The Express.
London, England, 1852-03-08 00:00:00

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HIGH MITRE AT LONDON BILIDOS
Tale Par—liondue, Y. Ste. Afternoon. Sh. No.
To•aoarr.—Nrart. 41. 13ia Alionise% 416 Um.

LONDON, MONDAY, MARCH 8.

Tire first council of the Disitatta-Deans cabinet
assembled at the Foreign-office on the afternoou of
Saturday, and sat upwards of three hours. It is
carefully recorded by the ministerial authorities that
Sir Jolla l'avasorox was the first of the council
who arrived. As the youngest and least experienced
of the bridesmaids is always the first at a wedding,
MO the greatest nos ice in diplomacy is the most eager
for initiation into the mysteries of the ministerial
deliberations. Sir JOHN PAKINGTOM was half an
hour in the council-roam heron: his colleagues joined
him, and had full opportunity of testing the quality
of the bleating-paper and speculating as to
whether the inkstands were of colonial or
foreign wood. Mr. litsnami, less inquisitive, but
more important, iuriaed with the l'rime Minister,
say the oracles, after all the others had assembled,
testifying. as lw would have the world believe, the
depth of his leader's confidence, and the rave nature
of the preliminary considerations in which they had
been engaged.
The subject which engaged the attention of the
protectionist leaders the public are allowed only
to guess at. It is probable that the inexpen-
ence of the country gentlemen assembled—their
utter ignorance of thZ tomes usual upon such occa-
sions—was the clime of some of the embarrassments
which led to a sitting so rotracted. The novelty of
their position may have also had its charms for them,
and Cie probability that they would not have many op-
portunities of meeting in the same way, doubtless
rendered them less anxious than usual to break up.
Ifoe.ver this may the final result is before us.
Our rulers, after three hours deliberation, came to
the solemn resolution " that another Cabinet Council
be summonvel to assemble on Monday, at three
o'clock."
The difficulties of the new government hare evi-
dentiycommenced already. The gravity of their posi-
tion forces itself upon them even before.their leader in
tin House of Commons has secured his re-election.
Nor can this excite surprise. With a nation prepar-
ing itself to oppose their policy—with manufacturing
and productive industry suddenly checked—with
commercial men alarm-el, the relations of landlord
and tenant unsettled and dies urbed, and every inte-
rest of the empire placed in jeopardy by Lord
dimity's threat to reimpose a food-tax—how is it
possible but that the government must feel that even
their first week in otlice has been fraught with
causes for anxiety ? That which the whole nation
at this moment experiences is the effect of
uncertainty. No man knows what to-morrow will
bring forth. No man knows to what extent the
government desire to go, or may propose to go. No
man knows when their contemplated change of
policy is to commence, or what is the exact direction
it will take. The most important commercial and
financial questions of the age await adjustment.
The income tax, the great source of national revenue,
is about to expire. The charter of the East India
Company awaits renewal : the Colonial Minister him-
self has a motion on the notice paper of the House of
Commons atibeting the sugar trade, and all the
varied interests involved in it: the Home Minister
tells his constituents that he inclines to an imme-
diate re-adjustment of the entire taxation of the
country. Such arc the questions pending, with a
government in power from whose policy the nation
are declaring their dissent.
The nation feels, moreover, that the government
is most unscrupulous. The very position renders them
so • for they are pia, ins for political existence. What
desperate men will do in theirdesperation every day's
experience teaches all of us and what these officials
may do to-morrow who will venture to predict ?
With an inexperienced Foreign Secretary in office—
one whose antecedents are utterly unknown, and who
has been pushed forward for reasons that appear
utterly inexplicable—who will say that to-morrow
morning we may not find ourselves upon the verge
of war even with the most potent nations of the
world ? To the party now in power war might be a
godsend. It is almost the only accident that
could keep them in office even for a limited
number of months to come. Under the smoke of
their cannon they could retreat from a protective
policy. Their tenantry they could divert with
militia uniforms and rifle practice. Upon the manu-
facturers they could revenge themselves by the sus-
pension of trade and the pressure of taxation. To
the parliament they would allow no time for any
other discussions than those which concerned the
safety of the country; and the c matitnencies they
would teach to sing " God save the Queen
and " Bade Britannia," until they were as hoarse
as rusty muskets. It is very observable that though
Lord Lanny in his declaration of opinions treated on
almost every other topic, he said not one word con-
cerning peace. Ile spoke, indeed, of arming the
country against foreign ag7rression, bet of his desire
to preserve to us the blessings of peace ha gave no
pledge or promise.
Such considerations, in the present critical junc-
ture of affairs in Europe, ought to make us more
and more decided in bringing the government to an
issue respecting their policy. It is due to the nation
th it,on the very first day of the re-assembling of par-
liament, the ministers should state what they in-
tend. And it that statement is doe to those who
oppose the revival of protection, it is infinitely more
due to those who support it. We observe the at-
tempts which the government organs are making,
morning after morning, to keep the fanners quiet to
induce them to exercise what they call "a tempe-
rate forbearance in urging their just claims."
" A temperate forbearsnoe. Who taught the farmers
to be otherwise than temperate? Who bayed them
on to put a protectionist government in power?
Who promised them everything they wished and
wanted the moment that power was obtained? Who
but the very men who arc now at this moment tell-
ies them that a " temperate forbearance " is
(essential ?

Ever since 1846 the members and parliamentary
supporters of the present government have been tell-
ing:the farmers in and out of the house, on the hosting.,
at agricultural meetings, at fairs and cattle shows, in
market ordinaries, and in more private circles, that
Lord Mans and his friends in parliament stood
pledged to protection, and that their first act on at-
taining ones would be a restoration of the taxes
upon food. They now tell them that these pledges,
by which they enlisted their favour and support,
were only "opinions," and that "opinions are not
binding upon public men;" that they (the farmers)
must exercise a " temperate forbearance" in urging
their dilute; and "that they (the government)
promise nothing." What sort of political morality
is this ? Such langua,m is more degrading to the
nation than any political teaching employed in this
country since th.e century commenced. The doctrine
that " pledges" are only " opinions" is destructive of
all confidence in public men. It is so calculated to
corrupt the public sentiment, that we say unhesitat-
ingly that the retention of power by men guilty of
such deceits would be as great a social injury as the
restoration of a tax on food. Honest and straight-
forward farmers cannot fail to see this; and, seeing
it, they will not, we hope, fail to demand of the
county candidates who go back to their respective
electorates this week, as members of the government,
an explicit statement of their intentions with re-
gard to the revival of the corn law.
If the farmers will do their duty, the commercial
community will certainly do theirs. Tne nation
beginning to feel what it has to trust to. The demo-
ralising teaching that opinions" are not " pledges"
will not be acted up to—will not lull the manufac-
turing and trading classes into false security. A
contemporary appositely reminds us of a fable which
shadows forth the position of the people and the go-
vernment.

There was a wolf th.,t had taken possession of a cave
to n ar a litter of whelps. In answer to the requests of the
owner of the Ogre• that the wolf would provide herself with
other quarters, she pleaded the helplessness of her young
family, suet begged for time to enable her to bring up her
whelps. The prayer was granted, and at the expiration of
the time, when possession was demanded, the reply was,
" You gave me time for the growth of my young ; they are

now yawn up and rd 100 say tarn me oat if yea
ran beat ma and my wW•
Bo it ours to take are that we do not agreed
" time" for growth and strength to the litter of
wolves that would eat us up verw.