The Express.
London, England, 1851-03-12 00:00:00

Ell'a'..Bl..a. reN.eFt.:l2.:l;wSapaHN.rrii'lnWth!'w—erl:d.heLnLO"Ttlrier 'l7.l?"KLii
Imd misundetstood hie (Lord Duncan's) motion. 11e (Lord 1
tNlaiN NEWSPAPER Ilalltilift. Sixty large rola •or the'
Duncan) did not sal that the money was withheld from !
pobli•h•vi •r, r 7 Saturday
parliament, hut that it was withheld front payment.; into the '
exchequer. serf
lie (Lord Duncan) had taken the returns as his I lat. et intelligence [to the torment of pubdeatiou) from all pataof the
Ii eArrhtn.ere.
thoT,
li7.,Cap;,,,,LOSSWirrokfethe Vret. I.
authority. The noble lord (ti..ymour) would find in the' world, by eiprere. electric telerranh, and ;Orr rreans, Tr.lardlert of
returns that rho gram income derived from the poksessiuna
. podage 'tame.. to Edward only Threepence, I...t.free. Send three
and land revenacs of the crown had amounted during the Llopl, If, t allatudy,lneoe, London, and
seven teals quoted to 2,448,185/., that of this bum only
774,006/. had ineen paid into the exchequer, and 1,672.79.5 • I receive
cue
°°PY sa
° serails; "Prd'r °ran) "." '4''''''
--- - - ----- --- - -- ---
bad been withheld for charges of eollixtion and manage-I --
meat. There was still, however, a large sum lett which had
never been paid into the exchequer. With regard to the
speech of his noble friend (Lord Seymour) he (Lord
Duncan) begged to say that he did not grapple with the
great question at issue—the great principle as to whether
the house should have the control or management of the
public money. That was the principle he (Lord Duncan)
asserted, and he called on the house to stand up for the
principle that they had a right to the control and manage-
ment of the public revenue.
Strangers were ordered to withdraw, and the house
divided, when the numbers were—
For Lord Duncan's motion l2O
Against it

glit erpregio,

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

dveodaeulentabit-rn—ded (au "The Itzprcsa," London Earning pipar,
must be at the Office, 10, Bouwarie.strein, by Two o'cloek oa doe
day of publication.
- HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
TWO DAT—Mralag. I tem., an Shwa
Toutoanow—ardag, WM. Annum", 10b. 2ozi.
ld

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, MARCIE 12.

Majority for the motion
Mr. ANDERSON said that in consequence of commu-
nications he had had with the noble lord at the head of the
Foreign-uthee, he would postpone his motion in reference
to the imposition of additional duties imported or exported
in Spanish ships.
DETENTION OF FEMALES IN RELIGIOUS
HOUSES.
. . --•

TILE fact is that ministers had made up their
minds to take a holiday all through Issl ; and so
definitively had they taken that resolution that every
serious business, even what most engrossed the ex-
pectation of the country, was postponed. Electoral
reform, reduction of the estimates, reform in the
Woods and Forests—any and every thing was
thrown overboard. 18.11 was, nevertheless, the
year in which the most serious steps were to ho
taken for the renewal of the East India Company's

Mr. LACY obtained leave to bring in a bill to prevent
the forcible dl:tention of females in religious houses.
FREIGHT MONEY.
Sir G. PECIIELL moved for a return of the several
sums of freight money received by the treasurer of Green-
wich Hospital, sines the net day of February, 18,10, with
the date of such payments, and whether on public or
private account; also, the name of the ship or vessel in
which the treasure was conveyed, and of the captain or
officer commanding the same. The right hon. member then
went on to comment upon the pract ice which had prevailed of
smuggling specie, and stated that in consequence of it he was
himself a poorer man than he would otherwise have been.
Sir F. BAILING said that in consequence of a communi-
cation received from the Mexican government grid orders
had been given to prevent the smuggling of spvvic.
The returns moved fur were ordered.
INCUM BERED ESTATES.—APPEALS.
Col. DUNNE moved for returns of all appeals from the
decision of the commissioner for the sale of incumbered
estates in Ireland, with the decision of the privy council on
each such appeal : and, of applications made to the said
commissioners, or any. of them, for liberty to appeal,- and
the grounds of application for appeal in each case,--Ordered.

charter, and for a readjustment, us a neeessury
pre-
lude to a prolongation of the income tax. Never
was a year so ill-chosen for a holiday. And it was
chosen without any reference to superior authority.
Had Lord Joins ItussEbt, previous to the immuenee-
ment of the session, summoned all shacks of liberals
together, and expounded to them the reasons which
existed for not making it a busy session, for ad-
journing this question, and but temixiratily settling
others, his friends, and even his foes, would havo
listened to him, and something like a bargain might
have been struck. Instead of this all was mystery
and silence, until the break down of the budget.
A crisis ensued. And how the crisis sus termi-
nated, if it be terminated, we all know. Here again
there was greater necessity than ever for a frank
statement, a general understanding. A meeting of
ministerial supporters was even summoned for tho
purpose, so manifest was the necessity. But on that
occasion nothing was said.
What was the conclusion that people drew from
this silence? It was, that ministers wise prepared.
They have abandoned the idea of a do-nothing ses-
sion. They have taken time to modify their
budget, and it will come forth impeccable, at least
improved. Sir JAMES GRAHAM could not join tho
cabinet at present, it was said: hut as his junction
was in prospect, of course the financial arrangements
of the year would draw closer to his economical

pm pets.
We remember it was whispeied in the midst of
the crisis, that Sir J.tabs GRIMM was to take the
Admiralty, and cut down the estimates by a million
or two. Instead of this, we have the old estimates

hashed up, no saving, and no GRAHAM even opening
his mouth upon the subject. All this is disappoint-
ing. People .do not know where they are, or to
what they tend. 11l humour gains ground. And
those who were anxious to give the ministers fair
play, are disgusted with their nonchalance, and
grow reckless whether they stand or fall.
The most unpardonable and irremediable fault of a
general is nut to know his weak points. Now, this is
too evidently the case with the present ministers. Sir
CoAnt.cs W imagined he was going to immor-
talize himself and fortify the administration by his
budget. It was a salvation-budget, he said, and his
colleagues believed him!
And now we behold the same cabinet confidently
reposing in the belief that the Woods and Forests
humbug could go on in the old jog-trot, ueeountless,
auditless, profitless, a mass festering with jobs,
like so many sores, yet to which neither re-
medy nor salve was to be applied. Into
the malversation of the Woods and Forests wo
need not enter, having exposed it in narratives and
revelations that would till a volume. So gross, in-
deed, was this malversation, that it was impoasible to
recount it seriously. The talc was fit fur CU;
VANTES.
Aud yet this administration it was gravely pro-
pmed to continue. A bill, indeed, was introduced
lust year to convert the eononission of Woods
and Forests into a ministry of public works,
leaving the Woods and Forests and the Crown
Lands revenues to the same old management.
But this, even if carried out, was evidently no effi-
cient reform. Whilst the half million regularly
spent upon the public parks, and apparently in
diminishing the portion which the public enjoys of
them, would probably not conic under the head of
Public Works at all ; and whilst the old admini-
stration, with all its irregularities, its sinceures, and
peculations, would continue, it was not to bo
clearly discerned what the proposed hill would
effect. Perhaps Lord Joust discovered this, and
was reluctant to bring it forward. But with his
silence, and with ministerial shilly-shallying alto-
gether, government exposed itself to be pressed into
a division on a question where it was impossible not
to go with Lord DuNeAtr. We will be bound to
Nay, that half those who voted with ministers did so,
condemning them in their hearts. Is it fair in
ministers thus to drag their adherents through the
mire ? The whip-radicals are patriotic, independent
men, naturally anxious that the Whigs should go on,
and not abandon the reins of power to the tones. But
they cannot support a ministry which will not make
due efforts to support itself. Sir CuAnt.Es WOOD
is an amiable man, and Lord Srosoun is both ami-
able and liberal, and has the reputation of a capable
man. But a minister who is blind to the opinions of
the country and of parliament betrays his party, and
is unfit for his post.
There is no maxim more irrefrogable than that
property, whether landed or monied, that requires
management, must be unproductive in the hands of
the crown—more unproductive if it belongs to a con-
stitutional monarch than even if it belong to a de-
spotic one. The constitutional system is essentially
a system of patronage. And whatever a constitu-
tional monarch or minister has, he is infallibly
obliged to make a compliment of. And hence tho
Woods and Forests have ever been, and must ever
be, a mere nursery of parasites, until the parlia-
mentary plough be turned into them.
At any rate the only way to prevent this consum-
mation, the only mode of continuing to govern the
Woods and Forests by irresponsible coinmissioners,
was to show some fair result, some plan well conceived
and boldly entered upon, something more than an aug-
mentation of twenty or thirty thousands a year in the
receipts. If Lord SKruoun had eomein as a Scum after
Lord CARLISLE with a new law, and an intelligent
plan, perhaps the house might have had patience. But
the attempt this session to thrust the gala quo in
everything down people's throats is more than the
patience or the digestion of the public can compass.
The times are difficult ones, and require extraor-
dinary exertions. To hope to go through them
with the ordinary men, no more wide awake
than they were a month ago, with their ordinary
means, and at their old pace, is quite hopeless.
We shall, if this be persevered in, have another
stand-still or another upset.

BaErriv has been long regarded as the soul of
wit, and in former times it was esteemed a merit in
legislation. The practice of modern days. whether
referable to our progress in dulness or in love of
detail, has become signally the reverse. Acts of parlia-
ment have come to be of such prolixity and compli-
cation, that a table of contents is almost regarded as
indispensable; and to hazard an opinion as to the
meaning of a clause implies the disciplined courage
of a lawyer. To the laity it is no longer given to be
able to comprehend the multitudinous provisions of
the laws wider which they live.
Mr. LOCKE KING appears re,olved to try whether
there is any charm in verbosity and technical jar-
gon. Having somewhat unexpectedly obtained
leave to bring in a County Suffrage Reform Bill, he
has evidently made up bis mind to give the House
of Commons another surprise and this he has, we
should think, succeeded In doing, by producing a
bill whose terms everybody can understand, and
whose total length does not exceed thirty lines!
We should not be surprised if so glaring and auda-
cious an innovation led to the formation of a eon•
spiracy among all the big wigs and all the little
wigs of tho house; and that upon the second read-
ing, whenever that shall be, elaborate arguments
were resorted to in order to prove that the simple
proposition of the ingenuous member for Surrey
, ought to be consigned to a select committee, for the