The Express.
London, England, 1864-06-30 00:00:00

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LONDON, THURSDAY, JUNE 30.

Ix the present divided and disgusted state of
the public mind, nothing could be easier than to
frame a parliamentary resolution expressive of
regrets, and implying censure. Nothing could be
easier ; and nothing more unmeaning, empty, and
inconclusive. Probably nine-tenths of the people of
England are in accord with the sentiments which
the loader of the Conservative Opposition has
placed upon the Notice paper. Yet it may be
safely affirmed that the House of Commons would
but add one more item to its budget of regrets if
it could be persuaded to adopt, with all its conse-
quences, the manifesto of a party groping for power
in the mire, or to believe that there can be any
comfort to the national conscience, any satis-
faction to the national honour in the tardy
indignation of officeseekers, garnished with
gentlemen of " the independent Irish party."
It is not to a meeting at Salisbury House that this
country looks for deliverance from infirm and va-
cillating and aimless counsels, or for the vindication
of its duty and dignity as a Power in the world.
That the Opposition for the time being should take
advantage of • signal discomfiture of policy to
bring • Ministry into contempt, to inflame the
wounded pride of the nation, to sharpen the public
anger, is nothing but fair constitutional battle.
Indeed it would be the abdication of • great party,
the abandonment of its most useful and proper
functions, to forbear from taking the sense of the
House of Commons upon a policy which it disap-
proves. All this we freely and fully acknowledge
as a sufficient justification of the hostilities an-
nounced by the Conservative Opposition. From
the tenour of Mr. DISRAELI'S resolution, in the
abstract, we are willing to suppose that only
placemen or partisans will have the courage
to dissent. As a resolution inspired by the
leaders of • party, and drawn up in the vaguest
and loosest terms for party purposes and objects,
few but partisans, we apprehend, will be ready io
support it. As • mere moral demonstration,
it can do no harm, and may even operate bene-
ficially upon its promoters if it compels them
to something like sincerity, and drives them from
the safe but inglorious position of mere negative
criticism. As the programme of a Government
and of a party without any policy of its own, it will
explode like • firework in the House, and leave
the °Gantry as confused and dissatisfied as before.
A more lame and impotent conclusion of speeches
justifying a pacific policy than the threat of the
PRIME Mixistza and the FOREIGN MINISTER to do
they knew not what if Copenhagen should be bom-
barded and King Cnaisrisx captured, might have
been deemed beyond the reach of human weakness.
Yet Lord DERBY, in his exposition at Salisbury
House of the resolution to be moved by Mr.
DISRA ELI on Monday next, actually accomplished
such a feat. After explaining with evident unction,
and in detail, how Denmark had been encouraged
and abandoned by the English Government, fed with
false hopes and fictitious promises, pressed to yield,
yet permitted to look forward to "certain contin-
gencies" for assistance that was never coming,
Lord DERBY "would not attempt to say that Eng-
" land ought or ought not to have interfered by force
"of arms." All the noble Earl meant to say was,
that the Government had misled the Danes ; but
" he did not mean it to be understood, nor did be
" wish to convey that his view was that
" England should interfere by force of
" arms." Replying to an hon. Member of the
party, who expressed a wish that the resolution
should embody an expression in favour of armed
interference, Lord DERBY respectfully declined to
bind the Opposition, " in the event of their coming
" into power," to any such declaration. And an-
other bon. Member, " representing a northern
" county," not only expressed himself entirely op-
posed to a demonstration in favour of war, but
gave Lord DERBY and the party to understand that
the country was decidedly in favour of " main-
" taining a peaceful attitude." The meeting, we
are informed, appeared to acquiesce in Lord DERBY'S
opinion that the reeolution was not drawn so as to
convey any such impression, and, for our part, we
are entirely persuaded that in earnestly depre-
cating any such impression, the meeting correctly
interpreted the feeling of the country. But then,
it may be asked, what does this great Conserva-
tive demonstration, this comprehensive and elabo-
rate resolution against the Ministry mall/ contem-