The Express.
London, England, 1856-02-01 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1.

Ms debate on the Address last night, in the House
of Lords, however short it may have fallen of certain
expectations formed regarding it, will hardly be
deemed destitute of public interest, or unworthy of
grave regard. Like the document which served u
its text, it may be said to derive its importance
chiefly from its negative characteristics, and from the
acquiescence shown in the more than ordinary num
on questions of the deepest concern to the country at
large. We would not be understood as endorsing
this unlimited draft on public confidence in
favour of the Ministers of the Crown ; or
assenting unconditionally to the constitutional
doctrine laid down broadly by Lord DIZZY. that in
all oases where negotiations with foreign powers
are pending it is the duty of Parliament to observe
an Imperturbable silence on the terms to be demanded
or refused, and only to pronounce an opini n when
the issue is decided, as he himself phrased it, "irre-
versibly." We own that we have not so learned the
principles of the constitution ; and upon fitting op-
portunity we have
the courtier doctrine of the noble spokesman of the
Peers. Bat our present business is rather to
point out that on a point so momentous to the
well-working of free institutions, Lord DENBY
was the recognised spokesman of his order.
From all sides he was greeted with cheers
whenever he reiterated his disclaimer of any inten-
tion, of disclosing what sort of pesos this country
would or ought to be satisfied with, as carrying into
effect the purpose for which it gave the Government
credit in framing preliminaries now agreed to. The
dexterous leader of opposition took infinite credit to
himself and his party for such forbearance; although,
as he alleged, it was only the fulfilment of • palpable
duty. To us it seems that the credit claimed ought
to be awarded with caution. Sheer selfishness may
induce • party at a critical juncture to make a com-
pliment of their silence to their rivals for power,
reserviog to themselves the unlettered right to find
fault, by-and-bye, with whatever may be done or left
undone. Ministers, however, were in no critical
mood, and accepted " the Grecian f ;" but the
nation will, we trust. keep in memory these tiling*,
and ponder them deliberately in its heart.
There is little in the 'pooches of the mover and
seconder of the Address to all for any comment or
remark. Lord 00•701 D I. a man of books, cautious
by temperament and fastidious by habit and educa-
tion. He spoke like on. who felt how little good
soy thing he could nay could do his official irked.,
and bow easily an unconscious lapse into
hearty vigour of speech might embarrass them;
so he shrewdly resolved to say as nearly nothing as
was possible, in the eoncteest terms—leaving to his
colleague in court suit the monopoly of platitudes,
loose talk, and random phrases about the future. To
do Lord ABINGDON Patios, he seems to have been
well enough inclined to avail himself of the tempting
opportunity. lie never got half-an-hour's &voodoo
from his peers before, and he was doubtless conscious
that he was never very likely to get as much
again. He disported himself with considerable self-
satisfaction; bat upon the whole, let it be said, harm-
lessly, and in that unrememberable manner which
COLIAIDGE used to call the tin-imaginative play of
a dull child. Not so Lord Deur. Never was the
caustic and cavilling tongue of that great muter
of debate more keen for mischief. Paragraph by
paragraph he tree to shreds the rather slovenly
worded Speech from the Throne, holding up each
curious fragment to specific ridicule for baldness,
bareness, and miachoice of terms. Oddly enough,
before he had done, the Weill. critic himself
fell into a blander of expression, which, at the
moment, eases to have escaped the notice of his
hearers. Talking of the evils of a war with America,
Lord Darin declared that foe the two nations it
would be • war " snausially asieidai." Had any
Irish Whig stumbled into mush a solecism as this,
in what a pitiless shower of jokes and jibes he would
have been swept away.

In Lord DILIMY'II professed earnestness of depreca-
tion of any Misunderstanding with the United States
we need not say that we entirely mom. We only wish
we had mese better reason for believing in the depth
and sincerity of his professions. We cannot forget,
however, that during his own brief administratioe
the two Governments serially drifted nearer to a 00l-

lisioa than at any period within our recollection, and
that it was only by the sudden shout of popular
remonstranos the Tory captain and his crew were
awakened to a sense of their and oar danger, jest is
time to put the helm about, and avert the impending
catastrophe. And now, when things look yam-
pitious, and Ministers feel the difficulties of their
misfortunate position with the Cabinet of Washing-
ton to be considerable, Lord DERBY, for the sake of a
passing taunt in debate, asks why the subject was
not introduced in the Queues Speech, and hopes
oar overnensitive kinsmen beyond the Atlantic will
not feel ►urt at the contemptuous neglect with
which the Enlistment end Nicaraguan question
have thee been treated by our Sovereign. Fee
our parts, we devoutly hope and believe
that no man in America will be found so
weak as to give heed to this wanton, we bed
almost said wicked, perversion of facts and motives.
The coneepoodeaos between the two Governments,
as Lord CLARBNDON explained, has not yet been
brought to any definite point of issue. As regards
the interpreted= of the Clajton-Balwer treaty, it
was stated by the Foariote Sacalmax that we
have proposed to submit the question to arbitration;
that there has not yet been time to receive any reply
to the proposal; that as respects the participation of
oar diplomatic and consular agents in the ill-advised
proceedings connected with enlistment of soldiers
within the States, an apology had been offered and
the proceedings wholly discontinued before any feel-
ing of anger had been manifested by the Aunties§
Government; and that the controversy now relates
altogether to by-gone transaction, and involves no
question of persons or property seregards the present or
the future. Lord Ct.ASZNDON added that he felt there-
fore justified in looking forward with confidence to the
speedy settlement of the dispute through the ordinary
chancels of oommenieatioa; and we do Dot see what

waist esd sushi have been staved by alluding in
emu wad evasive generalities to the oorrtepoadeoes