The Express.
London, England, 1856-04-18 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, APRIL 18.

IT is scarcely to be expected that the rising, or
even the rims, generation of our readers should take
anythieg like the same interest in American affairs
that is felt by the old folks who remember the fresh
traditions of the war of Independence, and who, in
their youth, connected their beet upirations for po-
pular welfare with the honoured MOM of the
founders of this great Republic. The younger gene-
ration as hardly be altogether careless about Ameri-
can politics, considering how they involve our own
prospects of ear or peace, and how they illustrate
the great social questions which are stirring all oivi.
Heed countries to the heart; but it is only the
future with its hopes, and not also the past with
its memories, which interests the middle-aged
and the young. They feel little or nothing at the
mention of names whose sound warms the blood in
the hearts of the old, and rouses the calm spirit of age
like a trumpet call. Yet all may be congratulated on
the privilege of seeing the western republic girding
itself up for reform, rising to the great resolve to free
itself from its:one awful sures, snare, and disgrace,—
the predominance of a slave-holding policy in the,
National Council ; and the warrant for such rejoicing
is the re-appearance of venerable names which I

were prominent in the same cause forty, sixty, or
eighty years ago. During the insolent rule of the
slave-holding power at Washington (and through
Washington, in the entire foreign and general do
mestio policy of the United States), the good old
citizen names disappeared from public affairs. From
the time when Ex-President ADAMS we. insulted
in Congress, and the national right of petition,
upheld by him, was swept away for a course of
years, the best men retreated into privacy and
►ilence. Some who halted between two
opinions, and endeavoured to preserve official
life at the expense of the constitution and its princi-
ple., broke down utterly. Some are politically ruined,
and others are dead, broken-hearted. For a quarter
of a century, affairs have been committed to unknown
men—chosen for their obscurity, because they were
wanted as tools. Mr. Faufozz had, in the midst
of this state of things, the finest opportunity offered
him that man could desire. Near the beginning of
his term as Vice-President, the President died, and
Mr. Plummets went to the White House, by the
law made and provided for such an occasion. Taking
his seat in the Presidential chair, unembarrassed by
election trammels—free to an extent that no other
President had ever been—he might have exercised his
freedom to govern according to his own convictions, se
no recent President had done. It is enough to say
that be, a northern man, passed the Fugitive Slave
Bill. When he had done that, all wu over with
him; and now, though he has been pat
forward by the Know-Nothing party in their
hour of decadence, he is merely the candidate of
the Slave States (or of a part of them), and the
Slave State. are not going to rule the Union hence-
forth. When President Pour was undergoing his
inauguration at Wuhington, and the vast thoroegh-
fare of Pennsylvania Avenue was crowded up to the
very doors of the Capitol, a single voice oried oat, in
answer to the shout of " POLK for ever r u Who is
JAMES POLK r The significant question was caught
up and repeated by the entire crowd, amidst shout,
of laughter, in which the new President himself
could not help joining. From that day forward it
has been necessary for the whole people to ask the
same question about every new ►nd successful candi-
date for the highest offices of the state. There has
been a long reign of puppets during the years of
southern aggression and northern acquiescence.
Such a state of things could not last for ever; and
it appears that the latest tool has been of
too low a quality for the purposes for which he
was to be need. President PUMICE, of whoa
his Native north could never be proud, is to the
last degree unpopular in the Scud. He has exposed
the Slave States to the danger of a war which they
have no desire whatever to meet or sustain; and, by
his encouragement of the aggressive party in Kansas,
he has precipitated that conflict of principle on the
ground of the C3natitution, which it has been the
grand object of the [loath to defer till it had annexed
enough of new territory still nearer the Equator
to enable it to defy the North.

Sr. directly Involved, the Utica mut give way
Nether than the groundwork of the Republic. There
was a time when President WAYLAID was thought to
submit too quietly to the censorship or the Soothers
proms, which reprinted his " Moral Philosophy " with
the omission of passages bearing on social rights and
liberties; but he has spoken out la his old ago, and
from his retirement. Most interesting of all is a recent
anecdote from Coanectiont, of the octogenarian, Profes-
sor SILLIMAN, who has somany Mends in this country,
and in ovary country where soignee is honoured. As
editor of the Americas Jewrisal of Science and Arts,
he has been for half a lifetime in relation with the
enlightenment of all civilised countries. The large-
ness of his mind and gentleness of his manner have
give■ him a most unusual influents with successive
geoeratioas of students in Yale University. This
influents he used in a very striking way on the even-
ing of the 20th of last month, when the people of
Newhaven met in their largest church to consider
the affairs of Eansu. Explaining that he regarded
this as a ease in which armed resistance was both
virtuous and expedient, Professor flimuearg headed
a list of donors of Sharp's rifles, which cost 25 dol-
lars each. Pastors, deacons, ladies (through their
husbands and brothers), followed with their pledges;
and the old professor sat by enjoying the procedure.
At length a Mr. TYLER said, amidst great applause,
" I will pledge one of Sharp's rifles from the
junior class of Yale College." On this " Professor
SILLIMAN rose, and sweeping, the galleries with his
eye, said, 'There are four classes in Yale College."'
The sensation was imagoes*. Probably every youth in
the college will now declare for constitutional right in
Kansas. These things are no trifle. It has been a
matter of serious and growing concern to the friends ,
of the republic that the best of the cilium have re•
treated from public affairs, and left the conduct of
the state to political gamblers and their tools; and
we ought to hail, with a duo sense of its importance,
such an event as the re•appeerance in the political
world of the QUINCYS, the WAYLAND% and the
SILLIMANS. Their action indicates a crisis, and is
itself most critical.

The beet hope is that such phenomena may warn
the citizens back into the good old way of choosing
a known man for President. An obscure man is, by
the very tenure of his office, a tool, unless, indeed,
he betrays his proposers. The world, within and
without the United States, would rather see Colonel
Fzutortr, or any other man who has a mind and
purpose of his own, than another Fluatoits or PIEKCI
in the seat of government ; and considering the recent
outbreak of anti-slavery feeling and opinion in Vir-
ginia and other slave territory, the conversion of
Southern immigrants into free settlers u soon as they
breathe; Kansas air, the emberranments caused
by the desperate proceedings in Nicaragua, and the
other filibustering troubles immediately arising
from a slave-holding policy, it seems not improbable
that ere long • man will be chosen fee President who
is more of • muter than a servant in politics—
more of a mainspring than a tool. However this
may be, some great change must be at hand when
grey-Warta:len come forth from their well-earned
shade of repose to share again the heat and burden
of the day.

We have some reason to believe that the Emperor
of the French will be present at the great navel
review at Spithead on Wednesday next, and that
oar Admiralty have platted three steamers at the
disposal of his Imperial Majesty and his saits.—
Maachesle► Guardian (this day).

We have rearon to pollees that the government of
the colony of Victoria has been offered by Mr.
Labouchere to the Earl of Elgin. We shall rejoins
to hear of its acceptance.

Mr. Thomas, a Madras civil servant, has, we hear,
been appointed by the Crown a director of the But
India Compvvr a.des the lato Charter Act.
The Archbishop of Canterbary intends to move ec
Monday that the Lord Chancellor's Church Disci-
pline Bill be read that day six months.

Daring the reign of this wrongheaded and unpo-
pular man it is that some of the old names are
coming up spin, which show that there is a good
fight to be fought, and that hops is once mows ea das
aide of the right. During the commotion in Boston,
after the tradition of the slave Bonus, the aged en.
president of Harvard University, Josram Qunecv,
appeared on the platiorm at a public meeting, and
told certain take, and revived some stirring memories
of the " Indepeadtace days." Being between eighty
and niamy, he could remember many things, and
tell of more than even his hearers knew. After
a retired life, remarkable for its abatises*
from polities, 'OMAR Quiscy came forward, sa his
fathers had done, to speak for the right, and warn
sgainet the wrong, in the day of peril to the republic.
he sod parmiii* !"''t !7t
las lOW iffiker of the Representatives at Wash-
ingtsn, is that his grandfather was present at "the
Boston tea-time" and one of " the Baotou tes-party."
These are Massachosatte men. A month ago, when a
meeting was called at Albany to consider how best to
testify sympathy with the free settlers of Kansas, a
white-haired man appeared among the speaking
whose preesece decided the counsels and the event
of the day. The venerable 01.1LITY SIIITH szpund
himself to the fatigue and excitement, whist his
strength could ill bear, beanie it was a day wheelie
good citizen should stay at home. He spoke with i
astonishing power and effeat, as may be seen in the
fact that five thousand dollars were raised on the
spot, on the first mention of money being needed.
" Money ie needed for Kansas," said the aged
patriot, "in the first place, to buy bread for her
people; for, while they should have been left
in peace to cultivate the soil, they have been
corapelkd to muster in camps—to carry arms by
day, and sleep upon them at night. They need
nosey, ales, to procure arms to repel ow rap and
laysmism. Mamma they mast have. There never was
swab ea opportunity, as the present state of affairs
is Lammas presents, of killing slavery. Let as im-
prove it. • Now's the day, and now's the hour. "
8o math for the an of New York ! Name. better
known in England ars conspicuous among the
movers is the present eonfi'ct. President WAYLAND,
of Brows University, Rhode Islasd, whose "
plea of Moral Philosophy " Is a text-book in some
European, as in all American, colleges, plainly de-
clared, when the Nebraska Bill was paled's, that, le
• struggle where fundamental principles c 4 liberty

TIM EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 18, 1856.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

PIEDMONT AND AUBTBIA.

w. reed in the Paris correspondence of La Hard:

Oa the eve of quitting Paris the plealpoteutieries appear
to be vrry thooglatflal and gloomy. Why ia this? They
have signed the peace; ought they sot to be °meant aad
sanguine ? The cause of their sadness I have already inti-
mated. Divisions, antipathies, natour, and opposing in-
terests have been manifested in the Coeferecoes, and leave
too much roues to sawn sew contests more or
Ism distant, upon another theatre, and with other
alliances. This opinion is ornaraeed by t►e lan-
guage which some of the plenipeteatiariss use. Diamg

• few days ago with • high personage of the wart,
Count Cason. did not comma his eemplainte against the
Contemns. for refining to Warfare in the &Fain of Italy
against Austria, which power has in its favour the nesj pity
of the plenipotentiaries; he ended with saying, "There
will be revolutions is Italy before the year is oat."
The Minister of Victor Emmanuel uttered his prophecy
with some show of twos. At the moment the Pied-
"ipotesi, army from the Crimea is about to eater the Gulf
of Spezais, Auntie brings her troops to the frontier of
Piedmont. It is easy to foresee the possibility of a oosilict.
England will sustain Piedmont. France also would cer-
tainly interfere, with the object of recomeiling the revolu-
tion with the Lancets of the Pope. Austria—who left
Ramie to combat singly with the Allied Powers—could
Austria, in the care of a conflict in Italy, rely upon Ruda ?
Ouch are the questions which are mooted eves before the
exchange of the rat ficitioss of peace ; you will nagentand,
than, why the plenipotentiaries are gloomy.