The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-10 00:00:00

TIIROUti 11 COXMIITZE.

The Reform Bill, says the Times, haa virtually
passed the Commons. On Friday it will be considered on
the report, and there in on the notice book a string of
amendments, which will, doubtless, be increased in length
before Friday cornea; hut we may be confident that
nothing beyond formal amendments will be adopted. The
house sees the end of its labours in view, and would be
apt to treat with some asperity anyone who interposed
without grave reason to justify the delay his motion
might occasion. It is understood that Friday is to be
given up wholly to the Reform Bill if necessary. Should
the sitting in the afternoon prove insufficient, private
members will be asked to forego their privileges, so that
the clauses of the bill may be finally nettled before the
end of the week. On Monday the third reading will be
proposed, and the Times trusts that on Tuesday or
Wednesday the bill may be carried to the other house of
parliament.
The country will share the satisfaction, the Daily New
• observes, expressed by the loud and general cheering
which arose when Mr. Dodson left the chair. The bill in
its first form, and the bill in its het form, bear no more
resemblance than the grub has to the butterfly; yet Mr.
Disraeli would probably have no strong objection to re-
print the original text of the bill, with the emendations
and omissions in the margin, for it would simply exhibit
the completeness of his ascendancy over the tory party.
Though he did not devise the leading fe►tures of
the bill, he has brought the tories to accept them.
If he has originated nothing, he has passed everything.
The third reading on Monday will be probably a parlia-
mentary field day. Mr. Lowe will redeliver his celebrated
funeral oration on the British constitution ; Lord Cran-
borne will indulge his gloomy imagination in pictures of
the fate that awaits us at the hands of our new masters ;
Mr. Bright, Mr. Gladstone, and Mr. Disraeli will review
the progress of the measure from the point of view of their
several principles and parties. The bill will ascend in a
aloud of rhetoric to the quiet atmosphere of the House of
Lords. We trust that the peen will seize the opportunity
to show their capacity for the prompt transaction of busi-
ness and their superiority to foolish distrust of their own.
tryinen.

The Standard congratulates its readers that the bill is
safe now front surprises, and safe, too, from the deadlier
danger of delays. There may be considerable discussion
on the report ; but with the beat will in the world to do
the bill mischief, the opportunities to do so in that stage
are trifling compared with those offered by the procedure
in committee ; and even should the enemies of the govern-
ment think it necessary to raise • debate upon the third
reading, they cannot waste at the utmost more than a
couple of days. The bill will go up to the Lords before
the end of the next week, and in • month's time may re.
ceive the royal sanction.
It is now, remarks the Sear, an accepted article of the
liberal creed that the redistribution clauses of the bill are
simply things to be got rid of and forgotten, but the en-
franchisement cl►uses have been male so great and liberal,
that the passing of this tory reform bill is in reality the
realisation of that great popular dream of this generation
which but a month or two ago was deemed perfectly
chimerical.

The Targre pa treats as idle rumours any talk of serious
delays in the Upper Chamber. The present moment,
when the Lords are anxiously endeavouring to reform
their own proceedings, and to vindicate their sham in our
active business, is no occasion for • retarding or reac-
tionary vote, which would with fatal force check the im-
petus of the bill. Their lordships will have sufficient
time to discuss the measure, and then they will doubtless
pose it with as little delay as possible.

JR TOPICS.

Discussing the advisability of an expedition to Abyssinia
on behalf of the captives, the Times observes that anyone
judging the matter calmly and with the views of civilised
policy, would conclude that Theodore ought to yield, and
must yield as soon as he sees that we are in earnest. But
this conclusion may ►ttribute to him more good sense and
moderation thsn he possesses. Experience has shown that
despots of the temperament and education of this Abys-
sinian do notgenerally subject:their passions to their policy.
A king who seizes diplomatic agents and rushes recklessly
into collision with the greatest of eastern powers is not
likely to be a reflecting monarch, and it may be that
Theodore will believe that to frighten us by a general
execution would be better policy than to oonciliate us by
a surrender. It is no dishonour to look upon this King
Theodore as • sort of brigand, with whom it will be
fair to deal smoothly—at any rate, as long as he holds hie
prisoners.

The Daily News contemplates with profoundest pity the
tragic destiny of Maximilian, but cannot perceive that his
fate bears any sort of analogy to any of those " judicial
murders" of groat personages which history records and
milder age condemns. The apologists of that savage decree
of October, 1865, which the French persuaded Maximilian
to sign, are doubtless justified in asserting that the un-
happy and amiable Prince was overborne by the pressure
of military met, who, as all Europe well knows, are never
slow to shed blood, and who have not learnt to respect
human life inAlgeria orin Paris. la it, then, unreasonable to
suppose that President Juarez, whom those whe know him
intimately declare to bo "a brave, humane, and honest
citizen," was overborne by the military officers who sat on
that court-martial at Queretaro, some of whose comrades,
friends, and relatives, perhaps, had been shot in cold
blood in pursuance of th►t imperial decree?
The Standard cannot envy the mental constitution of
him who, calling himself an Englishman, pretends to
justify such a deed as the execution of Maximilian upon
the ground that some of the opposite party had been exe-
cuted under a decree of Maximilian a year and a half
before. Even if Maximilian's complicity in this act could
be proved it would not justify Juarez in his useless and
wanton murder. Those who were shot by the French were
taken in open arms against established authority, after
due warning bad been given of the penalty they were in-
curring by opposing the government. The cane of Maxi-
milian was essentially distinct from all others, inasmuch
as it could not be pretended that he was an insurgent
against authority, that he was a freebooter, or an invader
without warrant. Nevertheless, we have no choice but to
accept Mexico as she is ; and as for our representative in
Mexico, it would he only punishing ourselves to withdraw
him.

The official correspondence relative to the Paris Exhibi-
tion, which has just been laid upon the table of the House
of Commons, leads the Post to remark that this one fact
comes out with unfortunate distinctness, viz., that every
exhibition which is held costa more than the last. If it
is true that they are increasing in popularity and utility,
some means must be found, if they Cr, to be continued, of
charging the expense upon those to whom they procure
pleasure or profit, instead of coming to the state for such
enormous grants of public money.
A strange question is put to the gl.:•.bY• correspondent
in reference to the case of Captain SimpOu, of her Ma-
jesty's whip the Meg:ers. He asks whether it can be true
that the government intend to pay the costa of Captain
Simpson's defence, and even to make good to him the fine
of 1001. which was imposed on him. To the Star thewhole
ease is unspeakably disgusting. It ia shocking that there
should be found English officers who cAld think it their
duty to order the flogging of a wretched little boy ; it is