The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-05-07 00:00:00

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

The people of the Southern States of America
seem thoroughly in earnest. Tho latest intelli-
gence we have received from this unhappy and
distracted country is pregnant with tidings of
bloodshed and slaughter. A Massachusetts
regiment, while on its way to Washington, was
attacked at Baltimore by • mob, and a sanguinary
conflict is said to have taken place. Eleven on
each aide are reported to have been killed and
many seriously wounded. How the collision
occurred is not stated; probably it owed its com-
mencement to the insults offered by the popn-
lace to the Federal troops. Virginia, too, has
now formally seceded from the union. Until
recently it was supposed that this, the oldest
State in the late confederation, and decidedly
the most high minded and intellectual province
of the South would keep aloof from secession.
To this ancient and honourable State—the "old
dominion" of the English settlers—seemed
allotted by common consent, the graceful tub
of mediation between the contending factions.
The anticipations founded on the moderation of
Virginia have, however, not been realized; on
the contrary, by the solemn act of her Legisla-
ture, one more territory of vast extent is added
to the Palmetto sovereignty of President Davis.
Wit a more exciting item of intelligence, if true,
is the closing of Norfolk harbour by the Vir-
ginians, and the possible capture of the United
States' ships-of-war which are at that celebrated
naval station. Among the vessels detained is
the frigate Merrimac, among the finest in the
Federal nary. The fact of the channel being
closed, is, however, denied. The news of these
events caused great rejoicing in the South. The
Virginians seem to have entered into the struggle
with extraordinary ardour. They know that
their country will be the seat of war, and that
on them the first storm of northern animosity
must fall—that only a river divides them from
Washington, where the troops of some dozen
States will shortly he collected in response to
the call of President Lincoln. The Virginians,
it appears, will beat once supported by Northern
Carolinians, who, though they cannot formally
secede till a convention meets, have declared
war a -skirled the United States, and seized the
Federal forts. Both parties seem now to be
fairly amused, and no one can say to what
length the fury of civil war may carry them.
We have no sympathy with the South, but we
cannot help thinking that if the North were wise
it would act the part of any honest good man,
in private life, whose bad wife bad run away from
him. It would acquiesce in the separation as
the hest thing that could happen to both, and
would at least wait till the runawayshowed signs
of contrition, and expressed a desire to renew the
connection, before it took any steps to bring hack
to its bosom a partner from whose partnership it
had received nothing but disgrace and misery.
Constitutional life has begun in Anstria. She
has adopted the model of the British Constitu-
tion and the LegislativePower.and the control of
the executive will, as with us, he shared by the
Sovereign and the two Homes of Parliament.
The Upper House of the Eeicharath is composed
' of the princes of the blood, seventeen spiritual
peers, fifty-five hereditary and thirty-nine life
peers. The Lower House of Reoresentatives is
formed more after the model of the American
Senate than of our own House of Commons. It
_ _ . _

-
was supposed that the distrihntion of seats
according to the population, as in the Commons
House of Great Britain and Ireland, would form
a heterogeneous mass of opposing elements.
and retard the working of the national
machine ; and to avoid this, and at the same time
to gratify the local feelings of nationality, the
members of the Austrian House of Commons are
chosen by the States' or local parliaments of each
province. The conciliation and representation
of Hungary has, however, still to be achieved.
I A Council of the empire without the representa-
tion of Hungary would be like • British Parlia-
ment without the representatives of England.
The Archduchy of Austria is one of the least im-
portant portions of the present empire. What
the Emperor should do, if we might judge by
rational deduction would be. to throw himself
into the strongest position, hold himself before
all as King of Hungary, attach the feelings of
his Hungarian subject& to make Hungary poll-
cally, what she is naturally, the centre of Austrian
power. She constitutes the strength of the
bulk of the whole monarchy. The consolidation.
the strength, the peace, and the prosperity of
Austria depend upon Hungary. The Hun-
garians do not wish to be reckoned among a
dozen little States as constituents to one great
State, to be governed from Vienna on the prin-
ciple of centralization. The Archdukes of
Austria succeed in legitimate course to the crown
of Hungary, and their title is unquestioned; but
they are expected to conduct themselves All the
sovereigns of such a people should. If the
Emperor would adopt this course, in addition
to his other reforms, he would unquestionably
achieve that which would give to his Empire
stability and power. That the new constitution
will be beneficial to Austria, provided Hungary
can be conciliated. there can be no doubt.
Hitherto we have found it hard to retain our old
friendly feelings of alliance towards the Haps-
burioi, trampling out national life in Italy.
stifling every movement of self-government at
home, and surrendering the liberties of the
country to an maturational and ultsentontoure

priesthood. We could not go along with these
things; they sere repulsive to our best feelings.
But three bands are now broken, and every
Englishman must look with pride and
n ratifica-
tio on the tribute of admiration Aillf'lria has
now paid to the excellent institutions %Lich the
wisdom and the courage of our forefathers
during long ages have so happily transmitted to
us. Our sincere desire is, that Austria may
have sufficient political skill and firmness to
carry out the self-government now placed in her
'nands ; that peace and progress may be her lot;
and that she may yet become a natural allay
such as England as yet has never had on the
Continent.

In Italy the work of consolidation is going
nobly on. From • superficial point of iew it
might be supposed that society was convulsed to
its centre, so claw upon the suppression of one
ingests, is the discovery of another conspiracy;
but if we analyse the origin of these discoveries,
and gauge their real character, it will be found
that beyond giving the Government a great
deid of trouble, and necessitating constant vigi-
lance, they are perfectly harmless; and, more-
over, that they are rendered innocent by the
good sense, moderation, and contentment of the
majority of the nation. The ease and rapidity '
with which one plot after another is siippressed,
without having recourse to violent and sanguinary
measures, is a proof that the conspirators are
isolated in their plans, and that their intrigues
have no widespread ramifications. Even in the
' provinces where the priests have been used to
' dominate, and where they are, for the most part,
in favour of the Concordat and the Bourbons, the
embers of insurrection are rapidly dying out,
whilst in Naples they are already extinguished.
Notwithstanding the temptations the Neapolitans
have had thrown in their way. they have stood
staunch and firm to the principles they in-
augurated when Garibaldi entered their city; so
unanimous in their feelings of patriotism, that
the agents of neither Bourbonism, Horatian), nor
klazzinianism,can turn them from their allegiance
to the unity of Italy, to constitutionalism, and
to the House of Savoy.

The great "Battle of the Budget" was fought
in the House of Commons on Thursday night.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved the cou-
tinmuice of the duties on tea and sugar; upon
which Mr. Horsfall moved an amendment to
the effect that on and after the let October next
the duty be reduced to is. per lb. iu lien of the re-
peal of the paper duty. The contest was one
of spirit and matter; the rivalry be-
tween a vast organic question, affecting vitally
the civilisation of Britain, and a quarrel about
the current price of an article of grocery. The
result was, as we had anticipated, a victory for
Ministers in an unsually crowded house, of 299
against 282. Ten conservatives voted in favour
of Mr. Glsdatone's resolutions, and eighteen
Liberals voted for Mr. Horsfall's amendment.
Mr. G. Moffatt, who spoke in opposition to the
Budget, voted in the majority, as did also Mr.
Walter, of the Times. Sir E. B. Lytton was
not present, but gave in his adhesion to the
scheme of the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
having paired in favour of the resolution, with
the Lord Mayor of Loudon agaiust. Lord
Stanley voted against Government, and Mr.
Hodgeon, member for Bridport, was nne of the
18 Liberals who went into the opposition lobby.
The Hon. Mr. Portman, Mr. 'Sheridan, and
the other Liberal members in this district were
on the side of e.:ucation, unrestricted labour,
and national progress.
A fortnight since the Lord Mayor of London
gave a grand banquet to Her Majesty's Ministers,
and it vras but natural that he should feast his
own friends of the opposition likewise. This
brilliant affair came off on Wednesday evening—
the evening previous to "The battle of the
Budget." The Lord Mayor, in proposing the
health of the bead of the Conservative party—
Earl Derby—vouched that the principles which
the noble Earl advocated were the best security
f England's position among nations—a oomph
went which haul Derby accepted and enlarged
upon. According to the Conservative chiers
own 'hewing, be is the most magnaniimous man
towards an opponent that ever existed, ahile the
functions which he possesses are greater than
those of an ordinary political leader. Although
be and his party were "in whst some people
called the cold shade of opposition," they
" refrained from factiously opposing a govern-
meet in which they bad no confidence.', They
"abstained from factious &visions and from
hostile movements." "For the support of a
government to which they were opposed, they
sacrificed all their personal feeling, all idea of
personal resentment, all feeling of private per-
sonal interest to give a cordial and zealous
support to the Ministers of the Crown." "It
was well known that if the Conservative party
were to discontinue their personal vigilance in
Parliament for the rrotection of Her hlsjisty's
Government, the Noble Viscount at the head of
the Government would very shortly sustain the
rate ,if Actseon, and would be torn to pieces by
his party. In a week or a fortnight they might
have an opportunity of compelling the resig-
nation o' the present Goveniment, but they all
knew that an accession of the Conservative
party to power would lead to renewed WM-
bitiations among the dissenting fragments of
the Liberal party, and again disturb the social
and political relations of the country," and "by
following his advice they forbore." What
magnanimity ! All the benefits which we receive
and shall receive while Lord Derby retains his
exalted position, we owe to him. If others intro-
duce measures, and seem to carry them, itis only
by his consent. He is the

" Street little Cherub that Oa up aloft,
To look after the deeds of poor Jack."

We certainly have no wish to rob Lord Derby
or his followers of any praise that is justly dui,.
to them. They are confessedly a compact and
disciplined force, and if bent on pure mischief
might embarrass the Government to the extent
of bringing on a dissolution, but, after all that
can be said of Mr. Gladstone's finance and the
Peace-at-any-price Party, the country prefers
Lord Palmerstoi.e to Lord Derby. It is not
so much matters of taxation, as international
transactions that test most severely ministerial
discretion ; and the traditions which Lord Derby
represents, and the views which he has avowed
on foreign affairs, are not such as to inspire the
British nation with confidence, and these affairs
just now are the most practical of questions.