The Express.
London, England, 1852-12-24 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24.

SINCE Mr. GLADSTONE is named as one of the
pillars of the New Ministry, it is well for us to
keep in mind that all his sympathies are still
clearly towards Conservatism. He has never lost
an opportunity,.—bat has made many since Sir
ROBERT PEEL'S death,—of reminding the country
that he is a Conservative; in his Letters to
Lord ABERDEEN on the Neapolitan atrocities, he
ooacladed by expressing his affliction at the dine,"
dit they would bring on " the great Conservative
party ; at the very coannetweinent of this session he
intimated his readiness to join in resisting what he
was pleased to call democracy ; in the debate on Mr.
VILLIERS'S motion he spoke of the downfall of Pip-,
tection as relieving his former friends from a fail'
position ; and even in opposing the Budget he re-
called recollections of their former kindnesses towards
him in a manner that left little doubt he
would prefer their renewed attachment—to any
new coonexions. When to these slight but sugges-
tive indications of political feelings and opinions is
added the fact of Mr. GLADSTONE, in the midst of
negotiations for the construction of a government in
which Lord low; Ituser.tx was invited to take a
leading part, proceeded to spend his evenings in the
high Tory Club of Landon, a sense of uneasiness most
come over Liberals as to what an Assam= Minis-
ter means.
*No doubt, there is a good deal of just.milion feel-
ing in the esently : and of it Mr. GL&DSTONE may
wish to take advantage and constrain a moderate
party—a party white shall sedans all that is reason-
able from Toryism, and all that is timid from Libe-
ralism. lint a Miektry is not the proper means of
asking this attempt i sash 4 party ought to precede,
not to meek feens, a Ministry. A government formed
ma spooled= es to what sleet it will have ea
• is mesh a refinement as Mr. Otatrorrosee
Wel to revel is.. It is, however, an cape-
&KM to which this etiantay has never yet been sub-
*let And if that is the proems we are about to
Yee a government which shall
rely euppert ea die &eruption of both the parties
now is par7en4 end which shall seek to repose on
an mien of *bet see called all the moderate politi-
cises of the emsehy—wby the sooner we know our
Sae the better, dist bed: sides may make their
erreagernenta asearffingly.
Mr. OLtueramir may not, however, aim at any
thing so •novel and exceptional as this; he may,
notwithstanding his recent expressed predilections
and partialities, consent to appeal for support to the
Liberal sideeof the House of Commons. This, in
a period of surprises like the present, may be
the cue that will be taken. But if so, it is
a course full of difficulties, both external and
internal, for Mr. GLADSTONE; unless, indeed, he will
content himself with simply being the Finance Mi-
nister of the Coalition, a restriction he is little likely
to impose on himself or to submit to. The external
difficulties consist in Mr. GLADSTONE'S Oxford
connexions; the internal, in his peculiar mantel
conformation. It was as a Tory that Oxford first
elected Mr. GLADSTONE, and it was as a Con.'
servative that Oxford has twice re-elected him.
And what do we now find? That so sensitive
are Mr. GLADSTONE'S own Oxford friends as
to the possibility of his having entered into
any combination " with other political parties''—
that is, with Liberals—for the overthrow of the go-
verment of the Chancellor of Oxford, that he has felt
himself compelled to write a long letter of explanation,
just;fication, and denial to Dr. PHILLIMORE, the
chairman of his committee. If his own friends
in the University are thus jealous of his having
combined with I,wd form Russett and Sir
CHARLES WOOD in opposition, what will they say
to his joining those distinguished Whigs---we h6pi
we may still add Liberals—in the government
firmed on the destruction of the Cabinet of Oxford's,

R~