The Express.
London, England, 1849-01-23 00:00:00

isremest maw which the (Xmases might
seserdlog to their notions et y, is
woe he 'leek sad reprise the development
rif like capabilities of a misty eciaposed
ittoon settlers. Were the ems or
Ike government is Ceylon manna to quo-
Owe emetitsticeal law, it would be each to sea-
ism them without reserve er allowance. Bat gar
MMus is admialtratisa ; gee plead sad
persevireass is a palsy alike diebtale of Italians
and equity; ler lmaglaty esalsmipt of simplisin ea
the pest of the simnel ;and gee vinirdca malt e[;
temper, the diffeadee with whisk goviamel fuse
le Weigle ia los afford so .
Sims fiats ami
go two memorialsapology were treammillei
Ban Colimbe to Berl OUT me emanated from a
entirmesieg of the inhabiteats, the ether from the
et Commerce. The 'satiate of the former,
as migtml at a pahaa siestiag, were patent to the
whole community ; the latter was not published is the
Wed until attar the sappressisa of the late lases
Maim The former related to the geassal adminis
Wan of public again; the latter related szoletively
M the prevailing economical distress d the island.
The only answer vouchsafed to either is a dissipate to
Lord Tow/tons, to which Barl Guy has ap-
pended his signature. In this document both memo-
rials are when of as having proceeded from the
Chamber of Commerce ; and on the strength of this
essfissioo, that body is accused of havisg contributed
to the kaiaks among the natives, in which the in-
surrection had he source. This affectation of deeming
it below the dignity of the Colonial Minister to reply
in plasm to a body so numerous, intelligent, and
Masada from its wealth, as the Colombo
Chamber of Commerce, is paltry in the extreme,
and calculated to give serious umbrage. The attri-
lmung to the Chamber of Commerce a memorial with
which they had nothing to do, and on the strength of
this misstatement (showing either that the memorial
had not been read or that its contents were wilfully mia-
represented) charging that body with having emelt-
huted to provoke an insurrection which had been sup-
pressed before their memorial wee published, and
was mossioned by grievances epee which it did not
touch, is calculated to lead the inhabitants of Ceylon
to despair of obtaining justice at the hands of the
British goverement.
The haughtiness which dictated We unfair and
lalirect reply to the complaints of the merchants
and planters of Ceylon, is a repetition of the fatal
error which cost us our American colonies. And this
is not the only point on which the present colonial ad-
ministration adopts toward Ceylon the same unjust
and unwise policy which the colonial administration
of 1766 adopted towards Massachusetts and its sister
colonies. Throughout the despatch upon which we
are animadverting, the home colonial administration
identifies itsel f with the local government, and indirectly
gives the memorialists to understand that any complaint
against the governor and his councillors is regarded
as an affront to the minister who appointed them.
It so happens that a protest by a minority of the
Chamber of Commerce accompanied the memorial,
and it is assumed in the despatch that the
testimony of the minority outweighs that of the ma-
jority. This is the very pretext upon which Lord
HILIABOROUOII vindicated his 'tippet of Governor
litrrcatmeos against the complaints of the legislature
of iiimeachusette. The lapse of well nigh a century,
with all its varied experience, has failed to make our
Golonisl-office one iota more wise or equitable.
The dispatch to which Earl OBEY has appended
his name expremes the most unreserved approbation
of the measures adopted by Lord Toast/401.05, at the
suggestion of Sir ERBIUM TINNENT—" I have much
came to be satisfied with the judgment sad
vigour with which the affairs of the co-
lony have been administered by your lordship,
with the assistance of the executive and
legislative council." Yet one of the first steps of the
local government after the suppression of the insur-
rection, was to rescind and re-enact in a modified form
the immds to which it was attributed, and of which,
the Colonial-affix so highly approves. This retractation
I roved the sense of the local government that its tams
sores bad been unwise and practically oppressive,
though the Colonial Secretary deemed fit to expose
his warm approbation of these measures.
It is not surprisisg to find the local government of
Ceylon, thus encouraged by the avowed and mow
promising partisanship of the home government, per-
sisting in their offensive policy. With an imarreo-
don that had been provoked by the impunities of
taxes which galled the natives much, and from their
imperfect apprehension of their scope and teasse7
frightened them still more, barely suppresrd, Sir
Exiutsos TRNSENT, at the time the kit mail was
despatched, was forcing through the legislative coun-
cil a general land tax, an impost open to the same
objections se the gun and dog taxes. The speech
with which he introduced this measure was couched
in a tone of defiance of public opinion not unworthy
of a STIA117011.1); and several of his user-
lime were contradicted by an official member of
the isomoiL The necessary consequences of such
'seeded were beginning to show themselves. Through-
out the planting districts the Europeans were labour-
ing under the conviction that fresh disturbances were
impending. The sight before the mail was made up
a memenger from lardy reached Colombo bearing
the intelligence that a military force had been emit
off to Martell*, and with it supplies of ammunition
for the plasters of the diarist, and urging the imme-
diate despatch of a reinfumement of soldiers.
It is to be hoped that the state of affairs in Ceylon,
sad the conduct both of the local and home colonial
administrations will be brought under the notice of
parliament as soon as it meets. The revenue of Ceylon
has been rapidly decreasing even in a state of perfect
order aid tranquillity. The deficit will be immeasurably
lammed by a seseemioa of insurrections. If parlia-
ment do not interfere to arrest government in the
policy it has hitherto pursued in Ceylon, the expenses
of native war is that colony will soon equal, if not
exceed, those at the Kaffir wars at the Cape.

le the case for electoral reform in England and
Scotland be enwg, that in Ireland must on all hands
be admitted to be irrefragable. Calculations vary
as to the • which the constituencies of North
and Britain bear to the male adult population.
On the other side of the Tweed the per centage is
usually armed to be from ten to twelve; on this
side it has been estimated at sixteen or seventeen. In
Ireland, previous to 1846, the total number of regis.
tared deetors in thirty-two counties did not amount
to sixty thalami, which out of a male adult popula-
tion of about a million and a half, would hardly give
bur par coat. Yet peoplewoader at the Irish being dis-
costented, and marvel at the domed for a repeal of
the anion. We may argue against the erreriume of
the countries upon other grounds, and believe, as we
=y do, that the evils it would entail upon
herself would far counterbalance the good
that such a change is expected to produce. Bat to
defend the perpetuation of inequality like this appears
to as to render the maintenance of the union itself
lade:male. To pretend that Ireland is a partner
on ,jset er equitable terms in the legislative firm
while pommel of no better franchise than that
we have described, is the mere insolence of usurpation.
And English:ass, who desire to do politically to their
neighbours as they would be done by, are bound by
their consistency m repudiating fraud and wrong, to
see an end pat, without farther delay, to so monstrous
an *judge.
The changes which the famine has wrought, more-
over, in the condition of p-operty in most parts of Ire-
land, render the exigency of the case still pester
than it was three years ago. In many counties the
number of holdings has, during that period, rapidly
decreased. Consolidation of farms has preluded at
a pace hitherto without parallel or precedent ; and
although it is tree that the larger proportion of holdings
thus added to others consisted of patches too small to
have conferred the 101. franchise author the Reform
Act, it nevertheless is equally certain that great num-
bers of the once enfranchised clue have disappeared,
and that their farms can no longer be found as sepa-
rate and distinct tenements. To what extent this
recent deduction ought to be taken into our new and
corrected calculation we as yet possess no adequate
data for determining. Probably some account may
be laid before parliament at its re-amembliog by
authority of government : for we can hardly suppose
It possible that the whip will again defer the settle-
ment of this peening qinstioe,orprolongthe existence
of the pesent creaky for another year.
A it may be recollected, was brought in about
um, ;sickle of last session by Sir W. Sostaavitte
which mooed to found the suffrage, not on the
wore.* "wfach lend is held, but en the amount of
poor-law rating. Th.' principle, if properly carried
out, would be • greet =pavement p. that contained
is the Bikes Bill. All the evils swearing as to