The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-15 00:00:00

A DEFENDER OF AM EYRE.

Mr. Thomas Carlyle has forwarded to the
committee of the Byre Defence and Aid Fried for publics-
lion a letter received by him from a Mr. J. H. Elliott, of
which the following in the chief part
"This persecution of Governor Eyre is an example
of a morbid affection too prevalent alas I in our coun-
ty. It was well known in ancient Greece, and the
symptom was named ponerophilos. By estrange perverwion
those who are thus afflicted—moral ghouls—love and
relish bad people—burglars, incendiaries, ruffians,
rebels, kidnappers of children and young women. Inno-
cent, undeserved mime/ is insipid, but the hunted negro,
red with blood, latch and high in flavour as long-hung veni-
eon. The severe sufferings, present and contingent, of the
criminal are alone heeded. Let a man commit a rourdee,and
the pity of these diseased persons seems solely concerned
with him end his puniahment ; the fate of his victim or
victims is entirely unworthy of pity ; their pains clean
washed out from men's imagination. So with the rebel,
the wholesale murderer. Earl Russell boasted (at that
time in the Commons) that the Irish conspiracy of 1548
had been suppressed without the sacrifice of one Mee life'
—he meant rebel life. But he did not tell the world, nor
was it in hie little business to know, how many innocent end
useful lives were lost—officers of justice and others who
were engaged in the terrible duty of searching for the rebels
and securing them, but without scratch or wound. Many
men must have been at that time sacrificed, or their
health broken up and destroyed, while in all weathers they
were tracking the inhospitable wilds of Ireland night and
day. Catch 'em alive ; hurt not a hair of their heads ;
incise not an inch of their skin, no matter at what risk or
loss of your own (useful and honourable) lives. Public
policy demands this.' Our drivelling government in
the very last session, boasted also that the
Fenian conspiracy bad been so far sac
without the ascrifiee of a single life--Fenlan life. =1
They quite left out of the account as, of course, unworthy
of notice, the number of good men whose lives have
been lost by the hand of the Irish assassin, let alone those
who must have otherwise suffered in the unavoidable
perils of their hazardous duty. In the Jamaica rebellion
the same inept government, no doubt, would have made
the like triumphant boast if governor Byre had put that
down without the loss of a single life—rebel life, some-
thing so inestimably precious ! Doubtless it might have
dons if Governor Eyre bad been silly or crud enough
to put the same high value on bad men as do our
luxurious humanitarians, and had determined that not one
rebel life should be taken, no matter how many good men
were sacrificed. Oh yes, all the rebels might have been
secured alive and placed in comfortable quarters, like our
ruffians at home, if only a sufficiently large number of
soldiers, sailors, and civilians had been destroyed without
grudge or compensation. So in a tiger hunt, if the order
should be, ' Catch 'em alive,' it can, no doubt, be neatly
done, if only a sufficient number of persons be destroyed
in overpowering him. But neither solitary murderers,
Irish rebels, negro rebels, nor tigers, are anywhere worth
such a price in the opinion of mine men. Honest valuation
would mark their value the other way, and would say,
Save honest men's lives, the meals, are of small
value—of none at all, indeed, they are less than of no
value ; but the lives of the honest people, who are their
victims, are comparatively of pricelees- value.' This treat-
ment of Governor Eyre will show its bitter fruits in future
times of trouble. Public officers will shrink from needful
and proper coercion. Surely this is what is intended, on
the eve, as we are, of physical resistance at home, and espe-
cially in Ireland. It will serve the purpose well of the
conspirators, and they are legion, to hold up the fate of
Governor Eyre, in ter orders, before any officer who may
be called upon to suppress, by sword or gun, • Fenian, a
Romish, a trades-union, or a manhood suffrage rebellion,
in any part of the Queen's dominions. The day of con-
flict is cowing, and what with philanthropists and mis-
sionaries, priests, and demagogues, poor England will
have a sharp struggle for it."

MR. HENLEY, MP., ON POLITICAL AFFAIRS.

THAME, FeJnar.
The annual dinner of the Thame Agricultural
Society took place here last night, under the presidency
of Captain WTKVHAM, who was supported by the Right
Hon. J. W. Henley, M.P., Colonel North, H.P., Colonel
Fano, M.P., Ensign Pane, Mr. T. Taylor, Rev. J. Jackson,
Mr. J. Dodwell, tee.
The loyal toasts having been duly honoured,
Colonel NORTH responded for the Army and Navy.
The health of the county members having been next
proposed LET race amid loud cheers to respond. After
touching upon some other topics he said, great changes had
take place since their last meeting. A change of govern-
ment bad most unexpectedly taken place. It was not for
them to consider what the causes of this might be, human
events happened often in a way that the most long headed
could not foresee, and certainly nobody could have pre-
dicted last Michaelmas that a government with a majority
of 70 or 80 in the House of Commons would have con-
tnved somehow or other so to cook their dish that they
found themselves nowhere. He hoped that those who were
now at the head of affairs, would, though in • minority,
have the wisdom so to carry on the business of the country
that they might not find themselves in the same unplea-
sant position. lie was sure that the great question which
had probably been the cause of the shipwreck of the late
government would continue to shipwreck government
after government, until some administration was found
wise and prudent enough to settle it; for a great question
like that which had been mentioned on several occasions
in speeches from the throne could never rest until it cams
to a fair and final settlement All be hoped wes, that that
settlement would be upon such fair and moderate terms
that it would not only give satisfaction to those who were
most desirous of it, but that it would also contribute to
the general benefit and prosperity of the country. (Cheers.)
He next referred to the questn of breech-loader. A
great disaster had fallen upon one continental army, and
the opposing fortes, having been presumed to have •
superior weapon, it was not unnatural to conclude that
this had had something to do with the SUCCIPSON which
they had achieved. The natural consequence of this
bad been to make our authorities prick the
spurs into the steed—to use a common saying—
and we should, no doubt, get improved weapons • year or
two sooner than would otherwise have been the ease, and
this was great matter for rejoicing. (Hear. hear.) Old
people could remember that there used to be long whist
and short whist, and there were flint locks and percussion
locks, but now there seemed to be u much differerce be-
tween percussion locks and breach-luders, as formerly
existed between the old flint lock and the percussion lock.
He trusted that the misfortunes which his own part of the
county bad experienced through the miserable cattle-
plague bad now come to an end, and that, owing to the
measures which had been taken by the government, and
through the kindness of Providence the disorder would
soon disappear. The decrease in the number of cases heel
been regular and steady, and the disease might now be
almost said to have ceased. The last visitation,
however, was of twelve years duration, so that
at present we could only hope and pray that there might
not be a recurrent* of the disease. If they were thus for-
tunate they would, indeed, have great reason to be thank-
ful, especially when they considered the inconvenience
which bad been inflicted on all classes of society by the
measures that bad been rendered necessary. The closing
of the markets had been a serious inconvenience, not only
to agriculturists, but to tradesmen and every other class
of the community. When they remembered that a curse
of this sort lasted upon a previous occasion for twelve
years, they must all bear with patience the restrictions
which were deemed necessary in order more quickly to put
an end to the ravages of the rinderpast. It was only by
mutual forbearance that they could hope to attain this
result, and he trusted, therefore, that whatever inconveni-
ence might be suffered, they would yield a cheerful obe-
dience to all restrictive measures, so long as they were
considered necessary.
Some other toasts followed.

THE MERCER.4' COMPANY.—Last evening the
Master and Wardens of the Mercers' Company.which has
the reputation of being one of the oldest and most affluent
of the ancient guilds in the City of London, entertained a
distinguished company at dinner in their fine corporate
hall. in Cheapeide. Yesterday was the day on which ac-
cording to custom, they elect their muter and wardens'
for the ensuing year, and the dinner was given in honour
of the occasion. The newly-elected Master (Mr. John
Williams Watson) occupied the chair, and there were pre-
sent, among others, the Lord Mayor, the Duke of Buck-
ingham, Lieutenant-Colonel Palmer. put master of the
company. Captain Torrent', M.P., the Hon. John Hart,
late Chief Secretary to the Government of South
Anstra-
; the Governor (Mr. Holland) and the Deputy-Govereor
of the Bank of England; the members of the Gresham
Committee ; the Maters of the Drapers', the Merchant
Taylors'. the Vintners', and the Cloth Workers' Com-
panies ; and the Gresham Profanes, at the head of whom
was the Rev. Morgan Cowie.
THE FAILURE OF PILE, SPENCE, AND COMPANY.
—The joint committee of creditors and shareholders
of Pile, Spence, and Co. have issued a report, to be
eonsideied at the adjourned meeting, on Monday.
They declare, as the result of their investigations,
that during the thirteen months prier to the sus-
pension the compare y has carried on business at a lees of
55,2451., which Includes a sum of nearly 5,000/. paid as
dividends. The primary causes of the to of the com-
pany, as enumerated by the committee, me the mei-
intsteement of business with insufficient tital, the high
price at which steamers were purchased by the com-
pany, and the large subsequent expenditure upon th ;
the payment of 45,0001. under the suspense account, the
EXIEEEME of works, and the laps amount of late:eel on
borrowed money and discount on bills, necessarily conse-
quent on the want of capitaL —Lads Mercury.