The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-24 00:00:00

TEN AGITATION IN HOLLAND.

The ominous threats in Holland of a coup Waal, and or
a modification of the electoral law, induce the Taus to
inquire into the causes of the disturbance, and to com-
municate the result to its readers. The nature of the
dispute with Prussia concerning Luxembourg hoe been
already described in the Express. That relating to Java
is lees known. It is in brief a struggle between the sup-
porters and the opponents of slavery. After the abolition
of negro slavery in the Dutch West Indies in 1862-3 the
liberals wished to proceed to a similar measure in behalf
of their Eastern possessions. A bill fur the abolition
of the &Mem et forok labour in these colonies was
brought in last year by the Dutch parliament, but was
rejected. Yore lately the government filled the measure
of popular discontent by the appointment to the office of
Governor-General of the East Indian possessions, the
highest office of the Crown's gift, of a man formerly well
known for his leaning to the principles of free trade and
free labour, but who had abandoned his principles and
ratted from his party. A vote of censure was passed in
both Houses against the ministers who had advised the
nomination of the obnoxious Governor. The King re-
torted by the dissolution of the Chamber, and Holland
is now in all the throes of a general election. In the
event of a new vote of want of confidence, the ministers
are said to contemplate a resort to exceptional measures
equivalent to a violation of the charter of 1848. The
Times observes that the question of slavery, even
under the moat mitigated form, is one with which the
present will bear no tampering. The mischief which a
violent abolition wrought in our West Indies and in the
Southern States of the American Union might be even
more grievously felt in the Netherlands' colonies, but
hitherto no consideration of prudence has ever bad power
to stem the tide of passion in this delicate matter ; and
it is not quite certain that even the proverbial Dutch
phlegm will be able to keep its newly-awakened enthu-
siasm within rational limits.

THE letters from Venice which describe the
excited feelings of tho people on entering into the
possession of their long-deferred liberty must
awaken a generous sympathy in all English
readers, but their full effect is only felt by those
who can remember the many bitter struggles
through which the Venetians, and, in various de-
grees, the inhabitants of all the provinces of Italy,
have passed to freedom, and who have in some
sort suffered with them. Correspondents tell us
that at Venice, while the young men shouted last
Friday as the banner of Italy was raised on the
old flag-staffs of the Venetian republic, the old
men wept. This is human nature. To those
who have been long disciplined in the school of
life memory at such times heightens present
joy, by contrasting it with the hopes that
have been blasted, and the efforts which
have so often seemed vain, and perhaps
recalls the image of some whose noble hearts have
been broken in a mighty conflict with evil. We
too, who aro but spectators of the joy of Italy, can
recollect some moments of sharp experience, as we
have followed the fortunes of the Italian people
and sorrowed over their many reverses. On such
an occasion as thin, however, we prefer to measure
the recent progress of Italy, not by the sanguine I
hopes of professed friends, but by the analogies of \
political history. Thus regarded, it must be
acknowledged that the transformation of that
country from a number of isolated States to a
powerful and consolidated kingdom has been
effected with a rapidity which is truly mar- I
vellous. Only twenty years ago the emanci-
pation and independence of Italy, not to
speak of unity, were regarded by most of the
statesmen of Europe as the wildest of dreams.
With one exteption the Princes of Italy were
members of a compact league against the people,
formed under the presidency of the Austrian EM-
PEROR, and itseemed chimerical to suppose that that
mighty tutelary power could be overthrown and
removed. How much has the House of Museum;
learnt since the Archduke RAINER, himself a na-
tive of Milan, could write, on hearing of resistance
to the Imperial troops, " If anything has happened
" there, I hope at least five hundred Milanese
" have been killed on the spot." We do not
recall these unpleasant words to reproach the I
unfortunate Government of Austria, which has long
been dissatisfied with its functions in Italy, but
to mark the immense moral interval which
separates us from the character of a not
distant time. Tho expulsion of RADESZILY,
with his sixteen thousand well-equipped and well-
disciplined troop, from Milan, was the providen-
tial commentary upon these wicked words, and the
earnest of a noble spirit which was to infuse new
. life into the whole Italian nation, to win the admi-
ration of Europe, and at length to triumph over
every obstacle to national unity and independence. I THE DEFENCE OF SIR NORTON PETO.
It seems only the other day that we were ner- The Telegraph sums up the defence made by Sir Morton
vously watching the battles of the unfortunate Peto at Bristol as containing the threefold assertion, that
certain the
otherso
of the
offences laid to his charge were never com-
CHARLES ALBERT, and incurring the reproach of rni,t that dof
were committed
company's
solicitordun;and that
the sanction
aor
t
rashness by predicting the ultimate union of by. the direct
advice
Lombardy with Piedmont. It seemed as if Italy financial arrangements of the nature condemned in the re-
might rest batisfied a long while in the contempla- port of the investigation committee are of daily occur-
tion of one northern free State in which a loyal rence in other railways, and pus unquestioned. If he has
people enjoyed happiness under a promise- given all the facts relative to the debentures,
keeping constitutional King. No one then which, he says, are not debentures issued to the public,
tout onlyifcertifiandcadetespoaof indbeybtednhimesswitiivetnheb/ the
iarailway
could have foreseen how soon the destinies of
-
Italy were to be accomplished. If the Its,- pony along with collateral securities against the original
liana, however, have much to be proud of, they loan for 200,000/,, Sir Morton must be acquitted of attempt-
have also much to be thankful for. The progress ing any illegal act. It is a simple question of fact which
of events and the progress of ideas have equally can at once be settled by reference to the documents
worked for them. On the other hand, the symps- themselves. Are these really in the safe of the financial
company and not in the hands of the public ? Are they,
thetic participation of the liberal-minded every-
further, not regular debentures, and therefore not nego-
where with their cause has itself been a valuable
tiable in the open market ? Is their value only like that of
education for Europe. ordinary notes of hand, such as could be given by any rail-
Even in the ecstasy of their present joy, the way without violating the provisions of the act of parlia-
Italians, we persuade ourselves, will not be in- went! If so, the heaviest charge against Sir Morton falls
different to the congratulations of those who have to the ground. With his explanation respecting the
accompanied every fluctuation of their cause with charge that 1,500,000/. stock was issued to the names
hearty good wishes. Their happiness is now at its of his partners and himself the Tdegraph Is less satisfied.
antodthteh!stleahithhatl sueli
egal atuhingstho are
height, their last and greatest difficulty has been d
vanquished. The Italian flag waves over the Place noinsedervfe every defence
ay only
otamohunts
, pronounce it perfectly right and proper.g
The gist of the
of St. Mark, an Italian fleet is anchored accusation was that one million and a half of stock was
in the harbour of Venice, and the stately created for the purpose of exhibiting an apparent con.
palaces which line the Grand Canal have pliance w ith the act of parliament, and so borrowing half I
looked down upon a gala which recalls the poetic a million of debentures. This Is not ' denied, nor
ages of the Republic, upon transports such as were is it denied that the plain intention of the set
never felt when the Doges displayed their utmost tin— that half the amount subscribed should be paid
When be sad his firm put down their
magnificence. The people rejoice not in an Lao- namesmm 11.0 subscribers, not paying a shilling of
lated and selfish liberty, but because they are deposit and not intending to do so, he knew per.
united with their brethren in a powerful consti- fectly well that he was not fulfilling the intentions of the
tutional State. And Verona and Mantua are as legislature, and that be, • law-maker, was putting an
themselves. Nowhere does a single armed stranger interpretation on the set which it could not possibly bear.
linger. May their present ruptures subside only He might have known, too, that as the remoter to mw of
to give place to profound calm satisfaction, and • man's acts cannot possibly be foreseen, he was creating
the fete of Octoher 19th be but the entrance u
an occasion of much future loss and perhaps ruin to many
P°rl innocent persons, who would be involved in the cense-
& long and happy history ! quences of the deed, though free from all share in its

RITI'ALI9II AND TEE LAW.

Replying to the letter of a correspondent, the Daily
News states in a general manner what it conceives
to be the relation of liberal principles to the
proposed regulation of the practice of the ex-
treme ritualistic party by law. When religion
is regarded by a government as a matter to bo
left to individual convictions, and religious societies are
formed by the free association of their members, the duty
of liberals is simply that of requiring that the law shall
socure to individuals and societies the greatest amount of
freedom consistent with the acknowledged interests of the
whole community. But the office of liberalism is alto-
gether different when it has to deal with an institution of
religion regulated even in its minutest concerns by the
law of the land. Liberty is the incident and not
the aim of an institution, which must be judged
alone by its aptitude to render a particular service.
Accepting the church of England as an institution at once
national and historical, having religion for its end, the very
least that liberalism can demand is that its character shall
not be changed to the detriment of human intelligence,
and of individual and social liberty. But this is what the
ritualists are effecting. It is a fact that in some of our
churches the words of the service are purposely
uttered unintelligibly ; and avowedly ritualism is prac.
tried, not for its own sake, but for the sake of a saver.
dotal theory destructive of individual Christian liberty. The
claim which music, and incense, and flowers, and altar-
lights, and chancel ornaments are all designed to exalt
and glorify is the claim of men like ourselves to come into
the place of God. To believe them, the Divine Being is et
their beck and call ; they have only to ask and to have ;
they can even create the Divinity by some mysterious
power. Until these statements are clearly made out it
would be unpardonable to allow them to be asserted with
the authority of officers of a national institution which
supplies them with no warrant for the claims they now put
forward. If they choose to dispute the latter point it is
one that ought to be capable of decision, and those who
ask that it sh►ll be brought to an issue ought not to be told
that they wish to crush freedom of opinion.