The Express.
London, England, 1866-12-19 00:00:00

glte elpreoo.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
adverdeementa intended for " The lispreae," London Evening
, must be at the Office, 10, Bouveric-etreet, by Two
PV:k on the dal of Publication.

DRURY LANE.
TRW Er 9, FAUST. Mr. Plieipe, Means. E.
nd Miss Phelps,Abe W.le
Harrison, and J. Johnstone; Ur,. Humane Vsin a
—And KATRERLNE A-ND PETRUCRIO. Mr. T. firdobourne,
Mr. J. Robins, and Miss Label Adams.

ILAYbIARLET.
Ting aVIS11(0. A GAME OF SPECULATION. Mean C.
Ustbur‘CßlPPoodzlG. Rogers, IC. ; Mesdames FitwiMaro, Law%
et.c.—THE COMICAL COUNTESS. Yr. awl Mns. C. Mathews--
BOX AND COX. Mr. Buckstose.-11311 OUT OF WATER.

ranicsons.
TlHra IMMO, BALNABY SUDO& Mews. IL Calharaan,
7. Wien, J.O. MOTS, RC.: are. John ood, Wow Augural&
MAMBO° and Katherine Rodgers, LTA H. Vining, and Mr& C.C.
Honasaa—A CONCERT.—And THE BEGGAR'S OPHRA.
------

STR,ILITD.
TRU Emma, NEIGHBOURS. Mews Pun
Ile, Bedford
linen*.
sod MUlTay ; Steadstoes Soranborough, Johnstone, and
KEN ILW ORT H. Messrs. J A
ames, Thorns, & Fenton Moses
bwanbo,ouga & Raynhant.—And BOOTS T THE SWAN.

HOLBORN.
Tans Elayres, et 7, MY TURN NEXT. Mr. Delmore: Rasa
Foote sad Lennox.—And FLYING SCUD. Messr.
C. Neville, Bel-
Elate, ToHare, de.: Madames F. Joashs, daunden,
Rade Foote, Addis, Lennox, Raymond, de.

BRITANNIA.
Inn Emmen, KATU LEE! ; OR, THE MAID OF MUNSTER.
Mrs. Lane.—The New Poetlesl BRITANNIA YEITIVAL—THE
SWL9S COTIAOE.---Mr. Fredericks andlle. C. Stephan ; the
Wondrous Martluetti. —And WILDFIRE N ED.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
TM DAT —Morning, Ith. Slm Afternoon, B. om.
OL
Toatoasow—Morning. oh. 0131 moon, V

---
LONDON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19,

PRESIDENT JOHNSON'S Message—that " exceed.
" ingly moderate and dignified document," as it is
styled in the American correspondence of the
Times--contains one passage on which his fellow-
citizens will expect us to express an opinion. Mr.
Jonirsoir, having to inform Congress of the course
which the Executive had pursued towards the
Fenians who attacked Canada, has gone out of his
way to suggest excuses for that disgraceful raid, to
intimate that it is not to be viewed with unquali-
fied reprobation, and even to insinuate that the
laws which ccmpel him to interfere with similar
attempts may operate unjustly and oppressively.
We trust we know what weight is justly due to the
personal opinion of Mr. JOHNSON on this or any
other subject, and we cannot pretend to feel much
aggrieved that it should be cast into the scale
against us. But we are concerned with the cha-
racter of sentiments declared on the most solemn
occasions which the political usages of the United
States afford, and fixing more or less the political
position of a nation with which we have every
desire to cultivate relations of peace and friend-
ship. If we do nut express all the feeling which
it is natural that this unlooked-for declaration
awakens, wo may, nevertheless, point out that
the language of the President of the UNITED
STATES implies principles which must make
all peaceful international relations impossible.
We say nothing of his pleading for the political
character of the late raid into Canada ; he has a
right so to regard the irruption of a horde of
marauders, intent solely upon injuring a peace-
ful population, and making no preparation to
meet, much less to supersede the power of a re-
gular Government. He may, if he pleases, hold
that a certain ground of political passion is suffi-
cient to give its character to a movement which
could by no possibility result in anything more
important than murderous outrage. He can order
the discontinuance of the prosecutions which had
been instituted against the violators of the neu-
trality of the United States--though he
cannot do so, and at the same time
have the credit he desires for faithfully enacting
the neutrality laws of the United States. He may
employ counsel to defend the Fenian prisoners in
Canada, because every man is to be presumed in-
nocent until found guilty. All this he, may do
without reproach from us ; but it is utterly incon-
sistent with the professions of neutrality which
his Government makes towards us to elaborately
extenuate the criminal enterprises of persons who
take up arms against our peaceful and unoffending
citizens. Mr. JOHNSON adopts the Fenian view
of the raid into Canada, repeats the description of
its character which has been frequently made by
the Fenian leaders, and ends by declaring that
" those circumstances must necessarily modify
" the opinion which we might otherwise have
" entertained in regard to an expedition ex-
" pressly prohibited by our neutrality laws."
Every Fenian who reads the words will under-
stand by them that the goodwill of the Executive
of the United States is with them and their cause,
and that although unjust laws may be against
them, those laws will be executed in a per-
functory manner. There is nothing honest or
straightforward in this language. If President
JOHNSON believes that the Fenians have a good
cause let him commit himself to it ; but if he
means to observe the neutrality he professes
towards this country let him refrain from utter-
ing words of encouragement to the Fenians. This
is the demand we made upon our own Govern-
ment during the American civil war, and we have
not two weights and two measures.

SIR J. P. GRANT, the new Governor of Jamaica,
has not taken a long time to discover one of the
crying abuses of the administration of that island.
Mr. C. S. ROUNDEL!, the Secretary to the late Royal I
Commission in Jamaica, shows in an appendix to
his Essay read at the Social Science Congress, that
while in the year 1884 28,8401. 12s. Bd. was
granted from the island Treasury for ecclesiastical
purposes—the total expenditure for the year
being 388,1391. 9s. Bd.—the total sum expended
from the same source for educational purposes was
2,1731. 15s. 2d. He points out that, taking
the number of children capable of attending
school at 63,000, this gives an expenditure
by the Government for purposes of education of
rather more than Bd. per child. The educational '
expenditure of the island bore to the ecclesiastical
the proportion of Ito 13.2. The whole of this
28,8401. goes to one religiousbody, the church by law
established, and more is added from the Imperial
Treasury. The Bishop of JAMAICA, who is per-
manently resident in England, has 1,4001. ;
the Coadjutor Bishop of ELtiosrorr, who lives in
Jamaica, has 1,6001., and three Archdeacons have