The Press.
London, England, 1856-07-12 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

SATURDAY,

The Lords' Appellate Jurisdiction Bill has formed the principle
topic in Parliament this week. How it was that the Bill was affirmed
on Monday by a majority of 49, and on Thursday defeated by 22, is
inexplicable, more especially as on the former occasion the House was
much fuller than on the latter. The success of Mr. RAIKES CURRIE
seems to have been due to Radical influences. A certain class ofjour-
nals are now getting up a great outcry on the iniquity of limiting the
Royal Prerogative, and the character of these journals, decidedly not over
favorable to monarchical power in general, leads to suggestive re-
flections as to the cause of their present line of argument. But the pre-
sent Bill, be it noted, does in nowise limit the Royal Prerogative. It
merely declares that a certain order of public functionaries shall be
ex officio members of the House of Lords„just as the Bishops are. It
is no compromise at all between Lord PALMERSTON and Lord DERBY,
for it literally does not touch the original question on which the
Government were defeated in February last. Jealousy of the
Upper House is at the bottom of the whole agitation. The public
are only concerned to have an efficient Court of Appeal constituted.
Whatever expenditure is necessary to effect this object should be
cheerfully sanctioned. The highest Appeal Court in the kingdom
should command the services of the most vigorous legal intellect, and.
this object could only be attained b) investing the offices of the
Appellate Lords with such circumstances of dignity and emolument
as to make the posts coveted by the most eminent members of the
legal profession. The ex otrzei; scat in the Lords would meet all
other difficulties ; and there need be no fear that the " Judicial Com-
mittee " would ever be regarded as a sham if it adequately fulfilled
its functions, and commanded respect as the last, the highest, and
the ablest Court of Appeal in the realm. That it should be the ablest,
and that access to it should be rendered less expensive, are points of
the first importance.

The entry of the Guards on Wednesday was only not quite a
failure. In the first place, military shows are nothing without masses.
You must mass your men for effect; and the long, straggling column
of four deep is weak iu appearance. The Guards on Wednesday might
have been formed incompanies five and twenty deep with ease, and the
effect would have been far better. Then we are not an enthusiastic nation :
we think that if we give up time to look upon a show, we have done
sufficient ; and if it were not for the ladies and gamins on such
occasions everything would pass off in dead silence Our
want of vivacity is certainly a remarkable feature in the
national character. The entry of the Guards on Wednesday
formed no exception to this rule, despite the reports of tremendous
cheers and enthusiastic receptions. There was really little of the
sort. Perhaps it was fatiguing to display an enthusiasm of fifteen
minutes length, but when the old colours, scorched and torn with
many a Russian bullet, were unfurled, we did anticipate something
more hearty, more united, than the feeble cheer which here and there
broke out among the line of spectators. At no point, except just
round the Palace, was there any real display of enthusiasm. As to
the Guards themselves, they looked a noble set of men. The old
veterans with their browned faces, long beards, soiled uniforms, and
dusky bearskin caps, looked the beau ideal of soldiers ; and when they
marched past in open column at the inspection► in the Park, so far as
one could see through five rows of hats and bonnets, they had not
lost an atom of that solid regularity for which they were so pre-eminent
on parade. With respect to reviews, the Times this week suggests
that we should have our " Campus Martins " somewhere near London.
Anything would be better than the present arrangement for seeing a
review iu Hyde-park, for unless one comes at nine in the morning and
takes a front place, there is no chance of seeing at all, the ground is
such a dead level. Since their return to London, the Guards have
been objects of interest on every occasion of appearing in public.
In common with the rest of our army, they nobly sustained
the honour of the country, and their example should live in the
hearts of their countrymen. What is the number of Guardsmen who
originally went out to the Crimea and have now returned ? We have
heard a very low figure stated, but have no returns at hand to show the
truth.

Mr. BUCHANAN has replied to the address of his Democratic sup-
porters. His address contrasts favorably with some exhibitions in
our Legislature. It is moderate and statesmanlike. He altogether
deprecates the supposition of war, though he admits that the possi-
bility of it in the background should not quite be lost sight of. He
says :

Should I be placed in the Executive chair, I shall use my best exertions to cultivate
peace and friendship with all nations, believing this to he our highest policy as well as
our most imperative duty ; but at the same time I shall never forget, that in case the
necessity arise, which I do not now apprehend, our national rights and national honour
must be preserved at all hazards and at any sacrifice.

We imagine there can be no doubt of his election. The Government
of this country will find in him a firm supporter of the rights and
dignity of the United States, but not, we apprehend, a fixtious oppo-
nent. We do not hear anything further on the Central American
question. The key to its settlement is the frank recognition on both
sides of the principle of the Clayton Bulwer Treaty, with such arrange-
ments as may be required to give that treaty full effect. The relations
between the two countries will rapidly improve, from the moment when
it is understood that this country has no desire or thought to check
the natural progress of the United States' power on the American
continent.