The Express.
London, England, 1848-05-27 00:00:00

But the distinotions of his lordship, derived from
political economy, to confound the Jew, are still more
ludicrous than all the rest. The Jews do not plough,
slid do not weave, they only buy and sell; there.
fore they do not labour, and consequently cannot
lead the right of labour, to enter the House or com.
. All merchants who merely buy and sell have
moos
yo right to sit in the House of Commons !
Such is the hereditary. wisdom that takes its sett
in parliament, and denies Baron Ro•ruscHlLD a
similar right, on the ground ef unfitness and incom-
netence

A tendency on the part of conflicting opinions to
'plume the tangible and regulated form of parties
begins, though in
a manner sufficiently vague and
hesitating, to show itself in the Constituent Assembly
at Frankfort. The first impulse was given to this
movement in the ante-parliament ( Vor-Parlanunt)
or preparatory assembly. The true character of the
proceedings in that improvised and chaotic political
anion is pretty distinctly revealed in two incidents
which occurred in it. The first is the somewhat
tardy m e dye of its members not to regard their vo-
cation as permanent, but to acknowledge the right of
the German people alone (eitazig usd (Atkin) to choose
their constitution of government. The second is the
secession of the minority who withdrew from the
church of St. Paul along with HECKER and STRUVE.
The majority recognised the competence of the people
to choose a constitution for themselves ; the mi-
nority wished to impose upon the people one of its
framing. The movement of the minority subsequently
assumed the character of insurrection,and this Mecum-
stance,though it at first excited grave fears for the fu-
ture, has ultimately contributed to repress a spirit of
individualism among German liberals which possessed
many teatime in common with the liberuni veto of
the old Polish Diet. It has tangle them that the
existence of an acknowledged sovereign power is
necessary if liberty is to be established.
The Committee of Fifty were called upon to aid in
the suppression of the republican insurrection, and at
the same time to prepare the manifesto of the ante-
parliament. The opening of V e Constituent Assembly
a proof that they have succeestully discharged their
double duty. But, in accomplishing this, they had to
contend against a diversity of influences. They had to
reoel the insidious cum:lunation, of Prussia; they had
to combat the republicanism of the Black Forest; and
they had to keep the-r ground against the reaction ex-
cited by that insane revolt. Amid the faltering and
hesitation of opinions engendered by these in-
fuences two parties insensibly grew up; the one may
be called the party of the sovereign people, the other
the party disposed to a contract with the actual go-
vernments. Tie se designations are not recognised by
the Germans, but they describe with sufficient accuracy
the difference between the two parties which are
striving to counteract each other through the whole
of Germany. The party of the sovereign people is
everywhere active to develop and strengthen popular
iustitutioes, and to establish democratic power on as
wide a basis as possible : the party seeking to enter
into a contract with the existing governments endea-
vours to preserve as much as possible of the constituted
authorities, and to re-establieh more or less the power
of the sovereign princes. The one party has
openly sought to supersede the Diet at Frankfort, the
other to support but at tte same time to rege-
nerate it. Among the latter party originated
the idea of a triumvirate to be appointed by
the Diet from its own body. The party of
the sovereign people are quite as anxious as
the others to re-organise and re-establish a sovereign
authority, but they wish this to be accomplished, not
by the Diet, but by the Constituent Assembly.
During the six weeks that the Committee of Fifty
may be said to have governed and guided erermany
both of these parties gained and lost the ascendancy
more than once. When the popular party had the
majority the proposal of a triumvirate was rejected.
Tne revolt of HECKER excited a panic in the com-
mittee, and under its influence the government party
obtained a majority, and the triumvirate was accepted.
The spirit of reaction spoke out, too unreservedly, in
the Diet's protocol of tke 4th of May ; the party of
the sovereign people made a rally, and the triumvirate
was again rejected.
Matters standing thus, the Constituent Assem-
bly began its deliberations. The popular mood
bad passed through two very different phases
while the elections were in progress ; and the
influence of both is visible in the composition
of the assembly. Some members were elected
while the revolt of H ECKER had made every man an
alarmist ; others after the re-actionury projects of the
Diet bad re-awakened the spirit of opposition. The
majority of the members aro men of moderate
opinions and tempers, but they are entirely subservi-
ent to popular opinion, which vacillates with the
events of every hour. The election of M. VON GAG ERN
expresses pretty fairly the prevailing spirit of the
parliament. He was recommended to the govern-
ment party by his being a minister—a man in
office; to the rest by his talents, by the energy
with which he has aseeited liberal opinions,
and by the independence he has preserved since
he became a minister. All regard his elec-
hon as a guarantee of order and peaceable or-
ganisation; but still eighty-five of the party of the
sovereignty of the people recorded their votes
against him, because he has advocated the policy of a
compromise with the existing governments, and re-
fused to acknowledge the omnipotence of the consti-
tuent assembly.
As yet the irreconcilable nature of the principles
which animate and direct the two growing
parties is distinctly seen by but a few of the more
acute and reflecting politicians of Germany. It ut M.
VON GAGERN elicited an expression of it by the fee/
words he addressed to the assembly on taking the
chair. lie said : " Our vocation and our authority
emanate from the sovereign people." The expres-
sion " sovereign people " elicited cries of " Bravo"
from the popular party ; but M. VON GAG ERN
immediately added : " Germany must henceforth
be one state and one people, and it will be so
through the co-operation of all classes, and all its go-
vernments." He had, a few days before, expressed
the same principle in still more decided language, in
the Darmstadt Chamber of Peers. Prince Betimes,
who is president of that bcdy, bad replied to a ques-
tion from one of the members respecting the powers
of the assembly at Fratkfort :—" The law has as-
raredly authorised the convocation of an assembly for
the purpose of framing a constitution ; but the law has
not attnbuted that power to it exclusively, nor have
the existing governments denuded themselves of their
right to participate in the task." M. VON GAGERN
added, speaking in his character of Prime Minister :
!'The president has placed the position of affairs
in the true light. The constituent assembly has
the authority, bat not the exclusive authority,
to frame a constitution. There never existed a consti-
tuent assembly which had not a government to exer-
cise an influence on its deliberations and decisions.
And so in Germany, the governments will open
communications with the national assembly, in order
to prepare in concert with it a national constitution."
the principles of the two parties we have been en-
deavouring to describe are not perhaps, if considered
merely as abstract principles, irreconcilably different,
but they lead those who entertain them to diametri-
cally opposed courses of action. The party of the go-
vemments clings naturally to the powers that be ; the
party of the sovereign people seeks to increase and
extend the inflaence of the democratic spirit. To judge
by thepresidential election, the adherents of the former
are in the constituent assembly to the adherents of the
latter in the proportion of 303 to 85. But it must be
kept in mind that a goodly number of the 303 do not
Woes to the party with which they voted on that
ocesinon. It is far from improbable that the decision
of the assembly on the question raised by M. RA-
VIALI. whether Prussia has a right to set about
framing its special constitution at Berlin before the
general constitution for Germany has been determined
oar at Frankfort, may show the popular party to be
the majority of the assembly.

CULTIVATION OF COTTON IN INDIA.—A correspon-
dent who has access to the beet information writes us : "The
Atest sthices from India about cotton inform us of the
approval by government of a plan of cultivation suggested by
lb. Hamilton Bell, who is in the service of the bank at Agra,
and one of the largest rcmindars there ; and also of the &dog-
t'on of an improved churka, or cleaning machine, by the
rorernment surveyor, from the advica of the spinners at the
t Olo'ster mills; a concern for which we are the Euro-
Pean agents, and which we supplied with men last year from
the Lanceileld works. If the churka answers, as they
"Pert it will, it will be a great step?!
A Bianoi, PATRONISING MANLY SPORTS. —A
er"iscadent • nys, the Bishop of Durham has contributed
t° the Cricket Clubcf the Mechanics' institute, etoektcn-
lm