The Express.
London, England, 1867-02-22 00:00:00

THE. HABEAS CORPUS SUSPENSION ACT.

The Tinos not only expresses its approval of the suspen-
sion of the Habeas Corpus Act in Ireland, but regards the
expectation held out in the Queen's Speech of its speedy
restoration as a false step. It is true that in Kerry the
collapse is more ignominious than even the failure at Ches-
ter, and that it has been shown that we may always rely on
obtaining information in sufficient time to prevent any
serious mischief, and also that an unexpected degree of
indifference has been shown by the rural population. On
the other hand, we know not how much is due to the sus-
pension of the Habeas Corpus Act; and the intelli-
gence of these attempts will lead the Fenian. in Ame-
rica to augment the funds. It is essential, however,
that the powers conferred by this act shall he ex-
ercised with the utmost possible forbearance. It would
seem that some of the prisoners detained under the
act have been kept in solitary confinement—an aggra-
vation of the ordinary form of imprisonment applied only
by special sentence even to convicted criminals. Such
treatment is quite inexcusable, and can only have arisen
from a sort of Irish oversight. Major Knox, indeed,
called upon the government to treat "these ruffians,"
though only suspected, with as much severity as if they
had been condemned, and with great consistency regretted
that it was not proposed to suspend the Habeas Corpus
Act for a year instead of three months. This truculence
was eloquently rebuked by Mr. Bright, and it is impossible
not to sympathise with the spirit of his remarks.
We boast, rya the Post, of being the freest nation in
the world, and have an irradicable idea that we are the
beet governed. It is, however, a very sad comment on
our boasting, that three different times in the course of a
single twelvemonth parliament has deemed it necessary to
arm the 3overnment with arbitrary powers in a consider-
able portion of the United Kingdom. The only set off is
that those against whom the exceptional measure is
directed, are not the Irish people but ffilibusten who have
snide sedition a trade.

The Orange speech of Major Knox last night not only, the
Star says, betrays that " stamping out" proclivity which
tones display, but it throws considerable light on the
question, often very puzzling to English people, what
there is in Ireland that so harasses and irritates the
great mass of the people. We may be told that Major
Stuart Knox is not a specimen of the predominating class
in Ireland. and we freely confess that ho is a very insig_
niticaut person, of whose escapades his friends are doubt-
less ashamed ; but it must not be forgotten Oust it is by
no means uncommon for the silliest member of a party
to utter in a coarse and generally disavowed way the
feelings prevalent in it.

A meeting of the Digest of Law Commission was
held on the 20th instant. There were present Lord Cran-
worth, Lori Westbury, Sir Hugh Cairns, Sir James P.
Wilde, Sir G. Bowyer, Sir John G. Shaw Letevre, Sir T.
Erskine May, Mr. Daniel, Mr. Thring, and Mr. Reilly.

John Hoare, director of the East Holyford
Mining Company, and promoter of the National Fishing
C,ompanyof Ireland, is in the InaolventCourt at Dublin. On
eroes-examination he admitted that there was no bawd of
directors legally appointed, and that he himself was only
a director nominally. He was associated with two others,
who formed the " companies," the operations of which
were confined to the eh culation of prornisiug circulars and
the drawing of cheques on the National Bank till the two
or three thousand pounds deposited there on the foot of
scrip was exhausted. The insolvent was opposed by seve-
ral creditors, and Judge Miller remanded him for 12
months.

An authorised statement from the " Omarenor
Estate Office" makes known that arrangements have been
made for the opening of Grosvenor-crescent in the course
of three or four weeks, and that the footways may be now
used by the residents of the neighbourhood.
DEATH OF EARL BROWINLOW.—We have to an-
nounce the death of Earl Brownlow, which took place on
Wednesday morning, at Mentone, at the age of 24 years.
The deceased nobleman was the son of the late John
Hume Egerton, Viscount Alford, who died in 1851, by
Lady Marian Compton, eldest daughter of the second
Marquis of Northampton. He succeeded his grandfather
to the title in 18.13, and is succeeded by his brother, the
Hon. Adelbert Wellington Brownlow Cust, M.P., born in
1544, and late of the Grenadier Guards. A vacancy is
thus occasioned in the representation of the northern
division of Shropshire.