The Express.
London, England, 1856-05-20 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, NAY 20.

Tim spectacle presented by the House of Commons
yesterday evening, while listening to the CHANCLIe
LOS of the EicIiZQUAR.II financial statement, and ,
daring the friendly chat rather than debate that fol-
lowed it, was in every way in keeping with many a
Deena that has been presented at Westminster during
the last two or three years. The great historic drama
of the Russian war has at length been played out,
and last night witnessed a sort of prosaic finale,
during which all the active interest of the piece
being over, the audience are beginning to think of
going home, and some of the performers beginning
inwardly to feel uneasily curious as to what sort
of figure they have cut, and what the impartial
public really think of them. Here and then signs
of misgiving are betrayed by the more ambitious, who
have bees less applauded than they hoped to have
been; and they make efforts to attract a parting look
of favour or recognition, end march up and down
the stage provocatively, with the air of men who
wish it to be understood that, were their parts east
differently, or in any other play than that just con-
cluded, they would do wonders, and the world would
be charmed with them. Meanwhile,all concurred with

one another that the bills ought to be handsomely
paid, and the merits of the old manager loudly, if not
heartily, acknowledged. There was a asap and a snarl,
parporwathsai, about something or nothing, as thecae,
may bet but upon the whole no Budget revealing a sue.
plaid ineorae,and announcing a remission of unpopular
Imams, was ever better received than that of Bir, ,
G. tkianzw&u, LEWIS, the upshot of whose two
hours' speech was to tell that, after certain re-
ductions of war estimates for the year 1866.7, there
would still be a deficiency, which be proposed to meet
by borrowing on New Consols and Exchequer Bonds
or Bills.

The best that can be said of the Camicaixon
of the ExamGunt's statement is, that not pre-
tending to make any revelations or suggestions of
novelty, it reveals much that is important and assuring
as to the financial condition of the country, and is emi-
nently suggestive of future good to those who have
minds capable of the stiff work of accurate com-
parison, computation, and combination. Some-
thing of this conviction breaks out in the earnest

recommendations of all the ez•Chaneellors of the
Exchequer who spoke, that Government would hold
their hand for this session upon every question that
may be raised for remission or improvement of any
description. Who knows, thinks Mr. Daum, Sir
FRANCIS BARING, and Mr. GLADSTONE, each on his
own account—who knows what may turn up before
oat session P Who an tell what oombinations may
be dislocated that now exist, and others formed that
now do not? And how much better to let deficits, and
loam and taxes, good, bad, and indifferent, all trundle
on for this year as they are, that other men may hare
a chance of doing, financially, the magnificent next
year. Lord PALMUSTON is a man always ready
to sloes with offers of this kind. He has through-
out his long and varied political ye been

• firm and devoted believer in the creed that to

day is worth • dozen tomorrow., and that the past
and the future, though very convenient to talk about
in debate, may, as compared with the present, be,
safely treated as if they had no existence at all.
Parliament being content to let thiop remain se they

are till next session, the Panama will not allow
forebodings or promises, come whines they may, to
trouble his repose. He will du the best he can with
the means at his disposal ; and when the time comes
for other =satires, he relies upon his powers of rapid
'apprehension and adaptation to judge of what course
be ought then, but not till then, to take. We
are neither praising nor blaming the quality
of mind we allude to,—eimply noting its
existence me explanatory of the pro Am ricel
character of the Budget, and the obvious satisfaction
with which the recognition of this essential future
thereof by the House, MI hailed by the FIRST
Mnnnu.

A urns mare thaa twenty years ago, when Imam
EMMA Wed Syria for the Viceroy of EGYPT, it became
seconsary to call in Stossalman authority to keep the
pease among the Christians in Passion Week in fern.
Wes. Immature Psata went in &MU if the congre-
gation on one occasion, believing that his presence
would preserve order. In the midst of the uproar and
heat—which is indeed like hell let loose, or a witches
Sabbath—he unfortunately fainted : his soldiers cu-

tied bite out with a V1010;09 which did not eaten the
multitude, and many lives were lost. There was no
esesrtainiog the number killed; bat there were SO
many that peat change. were introduced into the

proosedinge—changes which seem to show that more
might easily be effected. The removal of the altar
cloth was a cause of quarrel between tfie Greeks and
Armenians; and they were not satisfied with being
allowed the privilege in alternate years. After the
slaughter in 1834, the Mantilla's Governor removed
the cloth. A far greater change was, that the mira-
culous fire was no longer emitted from the
Sepulchre in green and red flames free the
two holes appointed to the Greeks on the
one side, and the Armenians on the other.
A torch is mow handed out and earried round the
rotunda, for the people to light their candles at. The
late CZAR hoped and believed that, after such a change
as this last, a farther step towards the abolition of
the whole extravagance might be safely taken; but
he was deterred by warnings of the probable effect
of perplexing the faith and disappointing the seal of
the pilgrims, in whose eyes this ceremony is the great
event of their lives.

Daring the two years of the war the pilgrimage
fell off. There were not SO many devotees as usual
by many thousands. This year there were about
6.000--more than of late, but still a small number.
It appears that, the better is their position in regard
to the Tarim, the &row is their mood towards each
other. They have brought with them their fends
from Asia Minor and the Greek Wanda, and joined
them to those of the Greek and Leda Christian in
Jerusalem, and have given a loose to their
passions before the altar of the holiest
church in Christendom. It was not only
ander the *teal/min of the suspense of wait-
ing foe the mineeloes Are, and serembling over
one seethe/es heads to set war the seem of the
dame: them were steam and weapons depteited is
goadingse behind the pillars; and more were staged in