The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-23 00:00:00

ICS TOPICS.

The Times begs leave to doubt whether parliareentsry
reform can be brought out in "numbers," as announced by
Mr. Bright. It is not an affair of slow earth-working at all.
The reform bill will hare to embrace the whole of the
reform intended, and must have its schedules as before.
Being a matter of adjustment, equivalent, and compromise,
it is a work which ought to be done at once and completely,
without leaving an ugly sequel behind. Disfranchisement,
of course, is not a very gracious proceeding, but it is neces-
sary to every notion of reform.
The proposed employment of policeronstables as assistant
officers in the administration of relief to the honed.= poor
is fully approved of by the Times, which believes that the
system will simply limit the relief to the destitute, the
intervention of the police excluding only pickpockets and
profligate ruffians. By the houselees poor, as properly
defined, a policeman is looked upon se more of a friend than
the relieving officer on the parochial staff. The police will
simply distinguish between misfortune and crime; and the
knowledge that they will do so will keep crime at a dia.
Janos, and insure misfortune more considerate treatment
than it now receives.

The Daily News mentions a number of reasons why the
appearance of the Fenian movement in Ulster, where the
two chief sections of the population are living in a state
of suppressed enmity, is fraught with more cause of alarm
than its existence in much greater strength in the southern
and western provinces of Ireland. The principal evil cornea
from the antagonistic element of Orangeism, which is roused
into action, and this double peril is unfortunately aggravated
by the fact that in Ulster there is social and moral division
from the kighest rank to the lowest. The government
lacks in the northern counties the moral force which else-
where supports its action, and the passion of fanatic
zeal is but an ill substitute. If, however, the fast is
steadily kept in view by the government that it has
double duty to perform, to suppress Fenianism and to
prevent the Orange lodges from attempting to suppress is,
there need be no alarm.

The Herald makes sport of the painful experience
through which the Edinburgh Review has to m►ke its way
before it arrives at the conclusion to support the govern•
moist In its Reform Bill. It also dwells upon the divisions
in the radical camp and prophecies that if the conservative
party be staunch and strenuous the government scheme
will be Lord Russell's worst failure.

The Daily News publishes a letter from the Archbishop
of Canterbury to the Dean of Natal. His grace says that
the dean cannot accept Dr. Colenso without identifying him-
self with the doctor's errors—a view which the Daily Nev-s
does not remember to have been hitherto propounded for
the guidance of priests in England. The Archbishop, con.
tinning to abet the resistance of the clergy of Natal, fur-
ther says that after the decision of the Judicial Committee,
the church in South Africa is competent to
elect its own bishops, as the Scotch Episcopal
church does, without reference to the authorities
in England—a stronger position than the Bishop of Cape-
town has over advanced in the name of the local church,
The publication of this letter is regarded by the Daily
News se a very important event. It approaches nearer
than anything we have hitherto seen to a declaration that
the affairs of a church ought to be regulated by its own
members—the " faithful men " of the Nineteenth Article—
and not by a miscellaneous multitude of all opinions, and
no opinions, to whom the political institutions of the
country may have given power. It is not unlikely that the
Coleus, controversy, which has been said to have begun in
• dispute about eighty and odd pigeons, will come to turn
upon this great ecclesiastical question.

Ebc 12ourt.

0580R24.7. JAN. 22.

Her Majesty, Princess Helena, and Princess
Louise, and Princess Hohenlobe and Prince Christian of
Schleswig-Holstein, attended divine service at Osborne
yesterday morning.
The Bev. C. Protbero officiated.
Princess Beatrice attended the service at Whippingbam
Church.

Despatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-office
from the Governor of Canada.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge,
arrived at Cambridge Cottage, Kew, last evening, from
Sandringham.

The Duke of Hamilton, who has been on a visit
to his mother at Baden-Baden, is expected to arrive in
Paris to-morrow, where his grace purposes to stay some
weeks. The duchess (nec Princess Marie) and Lady Mary
Hamilton are expected to leave the duchess's chateau,
Stephanie, for Paris about the second week in the ensuing
month.

Hie Excellency the Saxon Minister has returned
bo town from Germany to resume his diplomatic duties.
The Earl and Countess of Esaex have been enter-
taining a select party during the past week, at Camiobury
Park, his lordship's seat near Watford.

The marriage of Lady Victoria Campbell, eldest
daughter of the Earl and Countese of Cawdor, with Lieut.-
CoL Lembton is fixed to take plat* to-morrow.

On the 18th instant their Royal Highnesses the
Duo and Duchess d'Aumale arrived at Thomastown Castle,
Cashel, on a visit to the Comte and Comtere de Jerre.
In the course of the evening their royal highnesses assisted
at two dramatic performances, attributed to the fertile pen
of "Sir Charles Itockiogham." The plays were followed by
a &roe, in which the royal visitors joined with no leas
spirit than the leading members of the dramatic corps and
of their families present on the occasion. On Friday their
royal highnesses returned to Dublin, accompanied by their
noble hosts, on a visit to the Chief Secretary and the
Counter Waldegrave, at whose state ball they were pre.
sent.—Cloninel Chronicle.

Mr. F. Percy, a witness in the case of a Mormon
marriage, which came before the Divorce Court on &tut,
day, writes to a contemporary :—" What I did Ay was
that 'I ones saw a man and his four wives living in one
small room containing three or four beds, separated by
curtains only.' I may add that this was a moat heart-
rending ease. Three of the women were sisters, sweetly
pretty, accomplished English girls, whom I had known
here. They were all married on the same day to their
Mormon elder—elder in a double sense—end, what is la
harmony with the discord, a butcher by trade. The heavy
expression of gravity and care on the old first wife's face I
shall never forget, and tears come to my eyes now as I
remember the hopelessness of tone with which one of the
young oaes said, in answer to a question of mine, Ah, we
don't ring now.' In England they used to sing like a choir
of angels."