The Express.
London, England, 1864-02-05 00:00:00

TEE EXPRESS,

and useful, is not only an apt exponent of material
interests ; he belongs to a class and order of young
men whose practical experience and habits of bui-
-1 nen are advanced and strengthened by large
and liberal culture, by moral elevation, and
by severe intellectual discipline. Mr. GO6CHIN
avows himself one of " the great Liberal
party;" by which designation he evidently
means to disconnect himself with any particular
section of that party, or to follow any particular
leader. None of the old watchwords, or of the old
movements of the party satisfy him, nor does he
swallow any formula, or subscribe to any cut-and-
dried programme. He is not for peace at any
price ; yet he is, above all, for peace with honour
—he is not for absolute non-intervention ; yet he
is for non-intervention between sovereigns and
subjects—he is an advocate of the unenfrancbised
dames, whose wants and wrongs he will not over-
look ; yet he is no agitator, and he deprecates any
attempt to impute the misfortunes of the poor to
the criminal selfishness of the rich. He is for
freeing labour and the land ; but as a scientific
economist, not as a social regenerator. All this
sounds like the liberalism of an eclectic philosopher
rather than an advanced and active political re-
former. And eclecticism in politics is sometimes
only another name for indifference or dilettantism.
But young men of disciplined intellect and business
habits do not daily with great principles ; and that
Mr. GOSCHEN rightly discerns the larger future of
the " great Liberal party," we augur from the
earnest satisfaction with which he hails the an-
nouncement of a Royal Commission for revising
the declarations and subscriptions of the clergy of
the Established Church.

Mr. Dissazo, who spoke with the vigour and
freedom of his best momenta, addressed him-
self to the examination of the Speech of the
Royal Commissioners, as he somewhat affect-
edly described it, with infinite zest, and it
must be confessed the work was well laid out
for him by the framers of the Speech. It was
certainly no stretch of his prerogative as the
leader of the Opposition to criticise the conspicuous
omissions of that Speech, ita bare recital of the
" premises" of the German and Danish question,
its evasiveness, its inconclusiveness, its barrenness.
" What is your policy ?" Mr. DIsRAKU asked ;
and was entitled to ask, if the Speech was to be
its own sole interpreter. For beyond reciting the
names of the signatories of the Treaty of 1852,
and summarizing the conditions of that instrument,
the Speech leaves the actual policy of England, as a
party to the treaty, and as a most unsuccessful
mediator between Denmark and Germany, to the
mercy of rumours and events. And yet what
England has done, or is about to do, is the only
question that can interest the House of Com-
mons at the present juncture ; it is a question to
which no answer is given ; for no papers
have been placed on the table. Here was
temptation enough to merciless sarcasm, and Mr.
Disaszu was in the vein last evening. Had he
imitated the Speech which he waatearMg to pieces
in its reticence, he might have done.more damage
to its resporsible authors. But instead of con-
cealing his hand he chose to sink the statesman in
Vie critic, and, as the French say, to make a dart
of every stick he could bud. He seemed to cen-
sure the Government for not supplying the Oppo-
sition with weapons of offence. He blamed them
for saying nothing about Irish distress and emigre
tion, about the desertion of Poland, about the prc
bsble duration of the American war, about the d's-
content of the lonian Islanders, about the Emperor
NAPOLEON'S impracticable Congress, which while he
described it as "an adroit manwuvre " for retreat-
ing without fighting and with all the honours of war,
he blamed Lord Rues= for declining in "rough"
language. Criticisms of tbis sort, however epigram-
matic, made it tolerably easy for Lord Psmizzsros
to puff the heaviest charge away. Urem;unately,
after all this running fire of banter, the charge
subsists, and only forthcoming events can dis-
prove it.

We are authorised to announce that levees will
be held by the Prince of Wales for the Queen
before Easter, and probably a drawing-room by the
Princess of Wales, on behalf of her Majesty.
Levees and drawing-rooms will likewise be held by
the Prince ani Princess of Wales after Easter.
The Queen is still unequal to the performance of
state ceremonies, and her Majesty's physicians have
declared that any such ever lion would be preju-
dicial to her Majesty's health.