The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-26 00:00:00

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lON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26

LORD HERTFORD is a Knight of the Garter. He
received his blue riband from Sir ROBERT PEEL.
It was one of the conspicuous farcurs which, during
his five years' adminihtration, the circumspect baronet
conferred upon the haughty nobles of his parte.
What did he eve it for? Was it for nothing? Or
for caprice ? Or for weirth which the nation recog-
nised ? Or for servirs in expectancy and to be yet
pertortned? The lost-named consideration is the only
one that can eerinuely be entertained. The founder
and finisher of conservatism—which signified not a
distinct faith, but an ind.stinct unblief in tory super-
shtions—never was known to give away anything
foe nothing, or enepected of doing anything through
mere caprice. Sir ROBERT was at school a calculat-
ing boy ;at Oxford a calculating double-clone man;
at starting in public life under ELDON and CASTLE.
NEAGH, a calculating party man; and at the " head
of the country gentlemen of England," a calculating
machine. His friendships have in every stage of life
been alliances offensive end defensive; hir sympa-
thies the results of negotiation ; and his favours the
symbolic utterances of hope or deprecation. In his
own phreseoLgy, the right honourable gentle-
man has never acted without the moat mature
deliberation, and after fully weighing all the
circumstances of the c are. We ire not here finding
fault with the ex-minister, but simply recalling how
little he has ever suffered impulses of private liking
or individual regard to sway his public gifts of honour
or emolument.
But even were it otherwisee, who could imsg:ne
any statesman taking a political fancy to a person
like Lord HERTFORD ? As a hereditary councillor
of the realm he wan never suspected of having any
advice to give either to Queen or people. As a
born senator he has never taken any part
in the discussion of kgslative measures ;
even the formality of attendance in the House
of Peers is to him an intolerable bore ; and his votes
on the rights and liberties of the nation are usually
given when he is asleep, at dinner, or otherwise occu-
pied elsewhere. Heir to a princely fortune, there
are few lists of pious munificence in which his title is
not missing; or of humane gererosity in which
it can be found. Since the death of his
unlamented father, whase life and charac'er are
not yet forgotten as wholly as they de ores
to be, the present marquis is said to have drawn
from the pockets of hie Irish tenantry alone nearly
60,0001. a year; yet we believe we aro much within
the mark in saying that he his not found leisure to
spend fifty days amongst them, or as many hours in
any matter, thing, or propotition, wherein they take
the least concern. To him they stand in one, and in
but one relation ; they pay him rent, which he ex-
pends they know not how or where. Lord HERT-
FORD is a specimen landlord. In Antrim
and Down his tenants vote as ho pleases,
and for the borough of Lisburn he nomi-
nates whomsoever he will. But his orders are
ironed from Paris or London as the cue m
standing
before their master, or the chance of blunting the
edge of his exaction by a personal appeal to his for-
bearance. No mansion decorates the " most noble"
heri:age ; and divers bailiffs, agents and attorneys
reign in his stead.
Such is the man whom Sir ROBERT Per.L, after
due deliberation,deemed it his duty, under all the cir-
cumstances of the ease, to name to the Queen in 1846
as tho fittest noble to wear the chivalric badge of
honour, and worthiest knight to guard her throne.
Suretly the wily baronet must have been dreaming or
deceived, when be fell into such a blunder. We shall

see.
The story goes, that on a certain occasion the noble
Eeiourean intimated his indifftrenoe to all the favours
government could bestow, with a single exception.
He had rather a fancy for the Clatter. Sir HoIiERT was
shocked, but said nothing definite; that is his way.
Not an inch of blue ribarl, however, arr, s sten to
escape f out the private drawer, in which the ma:
valuable toys are always kept locked op for the most
deserving of the childish. The vanity of the mar-
quis was piqued, and his whim grew into a positive
desire. Ile would not be baulked, and resolved to
overcome whatever the undemonstrative minister's
scruples or objections might be. Tee estate go-
between through whom the affair had been thus far
conducted hinted discreetly that S r ROBRRT was a
man of observances and decencies; that he had in
many • set speech dwelt recently on the duties that
belonged to property, and the need of their personal
performance ; and that, in short, the tact eef Lord
MIRTEORen being so much of en absentee rendered
it embarrassing, In the present condition of Ireland,
to single him out Irom Irish nobles for the glittering
distinction. One can readily imagine the tone of
half-incredulous mirth in which the most noble
applicant asked if that was all ?—and the sincerity
of his protestation that an objection so easily
removed bad 'meet once occurred to him. Certain it
is, however, that not long after the minister was
honoured by a visit from the Marquis at Drayton.
He was en route to Ireland ; he wee about to visit
his people, and was lull of plans for their improve-
ment.
Sir Rontat was much edified, and doubtless im-
ps ed to his penitent guest many of those console
tio:s of resident landlordism—its remunerative pie is
sure', and its pleasurable profitableness—which few
are better qua.ified to convey. Severe as such a trial
of his patience must have been, the reallutiou of the
marquis fail d not. Tue vision ot t-c ribald
and the twinkle of the star doubtless sustained
his fainting for itude durirg many an hour ot bullock-
fattening, tile-draining, and agricultural chemistry.
He not only said he would visit Ireland, but he ac-
tuslly went there. How long he remaiued we arc
unable accurately to say ; bat the local newspapers
had not done with " the rejo'cings of an attached and
happy tenentry " for fa:l thr.e weeks or so.
What the hippy and attached tenattry gained by
the visitation of tneir owner it would perhaps be dif-
ficult to say. But soon afterwards tae usual pre-
rnecitory paragraphs in a courtly_ ootemporary in-
emitted that the "Marquis os HERTFORD was to
have the vacant garter."
The removal of oblecduns patent is one thing,
however, and cmaideratims expectant is another. It
is not to bi bslieved that the eslceletirg minister
would have thrown away even a blue ribald with-
out neciTinz or exec:sting to receive some poli.ical
value foe it. He doubtless reckoned on a theo-
retical as well as practical c-sceraion being
wrought in the gartered marquis. And first
appearances in neither respect belied his an-
ticipation'', for in the 11.1 of the majority who, in 1846,
voted for the repeal of the corn laws, we find the most
noblenameof HILIITORD. With equalsiceetity and con-
sistency has the propel) to kept his faith in both TO.
'upsets. Already he has relapse d into bob sheetteeism
and protect'onism. His happy and attached
terantry" see as much of him as they uad to do pre-
vious t 3 the incursion of 1843, and his signature ap-
pears am-ng hose of the bankrupts and the bigots
wieet have been appended to the memotial of Lord
IkusioALL. We greatly feu that our sarcastic eo
temp Nrery, the Dublin Press, is but too well warranted
in saying that offiCal salt is neva r 1.0 c. mpletely thrown
away, as mime, after:infinite humiliations and cnnring
mat eruvres, it is succes-fully placed upon reel old
tor? tails.

Tuk Martinis of fistisuraT will not 'scribe to
relieve English needlewomen, becanv qian-
tity of silks and ribbons hue been impacted into tile
country in ltlrlB. lli. lordthip publishes in a note to
bis le ter a very incorrect statement of the =e imports,
incorrectly added op. But the error, of arithmetic