The Press.
London, England, 1858-12-18 00:00:00

THE PRESS, DECEMBER 18, 1858.

• positively announced a few months back, is now con-
sidered very doubtful.
The Reform movement in England excites great
intertst amongst all parties in this city. The real
admirers of England, that is to say all who love
constitutional liberty—and in the ranks of these are
the Guizots, the l'hiers, the Montalemberts, the
Broglies, the Viliemains, in a word all the most dis-
tinguished men in the land—see the movement with
regret, because they think that the existing greatness
and liberties of England are as nearly perfect as it is
given to human institutions to be, and that they
ought not to be touched for so trifling an object as
the attempt to remedy some petty imperfections.
The mass of the vulgar public, on the contrary, are
rather disposed to applaud Mr. Bright and his
friends, because, disliking and even hating England,
they delight at aught which diminishes her prestige
and endangers her power, and their instinct tells
them that a sweeping democratic reform, such as
these gentlemen intend proposing, must needs have
that result.
As usual in Advent, all the pulpits of all the
churches in Paris are now filled by the very ablest
preachers the French Church possesses. None of
the reverend gentlemen, however, have succeeded in
attracting the crowds and cleating the sensation
which in bygone years Father de Ravignan of the
Jesuits, and Father Lacordaire of the Preaching
Brethren, used to do, when they occupied the pulpit
at Notre Dame. Whether this be owing to the lack
of eloquence in the preachers, or to any increase of
indifference to the Roman Catholic religion on the
part of the people, or to both, I will not venture to
decide.
Saturday at midnight—or, more properly speaking,
Sunday at morn—the first bal masque of the season
is to come off at the Opera. These halls are the
grand saturnalia of the Parisians, and so wild, licen-
tious, uproarious, and Pandemonium-like are they
that they give one a very sorry idea both of the public
and private morality of the people. It has more
than once been proposed to suppress them, but so
popular are they that the Parisians would be savage
at any attempt of the kind, and it is not politic in
any Government to :make the Parisians savage.
There are, however two things which the Govern-
ment might do, whilst tolerating the moral nuisance
—the first is to have the balls given at some other
place than the principal musical theatre of France ;
the second, to have them held on some other day
than that which man is commanded to keep holy.
Nothing else is talked of in military circles than
of experiments which are being made at the fortress
of Vincennes, by order of the Emperor, of fulminatin-
shells and other awful projectiles, arid of revolving-
muskets and other fearful war engines.

jortign anb (Colonial ]ntelligtntt.

Ummur Singh is reported to have fled, and Dur-
kishen Singh to have been killed.
G. F. EDMONST,frNE, S 'cretery to the
Government of India, with the Gove►nor•General.

SUPPLEMENT TO MR. SECRETARY ED3IONSTONE'S
MESSAGE DATED THE 18TH OT NOVEMBER.
CENTRAL INDIA.

The rebel force under Tautia remained in
the Siodwara districts of the Nagpore province for
four or five days. On the Bth of November they
passed twentyfive miles south east of Baitool, and
continued their course via Sautnair and Meil Ghaut
towards Boorhaunpeor. On the 14th they crossed
tho TaptEe River, and proceeded in the direction of
Manirod and Dhar to the Nerbudda. They reached
Acbarpore, on the south bank of the Nerbudda, on
the 21st. All the forts on the north bank of this
river are t uarded. The British forces are in close
pursuit. Troops have been concentrated at Sindwa
and Chupra to prevent the enemy entering Candeish.
The Banda Nawab has left the rebel camp, and is
on his way to Major-General Michell.
Adil Mahomed and his party have separated from
Tautia Topee, and are now with Mann Singh near
Seronge, pursued by the columns under Brigadiers
Lockhart and Smith.

Mann Singh wai surprised on the 14th at ii)on-
diLle by Brigadier Smith, and defeatea with a loss of
600 men.

SAWUNT WARRE E.

The rebel leaders Baba and Dunmunt Dessaees
have surrendered to the Goa Government. The
Bombay Presidency is quiet.
Intelligence just received from the magistrate of
Candeish that naafis Topee had left Kurgaon
yesterday morning, and taken the road to Chupra,
via the Dowlabaree Pass. This place is guarded by
1,200 men of all arms. The Poonah Horse and
Horse Artillery will be at Chupra tomorrow. Cap-
tain Abbott will be there this day with the two regi-
ments of Beatson's Horse. The Meet chiefs are
harassing Tantia Topee's flank. Che feelings of
the population of Candeish are excellent.
H. L. ANDERSON, Secretary to Government.
Bombay Castle, Nov. 25.

V. MONTANABO.

Malta, Dec. 14, 5.30 p.m.

" TAXATION AND REPRESENTATION" IN
AMERICA.
IT is very much the fashion with us to preach
homilies upon the awful condition or the down-
trodden millions of Europe. We point with a sigh
to the preponderance of the military power in
France, and thank Providence that our bourgeoisie
cannot be snubbed by our standing kriny, and that
our journalists are not compelled to fight a whole
regiment in satisfaction for a harmless pasquinade.
Our parsons shed oceans of tears over the condition
of priest-ridden Italy, and stern native Americans
affect a colossal degree of pride in the fact that we
have no peerage like that of England, and that all
class and trade privileges are unknown in this happy
land.

What, then, is the governing power in the metro-
polis of the Union. Freed from religious or military
or aristocratic despotism, we seem to have attained
the highest political happiness. But such is not the
fact. We cannot shut our eyes to the truth, and
therefore we are beginning to acknowledge that our
governing power is the ._.ob ; and that is a despotism
worse than that of Russia or France, because it is
senseless, cruel, and bloody. Here we have, within
ten miles of the City-hall, a poplation of over a
million of people, presumed to be eminently blessed
in their political surroundings. The law guarantees
to every citizen the right to choose his own rulers, as
well as protection to life, liberty, and property; that
is according to the oommou reading of the constitu-
tion of the State and the charter of the city. But
what is the fact' It is that the laws are set at
naught—that the power of the mob is supreme, and
that this million of people trembles before a few
thonsaod scoundrels who ought to be in the peni-
tentiary. These precious rulers mey be classed as
follows :
Superior pugilists 100
Inferior bruisers 1,000
Vagabond shoulder-hitters .. ..
Gamblers and touters .. 2,000
Keepers of houses of bad repute .. 1,500
Men about town .. 2,000
Thieves, swindlers, and loafers .. 6,000

Total governing powers .. 15,100
All these men vote, and some of them exercise the
elective franchise several times. No storm, however
severe, can keep them away from the polls. They
form, with the five thousand prostitutes who live in
New York, the Prestorien cohort which rules the city
of New York, and dissipates in all manner of de•
bauchery the imposts wrung from the hands of
honest and respectable labour. It is in their bands
that the government of the city really rests, and the
natural consequence is that it is not governed at all.

131

It is fortunate for us that they are not united with
any one political party. They are generally free
lances, fighting for the faction that pays the best.
They work in the wards just at this time, and
control the nominations, subsequently securing the
election of their nominees through the indifference
of the respectable classes, who will not give ten
minutes from their business down town even to save
half their annual tax bills. If the legal and respect-
able voters of the city of New Yolk could be roused
so as to go once to the polls, and vote for men
nominated by themselves, instead of those selected
by conventions of pugilists, gamblers, and black.
guards of all sorts, the mobocracy would receive a
blow from which it would never recover. As matters
stand now, however, :here is little hope that our
governing powers for the next year will show any
improvement upon the past ; and that they will
become more insatiate in their demands and reckless
in their profligacy is beyond peradventure.—New
York Herald.

We believe we express only the settled judgment
of reflecting men when we say that self• government,
with universal suffrage, in large cities, has proved a
failure. It does not answer the purpose of Govern-
ment. It does not give us security either for our
persons or our property. It does not preserve order
or prevent crime. It gives us neither clean streets
nor safe walks. It does not check ruffianism nor
prevent pauperism. It is neither a terror to evil
doers nor a praise to them that do well. It gives us
dishonest law-makers, corrupt judges, and imbecile
executives. It elevates the worst men to the highest
places, and stifles the voices of good men when
raised even in remonstrance. Under its operation
the most reckless and unprincipled adventurers riso
to places of the highest power, and then tortify
themselves in their seats by the weapons and wealth
of those they plunder. There is no certainty of
justice—no fixed meaning to law—no reliance upon
magistrates—no security for life—none of the gua-
rantees and guards against violence and fraud which
Government was made to secure, and without which
all government is a nuisance and a sham. This is
not the'experience of New York alone—every great
city in America is showing the same results and
teaching the same lesson.—New York Times.