The Express.
London, England, 1866-02-17 00:00:00

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.

(THIS DAY.)

THE PROPOSED SUSPENSION OF THE HABEAS I ,
CORPUS LOP IN IRELAND.
With great regret the Times accedes to the de-
mand which her Majesty's m'r'stem will make to-day for
extraoreinary powers h denting with the dangerous coo-
*tram of FOIILIVII4III. Apart from any new and particular
information which the goverment hie received there is
ample reason for the strictest precautfoni In the increased
activity of the movement during the past month, end the
preseoceota number of persons in various districts with I
the scarcely concealed purpoes,of promoting insurrection. I
The object of the Irish government doubtless is
to secure some of the erotism iss of American Fenlse-
ism who are now numerous in Ireland, and who are
wcrklni with diaratrous effect upon the people. These
persons ere said to be well-chosen with respect to their
knowledge of the omen/ or of particular districts. Since
one or two of them were convicted on the evidence of the
papers they carried, they have taken care to possess nothing
that might indicate in the smallest degree their mission or
their coosexion with the conspiracy. An Areericiaieed
Irishmen, whom the government well knows to be a Fenian
moimary, end of whom it has probably bad intern-
geese for weeks before, appears in a country towns
perhaps with • military this sod • Federal ralform ; he is
manifestly expected by the peemotrr, and becomes the
object of respect and the centre of information. But if he
be apprehended and searched there is not the smallest
documentary evidence •;ainst Wm, while his oral coin-
mreicatiose ere so ioardr I that it is difficult to bring home
any off'sw to him. The government bas protmbly been
convinced that the time hes now come to deal mrecouily
with these person,.
Probably, the Post says, none will be more a-t mished
at it then the Irish themselves. The Fenian movement
has gone on so long with comparative impunity to its
promoters, and ham !Peso met with inch mild roes r-es
oa the part of the government, that the display of
vigour sow shown will bs as unexcected as it will
be beesdcial. The most indifferent will probably now believe
in the regions nature of the denser. It appears that the
disaffection is by no means confined to the lowest classes.
Many of the consideraale lan !owners are suspected, and
some are known to be implicated in the move-
ment. Drilling at night, too, is carried on to a
large extent; agents from America are travelling
about, administering oaths and distributing arms
and money throeghoet the watery ; and there have lately
been large arrivals of briigeers of military appearance,
and with no ostensible cocapatioo, though apparently
well provided with money, who hang about in •
state of expectant idleness well calculated to
arouse the alarms of the scats Irish police. One of
the effects of the alarm n; charmtor Pulaski=
has assumed will be to strengthen considerably
the heeds of the government in the Houle of Commons.
As M. Ward-Hunt observed on Thursday, the fiel of any
admioistrition is slweys followed by chaos, and the worst
enemies of the cabinet would scarcely renmre to promote
• chase In the face of so immiceot • per"' es the present.
The Herald does not Wawa the goveroment for the
course they have now de ided to take, but, having nursed
the wretched treas.n now disturbing the country, they
moot be considered to a arra: degree responsible for the'
present critical position of aff Ars. It is understood that
some Irish members will oppose the application of the go-
vernment but they will meet with no support.
The Star waits for the rpm ins which the government
must give for so startling • rneasnr•, premising that cagy
the mo.t urgent necessity ought t p be allowed to
huny the WI through in one day. Ireland has thus
far been governed only by a policy coediting of periodical.
suspensions of the Habies Corpus Act. The last " awn-
don" was effected in • coup dad is 1848 ; and it lcd at
mice to the outbreak of the insurrection.
The Telegraph *Wks if any complaint should be made
against the government, it in that they have been neither
vigoroua nor Prompt eecegb. It is curtain, at least, that
liberals and tortes, Orangemen fed catholic, landlords and
fameste, sad all the people who have held aloof from thislast
ebullition of Irish dieoutent, would loudly complain if they
were ace effectively protected. Though there is so
reason to believe that the people themselves wish to over-
ture British rule in Ireland, it would be the height of folly
to ignore the manifestations both of treason and of sym-
pathy with it which are to be sem throughout the country,
or to wait until sedition has blossomed into actual revolt.

TITS CATTLI PLMIIII ZELL

Th. Times represents the vacillatioe of the government
se °mediating one of the principal difficultly' with which
the bill on the settle disease has ha 4 to emcee, sod
daolls if, up to the present time, the Home Secretory can