The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-10 00:00:00

prerogative, it was not the intention of her Majesty's
government to invoke it in the ease of Dr. HAsteuert,
the new Bishop of Hereford.—A debate ensued on
the Irish Poor-law, at the instance of Mr. P. SCROPE,
relative to the steps taken by the government for the
institution of legal proceedings against such boards of
guardians and relieving officers as have neglected the
again imposed upon them by statute, in not affording
relief to the death ite poor. Su. W. Bost EXVILLX having
intimated the coarse which the government had taken
for fully enforcing the law as regarded refractory unions,
the subject dropped.—Mr. BACKE'N bill for the post-
ponement of the Epiphany sessions, after a conversa-
tion, was withdrawn.-11e question of going into
committee on the New Zealand Government Bill led
to a
.protracted discussion, in the course of which
Lord LINCOLN, Mr. SCOTT, Mr. ADDERLEY, and Mr.
C. ANETEY, urged the postponement of the stage of
the bill, the latter hon. member moving it be ad.
journed to that day week, which proposition, how-
ever, being devoid of a seconder , fell to the
ground._ After speeches from Mr. GLADSTONE, Sir
E. BUXTON, Mr. AOLIONBY, and Mr. CARDWELL,
upon the merits of the measure, and a reply from Mr.
LADOIICIIERE, the house went into committee. On
the first clause being put, suspending the constitution
for five years, Mr. HUME moved, as an amendment,
that the period of suspension be limited to three years.
Some debate arising, and as the hour of adjournment
(six o'clock on Wednesdays) had nearly arrived, Mr.
LABouclizim moved that the chairman should report
progress, which Mr. BERNAL did accordingly, and
the further proceeding with the bill was adjourned to
a future day.

THE anxiety of the runes for the formation of a
strong opposition party does not seem likely to be
relieved for the present. We were mistaken, it seems,
in supposing that the acting leader in the Jewish
debate had received a regular commission to command
the singular body which the Morning Herald and
Standard call the Country Party. We were perfectly
satisfied that Mr. STAFFORD would not hold the posi- I
lion long : but considering that the Jewish question
appears to have become the test of politico-rural
orthodoxy,we should have expected the leader elect to
take the opportunity of exhibiting his prowess at the
head of his followers. Perhaps the Marquis of
GRANBY may himself be a heretic on the vital ques-
tion. His appointment to succeed Lord GEORGE
BENTINCK was made out under it c auspices of the
Judaising Lord STANLEY, who retains the command
in chief, notwithstanding that he is about to incur the
" awful curse" denounced by the Standard on those
who tamper with the abjuration oath. From
the extreme political obscurity of the marquis
it is difficult to remember what course be may
have taken on any particular question. The only sen-
tence by which he is remembered in the House of
Commons was a whimsical misapplication of a line
from SDAESPEARF:, in which " Lord George " was
substituted for " St. George." Now that he has not
only deposed his patron saint, but determined on sup-
planting him, we have little clue to his future con-
duct, and the cause which makes it impossible to fore-
see it is worth remarking. There arc no doubt in-
stances of great men who have risen to eminence after
years of obscurity. The first half of life is often em-
loyed in struggling for an opportunity to make use
of the remainder ; but of one who, born in the purple,
with applause and notice ready to attend the slightest
merit, with all difficulties and obstructions removed,
has never yet displayed ability or acquired even the
meanest public position, it is not too much to say that
he will never arrive at eminence. The sons of dukes
may be "rocked and dandled into legislators," but
they cannot be made, though they may be called,
leaders, unless nature has given them some capacity
for command. Obscurity is in itself no reproach :
nun mile oirii qui belie intuit : but when incapable
men are thrust into prominent positions, it is right to I
disapprove their presumption, and the weakness or I
sycophancy of their supporters.
The abdication or deposition of Lord GEORGE BEN-
TINCK is not a matter of great political importance.
It must be admitted that he had obtained a position I
in the House of Commons, which out of doors was
almost unintelligible. A confused and disagreeable i
speaker, he delivered endless harangues, of which the I
matter was even worse than the manner. The 1
reader of his speeches could find little in them but I
extravagar.ces of temper, blunders in arithmetic, and I
perverse conclusions from irrelevant premises. It 4
was evident that with a love for statistics he was I
wholly ignorant of them, except as far as he had I
crammed them for parliamentary purposes. His in- I
dustry and energy only made his incapacity more I
evident, as it was clear that he had no resources i
in the back ground. Sometimes affecting the measured I
tone of a statesman and possible minister, he 1
would the next moment strive to catch a laugh I
by the namet,, of his blunders or extravagances ' • and .1
from his scat on the ex-treasury bench propound such I
measures as the banging of Irish corn-dealers or the 1
seizing of Cuba. Notwithstanding all this, the mem- 1
here of the house were generally disposed favourably
to the protectionist leader. His own followers were
first attached to him by his determined and perse- 1
vering hatred to their late chief ; and when it was no 1
longer possible to keep a party together on the single 1
principle of hating an individual, his manly bearing,
his vigour, and the clearness of his understanding
within the narrow range of his knowledge, secured
him a favour and respect which many abler and wiser
men have failed to obtain. He had the great advantage
of exciting no jealousy or fear in his ostensible
t dveraaries. It was clear that Lord GEORGE could
not be a minister, and it was by no means certain that
lie wished to be in office. He always offered an easy
triumph in argument ; and vet there was something
in his character which made the victory not quite
contemptible. If the opposition leader was elected
by the supporters of government, we have no doubt
that he would have united all suffrages.
To those who are removed from the immediate in-
fluences of the House of Commons Lord GEORGE
BENTINCK'S fall will be only interesting as far as it
indicates the virtual dissolution of his party. A
hundred gentlemen may very easily meet in St.
James's-square and elect one of the obscurest of their
body to be their nominal head ; but it requires some.
thing more to constitute them into a party, or their
1 •
nominee into a leader. A party must have a
common purpose, if not a common opinion. It may
be united in its choice of measures; it may only agree
in its preference of men; but it must wish either to
further a certain policy or to raise to power the
individuals in whom it has confidence. The country
party, if such is its name, has neither bond of union.
We will not insult even those who met at Lord
STANLEY'S by the supposition that they wish to make
Lord GRANBY into a minister. GEORGE H.'s choice
of Lord WALDEGRAVE, or GEORGE lll.'s of Lord
BUTF:, would be judicious appointments in comparison.
Lord STANLEY was, and is, the only orator, with one I
exception, and the only experienced official, of the
whole party. Mr. DISR %ELI la also an orator; but
his eccentricities and his want of aristocratic connexion
have always prevented the followers of Lord GEORGE
BENTINt K from heartily trusting to his distinguished
lieutenant. He has moreover now, we believe, retired
to the ranks, and it is certain that, whatever other
caprices he may indulge in, he will never support
the persecution or exclusion of the Jews. Mr. STAF-
FORD, and perhaps some others of similar opinions,
may be competent to form the raw material of which
ministers are made ; but it is not necessary to go
through the list of the party, to show that they are
personally as incapable of forming an administration
as they are politically impotent in parliament and in
the country. Indeed it is their professed wish to
keep the present government in office; and if they
have any object in common, it must be the resistance
to a certain policy, which they are agreed in dis-

liking.
What the measures however are, which Lord
CRANIA is to advocate or resist, with the unanimous
consent of his constituents, we are at a loss to dia-
-1 cover. At first sight it might seem as if religious
I exclusiveness wns to be the crced of the party. Ex-
clusion of the Jews, and resistance to the
Roman catholics, might be supposed to be
the common object. But Lord GEORGE, who
is a friend both to Jews and papists,
is still, it seems, to serve in the ranks, though
he has relinquished the command. Lord STANLEY,
the undoubted chief of the party, must, if he has any
regard for political character and consistency, sup.
port the admission of the Jews to parliament; and
there arc several advocates of protection in all its
branches who ate by no means disposed to join in the
no-popery cry. If religious bigotry was to be the
basis of union, it would be a strange blunder and in-
lustice to have chosen any leader but Sir ROBERT
Notts. There is no one who can repeat the!old
catch-words of exclusion so fluently and plausibly—