The Express.
London, England, 1856-06-24 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, JUNE 24.

As we anticipated, the Tories in the Hones of Com-
mons have eagerly closed with the offer of Mr. C.
FORTESCUE, and with the ill-suppressed chuckle of
men who were yesterday in fear of being forced to
yield up the fruits of their late victory, they politely
thank the gentleman who has shown them the way
of securing it. Mr. WALPOLE could hardly contain
himself as he went through the pre-arranged farce of
weighing the various considerations that might,
as he said, have caused him to doubt what he
would do with the idle and valueless string of plausi-
bilities set up instead of a plain and intelligible nega-
tive to the Address to the Crown which he moved on
the 17th inst. With elaborate care and precision he
went over the whole ground again last night, and
ended by sarcastically explaining that, inasmuch as
a large portion of the harmless resolution of Mr.
FORTESCUE was in point of fact literally copitcl
from a report made by certain episcopal commis-
sioners some forty years ago in the palmy days of
Protestant ascendancy, it would ill become him, as
the champion of the Church, to demur thereto. We
are in no way surprised at his doing so, or at the
acquiescence of the rational members of his party in
so palpably wise and winning a mode of playing out
their game.
We own we are surprised and deeply pained at the
course pursued by the Government : they had ample
warning of what was before them. The intentions
of the Opposition were not in any way kept secret.
On Saturday last they were the common talk of the
town ; and in our columns of yesterday morning the
fact was alluded to in terms that none could affect to
misapprehend. We urged the importance and duty
of getting rid of the sham resolution of the member for
Louth, and the bringing forward some tangible and
substantial declaration that would have been a 1
of the vote of Tuesday last. If precedents were
wanting, it was a case, as Mr. LABOUCHERE admitted
in debate yesterday evening, for the creation of a pre-
cedent; and curiously enough Mr. WALPOLE himself
martinet' that some alteration of the practice of the
House regarding the manner of voting addresses to
the Crown was very desirable, in order that an op-
portunity might in every case be afforded of recon-
sidering what might be agreed to without sufficient

deliberation. Nevertheless, when the hour arrived and
tee fatal falsity of the position of Government on the
question of National Education had become manifest to
all, no means of extrication seem to have been prepared
or even thought of, and by their unfortunate assent to
Mr. FOETEBCUE'II resolution, another and confirma-
to►y step has been conceded to the implacable assail-
ants of the principle of neutral education and secular
control. Had the vote on the address remained on-
rescinded, it would still have been open to the con-
stitutional advleers of the QUELN to place in the lips
of her MAJMIr an answer expressive of their in-
ability to devise a method of carrying into effect the
aggressive schemes of the Church without subverting
the whole existing edifice of primary instruction
in Ireland; and without absolutely refusing to
comply with the ill-advised whims of the House of
Commons, insuperable obstacles might have sigote•
Gently been set forth. Time would have been gained,
and no actual breach in the existing bulwark of
conscience could have been mode until another
session.

But it is now too late. The tidings will go forth to
Ireland th►t, after several days' deliberation, Minis-
ters did not attempt to rescind or annul the parlia-
mentary declaration that the Established Church in
Ireland, because of the peculiar wealth and privileges
it already possesses, must be allowed to obtain new
grantsof money and new and peculiar privileges for the
avowed purpose of separate and exclusive education.
For twenty years the bishops and clergy of the
Church in Ireland have been the ceaseless and un-
scrupulous foes of the national system, because it was
based on a principle of religious liberty and religious
equality ; and now, at the end of that time, the re-
sponsible Ministers of the Crown tacitly consent to
allow the condemnation of that principle to remain
=reversed—nay, unqucetioned—as a peace-offering
to the insatiable spirit of clerical intolerant* and
ambition ! There is not an intelligent or enlightened
man in Ireland to whom the tidings will not Drina,
disappointment and dismay. There is not a time-
server or trimming politician, lay or clerical, there to
whom such a total change of policy in the Imperial
Government will not suggest new thoughts, and
words, and actions. There is not a bigot of any creed
who will not bail with satisfaction the premonitory
sounds of mischief and strife—who will not realise
Iby anticipation the speedy overthrow of all that
suctoesaive Parliaments and Cabinets have vowed to
eutain intact and weed. Who will now feel sieve
that in manfully contesting the factious beleaguers= of
any inetitstiou depeadent on the mere sanction of the
Legislature he may not be labouring in vain? Who will
henceforth listen with confidence to any assurances
that the rich and the strong and the noble will not
sooner or later extent from Parliament a partial and
exceptional law for themselves in shameful and in-
sulting contrast to that which exists for the poorer
bet more somerons section of the community It
is vain to disguise from ourselves the magnitude of
the Wee involved. The whole question of eeolesies-
tieal end educational institutions in Ireland will in-
evitably be reopened by what has now occurred ; and
the triumph which the ultra-Churchmen have now
indubitably won may yet prove to be the beginning
of the long deferred end of their power.

Tun Lords have rejected the Oath of Abjuration
Bill by a majority of 110 to 78. The opposition to
the Bill was led by the Literary Executor of Sir
Roam rut. we accept the omen. Earl STAN-
HOPE was recognised by the greatest prsotitioaer of
the art of eating his own words, u his most distin-
guished pupil. Earl STANHOPE knows SS well Se
we do at this moment, that in a few years at far-
thest he will have to practise the lemons of his
master, and support, if not to bring in, a Bill for the
admission of the Jews to Parliament, as Sir ROBERT
introduced bills to emancipate the Roman
Catholics and repeal the Cora Laws. The moral
Imam of Earl STANHOPE meet be curiously
constructed. He opposes the admission of Jews
into Parliament because It would " un•Christianise"

the Legislature t but he is no ways soandalaed by the
het of Bishop Arrniumiv having contrived to obtaio
admission to the Hones of Lords by swearing Oslo
oath, sr, at least, swearing with a mental reserve,
tion. Now, it appears to us that a priest who ran
thus joggle with his profaned faith cannot berwre in
It; that whoa be preaches as avenging GOD to his
dock, he is seeking to terrify them by something is
the existence of which he doss not believe--tint he