The Express.
London, England, 1859-07-18 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, JULY 18.

Tax " Great Conservative Banquet" given to the
Dui el DIZIT and Sir. Inman! on Saturday even-
ing mu beikinbt intended to serve a double purpose.
It eft annegsd by the mom active friends of tie
late Clovenairet not only as a tribute of admiration
sad norm to its leading members, but as a grand

issauseradaa to the world at tarp of the natty aid
stiortli of tam Tory party. In the forma nape',
as a em pry dinner at toms to bare ben gait

.....ta The ivy, Merchant Taylors hall wom
tioustomi with Imp sod banners, dm ta►laa ware

gay with "swim ai;d " numerous works of art," and
the brilliant perspective appeopriately closed with
a teapot of phi sad silver plate. The wises were
"tallest, and the bill of fare such as to satisfy the
most fastidious taste. There were ladies is the gallery

above, sad dis usual Dumber of toasts sad 61'W-dinner

speedos below. M • personal tribute of well-
sairrlted respect, ttiorrefore, it was satistactcoy enough.
Itot as a greet party and political disacestratioa it
_ .

meet be ;meekred • halve. I• »I•tha to the

pity it does not by any mesas dimply, the rearm

Of iitiataa that- triers rife bifocal die adieu

of the DZILDT

Seek external

display, of anion are, in fact, often onlyttio auk

anti t;tdeneo of internal dirteion, and each laboured

demonstrations of strength but an indirect maw
leen of weakness. The leading speeches of t►e VFW
ing confirm this view of the banquet es a party
auni swat. Both the opening and closing yam.

graphs of Lord Driers speech WINO Oridill;tli ad
dreamed to that feeling of distrust and disappoint-
meat, with the apathy it produces, which is said t.

exist so largely wilts the Cosseervatire male;
while Mr. Dteissas speech was, from tint
to last, as attempt to roses lots more n.

gloom activity the piety forliopof his hearers...

_
Nor was the dinner more successful us a political
demonstration. The leaders in wham honour it was
given natarally " improved" the favourable OCCelliCe
by endeavouring to vindicate the policy they had
pursued while in power. The work of defeats wee
divided between them, Lord Ittlitor addressing him.

pelf directly to the foreign policy of the late Govern-
meat, while Mr. ItteitALu glanced—more remotely
and in mile generalitiee--at it. procedure at home.
The noble Earl .poke in a ton* of far greater
confidence and triumph than the right hon. gentle-
men, though with much ler reason. The "Rt vuiT

" of debate" showed his astral rashness in speaking
of subjects where a little caution and reserve would
bare been more becoming. At the outset of him
speech, for example, Lord DERBY set all conatits-
tional decorum at defiance by claiming the highest
peruonsge in the realm as a member of the Cam-
servativs party. "We have before us," said he,
addressing his Conservative friends, "a great
" and noble caner, we have a united party, we

have a gallant bend of friend', and rov bore, above
"ult. a SOVEREIGN "—the substance of what followed
being, "Who will reward her faithful Conservative
" servants, as you see, in the person of myself mad
"my friends." The main object of Lord DERRY'S
speech, however, wu to defend the "strict neutrality"
of the late Government, and here his tone was oui

of uomie;led triumph. What is the grouod of his
triumph The publication of the Blue-book, con-
taining Lord M ‘LX ZR111:11.7.3 correspondence on the
affairs of Italy. This wonderful volume has, it
sumo. converted even the moat bitter of his lord-
ship's opponents into humble admirers of his foreign
policy, and led them to repent in duet and ashes of their
opposition to the Mast Government. It would be
interesting to know on what authority this extra-
ordinary statement rests. We do not Wires that
the publication of this correepondeace Me at all mei-
onely affected the general opinion es to the toles of lb*
late Government in its foreign policy, though it may
._ . .

suit the temporary wpm. of a pert aid feeble
partisan like Lord Eicso to say eo. This cone-
spondence does not in face teseb the grounds on which
the adverse public jadgmeat la based. That judg-
ment rested Dot on the presumed contents of any
tioriblished letter, but on facts patent to all the
world—on the opinions expressed by the responsible
leaden of the Government in both Houses of Parlia-
ment. While negotiations were still going on
between the two countries, Lord Item'
did not hesitate to praise Austria cal
condemn Sardinis with an emphasis al
epithet that few private members would have
ventured to indulge. And even Mr. DISRAELI,
always more cautious than his chief, censured the
policy of bardinia as turbulent and aggressive, and
spoke of the conduct of Austria es marked by a spirit
of • dignified coociliation." Other menshen of the
Government were equally emphatic, and their
speech.. both in and oat of Parliament furnished
ample evidence as to the geneval bias of the Admi-
niatratioc. No one supposed that this bias would
cows out very strongly in Unofficial correspondence
with foreign Governments, especially in its early
stages. It naturally would not appear very decidedly
till matters were approaching a crisis. But before
this critical period arrived public opinion in favour
of strict neutrality had been so strongly and uni-
venally pressanned that even Lord MALIILsI;CILY
dared set give alkial expression to the known lean-
lags of his Government Bet though the pressure I
of public opinion kept the Foreign Minister within
the letter of matrality,the leading members of the
Government had repeatedly violated its spirit, and
this violation was known not only in England bat
in Arun, in thudinia, in France, and through the
Continent generally. If any further proof of
ths sarong **striae bias of the late Govern-
ment was seeded, Lord Ineuv's speech on
Saturday evening will abundantly furnish it. He
avows Ulm he and his Government took a partisan
view of the pally seeped by Sardinia—that they
saw with pats end dieplesaare that this State, de-
parting from s coaminstioaal coarse, " was end's-
- voirrg to excite animosity and dark intrigue
Ltd machisation• maggot ether peoples," with

much more to the same purpose. And he veateree
to reiterate that the war was without ease—la other
wade, that the grievances of Italy are emitimastre
nie speech is, indeed, simply enitildal as a vindisatioe
ti the " strictly neutral " foreign policy of the late
Government.
Mr. Hisasztt was more discreet in his indirect
defence of the home policy of the late Government.
He prudently abstained from touching on any
matter of detail. Not a word wee said about the
unhappy Reform Bill, which proved such a stone of
etambling and rock of offence both to friends and foes.
Ho satisfied himself with intimating in a general
way that the Conservative party—meaning thereby,

probably, a few of ita leeding member—had become
ECM liberal in their sympathies and policy during
the laid few years. This growing improvement or

easimilation to the " spirit of the age" had cabal-
meted at the very moment when they were called
be relinquish power. While tally identifying
himself and his friends with the Tory party, he con_
Meese that this party has been for nearly thirty yearn
pest a practical failure. It had, however, daring that
period undergone a promos of reogranieation and
reconstruction, and is now is the position which the
aeemeitiee of the ministry require. We suspect this
reeseetruction simply consists,like the reconstruction
of

strata-vessels in the navy, in patting the screw
en. It is at heart precisely the same to-day it
has always been ; its sympathies are exclusive,
mad its policy at best stationary, if mat
a►eslately retrograde. What, however, is Mr.
DIIIIIAELI'S description or definition of the Tory party I'
"It ht," says the right hop. gentleman, "a great
" eadederation prepared to assist progress and resist

" revelation." We confess, on reading this sentence,
we leaded, as most of our readers probably will,
that the verbs must have been accidentally trans-
posed. The titer definition of the Tory party would
be, " a confederation prepared to resist progress and
" assist revolution." Has not this party obstinately
isolated every measure of real progress for the
last fifty years ? They have been the mo-
istest opponents of every measure for escoring
the religious, political, and commercial freedom of
the people. And what can possibly be more reis
lationary than such resistance ? By resisting Par-
liamentary Reform in 1831 they brought the country
to the very brink of revolution; and bat far the greater
wisdom and patriotism of their leaders, it would
certainly have broken oat fifteen years later when
they destroyed their party organisation rather than
consent to a repeal of the Corn Laws. It is true
that they have at length learnt some little wisdom
by experience. But the lesson of adversity is apt
to be sae forgotten in more prosperous times.