The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-17 00:00:00

BarrAwNLL

Ten CHET ON 711.1 MERCY OP THE WORLD.
Mra Lane.--Slantng by KW H. Coveney, Mr. W. Randall.
Prole vat Miley ■ad Little Bob.—Deneing by Mdlle. C. Rtephan.
THE FATAL BRAND Mr. O. Cooke and Illaa Sawtotd.

111011 WATIA AT LONDON BRIDGE.
T IMP DIY —lllloralag. 16:s.
I.tiaoaao w--tdoening, lob. 50a.....Afterrow OIL 80sa.

ZOND ON, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17.

Fog 'I he last few weeks the interest felt here in
the new s from America has been concentrated upon
the elegy Aeons in the various Northern States, the
issue ( A which, it was rightly judged, must be of
far ore importance than that of any military
battle that was likely to be fought. We now know
the g eneral result of the last series of these contests.
In t 1 ,e State of New York the Democratic party
has ,btsined a great success. They have elected
nine teem out of the thirty-one candidates which
the State sends to the Congress. They have also
air nee the election of Mr. SEYMOUR, their can-
did ate for the governorship of the State, by a
nu 4jorrty estimated at from 8,000 to 10,000.
Fina the other States oar intelligence is less com-
p] see. New Jersey, we are told, has adopted the
L *ntecratic " ticket." This result was expected.
ho the other hand we learn that the important
;tate of Michigan, which sends thirteen members
t o Congress, has elected the Republican candidates,

t and Governor ANDREWS has been re-elected for

Massachusetts.

It must be admitted that these successes of
the Democratic party in the North reveal a strength
which until lately was not suspected, and which
probably its members themselves did not suspect.
.At the same time, they introduce an element of
rnneertainty and weakness into the course of
',American affairs, which may well justify ns in

speaking of their consequences with some reserve.
'The triumph of the Democratic party has been
%strongly desired by some among us upon assump-
tions which appear to us to be not only without
warrant, but to be contrary to ascertained facts
—on the assumption that the Democratic party is
a party which, arrived at power, would speedily
make peace by acknowledging the independence of
the South. That is an opinion for which no sanc-
tion whatever can be derived either from the
history of the party or from the character and
professions of its leaders. There is indeed a very
importent sense in which it rosy be called a peace
party, but the peace which it desires is one at

which every liberal mind revolts. The unchanging
watchword of the Democratic party in the
recent elections has been, "The Constitution as it
is, and the Union as it was." The preservation of
the Union is the chief end and object alike of De-
mocratic and Republican policy. The difference
between them was in respect only of the
means of obtaining it. The Republicans said,
by the election of Mr. LINCOLN, that slavery which
was dividing and ruining the Republic must be
allowed to spread no farther. Since his election
the same party have employed the means at their
disposal to break the power of the institution.
Its leaders have never dealt with slavery except on
the understanding that it is an evil to be abated,
mitigated, and, as soon as possible, cast out from
the land. The Democratic party at the North
have said to them with simple indignation—
" This slavery difficulty is one of your own
" making; there isno irrepressible contl ict' between
" freedom and negro slavery, apart from your Lana-
" ticistn. If you would only leave off preaching and
" writing against the institution, and loyally give
" back the fugitive negro to the muter when he
" escapes, the North and South might live togs-
" ther again in peace." ',Nor is this merely a
Northern idea. President Dixie may be of the
opinion of another great Seceder, and say,
" Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven."

but the potentate to whom this preference has been
assigned would never have refused to reign in the
better place. When we are told from Richmond
that " the South is glad to have done for ever
" with the despised and damned Yankees," it is
the North pursuing an anti-slavery policy which
is intended. With a North governed by the
Democratic party, and giving guarantees against
further action against slavery, the South might
again enter into Federal relations.

THE pleasure of being brought face to face
with a thoroughly bad article is seldom appre-
ciated as it ought to be. There is a mediocrity
which is neither loved by gods nor men ; but
first-rate badness is infinitely superior to this.
Perfection is a very good and enjoyable thing
in its way, but excellent imperfection is sometimes
better and more enjoyable. The man is to be
envied who sits down in a dingy, comfortless
tavern—a tavern that may possibly be working
under the inspection of sheriff's officers—who
orders the worst chop in all England ; who is