The Express.
London, England, 1855-08-22 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22.

Now is tht, time for England to show herself in
oarneht *Sour tbe war. The events of the last fort-
night may rearonably be regarded as prognostic of
far gr, liter victories end of additional looms to both
oar brays A;lies and our own rotors. There can be
no doubt but that when detailed despatches
resperting the battle of the Tchernaya are received,
we @ball find that the defeat of the enemy on the
16th iu•t. h i. bten a much severer lesson for him than
Was at drat atiticiptcd. Even Prince GORTCLI4KOII

--clever as he has hitherto shown himself at tossing
the best of • bid story, and the worse appear the
better reason—a military Jesuit of the Russian creed
—even Gutereneisore Ott ms at his wits' ends to make
matters pleasant in the despatches prepared for his
Imperial master. "To day," he writes, "part of our
troops creased the Tchernaya, aod attacked the
heights calle I 'rediouchine. Having encountered
very c ins derabie firzes"—even the Russian dares not
say this time that the Allies were superior in
number to the attacking army—"we withdrew
to the right bank. after an obstinate fight."
The A B C of this is, that the writer mad the
immense miss of troops be commanded, attempted
to drive b.ck their opponents, but were themselves
comp. lied to retreat, and place the river between
them and their gal.ant enemy. So tar the Cesa's
lieutenant tells his tele with merely that suppression
of the naked truth which • decent regard for his
mutter feelings would dictate. But, in the !text
sentence, the l'amee returns to his old trade, and
labours bard, In a few well-timed words, to prove
that, Hun all, there was a something wanting on our
side, which might be construed into a fear of advanc-
ing against the invincible hosts of Muscovites. He
announces that, oo the right bank of the Tchernsys,
his army "awaited the advance of the enemy for
four hoard," but that, "as they did not move for-
ward," the Fittece and his troops " returned to their
former position." Bassi' and her friends—Bugliali,
French, and German—should be congratulated upon
this new achievement in modern tactics. Hitherto,
the world at large has been under an impres-
aim that waiting to give the enemy battle was
an act of heroism only to be met with in the annals
of the Crusad-rs, or in a history of Dow Qui.role's
wandering.. But we have now learned better. Here
we have a Russian army of 60.000 men—not com-
mands(' by their own chief —.l-IPRANDI, but whom
the generalissimo in the Crimea comes oat of
the besieged fortress to encourage and lead to
what he considers certain victory—after being re-1
pulsed with enormous slaughter by a force little
more than half their own strength, and losing 10 per
teat. of their men as prisoners, first putting the river
between themselves and theirenemies, sod then turn-
ing round with the exclamation, o Gime on,
here we are ready to fght you." Goarcnatioree
moor tete, and the heaved bravery of his forces, will
be bee. understood by the schoolboy who runs away
after a sound thrashing, and when in a place of safety,
taunts hie ecemy to repeat the chastisement. Really,
the EXPV.IIOII% lieutenant ought to have thought
twice before he pot upon paper what will surely
make Lim the laughing stock of every soldier in
Europe. A more distinct confession of defeat, cou-
pled with an awkward attempt to prove that defeat
a virtual victory, never appeared in the despatches
of any Commander; and from the very compusit ion
of the docutneut we confidently expect that when
the whole troth is known, even greats: praise than
has hitherto been given them will be awarded to
the armies of our bravo Allies—the French and
Sardinians. Already there is a report flying about,
that General Simesoa has, in a private telegraphic
despatch to the War-office, called the battle of the
Tchernaja "en Alms and lukermann united," in
which the small Italian army, with four divisions
of the French, beat back atone of more than twice
their united strength.
The news of this great victory was, if possible,
received with more pleasure in London, because
achieved by others than our own troops. An
Bagbahtnan, in his love for fair play, delight*
that others as well as himself should io their
turn distinguish themselves. The French have
done to scores of times—against us in former
wars, side by side with us now. But the Sardinian
force was • maiden army, so far as the present con-
flict is concerned; and the rejoicing in Mislead has
been great and sincere, that our Italian Allies have
bad an opportunity of proving themselves as valorous
as we believed them to he. Prince GORTCHAIWIPIP

_ _-------- -
could not possibly have done the cause foe which
the Weerern Alliance is figh.ing a greater benefit
than by giving the Sardinian army that
confidence in themselves, and the French, English,
and Turkish Generals that future reliance upon their
bravery, stitch must result from the victory they
mainly helped to gain upon the !sinks of the Tcher-
nsya. The Italian band in the Crimea were soldiers ;
thanks to GUILICEIAKOFF, they are now warriors.
Nor, it we tura from the army guarding Balaklava
to that in the trenches before Sebastopol, shall we
have less cause to rejoice. In his letter of the Bth
intact, wnit.h we published yesterday, our Corre-
spondent writes: " We are nearly 300 yards nearer
to the town than we were on the 18th June, and our
Allies are within 60 yards of the ditch of the Malt-
kholf, and 30 yards of the Little Redan." With such
approaches, by slow, yet sure and certain steps, the
fall of the eolith part of Sebastopol can be bat
a question of titre. The long-expected news of a'
successful assault may reach England to-night, to-
morrow, or a month hence, but reach us it must, and
that ere the world is much older. Although, as we
pointed out the other day, nothing will justify the
Government in not making due preparations to
winter a large army outside Sebastopol—for teething
short of being prepared for every possible contingency
as well as every prubahle event will satisfy the
country—yet there can be little doubt but that a
great portion of our troops in the Crimea will enter
the fortress as conquerors before the next frost sets is.
Our lessons at the beat of war have been fearful, and
—thanks to a large leaven of administrative incapacity
in all oar military departments—the loss of lite
enormous. Let ea, however, forget what is past, and
look forward to a better future. New is the time
for England to show herself in earnest, and if Minis-
ters are faithful in their stewardships. the voice of
our people will be heard before the walls of Sebasto-
pol. We must not sit down and think that, because
we have sorted well, enough has been done in the
good muse. As to the besieging army belongs the
work of fighting, so OUTS is the task of keeping the
Executive up to their work. In oar hands is the
power to mows 'diary, amid attar *tory as boaoar-

able and a lasting peace. The night has been long,
but the longest night mast terminate, andalreedy the
approaching dawn is distinctly visible.
. .
i
Tar Polies Authorities of Dundeetbave jest en-
tend upon • couree of coadiscit of very qesationable
propriety indeed, but which may probably be intended
as • practical experiment made in order to discover
the solution of that important social problem—how to
employ the large body of females who wart work but
cannot get it. The polies seem boldly endeavouring
to solve the problem by subsidising females, and
using them u spies. A few days back
a warm discussion took place at the Police
Board of the town regarding the operation
of the Pablie Houses Act. The subject of the
discussion was the propriety of the payment of
some motley to a female who had been a witness
against unliornsed dealers in spirituous liquors. In
the mune of the discussion it wee proved that the
woman was employed ►y the police for the purpose of
entrapping dealers in spirits into of enoss against the
Public Howes Act. Provost Ronan, and other mem-
bers of the Board, stood up stoutly for the respect-
ability of this woman, who was willing to
get drunk, or incur the hazard of arriving
at a state of drunkeoness, for the patriotic
purpose of exposing surreptitious vendors of whiskey.
She certainly received money for giving evidence,
but she was nevertheless a " respectable" woman.
Destitute dressmakers, starving shirtmakers, weary
waistcoat stitcher', needy needlewomen of all kinds
—hear this! A field of usefulness is opened to you
by which money is to be gained, and respectability
may remain intact. The work may appear dirty.
You will have to enter into houses of sus-
picions character perhaps, upon false pretences;
you will run the risk of getting into that state which
will warrant your friends the police in giving you a
lodging in the station-house; but never mind; you will
lose nothing of your respectability. What a pity
that HOOD'S sempstress had not lived in "Bonny
Dundee." True, we should have lost "The Song of
the Shirt;" but the heroine might have gained a
" respectable" living by becoming a DALILIII of the
pot-house.

Do the sages of Dundee understand the magnitude
of the evil which may be the result of the custom which
they are introducing ? If it is right and proper that
the police should subsidise females for one purpose,
there is no reason to be alleged against the use of
them for many other purposes. The police, who are
not employed as spies themselves, may thus have an
army of female agents who will do the work of
espionage equally well. Thus, though the inhabitants
of this empire are pluming themselves that their
police is employed solely for the protection
of property and the detection of crime,
whilst the miserable inhabitants of continen-
tal States groan under the domination of a
police in which every man is a spy—they will be, in
tact, under a strict petticoat surveillance. The whole
practice is au utter contradiction to our habits and
manners, although it is true that a few circumstances
which have happened lately may seem to show a
tendency in the police authorities to introduce
'similar practices into England. If it is once
admitted that the employment of spies in
ordinary cases is necessary, an opening will be made
foe the conversion of the police into a political engine,
which will be as powerful a tool in the hands of our
Government as the police under the direction of
FOUCHE was in the hands of the Government of
France. The police then, instead of being respented
as the guardians of property, will be hated and
feared as the agents of a suspicious Government.
The moral support which the polio, derive
from the general impression that they ren-
der us important merlons will be lost, when
it is felt that they may easily be employed, and per-
lisps are employed, in the most odious of services.
The effect of this will be demoralising. When the
police become hated or feszed,sy m pat by will be excited
on behalf of offenders against whom they are obliged
to ed. Crime will lose some of the horror it ought to
inspire, and law some of that reverence which is
its due.

We need not dwell upon these possible cones-
quences, how, ver, because we can scarcely hope that
the examples of the SOLONS of Duodee will be conta-
gious. Nevertheless, it is right to expose the least'
tendency to nuke a change contrary to the very
spirit of the constitution in any of our public insti-
tutions. The principal evil to be apprehended at
Dundee, should the practice alluded to prevail in
that town, is the effect upon the poor women whe
are to degrade themselves that the police may " sit at
home at ease." In order to save a policeman trouble, a
woman who, according to Provost Rowse, is " re-
spectable " is to enter one of those houses which,
according to numerous authorities, had better never I
be entered at all. To listen to many police magis-
trates, you might imagine that the crossing of the
threshold of a public-house is of itself a sin. But
the respectable woman is bribed to enter into one of
these houses of the very worst clue. She ap-
pears there under false pretenoes. She drinks
some of the very liquor which her supe-
riors denounce. She is surrounded by the wont',
ohar•,cters. She thus obtains the desired proof, ten-1
days her evidence the next day, and receives her
hardly earned money. She then goes home to be
reviled by her neighbours as an informer—to be
avoided as an unclean thing. The very name "spy"
stinks in the nostrils of the British nation. A
natural instinct tells them, what is proved by the
practice of Continental nations, that under the
spy system each man is afraid of his neighbour, and
that society is thus loosened and demoralised. The
poor woman who has been the secret agent of the
police is the victim of this hatred of spies. It will
be imp •esible for her to maintain her position
long. She will return willingly to such haunts as
she formerly visited through nuessity. The money
she has received to betray the vendor of spirits will go
heck to himor to sots of his brethren, and the" re-
spectable" woman will Sod that what she hoped might
help her to rise in the world, will assist in her degra-
dation. The polka will thus have added one more
to the clue who give them the most trouble, while at
the same time they will have acquired for themselves
the odium which always follows the employment of
ben mesas for the attainment of as end, however
good.

This is not all. Experience teaches us that
wb the spy system prevails, the greater is the
increase of the particular crimes. for the suppression of
which the system is established. Conspiracies are ever
hatching in the countries where no man is sure that
his neighbour is not a spy over his words and action,.
Robberies are never more frequent than in places
where the police employ thieves to be spies on each
other. The spy, too, is obliged to do something to
earn his money. If the political spy cannot detect a
conspiracy, he will hatch one. It the ordinary spy
cannot detect a robbery he will plan one, to prove to
his employers that he is not idle. These are a few of
the effects of that system which the polies of Dundee
wish to inaugurate. The inhabitants of the town
will do well to crash tberril in the bud, and not allow
the introduction of as innovation which may lead to
desolating malts.