The Express.
London, England, 1847-01-04 00:00:00

HIM WATER AT LONDOI-BRIDOE.

T. DAT —l7loralair, 13 min. part S; Afternoon, 59 ml•. port 3.
To-lionsorr—llorsing, 18 Ws. pant 1; Alterman, 38 min. pot 1.

LONDON, MONDAY, JAN. 4.
Tar first political article of a foreigner's creed is,
that government can do everything ; that it can set
the little as well as the big wheels of the political
machine in movement, and that the people have
nothing to do save to obey instructions, otherwise
orders, from the taxman, the churchman, and the
pollee.
The belief of Englishmen in those matters is very
different They admit that government can do a
great deal, but not all; that it has numerous and im-
portant duties, but that the individual has a great
number of duties too, public duties, which he cannot
delegate even to the state, for the good reason that
the state cannot perform them. The state is a
machine necessarily without heart, discrimination,
flexibility, and though sometimes set to do the more
delicate tasks of our nature, it does them clumsily and
tosatisfettorily.
deb is an awkward censor, an indiscriminate
reerader of social worth. It cannot distribute wealth
or honour 'wording to merit, nor even indict penalties
=
according to demerit, though the task be more
to it. The state, in fact, cannot enact or
supersede the part which private virtues were des-
tined to play in life. It cannot award esteem; above
all, it cannot satisfy the feelings, supply the wants, or
perform the tasks, of private charity.
Whilst all admit the necessity of a pocr-law, all
are sensible of its crying faults. The very idea of
distributing charity by rule, and relieving distress
ml discernment or sympathy, but by ate-
Isere physical claasitication, is revolting.
gainst a poor-law is made of this inevi-
created by inevitable defects. The
antidote for this is to consider that
but the rough work of charity ;
• more is required from those classes
he wealth, the discernment, and
of the upper classes in a nation

reflections are called forth by the
circulating in our city for a subscrip-
t Irish distress—proposals to
e our utmost support—nevertheless,
-.mit the very many circumstances repul-
English charity hitherto, which accompanied
We shall not allude to the hateful
Satanic sentiments, of Irish dema-
add, that never were the mass of
d by them than last year. But what
English minds has been the double
`n from Ireland—the one of distress,
of arms-buying, idleness on the
, apathy on the part of the land-
two accounts the fact of the im-
- English government was expend-
tthere ts little wonder, that the idea of
'ion had not been entertained, or
even now it met at first with

month, however, the facts connected
Ireland have poured over, so full
truth and horror, as to place
the certain existence of the direst
t once most painful to think of,
sentiments of private charity, is
of extreme distress and famine
adjoining the sea, where industry
with poverty, I yet where the
3 crop has completely thwarted
this industry. It is console-
iat the most fearful effects have
, the central, the agricultural and
parts of Ireland, but in the thin, and,
squatting population, such as that of
IN and on the sea-coast of Munster. This
because means can certainly be applied
' of each districts,

are sensible of its crying
distributing charity by r
sot by moral di.cernment
Norio, and mere physical c
The outcry against a poor-1
table disgust created by
true remedy and antidote
a poor-law can do but U
aid that something more is
who are gifted with the we
generous sympathies of tl
like this.
Although these reflecti
proposals now circulating
tion in behalf of Iris
which we would lend our at
one must admit the very
sive of English charity h
Irish distress. We shall
provocations, the Satanic
gogues, except to add, t
lsss influenced by thi
most perplexed English
series of accounts from I
starvation, the other of a
part
tte' lztobeirees' two
lams ear that iha Eogl
iabothihUthithere
a pith athessiption hs
*a Whoa iwersasd ever
t
Veto lest month, he
with Maws in Ireland
at chasawbatini truth
beyond a 9 wasdisa the c
Leine. What is at ono
yet most exciting to sent
that the instances of e
occur ia districts adjoin
has been united witl
failure of the potato CT
all the effects of this
tary to think, that ti
sot been felt in the c
thickly-peopled parts of
as it were, the squatting
Sligo and Mayo, and on
is consolatory, because n
be tie permeate ism