The Express.
London, England, 1847-03-02 00:00:00

►mmemetej

The chief objection of this body to the proposal of
substituting mllular confinement for all other se-
condary punishments was, the want of gradation in
the system. They found that it visited crimes and
treated criminals of very different magnitude and
culpability very much in the same way. It is, there-
fore, sought in the present bill to remedy this, by
establishing different degrees and places of confine-
ment, and settling what proportion of his earnings
shall be allotted to each prisoner at his liberation.
In all this there seems to be no allusion or reference
to the conduct of the prisoners under sentence ; all pro-
ceeding simply from the nature of that sentence. If this
he adopted, the systems of France and England will be
directly the reverse of one another. In France,
the plan will be to exercise the vengeance or retribu-
tion of society on the criminal, and avoid the extreme
of bodily pain. In England, this aim is comparatively
lost sight of, the object being to save and to reform,
and to fit the criminal for pardon. We do not object
to this so much with respect to juvenile offenders;
but if punishment be lost sight of with regard to
adults, and persons guilty of heinous crimes, not only
the abolition of the penalty of death will be impos-
sible, but it will be found necessary to enforce it more
rigidly and more often.
If the absence of any principle of retribution
for past crime be a dangerous tendency of English
penal discipline at present, the total want of even au
attempt at reformation in the French plan is deplor-
able, and renders their cellular confinement a mockery
and a tomb. There are most conflicting accounts
of the effects of solitary confinement. In Pentonville
no bad effects are found. Of course not ; for there the
lamp of hope is lit up in the solitary cell. If the
present be shut out, the future still lies open—the
future of this busy world. But if we were to turn
to reports of prisons, where the separate system was
enforced without hope, we will be bound to say they
would be found far different

It is gratifying to think that we are in a fair way
of making great and good experiments, of which a
few years will afford solutions. They are not merely
experiments of how convicts are to be physically
dealt with, but how they can be morally treated with
most advantage to themselves, consistently with the
rights of justice, the security of society, and the
proper reprobation of crime. The French, we are
sorry to say; seem neither bent on a philanthropic ex-
periment, nor likely to solve it. Police, its aims and prin-
ciples, seems their exclusive object, which may easily be
accounted for by their having the horrors of thelorfat
system under their own eyes, whilst hitherto it has
been hidden from oars by the intervention of half the
globe. On the other hand, we trust that our new
establishment of convicts at Portland Island, or else-
where in this country, may be so perfect in the way of
security, that none of the dreadful results of the French
galley system may be experienced in our metropolis.
One of the provisions of the French convict law is
to establish prison establishments for the most har-
dened offenders in Algeria, which will thus be trans-
formed into a penal colony. It was in some respects
that already. The Journal des Debate fears that the
threat of being sent to Africa may, instead of exciting
the terror, on the contrary, tickle the imagination, of
criminals and culprits. With the desert in their
neighbourhood, French convicts in Algeria will be
pretty sure of final escape, provided they can get be-
yond the walla of their prison. Our fugitives in New
South Wales, who have taken to the bush, and taught
the natives to steal and eat mutton, have caused us an
immensity of trouble and loss of life, whilst they
have marred all hopes of reducing many tribes of
natives to quiet life. What will be the effect of in-
troducing the French forgot as a new element amidst
the Arab population of the desert, is certainly some-
thing "to excite the imagination." It is one way of
communicating to the nomadic tribes that promised
civilisation, of which the French are so lavish
in words, bat which will be more likely to develop
itself in deeds and in characters, worthy of EUGENE
Sun, as a historian.

THE Globe is a devoted worshipper of political '
economy. The principles thereof are venerable and
sacred in its eyes, bat like many venerable objects of
idolatry, these principles are not fit for use. So smith
the Globe. Political economy, the Globe defines u
the science by which a state becomes rich. Now,
charity does not enrich, and the saving the lives of
seven millions who have lost their annual subsistence,
with the wealth or produce that sixteen sister mil-
lions can spare, is not the means of enriching either.
To feed the hungry and clothe the naked is clearly
against the principles of political economy, which
are only good, when consistent with practicability,
expediency, humanity, and, we might add, Chris-
tianity.
Had the Globe left the argument here, it might
have been well. On the contrary, it goes on to ex-
cuse the government for disobeying the laws of
political economy, by pleading that some superior
power forced it to do so.
' The science of government," writes the Globe, " is how
the intelligence and will of the ruling power may be hest
applied to the doing of those things, the doing of which is,
for the time being, deputed totbe government."
But what can be deputed to a government, but the
care of the lives and properties and interests of the
people ? If the science of political economy runs
counter to these, or cannot be allied with the science of
government, of what use is it ? If it only cares for
the purse, and is ready to sacrifice the life and the
soul to it, what is political economy, but the lowest,
and most material, and sensual of sciences, that
which ought never to be listened to, as long as the
higher views of morality, of religion, or humanity,
can make themselves heard ?

" Political economy," says the Globe, " takes no
cognizance of the pauper." It would blot him from
the earth. And yet the Globe tells as, that govern-
ment ought to adhere to the principle of political
economy, as constantly and as nearly as possible.
The excuse for its not doing so, is assigned by the
Globe to be the will of the English people, the chari-
table determination of this country, that its wealthy,
out of their superfluities, shall supply what will keep
the poor from starving.
The government, we are confident, would not con-
sent to hide itself behind any such excuse. In suc-
couring the Irish, the government cannot deem itself
obedient to faulty or popular prejudice. It would be
unworthy of its station, if it acted on any other prin-
ciple than the belief, that its acts were as just as they
are humane. Such a defence, as that of the Globe, is
diwraceful to the government, and damning to poli-
tical economy. And we may conclude by asserting,
that neither would be entitled to one moment's
respect, were they such as the Globe represents them.

The subject of discussion in society and in the press,
on Sunday, in Paris, was the interview, mentioned in
our correspondence of yesterday, which was brought
about between Lord Normanby and M. Guizot at the
Austrian embassy.
According to the letters of our correspondent re-
ceived to-day, M. Guizot, on meeting the amblisador
in the salon of Count d'Appony, commenced by ex-
plaining that he never had any intention of reflecting
offensively on the character of his excellency. Lord
Normanby listened to this with a cold politeness,
merely observing that he would continue to represent
his government at Paris, and that he accepted the
excuses offered. M. Gnizot repeatedly promised that
he would take every opportunity of rendering homage
to the honour of the noble lord, but has not pledged
himself to give explanations in the Chamber.
The Gazette de France, on Saturday evening, gave
the following in conspicuous characters in its leading
article:
" On the 20th February Lord Palmerston gave
notice to Count St. Aulaire, ambassador of France,
that the treaty of the Quadruple Alliance had ceased
to exist."
Letters from Malta, of the 11th ult., say that the
Porte is preparing a new expedition against Tunis,
and that it mamma on the support of England. The
Sultan has jest sent Ahmet Chekib Effendi to the
Pacha of Tripoli de Barbere, on a mission which has
reference to measures directed against the regency of
Tunis. This envoy, having landed at Malta, was em-
barked on board the English frigate Spartan, which
was put
at his disposal to continue his route. The
Spartan set sail for Tripoli on the 10th.

The Spanish mail with letters and journals of Ma-
drid of the 23rd ult. was received in Paris on Sunday.
The demonstrations of the Carlista in the provinces
have driven the government to the adoption of vigor-
ous measures of repression. The Minister of War
laid before the:C'hamber, on the 23rd, projects of law,
authorising the government to raise an additional
force of 50,000 men, and to contract a loan of 200
millions of reale at 3 per cent.
General Bluer WU sent to the Maeztrazgo at the