The Press.
London, England, 1853-05-14 00:00:00

turb the dreams of Lord Aberdeen. want no
reform in the fashion of —3O. They give no
allegiance to the principles of our institutions.
and they glepreciate our national character. ,
Far front aspiring in the spirit of our free
aristocracy, they abhor it. They are, neverthe-
less, honest men, for they proclaim their pur-
pose, mid they are able and energetic and
determined men, with whom such shuttling
speculators on the eluuwes of hUlllitllitV as the
grim Court ier who now presides at the 'treasury
will find some difficulty to cope. These men
are disciples of progress. and what they wish
to advance to is the American system. They
are against a free aristocracy, and, as they
know the only foundation of a free aristocracy
is the penal, they wish to cripple the fortunes
us the surest means of diminishing and de-
stroying the authority of the land. What these
men want is, that there shall be a new electoral
scheme in which the landed franchise shall
assume a subordinate part: Is that the scheme
which Lord John Russell means to propose ?
Is that " the large measure which Sir James
Graham exacted from the illustrious legislator

of the Set AA Kirk ?
It was said the other night in the House of
Commons that the policy of the English move-
ment, if carried into eomplete 'Mild, would
chauge a first-rate kingdom into a alteoud-rate
republic. We doubt not it is slimier to destroy
a first-rate kingdom than to create on, but we
entirely impugn the position that this country
can ever become a republic of any degree.
The honest but shortsighted politicians who
are attempting to fitshion our future society
on the American standard will find, though
too late for their happiness, that there are
certain inevitable conditions on which the
government of the old European communities
can alone be einTied on. It is possible to
change all the forms of our polity ; convert
a Monarch into a President ; to substitute an
elective for a territorial Senate ; to transform a
House of Commons into a national Assembly;
to dissolve the ties of Church and State ; to
destroy the rights of inheritance ; in short, to
produce on the surface of our society the
semblance of a transatlantic commonwealth.
But it will be only forms that are changed or
established. The elements of society, whether
material or sentimental, will be unaltered.
The only change will be that their influence,
instead of being orderly and conservative, will,
under the new scheme, become destructive
and disturbing. Subvert a dynasty, and a
princely pretender will challenge the authority
of your president ; confiscate an aristocracy,
and you establish Iteredibu factions ; plunder
a church, and an impoverished priesthood will
whisper rebellion to the tender consciences of
millions. These are constituents of disorder
which are not found in American eommuni-
ties. Prescription will defrat the most power-
ful statesman ; outraged Tradition will battle
even Committees of Public Safety and Reigns
of Terror. What is called revolution in Europe
is the destruction of those traditionary in-
fluences which have governed a country : suc-
ceed in destroying them, and the traditionary
influences take the shape of disturbing
elements. After a cycle of convulsions the
agitated community calls upon tinve to ensure
order; the sole conditions On which Europe
can be governed are then recognised. and we
shall discover that if we will not submit to
traditionary influences we must bow to military
power.