The Express.
London, England, 1866-06-09 00:00:00

THE WEEKLY PRESS.

The Spectator says that the results of the vote on
Lord Stanley's motion should be a lesson to the tories on
the fatal attempt to express insincerely the most sincere
dislike. It is to be hoped that after the inevitable contest
about the borough franchise, the mere party fighting will be
over, and that the house may devote itself honestly to im-
proving what it will no longer hope to extinguish. If Lord
Grosvenor, after showing his reluctance to defeat the
government, will use his influence to induce it to
accept a few practical amendments, there might still be
reason to indulge a certain moderate degree of satisfac-
tion in the prospect of a settlement. The grouping
should be either amended by the introduction of at least
one large non-parliamentary borough into each group, or
abandoned altogether, and the requisite number of seats
got by taking one from each double-seated small borough
up to some higher limit of population than the proposed
B,ooo—perhaps 10,0000r12,000 would give sufficient. Rut
the greatest amendment which could now be introduced
into the bill, and which, by Lord Grosvenor's influence, if
he would use it, probably would be adopted, is one likely
to be raised by Mr. Yorke,—to leave the present 10/.
franchise untouched in all the small boroughs and descend
to 71 only where there is the special sort of working
1 population on accout of which the cry for this Reform Bill
has arisen. _ _ .

The Saturday Review pronounces Lord Stanley's motion
a political mistake of the gravest kind. Any reasonable
conservative should have known that this was a question
in which the liberal majority would not be likely to
desert their leaden, and the tones should have considered
the effect which their motion was likely to have outside
the house. If the house adopts a 71. borough,
as it has a 147. county franchise, the event will be a very
important one in the history of the English constitution.
It must be a starting-point for all future discussion, and
even if there is no time to pass the present bill this session,
and a new bill is brought in next session, men's judg-
ments will be naturally and insensibly guided by the re-
collection that the point of the reduction of the fran-
chise has been already decided. The past history
of the bill has shown that it is impossible for

the present government to retain office and at the
same time shelve the bilL Mr. Lowe may laugh at
the notion of their honour being concerned in not bolding
office unless they can carry a bill sooner or later. But
they distinctly tell us that they think, whether rightly or
wrongly, that their honour is concerned, and England
would indeed be falling if she permitted her public men
to do that which they themselves announce to be dis-
h mourable and disgraceful to them.
The Examiner claims for the government the gain of
fresh around during the week. A week ago few were
sanguine enough to count on a majority of twenty-aix upon
the first division in committee. If we thought only of the
fortunes of party, we should be disposed to pray that Lord
Derby would do something clever once a week at least ; and
we should not object to his going down to the Grand Stand,
as he did on Thursday, to see his dark horse beat and its
ri ler flung. Had Lord Stanley succeeded in turning the bill
upside down, what would it have availed! Ministers would
have been thoroughly justified in calling on the House to re-
c insider its ill-advised decision, and thus the spectacle would
have been presented of the oldest elective assembly in the
world compelled to make the humiliating confession that
it had been taken unawares and caught napping. But it
is not conceivable that a majority who for three months
have persisted in requiring government to go on with their
bill should submit to have it picked out of their pocket
before their eyes, and made away with because those who
do the trick are not ashamed of being taken in the fact.
Let toryism be convinced that it will gain nothing by
trying to import the arts of the Stock Exchange or Tatter-
sall's into the halls of Westminster.
Discussing the failure of the Agra and Masterman'a
Bank, the Economist places in the front rank of the
errors committed the abandonment of the plan of having
an independent party in London upon whom the branches
could offer bills, and the error of attempting to
join together two enterprises so totally different as
Indian and London banking. The utterly mistaken policy
of entering largely into a lvances on securities of
an unusual kind was scarcely leas fatal. There are two
practical reforms which ought to be secured out of this
lamentable failure. The first is the shortening of the
usance of Indian billsfrom the presentperiodof six months'
sight to four monthedate. The shorterterm is every way suf-
ficient for all needful purposes, and the objection to the longer
terms are becoming so grave and obvious that the parties
willing to accept at six months will presently be very
few indeed. The second is the immediate issue to cre-
ditors of failed banks of " Certificates of indebtedness,"
to be cancelled by the payment of whatever dividends the
estate may afford. In the meantime, however, the certifi-
cates themselves would be negotiable, and would be
sold, or pledged for advances according to their esti.
mated value. As it is, the unfortunate creditors are not
only subjected to the ultimate loss of part of their
money, but for several months they are wholly without
the means of raising a sixpence on the security of their
estimated dividends.

PASSPORTS FOR AUSTRIA. FOREIGN-OFFICE,
JUNE 7.—The Earl of Clarendon has been in-
formed by the Austrian ambassador at this court
that it is not necessary for the bearers of Foreir-
office passports who may wish to enter the Austrian
dominions, to provide themselves with the rixei of
the Austrian embassy. It is, however, at present
advisable that all British subjects wishing to visit
Austria should be provided with passports.
FOREIGN-OFFICE, JUNE 7.—The Queen has been
pleased to aprove of Mr. Thomas Abbott as consul in
Nova Scotia fur his Majesty the King of Portugal and the
Algarves.—Gazette.