The Express.
London, England, 1866-07-17 00:00:00

IRISH POLITICS.

The Times is much mistaken if the judicial changes
which have just been made in Ireland will not awaken the
indignation of the public. To begin, two judges of tory
opinions, one in England and one in Ireland, who had per-
sisted in holding their appointments to extreme old age,
have resigned immediately on the accession of • tory
premier, and avowedly for the purpose of making way for
particular suocemors. There is something in such a course
which,to our thinking, does not suit the dignity and im-
partiality of the judicial character. When a man is
raised to the bench he is supposed to leave political
partisanship behind him. But this is by no means
the worst part of last week's transactions. Con-
trolled by • faction amongst his supporters, Lord
Derby has revoked the appointment of Mr. Brewster to
the Irish Chancellorship, which would have been regarded
as a guarantee of wise counsels by the n►tion at large,
and has appointed Lord Justice Blackburne, who is now
in his 85th year, and whose strength and faculties are
almost gone. The conservatives in 1852 raised Mr. Lefroy
to the Chief Justimship when he was 78 years old, and
have been the cause of the inefficiency which has weighed
on that court for the last ten years at least. They now
make a chancellor of 85, and sacrifice the interests of
every suitor in Ireland during their term of office. But
all is not yet told. Mr. Napier was the conservative
Chancellor in 1858. He is a man of ability and a fair
lawyer, but be is deaf. He enjoys a pension of 4,000/. a
year, which no one grudges him. But when the aged
Blackburn. is raised from the Lord Justiceship to the
Chancellorship the deaf Napier is chosen to succeed him.
We leave our readers to judge of the fate of suitors in
equity.
The rinses, Herald, and Star refer to the dispute re-
lating to the bestowal of a new charter to the Queen's
University in Ireland. The Tines says that last night's
discussion served to bring out more clearly than before
the unfortunate success of some members of the late
administration in misleading, however unintentionally,
those with whom they had to deal. The facts are plain and
indisputable, but the apologists say that there was no inten-
tion to deceive, and we accept the statement. What may
be the legal effect of what has been done remains doubtful.
The Senate declined to accept the supplementary charter,
adjourning its consideration sine die. That the charter is
wrongly described by the word " supplementary " was eon.
elusively shown by the Attorney-General. It is in direct
conflict with the existing charter, inasmuch as it prescribes
certain things to be done which the other declares shall
not be done. It is even possible that for this reason it
might be avoided on application to the proper authority.
Practically, however, it would seem that as it is rejected
by the Senate it must fall to the ground.
The Herald finds it impossible to acquit the late Home
Secretary end Chancellor of the Exchequer of an offence
against the rules of honour, which are recognised in public
as strictly as in private life, and that the wrong was done
to obtain the votes of the ultramontane party in the recent
contest oe the Reform Bill.

The Star bunents that the principle of mixed education
eheuld have been jeopardised without a direct appeal to
parliament, but cannot suppose that Mr. Gladstone and
his colleagues were guilty of bad faith, either out of
perversity or from corrupt political motives.

TUE ABOIRICAN moNrroi.

The Tieses returns to the important subject of our naval
architecture apropos of the American Monitor which has
just visited Sheerness. It pictures the Misntonomoh as
surrounded by numerous big ships at Sheerness, not one of