The Press.
London, England, 1856-05-24 00:00:00

THE WEEK.

SOCIAL topics have engaged the greatest share of attention this week.
In all societies PALIdER'S trial is keenly discussed. The newspapers
are silent; but this reserve seems only to give greater animation to
the discussions which arise in every place of public resort. One other
subject occupies the mind of dwellers in the metropolis—Will there
be an illumination of private houses on the 29th ? A hint from the
Government on this matter would have saved householders from great
perplexity, but no such hint is vouchsafed to them. "Do as you
like," says the Prime Minister, but with such significance of manner as
to suggest, " Take care of your windows if you don't show your joy and
" satisfaction by the consumption of quant. gaff. of Russian tallow."
The LORD MAYOR has been applied to, but the Premier of the City
feels bound to uphold his dignity by imitating the reserve of the
Premier of Westminster. The worst of this suspense is, that one
really does not know what sort of a humour the mob is likely to be in.
They may approve of the Pence, and take aim at all windows not
lighted up, or they may disapprove of it, and mark for vengeance all
dwellings which venture to show signs of rejoicing Or, worse still,
suppose King Mob, who will reign unquestioned that night, should be
divided in his sentiments—that there should be a Peace faction and a
No Peace faction, and that the former should pelt darkened, and the
latter illuminated windows, what a plight would the poor metropo-
litans be in then ! The preparations making by the Government are
so enormous, that we should imagine the illumination of private
dwellings might well be dispensed with. If eight thousand pounds
are to cover the cost of all the works we see in preparation, Govern-
ment will have more to show for its money than it ever had before.
We shrewdly suspect, however, that eighty thousand will be much
nearer the total cost.

From fireworks to the Budget of the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE-
QUER is only another illustration of the axiom that extremes meet.
We cannot congratulate the Right Honourable Fipancier on either his
" transparency "or his " crackers." His statements are opaque, and
his misstatements unintentional. He managed, however, to make it
tolerably evident that in his calculation last year he made a mistake
on the wrong side of the national account to the amount of three
millions five hundred and sixty thousand pounds ; and he also con-
trived to make it apparent that he estimated the deficiency this year
(retaining all the war taxes) at ten millions three hundred and
seventy-three thousand pounds. By borrowing , five millions,
by using a million and a half in hand, by asking leave to borrow two
millions more, and by throwing over for the present two millions,
which he had reckoned as margin, he found he should be able to get
on very well. The House assented, and Sir CORNEWALL LEWIS must
have thought, from the facility with which all his demands were
;minted, that the " state of transition " he described must be the
h ippiest period of a financier's existence. This quiescence
cannot last. The whole subject of the income tax, now yielding
16.000,0001 per annum, requires revision, and there are some imposts so
obnoxious as to render their retention extremely improbable. We may
notice that the anticipations we expressed as to the decline in the
consumption of malt, owing to the increased duty, have been verified
bi the result. The consumption fell from forty-two million bushels in
1853, to less than thirty-four millions in 1855. This shows the im-
policy of greatly increasing the tax on an alraady over-burdened
article.

The speech in the House of Lords of the youthful Earl of CAR.,
NA RVON, on Thursday night, was received with marked applause, and
gives promise of future excellence. It had both merit and modesty,
unlike the displays of some young men, who have nothing but " the
virtue of confidence" to support their pretensions. The Duke of
ARGYLL made himself most ridiculous by his assuming that the Earl
of DERBY could not reply to any other Peer except himself. His Grace
is certainly most self-opiniated. Before he was twenty years of age, he
published a crude pamphlet on an intricate controversial question,
and people applauded the silliness of the deed, and called it " clever."
Ever since, the Duke of ARGYLL has suffered from that injudicious
praise. He inherits a great name from the Scotch worthies of other
days. but during the ten years of his public life his Grace has won
no c her praise beyond that due to good intentions, and he is a
Cabinet Minister by his connection, rather than by his merits. Lord
DERRY'S speech on Thursday was, even for him, a splendid effort.
It was fully worthy of the Noble Lord's great powers, and he completely
carried away his audience by his high-toned peroration. Though in
a minority (from a number of Peers not liking to interfere with the
Treaty in any way) the Noble Earl was cheered to the echo when he
resumed his seat.

An Englishman has reason to be proud of his country in observing
the fairness of the long and complicated trial of WILLIAM PALMER.
The Judges, as was to be expected, have been patient, con-
siderate, and forbearing, and the counsel on both sides displayed rare
fo'•ensic talents. The opening speech of the Attorney-General fully
" ALEXANDER COCKBURN. It was an exquisitely

•.garULP. IHe or
sustained the fame of Sii