the latter pleaded poverty and inability to pay her bonds, Ali.sissippi, which is a rich State, repudiates in order to vindi cate t 1 principle, and to assert that the pas sions of a modority are superior to the law. The High Court of Appeals had decided that payment of the bonds could be enforced by w From the decision of that court there was no judicial appeal, and therefore it was never doubted that the caeca tive anthmities wonid can•y out the decision of its highest tribunal with alacrity and good faith ; but we have learnt that one of those supreme judges whose term was expiring. and who had been nominated for re•election, was defeated.. while it is asserted that the cause of his defeat is attrl bused to the decison he gave, compelling Mississippi to pay her honest debts. Such are the fruits of universal suffrage, purified by filtration through that infallible specific for all corruption, the ballot-box! In strict keeping with the repudiation of debts, America opens wide her arms to receive one who was only enabled to reach her shores by breaking his parole of honour. MITCHEL has arrived at New York. where he has been attend ing dinners, making speeches, and holding levese." The Queen of ENGLAND might have hanged him,—he was only treusported. The air of Bermuda disagreed with him,—he was sent to Van Diemen's Land. There his word was taken, that he would not attempt to escape and he was comparatively free. The merciful Queen be calla "a she tyrant," and talks the usual quantity of bombastic nonsense that distinguishes American and Irish patriots. It is all in keeping ; the ports are properly accom modated to form a perfect whf,le—the repu diating States, the Congress laughing at the defrauded creditor, the just judge ostracised, the graceless convict received with open arms, while words are listened to with delight that full from his meauly-perjured lips. The friend who aided his escape (a person of the name of SMITH) said that, from the Australian colonies he brought no gold, " but there (pointing to Minim.) was his nugget." When this nugget was first missed it was not very highly valued—a reward of two pounds, "or such lesser sum as the magistrate might de termine," beiug all that was offered for his apprehension, Indeed, the authorities COll - at his escape—to trust his word being. after the kindred conduct of IkleAonea, tanta mount to it; but it was as well we should be rid of these contemptible convicts, and that they should go forth marked with the brand of broken faith. But whilst we thus comment on Ame rican affairs we are painfully conscious that the state of our own Australian colonies is open to almost as severe criticism. There the passions of a mob, whose strength consists in nothing but numbers and physical force. — qualities which they possess in common with the brutes,—have triumphed over the law ad ministered by a weak and vacillating governor. Nothing is more incontestable than the right of the Crown to the gold in Australia—nothing can be more equitable than that a small tax in the form of a licence fee should be imposed upon the diggers fur the purpose of defraying the extra expenses of Government, caused by the influx of many thousands of adventurers of all classes from all parts of the world, con sequent on the discovery of the mines. Yet the diggers, to the number of about 7,ooo,have banded together to resist the payment of any tax. They have met with success. The weak colonial Government has bent and quailed before, the storm of anarchy, and the treasures of Victoria are pillaged with impunity by on armed banditti. Here force must be met by force, and the diggers must be quelled and ruled by the strong hand, or the colony aban doned by England. From the contenplation of these characteris tics of new communities—the dishonesty of America, the just judge ostracised, the anar chical condition of our own Australia, Sc.—we cannot but learn to be more contented with the settled institutions of an old country like England. where. if we have not the plenty of America. or the gold of Australia, we enjoy far more than an equivalent in that (Inc gradkion SATURDAY, of degree which ensures "the unity and mar ried calm of States," in the security of pro perty. the quiet of our homes. the reian of order, awl the predominance of law. ROMANISN AND ITS ACCOMPLICES. THIC extension of Ultramontane influence within the limits of the I3ritish empire is an admitted fact, and its effects are sensibly felt in our political combinations. Yet 110 autho ritative voice proclaims the necessity- for defensive measures fur a reason so obvious that it is itself calculated to increase instead of allaying public disquietude. An Adminis tration which comprises every political variety may be assumed to contain SoinC who are hostile to Roman aggrandisement ; but their comments are hushed. As the late session disclosed, not a whisper is permitted in dero gation of the Interest by the adhesion of which they acquired, and still retain, office. The necessities of a Coalition have not only increased the danger, hut have withdrawn some natural facilities and aids to effective vigilance. The direct allies of Romanisin. including certain organs of the Cabinet, exult in the futility of all independent efforts to repress the growth of an influence at the develop. ment of which they are conniving; while they have this pretence fir their assiduity : " Organically the Church of Rome maintains " the same relations to the English constitu " tion which it has held for centuries past ; it " is still an independent quasi-corporation ; " if it obeys a foreign and despotic authority, "it has so obeyed from the outset; its secret " machinery was never otherwise than secret. " and its pretensions were never waived or " mitigated : and now what new right have we " to deal with it otherwise than ns an assoeia " tion for common religious observances, " without political rights or title to our detri " went?" Here no account is taken of the real or fancied securities we have successively foregone ; of the auguries we defied, but which are now proving themselves true ; of the accumulating evidence that realities transcend rights ; anal that this Roman Association which we regarded askance is, without political pri vileges or recognised status, at this moment the virtual arbiter of the destinies of Great Britain. We have no occasion to dispute a dialectical thesis which, by means of transactions now pending, may be ranked with a disputation of the schoolmen. The Gladstones and Roundell Palmers are welcome to their logic while events are occurring which put it out of the pale of criticism. Under the present Minis try the English nation is a conscious appen dant of a lively Romanist triumph, which is only not ridiculous because it is a facsimile in petto of a present European portent, and may eventually become alarming if we omit to take timely measures on behalf of our inherited freedom. For many other purposes we may lay stress upon our insular position ; but the Pro pagandist movement of Rome must, even in this privileged empire, be tested by its Euro pean accessories. It can only be regarded as an affiliated branch of the great permanent conspiracy against constitutional liberty, as a ramification of the plot which degrades its victims, and deludes its associates in the name of sublime motives, which perturbs by its doctrine the fountains of religious truth, and paralyses by its discipline the course of orderly progress. It is no longer even possible to regard the' foreign developments of this scheme as of small importance to ourselves, for they are forced upon our attention by its accelerated end uniform progress. It is triumphantly alleged that were BARONIUS now writing his history he would date an ecclesias tical cycle from the last series of revo lutions: and the boast, though in tbe mouth of Roman fanaticism, is well founded. For the last four years (we may adopt the words of the Nation) there has been Papal