The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-12 00:00:00

Ll JIUY.

Twis riming& THE TNNil;:ilici. Mr. Widdicomb.—And
ROUGE ET Messrs. Fechter, Emery. Cowper, Moreland,
Dann, Reynold,, Loma‘. Andrew., Dire, de.l;
Mn. L. Murray, and Misses Remade, i.lrattan. and C. Leder, q.

Tilts Evricrso. NEM which will he produced
• Grand burb.x.que, (XV rAWICEt—And BOUTS AT THE
SWAN.

HOLBORN
....... •

Tims Eyinmito, MY TI.R.;:NTRT. Mr. Bolmore: Muses
Foote and lennor.—Atl FLYING SCUD. Meters. Neville, Bel-
more, Blake, Vollaire. de.Mesdames F. Jouephe, C. donaters,
Bessie Foote, kiddies, Lennox, Itarmood, de.

BRTTANNIA.

TIM Evrova. THE PRINcESM or THE PEART, ISLAND:
OR, THE THREE KINGDOMS or PRARi., ooLD, AND
SILVER. Mr, [Ann al! Miss Sacobs.—First-rate Pantomimist,
—And THY SAWA:ION CREW.

RION WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
MN DAY —Morning, fib. Mos Afternoon, AIL 14111.
To-Moiutow—Morning, Mt. Wen Afternoon, it. Ont.

LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 12.

A VERY famous institution, which in our igno-
rance we had supposed to have long since passed
away for ever, has just started into prominence.
A number of our countrymen at Rome have fallen
under the hand of the Holy Inquisition, and
inasmuch as they are Scotehmen and Pres-
byterians the world is pretty sure to know
all about it. According to advices from
Rome, certified by official documents, the
Rev. JAMES LEWIS has received notice from
Monsignor RAN Hi, the Governor of Rome, through
Mr. SEVERN, our Consul, that he has placed him-
self in the power of the Inquisition, and rendered
himself liable to imprisonment or exile for holding
a Scottish Presbyterian service in one of the
rooms of his apartment in that city. It
appesrathat these services have been regularly held
in Rome for the last six years, throughout those
months during which foreigners are accustomed to
reside there. They have had nothing of a prosely-
tising character, having been founded and maintained
exclusively for the advantage of Presbyterian
foreigners, the only class who have been invited
to them, and who have attended in numbers,
ranging from forty to sixty persons. Everything has
been done as unostentatiously as possible, so as to
avoid every reasonable ground of offence. It is
not pretended that the neighbours, or anyone else,
have been prejudiced by these acts of worship,
which have had scarcely more than a domestic
character. The Roman Government, however,
thought it meet to make representations to Mr.
SEVERN which made it that gentleman's duty to
address the following letter to Mr. Lewis :
It is my official duty to inform you that Monsignor
Bondi, Governor of Rome, has just oommunleat?d to MO
that you are holding illegal religious meetings in your
house, which you must know are prohibited by the Roman
law, and that you have thus placed yourself in the power
of the Inquisition, both for arrest and imprisonment.
But, as the Monsignor permits me to give you this notice,
I would seriously advise that you at once put an end to
these innovations, and that you visit Monsignor Randi at
Monte Citorio, and assure him that you will never again
repeat these illegal acts, and I hope in this way you may
possibly suspend your exile, which is now hanging over
you.—l am, Joscru SEVERN, British ConsuL

Mr. Lewis, acting upon Mr. SEVERN'S advice,
waited upon Monsignor RAND!, and was in-
formed by him that he could tell him no more
than he had been told already, that for con-
ducting his service he was liable to be imprisoned
or exiled by the Inquisition. As the local regu-
lation seemed inflexible an attempt was made to
have it set aside by political influence. A repre-
sentation was made to Mr. ODO livaszu., who
sought an interview with Cardinal AirroxELLi.
The influence of England, however, on this
ground, went for nothing, and the Cardinal could
make no concession. The determination to sup-
press the Scotch worship appears to have been
that of the Pope himself, who having in many an
Allocution and Pastoral condemned lay Catholic
Governments in various parts of the world for
tolerating heretical worship, could not permit a
similar impropriety in his own dominions.
Apparently the matter will end here. The
right of the POPE to forbid Protestant worship in
Rome is undoubted as long as he remains the de-
positary of legislative and executive power. The
manner of its exercise maybe a very good reason for
wishing that it were transferred from his hands
to those of some one capable of using it with some
respect for liberty of conscience ; but unless we
are prepared to deal with the Government of
Rome as we do with those of China and Japan,
take its laws under our revision, and lay down the
rules according to which it shall be bound to treat
foreigners, our countrymen in Rome must submit to
any terms that the local Government may impose
upon them. The real use to be made of this
experience lies in another direction. It should be
accepted as a revelation of the essential and
permanent character of the Church of Rome, and
warn us against entering into any relations with
it in the expectation of getting the fair considera-
tion due from one power to another. Surprise is
expressed that the Pore's Government should show
so little gratitude for the equality of rights con-
ceded to its adherents in England. This is a na-

tural reflection for an Englishman to make, but it
represents a very fatal, and, we fear, a very common
delusion. It Can only be made by those who over-
look the fact that the POPE is precluded by the
very nature of his power from acting with any-
thing like reciprocity of toleration. The Church
of Rome enjoys full liberty in these islands ;
therefore the Porr should indulge British sub-
jects in his dominions in a certain freedom of
worship. That is a thoroughly English, but a
thoroughly nu-Catholic sentiment.
The advocates of Rome argue thus :—" We
" owe yo❑ nothing. In the first place, you
" are lwunnd by your own principles to
" allow freedom to all religions, and you
" only tolerate the one true Church as you do
" the must insi6miticant and degraded of your own
" sects. In the next place, you are bound by your
" duty—a duty which, indeed, you do not recog-
" nise, but which is, nevertheless, just as much
" your duty as if you did—to protect the Roman
" Catholic Church, and to protect it much more
" than you do." This is the language constantly
held by the best accredited organs of Rome in
this country. A fortnight to-day there was started
in this metropolis a new weekly review, under-
stood to represent the opinions of Archbishop
MANNINI: with more direct responsibility than any
weekly Roman Catholic newspaper had previously
done. In another column we give an article from
this new journal, the We:dm/1146.r Gazette, showing
that our system of liberty is altogether mistaken
and pernicious, and that only the Roman Catholic
religion ought to be allowed in these realms. Thus
we need no longer go to Rome for a denial of
the principles of toleration ; here are the POPE'S
doctrine and Monsignor Basin's practice brought
home to our own doors. We are not going to
express astonishment or wrath at the promulga-
tion of such a doctrine in this country under the
protection of British freedom. It is the very use
we expect to have made of that freedom, and a
tribute to its thoroughness. But we do say that
when the true character of the Church of Rome is
thus forced upon our notice by acts of government
and by the best writers of the Roman Catholic
press, it would be treason to English liberty to
affect, for any political or party purpose, to believe
that this old usurping power has changed its spirit
and aims, and that we may safely enter into con-
tracts with it, and give it position and privilege.
We have been in danger of doing this, and we
should be glad to believe that the danger was
entirely past. There is a small but influential sec-
tion of the Liberal and Tory parties the members of
which flatter themselves that they hold the secret of
the Irish question, and would willingly induce the
Government of this country to enter into relations
with the Roman Catholic prelates in Ireland, and
give them revenues, status, and influence, all of
which they would be bound to exercise as agents
of that foreign power which claims the bodies and
souls of all Christians, while to every demand it
replies Non possum's. The great mistake made by
the late Administration lay in this direction. If
we are prepared to acknowledge that the doctrines
of religious equality are erroneous, and to bow
down before Rome, let us say so frankly. But if
not, we must remember that we owe Rome just as
much as our principles bind us to give any reli-
gious body, and no more, and that we can expect
no reciprocity whatever from those who claim un-
bounded rights on their aide, and recognise in us
nothing but unlimited obligation to them.

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.
(THIS DAY.)

In the opinion of the Times the proposed im-
peachment of Mr. Johnson for maintaining his own views
in opposition to the resolutions of Congress, threatens to
be a fatal blow to the constitution of the United States,
and gives rise to the fear that the artificial balance of
powers, the checks upon impulsive legislation, the inde-
pendence of the executive government contemplated by
the founders of the republic, will all be swept away.
In other articles the Times treats of the Pope's war on
presbyterianism at Rome, the memorial in favour of =s-
pending the search of passengers' luggage, and • curious
proposal in connexion with the Paris Exhibition to in-
stitute • distinct order of reward in favour of persons,
establishments, or localities which by a special organisa-
tion or special institutions have developed a spirit of har-
mony among all those co-operating in the same work, and
have provided for the material, moral, and industrial well-
being of the workmen. In the latter case the Times is
unable to imagine it would be possible to find • jury
adequate for the discharge of a duty so new and so diffi-
cult. In such a case the compliment pronounced by an
inadequate tribunal on insufficient evidence will be of
I the value.

A few weeks ago a conservative journal lamented the
disuse of the weapon of personal attack by our newspapers,
and the Daily News remarks that the last six weeks have
been more notable for the scurrility which has disfigured
the conservative press than may similar eriod that
we can recall for the last twenty pers. The Daily New
illustrates this remark by the recent slanders upon Mr.
Bright, and the libel of Blaekwood's Ilogaitte on Mr.
George Potter, since apologised for by the Ileroll and
Stamford, which had too readily admitted it into their
columns. Upon a review of these various recent incidents,
the Daily News takes leave to express the opinion that the
system of personality has been tried long enough, and that
it stands condemned by the result.
Of the customs and baggage question the Daily New
observes that if the suspension of the search should result
in its abolition on both sides of the water, it will be not
the least of the 11111001311111 of the International Exhibition,
or the least of the benefits which the two countries will
owe to the enlightenment of the Emperor of the French.
The Post contends that if the present army system is
to be maintained, it will be found absolutely necessary,
among many other reforms, materially to increase the
pension of discharged soldiers—even more necessary than
to increase the rate of pay. But a system involving as its
main features a short period of actual service, supple.
mented by a longer period of easy reserve service, and a
proper attention to industrial training, would greatly di-
minish the importance of the pension question.
The Tdegraph quotes the fact that the Prince of Wales
not only occupied the chair at the meeting of the Exhibi-
tion Commissioners yesterday, but took an active part in
the proceedings, as evidence of the practical importance of
the council. From this day until the opening of the ex-
hibition, says the Tdegraph, its contents, its exhibitors,
its visitors, will form a constant subject of convolution in
all circles, of description in every journal, of discussion in
every seat of industry and every home of art. The
indirect results are at present beyond estimate ; but there
can be no doubt that, in another meaning than the coeval.
tional one, the ooming spectacle will form a " crowning
glory of the age."

On the war in Crete the Star urges that if the popula•
Con of Greece desire to help their brethren in Crete, let
our ships of war keep out of the way. If Italian volun-
teers hurry to the field of action, let them go ; Victor
limmanuel is strong enough to form his own policy. If
Russia proposes to interfere, let Lord Stanley use reason-
able exertions to dissuade her, and induce her to stand
aside like ourselves.