The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-24 00:00:00

THE LAST OFFICIAL INTRIGUE.

THE snake of Coalition is harder to kill than some
simple folk may be apt to imagine. You may cut
more than one joint off its tail, yet all that is left
will prove itself as vivacious as ever. The operation
may be repeated, but life will nevertheless remain.
No amount of pain or lose appeal% to be fatal, so long
as a head is left, round which the pliant folds of a
many-coloured tail may coil.
After the memorable vote of the 29th of January,
Lord ABERDEEN and the Duke of NEWCASTLE were
quietly lopped off from the Administration. It is
hardly worth while to notice, that along with them
dropped Mr. FITZROY and Mr. LOWE. After the
meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday last three more
of the most conspicuous portions of the same con-
stituent section—Mr. GLADSTONE, Sir JAMES
GRAHAM, and Mr. HERBERT—were severed from the
still palpitating trunk in like manner. A few
honourable obscurities were said to be about to share
their fate, but nothing precise was known as to
their number; and few people felt curiosity enough to
inquire. Several of those with whom they had most
sympathised were at first supposed to betray no
ambition to share in the penalties of excision. Mr.
CARDWELL and Lord CANNING still lingered,
and the whole of the household troop of
Aberdeenites mustered next morning as they
were. What was the Prime Minister to do ? He
bad started a fortnight before with a motley band of
colleagues, and already a third of them were gone.
Their places must be supplied, and that without
loss of time; for the country waxed impatient,
and with the legislative session uncommenced, and
the preparations for the next campaign still to
be made, days wore on, which all classes felt
to be precious, delays indeed appearing little
short of the highest treason. What was Lord PAL.'
MERSTON to do? There is not a man of common sense
in the country, whose intellect has not been bewil-
dered by the jargon of clubs and coteries, who would
not have given the safe and obvious advice to the noble
lord which, to the credit of the press be it spoken, was
offered simultaneously in the columns of every liberal
journal in the kingdom, and even by some that do
not affect that appellation. "Bo just, and fear not,"
was heard on every side, stimulating and encouraging
Lord PALMERSTON to break the paralysing spell of
hereditary imbecility—to go below the gangway for
colleagues—andand un e
orr u
pt
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impossible to believe that age and the long habit of
listening only to the worthless whisperings of diplo-
matic and dandy politicians should have prevented
him from hearing these disinterested admonitions;
and many as have been the noble Viscount's error',
we can hardly suppose that he was altogether un-
moved by them.

But while he hesitated what to do, the tempter
came'to hisi. The old author of Coalition, by whom
he had been lured against his own better judgment
is IBS2 into accepting the Home Secretaryship,
once more tendered his insidious aid. Lord ABER-
DEEN affected to blame the secession of Tuesday last,
and with hardihood almost incredible undertook to
scheme out a new joint-stock Administration. He
had counselled Mr. GLanwroNE and his friends to
hold on, after he himself had been driven out by the
majority on Mr. ROEBUCK'S motion—first, because
the veteran politician knows the power and
influence that the possession of several great
departments of the Executive confers; but likewise
because be believed that it would materially faci-
litate his return and that of the Duke of NEW-
CASTLE to office after Easter or Whitsuntide, when
the present discontent might, he hoped, have sub-
sided. If " the three deserters"—(Sir JAMES GRA.
HAM seems to feel that the reproachful epithet will
stick to him, and vainly tries to retort" it)—if the
three deserters of their posts of Tuesday last could
not be re-enlisted, Lord ABERDEEN was at all events
sanguine that the President of the Board of Trade and
the Postmaster General, and the jobbing Lord ST.
GERMANS, might be made the nucleus of another
coalition, which, when strengthened by the junction of
Lords ELGIN and DALITOUSIE, would yet be able to
keep thing. pretty much as they are. Lord PAL.
MERSTON agreed; Mr. CARDWELL WAS offered the
Chancellorship of the Exchequer; the offer was
. declined by the timid member for Oxford. Will our
readers believe that the indefatigable intriguer
actually proposed to repeat the offer, and under-
took the familiar function of persuasion ? Up to last
night his veteran arts had not, indeed, succeeded ; and
Mr. CARDWELL took his seat yesterday on one of the
back benches behind the Ministry—if Ministry there
can be said to be. We also learn, with more of

amusement than surprise, that Lord CANNING, finding
himself at length absolutely alone among the Whig
relics of the Cabinet, has tardily followed his example,
and resigned. So slow and sad is the death of a
Coalition.

Let no man tell us rashly to believe, however, that
we have done with the imposture. Twice already we
have seen it resuscitated, when it was generally sup-
posed to be extinct. Far from deriving any assur-
ance on the point from the disclosures and recrimina-
tions of last night in the House of Commons, we are
more than ever struck by the inveterate care with
which Sir JAMES Glaktuat laboured to prove that
between himself and Lord PALMERSTON there was no
difference whatever in principles or policy : be had
demanded explanations regarding the terms of peace,
especially, before re-accepting office the other
day, and had received the most satisfactory
assurances and pledges from Lord PALMERSTON

respecting the extreme moderation of his demands.
Very acceptable intelligence this for the CZAR; and
very patriotically volunteered by way of helping
Lord JOILI RUSSELL'S mission. According to the
ex-First Lord of the Admiralty, no difference what-
ever exists between the foreign policy pursued under
the late PREMIER and that which the present hu
pledged himself to pursue. The sole ground of tem-
porary alienation between the members of the
hitherto united Cabinet is the question of the
Committee. That once settled, we are given to nn•
derstand that there is no reason why the pack
should not be once more shuffled and another trick or
two be played by the same adepts. It is equally
worthy of notice that there was nothing said by
Lord PALMERSTON that would in any degree serve to
remove such impression.
In the meanwhile what is the duty of the people
Will they suffer this egregious mockery of constitu-
tional rule to be impudently enacted week after week
before their eyes? They have, by their represents•
fives, judged and condemned, for incompetence, an
Administration self proclaimed to be what our
French neighbours would call La creme de la creme
of the old official monopolists. They mutter among
themselves for a week, and then strut back