The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-10 00:00:00

aocording to Lord DERBY himself, by the I
feet that, while he retained to the last the
unshaken support of 286 members in the Lower
House, they were unable to muster more than 148.
Great must have been the astonishment of the QUEEN
when upon the carte blanche placed in his hands the
.oble Earl asked leave to inscribe two names, the
adoption of either of which necessarily implied the
renunciation on behalf of his party of any distinctive
principle, and the repudiation of their capability u a
party to form a government. Well might the QUEEN
have exclaimed, in the first emotion of surprise,
" What ! this from you, my lord ? Are you also a
convert to the faith in coalitions?" But no such
words were spoken ; and the uncompromising Lord
DERBY quitted the presence of his Sovereign to attend
a double compromise with the Whig Lord PALMER-
STON and the Aberdeenite Mr. GLADSTONE.

By his own account his advances were repelled
by neither. He talked matters over with the
Viscount, offered him the lead of the House of Com-
mons, said he should not expect him to join without
some of his friends, and grew at length so confiden-
tial as to intimate that there would be no difficulty
interposed by Mr. Disitexu, who was ready to
waive all personal claims upon the occasion. With-
out the opportunity of conference with such of his
late colleagues as were asked to enter into this
arrangement, Lord PALMERSTON could not give a
positive answer; bat Lord DERBY felt sanguine
u to the result, and took no pains to conceal
his anticipations. After many hours had passed,
the negotiation thus begun was suddenly
broken off; and the ci-decant Whig, ci-de
vane Peelite, and we suppose we may now add
ci &want Tory chief—forthwith resigned the task of
forming an administration. Is any one simple enough
to believe, that after the proceedings we have
described, Lord DERBY would have abandoned all
chance of office, if he felt that he could have fallen
back with confidence on the party he has hitherto
led? Not so; but he found when too late that he had
betrayed himself by the premature boast of having
betrayed his party. It is no longer a secret, that, in
the course of the afternoon of the day on which Lord
DERBY offered to coalesce with Mr. GLADSTONE and
Lord PALMERSTON, a considerable number of the
most influential and independent of his so-called
followers, being apprised of the fact, hesitated
not to declare their insurmountable repugnance
to the consummation of any each bargain.

They were content to remain in opposition, but they
would not, at the whirl of a conjuror's wand, abjure
consistency and honour, or at the bidding of their
nimble chief vote confidence in men whom he and
they had for eight long years, on every question
of vital moment, declared that they could not confide
in. Lord DERBY does not live so very far from the
Carlton that the murmurs of rising mutiny should
not have reached him as he sat at home that after-
noon, building his ministerial house of cards. But
he flattered himself, no doubt, that he had done the
dullards; and that be could afford to laugh at the
rage of the poor earnest dupes who bad followed
him so long. We should like to have seen his look

—we should not like to have heard his first excla-
mation—when he received the cool "rather not" of
Lord PALMERSTON. There was nothing to be done
but to throw up the came.
And here let %ado justice to one whom we have often
had cause to question, and whom we have often bad
reason to quarrel with on public grounds. By the
confession of all parties concerned in the negotia-
tions and attempted combinations of the last ten
days, the only person who appears to be wholly free
from the charge of self-seeking, and to have been
ready to sacrifice individual objects and pretensions,
was Mr. DISRAELI. At every turn of the kaleido-
scope we recognise the same everlasting scraps and
shreds of haughty heraldry—coronets and quarter-
ing., garters, crests, and ermine. Sometimes one
party
,colour predominates, sometimes another;
nothing is clear; all is medley in the shift-
ing and incongruous picture. One man, and
one only, appears to have acted generously
and with self-denial. We sincerely rejoice that in
this instance the plebeian has shown himself superior
to the grasping and greedy ambition of his patrician
emaciates, and that the man of genius stands out
conspicuous before the men of pretentious privilege
and rank. The speech of Lord DERBY upon Thurs-
day night was too obviously an attempt to retrieve
the position which his own conduct to his party has
recently shaken. But it was hardly wise in him to
betray so much chagrin at the failure of his proposals
to Lord PALMERSTON and Mr. GLADSTONE. As per-
fectly disinterested observers of the very edifying
transaction, we may be supposed to be impartial
judges end safe counsellors in the matter; and if
Lord DERBY takes our advice, he will in future
abstain from all allusion to the abortive attempt he
has made to leave his party in the lurch. For the
present we would likewise recommend to his lordship
the prudence of not resuming too suddenly the baton
of leadership. Is he quite sure that it may not be
wrested from his slippery hands f—Daily News.