The Express.
London, England, 1860-06-27 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27.

No one, we suppose, looking at the constitution
GI the Committee of Twenty-one, appointed to
search for precedents affecting the taxing powers
of the two Houses of Parliament, and to report
thereon, expected much of importance to result
from their deliberations. The appointment of the
Committee, and its dilatory proceedings, were
regarded rather as a sort of preliminary inquest
which must be gone through in compliance with
established usage, before the real trial of the prac-
tical issue raised by the House of Lords when
they rejected the Paper Duty Bill. There was no
reason to anticipate any such defection from the
Tory side of the Committee as would enable the
Liberals to carry any vigorous or comprehensive
series of recommendations as to the policy which
ought to be pursued by the Commons. It was
known that those who could be counted on as likely
to maintain popular right spinet aristocratic en-
croachment were in a decided minority, and that,
besides the ten avowed Derbyites, lordly
usurpation could reckon with confidence on several
of those who still sit on the opposite aide
of the green table, and who once were classed by
the credulous among sincere Liberals. As the
report has not yet been finally settled, and many
of its proposed clauses remain still to be consi-
dered in verbal detail, it may perhaps be thought
premature to anticipate any portion of the discus-
sion to which it is certain to give rise as soon
as it has been laid upon the table. Nor should
we have been tempted to do so had not the lead-
ing organ of the reactionists thought fit to violate
the reserve usually observed while a parliamentary
jury is still in deliberation. With what pro-
priety or prudence we need not here discuss, our
contemporary has hastened to boast that but two
of the Committee were found ready to vote, in
the first instance, in favour of adopting a draft
report prepared by Mr. Bawer, as the basis of
their ultimate verdict, in preference to the draft
prepared by Mr. Watrout. Everybody ac-
quainted with the habits of proceeding in such
cases is perfectly aware that the voting for one of
two general summaries of evidence, and general
repulses of arguments, does not by any means
commit those who vote to all the statements
in detail which such a draft contains, or
to all the implied consequences in point of ►rgu-
ment to which its general principles may seem to
lead. And if we are not mistaken, the draft
moved for adoption by Mr. WaLrou on Monday
last was in many respects one which might have
appeared to a liberal men of ultra cautious and
conciliatory tendencies not absolutely inadmissible.
We believe its faults consisted rather in what it
did not contain than in what it did ; and had no
alternative been presented at the outset, in the
shape of a direct and plain-spoken assertion of the
sole taxing power of the Commons, the Chair-
man's draft might possibly have been adopted
under protest, or with the understanding that in
detail it was to be subject to amendment. Being
set, however, against a counter-project embodying
a clear enunciation of constitutional principles,
it became for the moment a standard of rebe-
-1 tionary opinion, as opposed to that of resistance
to lordly aggression. Why, under such circum-
stances, Lord Pal.mazeron, Sir Gioia' GMT,
sod Sir Ricmazo Bsrlizi.t should have thought it
necessary to record their votes in favour of the
Tory scheme, wo must leave them to explain. But
that they thus chose to sever themselves from Lord
Joan RrreEtt. and Mr. GLADSTONE, for the sake
of a document they felt to be utterly wanting in
the most essential particulars, is proved by the
next step in these strange proceedings, and by
the part which they and others actually took
therein.

No sooner had the Tory draft been adopted as
a basis, than Mr. Baiter proposed to add to it
Ave or six paragraVis embodying the views enter-
""" oy the Liberal party on the Privilege
question. A debate and division thereupon took
place, and, if we are not misinformed, the num-
bers no longer showed the former preponderance
in support of the usurping pretension of the
Lords, but were so nearly balanced that the
decision would have been doubtful had it
not been for the sinister interposition of
one who has in turn belonged to every party in
the State, who has successively embraced and
abandoned every political principle, and who, at
the end of a long life, alone among English states-
men of our day is regarded with unanimous
distrust. We believe it was by Sir LILY=
GRAHAM a majority of one was obtained
against the adoption of the amendments that
would have declared the undoubted right of the
House of Commons to impose and to repeal taxes.
, The members of the Government who, on the fiat
division, had lent their aid to the members for
Carlisle and Buckinghamshire, seem to have re-
coiled from the false position into which they had
been betrayed, and strove to make a show of re-
viving faith in their professed principles, which
might perchance stand in place of righteous-
ness. But the opportunity had been lost and
could not be regained.
No moral weight or value can possibly
attach to the decisions of a body who have
thus proved themselves so irresolute and inco-
herent in their deliberations. Nor is it un-
worthy of note that the organ of the Minis-
terial section who voted on the selfsame day in

two opposite ways should try to slur over their
defeat when beaten by Sir Juts GRAHAM and
kir. Distant, and should anxiously claim few
them a share of the triumph in which they were
supernumeraries over the liberal colleagues they
deserted. Strange, indeed, would each things be
if anything could seem any longer strange in the
conduct of public men amongst us. Not less
strange in other days would it have sounded in
the public ear, to have been told that the adoption
of a bald history of obsolete precedents, in prefer-
ence to the assertion of lifelike and life-giving
principles of representation and taxation, was only
another proof of the predilection of Englishmen
for " truth se opposed to science." We had
always been taught to believe that the excellence
of science consisted in its being the demonstration
of truth, not its opposite or antithesis ; and if the
dull cataloguing of dead feudal facts could only be
glorified by arrogating for it the praise of political
truth, the last thing we own that would have
occurred to us would have been to set up each
praise in invidious comparison with the worth of
wise and systematic legislation. If there be any
meaning at all in this species of fine writing for
the vulgar, the precious " truth " of PLLI-
TAOICIfiT, TUDOR, and STUART law-making
must be antagonistic in its essence and
its tendency to the falsehood of law-
making reduced to • moral, social, and econo-
mical science in these our later days. All the
changes we have made in the modern sense
—all the feudality we have effaced—all the
rough places of regal and noble rule we have
made plain—are but so many instances and illus-
trations of enlightened falsehood and scientific
error. And the teachers of sterling veracity, the
revivers of the real old truth of political life, are
not to be looked for among your squeamish and
punctilious men of the Ruseetz and Girl:lemons
school, but amongst those matchless apostles of
consistency and straightforwardness, Mr. Dtassau
and Sir Jamie GLEAM.

THE PRINCE OP WALES'S PIPIT TO CANADA.

We understand that the arrangements for the
visit of the Prime of Wales to Canada are now oompkeed.
sad are as follows :

His Royal Higher' will start from Devonport, upon tge
10th of July, a her Majesty's steamer Hero, Caption G. H.
Seymour, which will be accompanied by her Maimed?.
steamer Anodes,
.Caplain K. W. Vaasittert, and her
jesty's steamer Flying per, Captain C. W. Hops.
The Prince will be attended by her Majesty's Secretary el
State for the Caini, his Grace the Dub of Newcastle
the Lord Steward of her Majesty's Household, the Earl of
St. Germans ; his Royal Highness's Governor, Major-De-
!tarsi the Hon. R. Bruce ; end the Equerries in Waiting,
Major Teesdale, and Grey, Grenadier
Guards, and Dr. Acland, his Highnees's physician.
Mr. eheart, Private Secretary to the Duke of New-
castle, will accompany his Grace.
The Prince of Wales will first land at St. John's, New-
foundland, then visit Nova Scotia, and thence to
visit New Brunswick and Prince Edward's Island, and
reach Quebec by the route of the St. Lpwremos. He 'nay
bo expected at Montreal about the Zird of August, and the
opening of the Victoria Bridge will take place a few days
later.

His Royal Highness will represent her Majesty upon this
important national occasion, and will hold levees and re-
ceive addresses in the capitals of the different colonies. It
is intended that the Pnnce should visit the principal towns
in both Canadian provinces.
On his return nom the western districts it is intended
that his Royal Highness should drop all royal state, and
assume the title of Lord Renfrew, under which he has
before travelled upon the Continent of Europe. His Royal
Highness will visit some of the moat important and interest-
ing localities of the United States.
It is understood that the President, Mr. Buchanani,=
in an autograph letter to the Queen, expressed his
desire to naive the Prince at Washington, his Royal
Highness will pay him a visit in that city, and that his
Royal Highness has also accepted an invitation from the
city al New York.
His Royal ti*hnem 'my be expected back in this oountry
about the middle or sad el October.