The Express.
London, England, 1865-10-16 00:00:00

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.

(THIS DAY.)

The private audience of Oonnt Bismarck with the
Emperor of the French boa been the seartion of the last
few days on thoOostieent. What has pared
the world ie
not aware, bus, as Count Blanarck is pleura, there is
disposition to be uneasy. The Convention of Osatsia was
received with surprise and displeasure by the Frew& ea
well as the English government, and the Tina believes
it is mainly, if not entirely, to do away with the
bed effect of then aggreselons that the visit of Count
Bismarck has been made. If there was anything more im-
portant to Europe, we shall, no doubt, hear of it in due
time. If it be tree that the policy of Count Bismuth will
henceforth be one %peeved by the Tuileries. there is reellOa
to hope that the Prussian Minister will have catered this
desired object by promii us justice to his depeodents sad
courtesy to his neighbonis. Let us hops also that—enn.
trary to cornet rumours--the °Deliciousness of having pro-
&teed so beneficial a change will be thought by the Konya
roe Napoleon a andiciamt reward.
The Herald revers to believe that the interview wee
without political results. The vest object of the Emperor
is to restore to Franco the frontiers left her by the fix%
peace of Freon. If he has, as some say, demanded Bear
bracken and Baarlonis as the conditions of his assent to the
thaexation of the Duchies, be will have them. Whether
be has 'eked for them the Herald doss not premed to
know, but certainly does not believe that he will let Prime%
have the Duchies for nothing. Perhaps the pries may not
be paid by Prussia. France may stipule% as the condition
for allowing Prussia to despoil Denmark and trick
Austria, the assent of Pram% to her spoliation of
some unfortunate third party. At all events, the
conviction which was once the great esearity
of the minor states, viz., that the Great Powers would not
allow the balance to be disturbed and one of their number
to aggrandise itself by a violation of treaty rights and good
faith, has now altogether gone ; and two Powers, whose tra-
ditions and whose fancied interest, compel them to watch
greedily for every opportunity of increasing their respective
territories, are left to bargain together, and bay assist for
one robbery by complicity in another.

Dr. fine, It will be remembered, regards Mr. Rasura .
the dupe of *sling of Abyssinia, and intimates an opinion,
oe at least a fear, that the latter may intend to get Mr. Eas-
sam also into his power and keep him in domes natal all
differsnoes between ourselves and Abyssinia are settled.
However humiliating the confession, the Times says it is
nevertheless true that we can do next to nothing to rescue
the prisoners or to protect Mr. Rusam. It would, no
doubt, be in our power to inflict condign punishment by
despatabing a large army from India to the African cont.
The bare threat of this, however, would probably consign
our countrymen to a cruel death. The painful dilemma
all comes from iaterferiog where we had no duty, no mason,
and no business to interfere, and from acting upon the
obsolete maxim that it is neeseury foe us to keep up an
"influence" in the East. Consul Cameron seems to have
gone a great deal beyond his instrutioni, to which if he
had adhered he woula never hue got within Sing Theo-
' don's grasp. Mr. Stern and kis brother missionaries, no
11 doubt, went to Abyssinia with a simple desire so spread
1 the Gospel ; but so did Captain Gardiner to Patagoola, and
1 so English government can undertake to insure the lives of
11 peens who seek converts beyond the pale of civilisation.
The scheme for the new Irish Usiversity bee the dived•
vantage of being something very like a surrender of the
principle of mixed education, but the Times appears to think
11 that the advantages preponderate. Of awn there will be
• new building. This is the way we tyrannise over Ireland.
The University of London, an establishment of which any
satin might wall feel proud, is condemned to dwell in
knit-a-dorm desolate rooms in Burlington-house entirely
inadequate for its soconnodatioe, and will, the Times does
nos doubt, continuo to do so long after In yonger Irish
slenrhas looked down on the waters of the Liffey from as
atiflos the handsomest that the arohltsenral Wean of the
age can provide for her.
Returning to thernestion of the semnatireial tannings and
their dinners, the Tine nays the whole arisen of hotel din-
sera is wrong. The general public COMM rather woos off than
ormusercisl travellers. The caste= of looking to the wins
IS the source of profit le earned to a nenehaves eate•t.
sad deprives on at hotels of pen and wholeness drinks'
We pay quite enough for everything; we pay far too
muck for wine. If the wince now procuraWe at a wine
merchant's were made *gully procurable at an hotel, the