The Express.
London, England, 1852-11-16 00:00:00

gfte erzirtoo.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
► decaud Eakin et " The Exprow." watabalag the sum evedn►4
" Gazette," I. published. every Tuesday sod hide, eight. V tlete
a* poet.
adweettsemeitte Wended toe "The Exprow,"Leetiew Beetle, rim
must be at t►e Una% 10, Ilouverio.etweet. by Two o'eleek oa the
fay of pablbeatloa.

RION WATER AT LONDON MIMI.
Tun DAT —Kornis& 4b. Ilh. 211 s.
To.roasow—NortUag, 6k.

LONDON. TUESDAY; NOVEMBER 16.

Minium feel that the days of :equivocation and
evasion are passed, and that their hour is come.
Deceptive promises and vague regrets are alike
exhausted; and the plain question, was it right and
just to annihilate the Corn Laws in 1816, is to stand
forthwith on the books of the House of Commons,
and must be answered once, and for ever, by the
briefest and the simplest monosyllables in tho
English tongue. As many aa are of opinion that
the volley of Sir ROBERT PEEL was one of wisdom
and justice, will, upon the motion of Mr. VILLIERS,
bo called upon to say—aye; u many as are of the
contrary opinion, will be obliged to say—no. No
power of rhetoric or sarcasm will avail to rescue the
followers of Mr. DISRAELI and Lord DEuuy from this
wisely unmistakeable issue. They must either
screw up their courage to tell the truth they have
for six long years been denying, or they must stick
to the fallacy upon which they have hitherto been
trading for popularity out of doors and for pay
within. They may vapour and swagger about their
personal honour, and invoke solemn sanctions on
their pious obedience to a sense of duty ; but when all
that is over they will—each man in succession—have
to vote, either—that ho helped to hunt PEEL to death
for doing what was wise and just ; or that he still
adheres to the justice of taxing the people's food and
to the wisdom of that course of opposition by which the
present administration were thrust into power.
Which alternative they choose, they have a clear week
to consider. But as Mr. Huth has given notice that
he will move a Call of the House for Monday next,
it will be satisfactory to each constituency to know
how its pledged and plighted representative will
vote on the following day.
Meanwhile, the Palma MINISTER is, as usual, en-
deavouring to take care of himself. With him it is
simply a question whether or not he is to retain
office. He and several of his colleagues have already
passed the Rubicon, and ho now harangues his de-
serted troops from the opposite bank, boldly telling
them to follow his example. Literally so ; for it is
generally known that at the Carlton Club a very
numerous muster of Protectionist Peers and Com-
moners took place yesterday, to whom Lord DERBY
delivered one of his characteristic orations, the gist of
which—if we have heard aright —was to inform the
noblemen and gentlemen present that, in his opinion,
there was nothing for it but to agree to Mr. Vit,-
LIERS'S motion, unless it was put in the form of a
vote of want of confidence. That was the only mo-
tion ho and his colleagues were not ready to vote for.
For himself, he trusted they would believe that his
private feelings were in no respect changed. lie de-
plored the ruin wrought by Free Trade as deeply as
he had ever done ; and had he the power he would
prove his sincerity by acts as well as words. But if
they did not all together consent to say just the re-
verse publicly, and in their places in Parliament, how
could his government stand ? They would be utterly
out-numbered if they went to a division, and the
immediate consequence must be his resignation of
office. On the other hand, if they really desired
that he and his versatile friend, the CHANCELLOR
of the EXCHEQUER, should remain at the head of
affairs, they must jump the stream as he had done. He
admitted it was not pleasant to be obliged to do so.
It was not without considerable reluctance that he
had brought himself to the point of desperate re-
solve. He had clung to the hope to the very last,
that something might have enabled him to elude the
sad alternative. But in this he had been disap-
pointed; and no resource remained save that which 11
he had suggested. In a word, his followers must
now decide whether or not the Ministry, as now con-
stituted, was to continue to exist?

Just 20 years have elapsed since Lord DERBY, then
a vehement reformer, harangued an assembly of
Liberal representatives and nobles at the well-known
Whig club. Theo, as now, the immediate purpose
was, if possible, to save the government, of which he
was a member, from impending dissolution. Then,
as now, the assault of a powerful opposition rendered
it a question whether it was possible for the occu-
pants of office to keep their ground : and then, as
now, irresolution and weakness rendered the danger
of panic and defeat imminent. But not as now was
the eloquence and energy of Lord Dr.anr devoted to
persuading his hearers to abandon their old con-
victions and their recent pledges; not u now did he
plead in mikericordion to a forsaken party; not as
now did he propose to ground their arms in the pre-
emies of their antagonists. His voice, his words, his
geetuns, all breathed defiance and inspired determina-
tion, for the gauss was that of popular right, and, for
the hour, he probably believedui it. And though at the
head of the opposition there stood the unrivalled
hero, whose errors are now forgotten and forgiven,
while the stripling STANLEY had not been many
months in official life,—his genius triumphed and
the cause prevailed. His disheartened hearers
caught the infection of his yet unsullied daring ; and
confidence once more revived. The anti-reform
party had counted upon a compromise, which would
have irreparably damaged the Whigs, and for the
time lost to the counttrry the Reform BilL We all
know the result of their having pursued an honester
and better policy : and their resolution to do so was
in no slight degree influenced by the spirit which in
common with Lord loam Russia. and Mr. MA.
C.AULAY, "the chivalrous STANLEY then manifested."
But the days of chivalry are gone, and Lord
DERBY, after forming a party on a sun le principle,
and agitating the country front one end to the ottier
in its behalf, and thereby aiding men of his own
ekes to exact from their tenantry vast sums of
money es rent, under the protium and pledge that
they sad he would never desist till Protection or its
'rimiest was secured to them—finally' having taken
theb=shrrre of
miming
till°
idea--
now kneels dupes, and asks them not
merely to forego every hops and dream wherewith
he had fed them, but publicly to declare that policy
to be right and beneficial which they have hitherto
pronounced to be ruinous and wrong.