The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-31 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY E#MiNG, JANUARY 31. 1561.

1118
vbs lraulge la it, a &etre that will :Or
sympathy out el the' county, if it only
tile form aid force d iction.
, • ,
Altillft has not donned me zany years in Ireland ‘,
a deisfonstration is every way mdse, remarkable than
that which took place a few days since in Dublin on '
the subject of centralisation. In England so many
other topics of interest engross the attention of our ;
political thinkers, and furnish themes more captivat- 1
iog to our political talkers, that we have paid bat
little heed to the growing tendency that hes long '
been manifesting itself towards the gradual absorp-
tion of authority and it:fiance in the hands of an offi
cial bureaucracy. What with questions of free trade,
and questions of taxation, plans of colonial and plane
of electoral reform, sanitary organiestionsand religions
trcubles—we have really hardly had an hour's leisure
to think of administrative policy, or to inquire whither
its changes are tending. Occasionally indeed some
isolated voice has seemed to come as from one preach-
ing in the wilderness, warning us to beware of in-
sidious evils and cumulative dangers to be appre-
hended from allowing too many concerns to be
guided and governed by too few hands. But changes
that in this country have been pointed oat as illustra-
tions of the tendency have generally been such as
afforded positive relief from the pressure of local
mischiefs; and the remote result is never an attrao-
ties subject of contemplation to the English public
mind.
Nevertheless it is indisputable that serious and various
steps, difficult now to retrace did it seem desirable, have
bean taken towards the re-edifiation of llowningetreet
on a scale and in a style of political architecture of
which our grandfathers had very little conception.
We are far from saying that all that is novel in the
present powers exercised by the Treasury, the Privy
Council, the Home Office, and the Board of Trade is
span to reasonable objection. Many local abates,
otherwise perhaps uncontrollable, have doubtlese
been thus brought within limits, or checked in their
mischievous development. Every dispassionate ob-
server will freely admit that this is true. He will
be very apt to come however to the conclusion
at the same time that as an segmentation
of power for good can seldom be conferred
on mortals without the hazard of enhancing their
capability of doing evil, so it behoves us to guard
with jealous care the new trusts we have coteerred,
lest they be reduced into what the lawyers call
"absolute possession," to our ultimate logs and
injln ury.
Ireland the progressive concentration o: power
in the hands of the imperial executive, has naturally
been looked upon at all times with more suspicion and
dissatisfaction. The want of a prosperous and numer-
ous mercantile class in the Irish metropolis renders
the position occupied by the professional and
the official classes of society, all the more'.
marked and conspicuous there; and the withdrawal
of even minor functionaries or the infringement of''
even subordinate jurisdictions of the courts of equity
and law, has never failed to provoke feelings of irri-
tation and ill will. So long, however, as the work of
centralisation was carried on in apparently *peyote-
matised detail, the discontent of those whosedirect in-
terests were alone perceptibly affected, did not appear
to be contagion,. Nor was anything of popular sym-
pathy evinced. One office after another was abolished
or traniferred in different departments without en-
listing any sentiment of general concern; and
successive statutes were suffered to pass both
Houses of Parliament almost without debste,whereby

co-ordinate or even aireciprocal jurisdiction was given
in particular matters to the courts of Westminster.
The more sweeping projects recently conceived for
the entire abolition of a distinct executive and of in-
dependent tribunals of the higher clue in Ireland,
startle the indifferent, rouse the torpid, and tho-
roughly rekindle the passions of the excitable of
every class in the community. For diversity of inter-
ests and feelings combined in perfect unity of sentiment
and purpose by the universal presence of a sudden and
unlooked for emergency—there has rarely been wit-
netsed a more singular manifestation than that of
Monday last. Peers and commoners of both sides is
politics, municipal authorities of the capital and of
nearly every town and city in the island, gentry and
traders, protestants and catholice, for once agreed in
one loud and long continued shout of resentment at
the proposition of the measures we have named, and
enthusiastic resolves to resist their realisation. We
are neither disposed to endorse all the arguments, of
to approve of all the terms which appear to have
been used on the occasion. But we own that we are
not surprised at what has occurred, nor shall we
marvel if the flame shall rise higher than, for the
peace and well-being of the United Kingdom, it is
desirable that it should do.
The unanimous voice of an entire people for or
against any measure in which they are or believe
themselves to be deeply interested, is a thing not to be
disregarded. Even where the source of apprehension
is unreal in part or altogether, no man of sane mind
can behold an entire community " set fairly by
the ears." Bad passions thrive apace in such weather;
and we kaow by sad experience that their roots
take firmer hold of the soil than wholesome and
nutritious plants. Every day that is spent in the
agitation thus formidably initiated, postpones for
months, perhaps for years, the establ shment of a per-
manent good understanding between the two
countries. If for 00 other reason, therefore, it will
become the imperative duty of the government to
declare definitively and distinctly, as soon as parlia-
ment re-assembles, what course they mean to pursue
on the two questions—the continuance of the Civil
establishment, and the curtailment of the Judicial
establishment in the sister kingdom. To vacillate or
trifle would be wholly unpardonable. One way or
' other, ministers most make up their minds to go.
But, for oat own part, we have never hesitated to
declare our dieapproyal of the centralising schemes
propounded last session. We have long thought that
a better distribution of authority has become indie-
' peasable tor good government. We think the central
executive of the empire has already more patronage
than is good for either us or them. We think they
have already more power than they can use with
advantage; and we desire to see both their power
and patronage lessened, in order that it may be more
fitly and appropriately shared by the various com-
munities and races of which the empire is made up.
The present reins of rule are unequal and entangled ;
but any rash attempt to draw them tighter is likely
to make them snap.

RIITZAL or VIZ WINDOW TAX AND PALE
Th7lll6.—Os Wednesday afternoon a public meeting was
held at the Town hall, Hull, for the purpose "of concerting
the moat efficient plan of obtaining the removal of the
window tax and paper duties." Mt. Alderman Ortaltam,
waa called to the chair, rind resolutions and a petition in
accordant* with the objects of the meeting were adopted.—
Easters Ctiorties Herold. .

CALLS TO Tllll BAR, LIN0011.(41)-INN.—Tha Hilary
Term calls to the bar of tits• H big Society of be
cola's-Ma, WWI made yesterday (January 30), and they
comprise the after•morationed gentleman :--Denby P. Fry,
Esq. • 81. Hemp *Mart, Beg ; Whoa T. Jenkins, Ran ;
Thoes A. Corlett, jun., Req. ' • Alexander H. Jenkins,
Y.A. ,• James T. Hopwood, Req. ; Robert W, Gilbert, hi A.;
and William Freeman, Req.

Dui Poole LAW BoAkb AN) MR PARISH OF
HAUL/MONS —R eptanl tonosithee of the directors and gnu-
dime et the poor of Dlar7taboos ham been held to eonsider the
alleged Insufficiencyud unwholeumenesa of the dietary of
the workhouse. It was ultimately resolved to give the
mann discretionary power in the iliatilbution of food to the
2:tdand jollies for a fortnight; and alms that such dinner.
be agreed twice a week, and four ounces additional
broad ebould be given with tha soup.

MT-WRECK or THE "NEW COMIZRCIAL " ON THE
lintasone* 'Rocca.—Yesterday at the fortnightly meeting of
the committee of the Itoyal National Institution for the pre•
earvatioiThf life from ship'wrak, held at the dikes, Greet
Winchuter street, after awarding various aurae to boats'
(wows for rescuing lives from shipwrecks, it was agreed that
thetgold thadallian of the society should be presented to
Captain* Morro Devise, RN , inspecting commander of the
Penzance auks, ea a mark of their appreciation of his gal•
lent and' Misname ezertiotta to proceeding with his boats
crew to thellriesou rocks in a tremendous sea, and, at the
istainebt pail of his life, Ming • rocket appustus from
his boat, and thereto,* being the happy instrument of rue-
eaag froth' their perilous position the master of the
brig, NeMCommerseal; wraked at that place on the
inst. Each of the roar boatmen is to be presented
with • ' ellTer medallion. The committee also agreed that
the gold medallion of the Institution should be prevented to
Mr. T: 3 Forward, itaiiihander of the revenue cutter
Sylvia, in ackaowleopsent of hie intrepidity and self-devo-
tion on that distressing '00E411011; and his boars crew of dee
pereoss'ai. each to be ptieleated with the silver medal, sad
the tenliftlamen and the miner ars awarded ilk in east-

donation of their daring and valuable esetreesi; rese;ing
the poor asthma Irons a tooting piece of the wreck. Cep-
taln D Mee has, it appears on three different former owe.
eine, beim mounted with le silver medal Otitis imisiestieue
which sem selected more meritorious sets for the diatribe-

I, tistosextbd. of iti hosenty sad peesaiuy nvarda *ma those jut