The Express.
London, England, 1867-08-27 00:00:00

THE WAR IN CRETE.

The famous Arkadi, remarks the Times, has
dosed her daring career. Some twenty times has she
deemed from the roadatead of Syr* with arms, ammuni-
tion, and volunteers, and, in spite of the ponderous
Turkish navy, succeeded in running to unfrequented spot'
on the Cretan coast. Never again will her exploits fill the
cafes of Athens with exultation, set the telegraph in
action, and cause the capitals of Europe to speculate on
the hopes of a struggle carried on apparently with such
determination. As the Alabama found her Kearsarge, so
the Arkadi has at length been destroyed by the Izeddin—
a vessel of the power which she had so long defied.
The Greeks will, no doubt, be able to replace her: they
have patriotism and they have money; they have one
of the great European powers at their back, and they
believe that to keep alive the Cretan contest is one
of the most certain means of attaining their ends.
The Arkadi was a vessel of war carrying on hostilities,
and her unmolested departure from Greek ports would
have justified a declaration of war on the part of the
Porte, which, indeed, has only been restrained from
avenging itself on its tormentor by the fear that recourse
to extreme measures would brine on the hostile inter-
ference of the European powers. Such covert warfare it
is impossible for England to approve. It is generally, and
the Tines believes correctly, understood that the British
government, under the influence of Lord Stanley, declines
in any way to promote the severance of Crete from the
Turkish empire, or to gratify the . mbition of the Greeks
by encouraging them to extend their frontiers northward.
The Pose also refers to the destruction of the Arkadi and
says that the hot cinders of the insurrection may be said
to be banked by action which is only not directly hostile
to the Porte, and for which the governments of Athens
' and St. Petersburg are undoubtedly answecable. There
is eve', reason to fear that Greece is not acting inde.
pendently or honestly. As much is, in effect, admitted,
and it is asked why England shuts her eyes to the fact.
England, however, is not shutting her eyes, and it is her
foresight and not her blindness which is deprecated. We
are sensible that in dealing with Greece we have bought
experience, and imputations which reveal the operation
of restless intrigue and suicidal subserviency must
not be overlooked in considering the character of an in.
surrection that has agitated Europe more than it has dis-
turbed the government of the Porte.
The Standard emph►tically repudiates the ide► that
England has incurred any obligations to the Greek',
because Lord Russell once gave them a king. Then as to
the creation of the kingdom itself by England, it is true
that in a weak moment se listened to a generous senti-
ment, rather than to the dictates of prudence, and spoilt
Turkey in order that we might make Greece. But to pre-
tend that we are bound to enlarge the frontiers of Green
because we helped to bring her into life, is as absurd as
though a man whom one saved from drowning should
expect his preserver to keep him in luxury for ever after.
We have done enough, it may be too much, when we
started Greece into existence. As for the reek, we ars
under no liability to indulge her with every new posses
irion which she may think necessary for the maintenance
of her dignity.

111 TOPICS.

Reflecting on the probable effects of the Reform Act, the
Daily News thinks it is • great question whether in the
absence of any proportionate redistribution of political
power it has not conferred almost •a much power upon the
agricultural labourers as upon the artisan clue. There are
41 boroughs in England and Wales in which the male oc-
cupiers under 41. exceed those of 101. and upwards. Of
those 41 boroughs in which the new voters of the very
poorest class are more numerous than the present electors
at least 27 are agricultural towns, ue towns in which, •e in
the caeca of Ayleabtuy, Much Wenlock, and Wallingford, a 1
number of agricultural villager groopad around the central
borough are, for parliamentary purposes incorporated with
it. The labourers live in thetown,and work in the surround.
ing country, often going several miles to their labour.
They are away early in the morning, and beck completely
tired at night, and have no more interest in the town or
real connection with it than the feeling that it is the place
whither they retire to sleep. The conclusion of the Daily
New is that as a rule the agricultural towns will more
than ever be " supplementary to the landed interest," and
the mall boroughs are likely to be far less independent,
under • suffrage which enfranchises their agricultural la-
bourers, than they would have been under a 61. or 71.
qualification, or than they are at present. The Act of
1832 did a little towards rendering some of them • little
more independent of exterior influences ; it will be •
curious anomaly if the Act of 1867 should give them back
again to their dependence.

The position of the money market is undoubtedly sin-
gular, if not unexampled, observes the Tines. The Bank
rate is at 2 per cent., and as the Bank holds nearly fifteen
millions of money in hand to meet current liabilities
amounting to little more than twenty-six millions, the
rate ought, according to the ordinary policy of the Bank
directors, to be still further lowered. The Bank of France
has more than thirty-seven millions of money in band to ,
meet current demands of all kinds of less than sixty two
millions, and the stock of coin and bullion at the Bank of
France continue, to increase. At first sight it would be
thought that these facts must produce an instant and
decisive effect on the trade of the world. But it is
not so, and the explanation is not far to seek.
Burnt children fear the fire, and they not uncommonly
have such wholesome recollections of recent suffering that
they shrink from anything that looks even warm. The
peculiarity of the present time is that money is at once
cheap and dear. The stocks of all companies are low in
the market. The inference is obvious. Money is cheap,
but it is not cheap to all. It is cheap to some, it is dear,
or rather inaccessible, to more. It is cheaper, indeed, to
the favoured few, because the rest are cut off from the
supply. There have been accidental and foreign
Gauzes which have helped to aggravate the in-
tensity and duration of the fit of suspicion which
has followed a fit of too easy confidence ; but
the real spring of the ills of the commercial community
is to be found at home. The seat of sensation in that
huge commerce which, serpent like, eneoils the world is
here. There is distrust in London, and its effects are felt
in the remotest parts. We suffer, and all the extent of an
organisation as sensitive as it is vast suffers with us. Haw
long a time moat slaps' before a nameable oonlidenes re-