The Express.
London, England, 1852-10-09 00:00:00

Ithe evorefos.

A Mori Slid= :1" no Zapnws.. eraastshas Mew evesivql
then, pa pablashomi raw/ Uri., sod rridyt. La Yoe
waded tap...," (ABMs Frieda. paper,
smi beat the Oen. Ileevarlwareelo, Tv. WY** as ski
dip of gallmisa.

RION WATIK AT LONDON BRIDOI.
Tone Day—Ma-Mug. IM 111M.—......3tiereass. 111. la
Ta.rosaw•—liarats4.lll.Usr.....„...allenmes, ek. On.

LUNDOX, SATURDAT. OCTOBER 9.

Manson the Anglo-Saxans the life of every indi-
vidual was valued, and in case of his being killed a
definite sum was paid over to his relations. This
valuation also regulated the fine lucid by an offender
for the commission of certain offences. The amount
of this compensation was carefully noted down in the
statutes, and formed a descending scale, beginning
with the king. The value of a monarch's life was
30,000 thrymsas ; of an atheling, 13,000 ; of a
bishop ur caldorman, 8,000, and so on at a lower
and .over rate as the catalogue came to its
close. It must be allowed that, whatever defects
might attach to this system, it was at least
consequential. If the legislators wets, wrong there
was at least a met h,d in their error; and after all there
is some fairness in making a man payaccording to the
damage that he has done and the capability he pos-
sesses of payment. The modern Anglo-Saxons have
changed all that. Whether on account of the more
complex condition of modern society, which involves
such a number of grades that there would scarcely
be any possibility of affixing an accurate money mea-
surement to each; or of a latent persuasion that pecu-
niary compensation is not a proper principle as a
foundation for penal legislation, there is no need to
inquire. Certain enough it is, that we have introduced
another system which has none of that fairness
which characterises the Anglo• Saxon laws, and
which seems to have a tendency to brutalise our
population. We have indeed a system of fines for
certain offences, but these are not paid as a compen-
wition to the injured party, but as a tax to the go-
vernment. The fines, again, are not levied with any
regard to the rank or worth of the offender or the
sufferer. A eostcrmonger may knock down a shop-
keeper, a policeman, or his own wife, for the same
money—say three pounds. If he adds to his amuse-
ment by jumping upon his victim when down, and
kicking him or her about the head, be pays
two pounds more. A "gentleman" of any number
of thousands a year may indulge in the same pleasures
for exactly the tame sums. Here the old Saxon
principle of fairness is completely lost sight of. The
coatermonger, who probably never maw, or is likely
to see, a five-sound note in his life, is marched off to
prison to expiate the sin,—not of his brutality, but—of
his empty pockets. The "gentleman" flings down
a ten-pound note, looks at the change to see that
there ts no bad money in it, and walks out of court
with the air of one who has settled a little account.

Observe, in neither cue is the principle either of
compensation or punishment to be traced. The
victim receives nothing as an alleviation of
his sufferings. The costermonger is placed in
a better lodging, receives better food than he has
been accustomed to, and, in addition, has leis bard
work to perform. The gentleman has paid what he
will never feel the loss of, and has, in fact, suffered
no more inconvenience than that inflicted by the
tasty atmosphere of the magistrates court.
So much for the offenders. How stands it with
the injured? They are left by this state of the law
utterly without protection. The brute who has
finished his three weeks' exercise on the tread-
mill comes out with renovated health and
strength, determined to wreak his vengeance
on his accuser. Should this unhappy being
happen to be his wife, be knows that be can set
now with comparative impunity. The poor wretch
discovers that her complaints, loud as they may be,
can only procure her a respite of three weeks, at the
end of which time she is sure to be exposed to worse
evils than before, and she submits too often in
silence. Women in England are actually living
in
juries
that any adequate protection from the
that any violent brute may choose to inflict upon
them when his passions are excited. "I only want
my life to be protected," wee the touching reply
of- • poor creature, a few days ago, when the
magistrate asked her what cook be done for ker.
She had just appeared against • ruffianly nephew,
who, to punish her fir asking him for repayment of
a sum el money which she had lent to his father,
seined her with both hands round the loins and
threw her with his whole force against the edge of a
counter and split her skull open. .1 only want my
life to be protected!" was her cry. The magistrate
was apparently struck with the Datum of the re-
quest, and referred the woman—sot to the law,
which be knew could afford her protecitioo—but to
the Milan himself, who might perhaps be induced to
girl up his murderous &nivel
The terrible prevalence of crimes against the
perms may be illustrated any week by a reference to
our police reports. Take for instant* the present
meek. Oa Mondawo read that JOHN LACILLAXD
backed a woman down and broke two of her ribs.
As he was remanded it remains undetermined what

was the Taloa of a female rib in the eyes of the law.
On the 3th we read that a miscreant knocked down

Fixes Mown, and Melted her while she was down.
Fined U., or to have di weeks' impeisonment. On
the 6th the sea of Joint Doeora, who threw his
euntegaimlthessenter, es abovereleted,weereported.
On the 7th mena told. that lonic WELL being an-
noyed Ilierrtabilar HIM Millet' laugh, end belay-
lag that the kieghter was &egad against
himself, dema the mid /Latium, sad
kicked him shout the heed as he lay ineweible on
sin ground. A hind let I. poled Ma-
unr, the prisoner knocked bin sad esbdng
Ma-
his hair with both heads, would hem piled it out
by the roots bed not a polkas= saws op at the
swam t The magistrate sensidered that the pewees
had committadJer alidingi worth el washy. As,
however, Joint Irma bed wittiguir
ti ogly incurred a debt to the Time
without herb, the whisawithessalluneshore
le was committed pulse as •
where he is to mei& 21 dope It wadi by
this that in onagidentsfe endowed@ et •
lee of something is. than Ilse ski:llw is wive/sat
to • day's imprisswasmt. It wand be worth while
knowing whether if the primer had banded the
=a erwereign it maid have obtsieed him
et tea days' inowesredise
New i. may sue of times instances the domes is
that the nabs le Wired hr life. Take the sage of
Mariam (Luau being hisitsd about the head es
he ley issinsibis,—it 6 nom sly possible that
he will not hel the east of these majors@ to his
dug day. Is addition to this remember that
hlirrnsw lives is biddy bar, that Joan Watts
may ratans the instemt kW titres weeks' imprison-
ment is over, and have forty shillings' worth of
mammon ones more. In this wee we would not
give mach for Merry aw's chases of life. If, however,
Josue Wzats, instead of indulging in the unprofit-
able eassemsat of ball resmiseing his victim, had
abet:seed some min hem 'dopiest, MArruaw aught
have he. the plearare wring his pianism
eddy lodged ea the ether side of the waist, de-
prived of all chum of witedshe his peillatery or
as tastes In ether wogs protect
property by the most rigid laws, we leave
the person almost without any preludes at all.
These are surely most disgraceful amawalim aid
lentil they era corrected we shall deservaily imlhr
under the reproach of treating life and limb with
thorough carelessness, whilst nervously *axiom for
the protection of pounds, shillings, and pence.

Two of oar seatimpearies are at gram!
In a mg riffs sad pleamat controversy en.=
podia, Whig M aiailerial affairs. Eaeh is maw.
stood la speak the eentimeate of cos of than small
bit anmsetis mediae of the Opposition white b ths
pert vtobeitodes ham hew splintered off lbs sail
atm* of party. Mr. Oissorora Is malmisdly the
!west of the little Mad who still rally mead the
isinorrhat laded and sadly deserted of Notion ;
while Lord Painnartnila auwsstis by a primal
Ma. rather than at the head of atrytbiag that can
be tensed a detachment or division of an army.
Dow me guerilla warfare of ket esioisa.
whoa daisies denametratism or merits wan
ea all bands felt to be impeadide, the pasted

relf these partisan chief' was °flea signally
And ever sines the lune of their ex-
WO naturally formed a emspieres topic is
lirrdevoted to their respective interests,
hliik the return of the political mama bids
dirges. for a rencw4 of the wordy War, and that
users fill the air of sh earlier opening of the cam-
miaa tbsa was nos weeks ago anticipated, the
sessisstlasi PAILININToN and Mr. GLADISTONR
eta lady esespild is &weaning what part these
eftdearien unatiashed should take, and they seem
=Pesomewhat to differ on that interesting
tt.l Ihe if to rainy Post starts with the
sisimption that two things are palpably
inpassible—first, that the DERBY Cabinet can last
for soy time or for any legislative purpose withossel
same infusion of additional strength ; and
thstia the event of its tall, no Adininistratimaft=
be formed by Lord lona RUISCLL. Hence it infers
the probability, if not the inevitability, of a return
to power of its favourite champion, either in combi-
nation with Lord Drama and theirs. damaged mem-
bers of the existing government, or in cesinne-
tion with the more pliant and pleashis por-
tion of the late ministry. In other words.
um political friendship of the noble viscount
is with ineffable nonchalance advertised as
being. now up at auction,—there being apparently no
consciousness whatsoever that there would be any-
thing more surprising or questionable in his lord-
ship's entering next week a Tory cabinet than a
Whig one. We are, we own, reluctant to believe
that such an announcement can have been tacitly

sanctioned by the veteran politician to whom it refers.
The Morning l'ust indeed takes care to go through
the formality of disclaiming all direct authorisation,
and we should fain hope that Lord l'Auniirrox
will, in fitting time and place, repudiate the fatal
imputation on his sagacity and honour u a public
I man.

No idea of the necessity of any such disclaimer seems
to hare occurred however to the Morning Chronicle,
when commenting in terms of anxious deprecation on
the ambiguous menace of its contemporary. The sole
thought indicated in its columns with reference to so
delicate a subject appears to be a fear lest Lord
PALMERSTON should determine prematurely, or with-
out consultation, which side he will espouse. Not a
hint is dropped respecting any essential difference
between Tor) ism and Liberalism, between church
ascendancy and religious equality, between electoral
reform and the maintenance of the existing system of
bribery and intimidation. From anything that the
criticism of the Chronicle contains on the i'ost's sugges-
tions of new min isterial combinat ions,t here wouldhe as
little hesitation on the pert of Mr. GLADSTONE'S
friends to enter a reactionary Cabinet as a proper
sista one; and had the proper opportunity and the
terms been settled, it would be as honourable
propernb becoming in these gentlemen to enlist under the
banner whereon is ostentatiously emblazoned " Down
with the democracy," as under that which bears the
motto "Political progress." If the Peclites were to be in-
terpreted solely by their daily organ, they would in
point of fact stand precisely in the same position
with respect to the two great parties into which
Parliament and the nation at large is divided, as
Lord PALMERSTON would be were his sentiments
and intentions to be scanned through no other me-
dium than the columns of the Morning Post.
For the sake of the character of our public men in
general we hope that the various rumours on this
subject with which political coteries just now
abound, may prove destitute of any foundation.
With the contingencies or ambitious aspiratioas that
may seem to have rendered the formation of a tiers
park, founded on mere official aptitudes, possible to
those might wish to be its chiefs, we deal not
here. A Peelite-Palmerstonian administration might
probably look very well on paper in the eyes of
those who wish it. If personal ability were all that
is wanted in a constitutional ministry, it would, per-
haps, be warranted in attempting (when it gets the
chance) to do the business of the different departments
as indifferently as any other set of lords and gentle-
men we have had for rulers for some time. How the
fundamental difficulty of the want of a definite prin-
ciple, and of ostensible following could be obviated,
we atop not here to inquire. At present we are con-
cerned with the alternative hypothesis,—that, namely,
which supposes absorption of the doubtful quantity
that occasionally is flung into either scale, and its
permanent incorporation into one or other of the op-
posing masses. It is the assertion and apparent ad-
mission of this dubiety that we are convinced the
public generenv will regard as discreditable and
damaging. With men who are open to an offer
from Lord DERRY, we can have nothing to do. If in
their eyes the insolent exclusive and retrogressive
policy of the present government are matters of secon-
dary importance, then there can be no confidence
on the part of_ the people in them. Far from endea-
vouring to diem& them from joining the Logs-
DAL= and SALISBURY' and BERESPORDS, we confess
we should be mach better pleased at their doing so
if they ca;iladoanso sincerels,ainyoranadtlizinzry, than
try ey should
rendering all plain Listing between parties inignpracPart:
tieable, and lowering the standard daily of political
morals. We do not undertake to make any such
allegation of any of the distinguished personages
alluded to. On the contrary, we shall not lightly
abandon the hope of seeing both Mr.GLADIRONS and
Lord PALMIRSTOX take a decisive)) liberal course in
the coming stain. We wish it, beanies we believe
in our principles, and desire that all men of genius
and ecoomplishment should espouse them also.