The Press.
London, England, 1858-10-30 00:00:00

sanguine enough to entertain any such expecta.
tion, we heartily concur in the regret expressed
by the reviewer at the apathy and the want of
discernment exhibited in regard to this important
feature of our national policy by almost every
class of politicians amongst us :

England alone (he observes) chooses to be ignorant
that, when Romanism is only the creed of a tolerated
minority, not less than when it is the religion of the State,
it is necessary to establish certain limits wtthin which
the authority of the Pope shall be exercised. If this is
neglected, the plenitude of Papal power is virtually directed
by the national Roman Catholic hierarchy, and gives them
a preponderance which makes them formidable to the
Protestant Government, and despotic over the laity of their
own persuasion.

To foster this state of ignorance is the evident
interest of the Roman Court, and no pains are
spared, no arts of dissimulation are left untried,
which may help to keep up the kind of half
blindness and half good-nature with which John
Bull, though occasionally indulging in an ebul-
lition of passing wrath, is on the whole wont to
regard the movements of the Papacy. Singularly
effective as well as curious is the condescension
which, with that intent, is shown by the highest
dignitaries of the Roman Church to Englishmen
of rank and influence, and even to ordinary
tourists who take Rome in their way. Many a
man, far more shrewd than the enthusiastic Pre-
bendary of Durham who, a few years ago, ac-
companied by his lady in the character of inter-
preter, took the presence chamber of the Vatican
by storm, for the avowed purpose of converting
the Pope, has been fooled by the honied gentility
of his reception:—

On one occasion (of which our reviewer tells), when a
noble lord who hail taken a moat violent part against the
Roman Catholics chose, rather to the surprise of his
friends, to be presented at the Vatican, it was thought that
Leo would decline seeing one whose hostility was so
notorious ; lie received him however with more than usual
civility and oven kindness, telling him with a marked
emphasis that be was particularly glad to see him in Rome.
" I hope, my lord," he added, " you are now disabused of
your errors, and if you cannot conscientiously give us your
rtte, at least we shall no longer stiffer from your miscon-
ceptions." In all such interviews with our countrymen
the Pope and the Secretary of State piqued themselves on
disarming prejudice and conciliating goodwill by their
reasonable sentiments and their winning address. They
had nothing to fear from the contradiction which was
practically given to their professions by the whole course
of their policy. Our countrymen, and, above all, our
statesmen, are resolutely bent on remaining in ignorance
of the real meaning of all that relates to the social state of
the Peninsula and the ecclesiastical policy of Rome.

The truth is that the blunt straightforwardness of
the English mind requires considerable training
be fore it can cope with the finesse of Italian
diplomacy and with the mental reservation that
underlies every act and word of Papal statecraft
How the enjoyment by the Roman Catholics of
the perfect civil and political equality which it
is, greatly to their credit, the natural desire of
Englishmen to accord to all their fellow-subjects,
is to be reconciled with the maintenance of the
supremacy and dignity of the British Crown, and
of the spiritual independence of the nation, is a
problem which remains yet to be solved by our
statesmen. Until they shall apply themselves to
its solution in good earnest, after a full investi-
gation ;.)f the character of Papal policy, and of
the foundations on which that policy is built,
the secret emissaries and the open representatives
of Rome will continue to revel in the unlimited
license of machination which, without the appli-
cation of proper safeguards, our free institutions
afford to an unscrupulous Power, ready at any
time, according to circumstances, either to tem-
porize or to encroach, and determined at all times
to take the utmost advantage, without ever making
in return the slightest concession or the least
abatement of its extravagant and inadmissible
pretensions.
We have been so long detained with the affairs
of " Christian Rome," that we have little leisure
left us to take a turn or two in Pagan Rome,
albeit most temptingly invited to do so by what
may be termed two companion articles in the
present number of the Quarterly. One of these
introduces us, after a fashion prevalent at
this season of the year, to the agricultural aspect
of Roman life in the olden time. If it be true,
as the writer of the entertaining paper on Pro-
fessor Daubeny's " Lectures on Roman llus-
bandry" remarks, that, although we have so
much less of Roman blood in our race than our
continental neig hbours so much less of Roman
law in our institutions, and so much less of Bo-
man words iu our language, we yet approach