The Express.
London, England, 1859-03-22 00:00:00

THE UNITED STATES.

(room ova owx coaasszowozwr.)

NNW YORK, 88ARCH 8.

Congress has 400 T horne,for a wonder:without any
" clueing scenes. Tiuc last few days of the session
at. generally concerted into Saturnalia, in which all
sorts of disorders are perpetrated in the House of
llepresentativen ; the Western members frequently
get drunk, the Speaker is set at defiance, and the
debates arc interrupted by the crowing., and bray-
ing', and other farmyard noises, which a few years
ago frequently saluted the ears of British legislators
in :a locality generally considered more decorous
than the spitol at NVashiogton. The more marked
disorder, ale dignified by newspaper correspondents
with the name of ' closing scenes," and form the
tit-bits of the congressional news during the last
wet k of the seesion ; but this year the Sickles
tragedy seems to bare exercised a damping influ-
ence upon everybody in the city, and for once
order reigned. In addition to this the truantry,
in "pits of the permission onkd to it to Usu. 20
millions worth of notes, is all but empty, and the
democracy I. generally in en unprosetteou condition.
The increased appecpriation foe the post-office defi-
ciency was sternly refused by the House. Con-
cern has done Baths eke the whole session than re-
fuse to grant the government powers and money
that ft asked for; its legislation has been almost
altogether negative. It refused to s,.ncticn a Pacific
railroad by the southern route; it refused to vote 30
millions to tarry on negotiations for the purchase of
Cabe ; it refused to grant the President full powers
and means for redressing the grievances of American
citizens in the Central and South American States ;
It refused, in abort, to grant Mr. Buchanan any
discretion whsterer, or one farthing more money
than is necessary to prevent the disorganisation of
the government. It would be impossible to deer.. a
more emphatic mode of rebuking the profligacy of
administration during the last two years.
I'robsbly one of the best things done by the House
of Representatives during its session, however, was
the parsing of a resolution instructing the clerk to
have the desks of the member. removed from the
floor. All your ri eiders are probably inforni-d that
every member of Congress in America has a onpacions
desk, with a lock and key, in front of his seat, and
the stationery and ink thereon supplied to him by
the public, and that the members go regularly every
day to the house, not to listen to or participate in
the debates, bat to write their letters, compose
articles, despatch printed speeches and reports to
their coostitaents, &c. The result is, that to most
of them it makes very little difference who is "on
his legs," or what he is saying, or how long he takes
to say it ; whether it be stupid or sensible, prosy or
lively. The greatest doh may pour out his platitudes
from morn till sight without incommoding any-
body or meeting with the et:nonfat interruption, as
sodunce are meetly engaged in literary pursuits.
The ~n.ii.ust and unavoidable consequence has been
that •rie art rat debating, properly so called, of riot
!or. attack and defence, of impromptu insult and
improir:pte rvp'7, has been almost lost in American
legislative asomblits. Readiness, fultiemi, earro-
tility, wit. and lumen,, have ceased to be of say
value. and every awaher now, when he has got any-
Cited to say on a great public too scion, orates an
elaborate nosy, aid goes down and reads or repeats
a: is hi. place : aebody Wires to ir. but be gets it
;waited in a pamphlet, either at the public expense
OT hie own, and muds, at the pahlic es pew, thou-
sands of copse of it to his constituents. Hoe of the
wore results of this system has lees the• debate
rxrly so called. hawing disappeared, the temper,'
self-control, and good hun.our, whist
intemperances@ "peaking promotes as well as re-
quires, have disappeared " slid whenever a member
replies to another oil the spur of the moment,
it m generally In share and personalities. whisk 110
you know, often sad in blows. The desks ease re-
moved, every somber, when he enters the hoes%
hands so other aecupatios, will be compelled to
liaise, and when all listen, a prosy speaker is
doomed ; sad the oratorical qualities which keep op
mental), entertain, and amore, will once awn be-
enme of some importance. It would be bad to
imagine a reform, Is my opinion, which will ei• son
fire parliamentary dreoesin, as well as far this the
'Gogh aid soiled ventilation of public mannessn.
The points of • tonestion will be brought oat more
prominently than ever they have been hitherto., and
the time occupied at present in the traossiction of
business be curtsied by one half.
Mere is talk of an extraordinary Denim of (..../n•

gross in order to provide more money. I fear
Buchanan is about to find the closing months of his
official life u povertpetneken as the earlier ones
were luxurious.

The " iseteon" with us is nearly over. Lent begins
next week, and as we keep Lent mainly by not
dancing, the balls end this week. Lectures and
chess have been the rage all the winter, and daring
the forty days of theoretical fasting and mortifies-
tion they trW be more the rage than ever. That
such enormous crowds should throng the largest
buildings to hear Everett on the "Character of
Washington," Mitchel on Astronomy, Onyot on
Physical Geography, would be unaccountable to any
one who did not know what a large puritan population
New York contains, in spite of its general frivolity,
who rigidly abstain from theatres and balls, 2.011
allow themselves no public amusement more exciting
than /maim florid mays upon instructive topics.