The Express.
London, England, 1856-04-22 00:00:00

LONDON, ZUESDAY, APRIL 12.

M. DE MONTALEEIRKRE is fighting the battle of law
and liberty with a courage and perseverance that en-
title him to the gratitude of his countrymen, and
will ensure for his name an honourable place in his-
tory. Englishmen can, and ought to, watch the pro-
gress of events in France with the impartiality of •
contemporary posterity. Englishmen can, and ought
to, recognise the merits of Frenchmen of every shade
of opinion -and every connexion of party combina-
tions. They are entitled—u free and honest men
they are bound—to express with warmth their admi-
ration of the discernment and promptitude with
which .......t.mannitx, in the first burst of the re-
volutionary hurricane, made him,elf muter of
the position, and commenced the restoration
of order; the indomitable Catonic devotion of VICTOR
Hvoo to his democratic principles; the efforts of

MoNTALEMBERT to inspire the new order of things
with • spirit of constitutional freedom. The barii-
Dees of Englishmen ought to be to impress, by
their expressed admiration, upon the minds of
Frenchmen that there are true patriots and men of
ability in all the parties which divide the population
among them, and thus to aid in preparing the leaders
of public opinion in France to co-operate for the
peaceable development and establishment of incita-
tion. worthy of so great and enlightened a nation.
We do not blame those who have persuaded them-
selves that the restoration of the NAPOLEON dynuty
is a guarantee for the maintenance of settled order in
France; we do not blame those who, like the LAMAR-
TINES and SAYS, stand aloof from the new Govern-
ment, shocked by the mode in which it was established,
or who, like the exiles, wage hostilities against it;
bat we earnestly desire to see the good men and
true of France, casting aside old grudges, set them-
selves • to discover where resides the power necessary
to uphold • stable government, and what are the
means by which this power can be compelled or per-
suaded to concede to the people a reel influence over
its policy, in order to secure for their country that
combination of authority and liberty under which
alone mat kind can exist in comfort and advance
steadily towards their high destinies. It is for
this reason that we hailed with enthusiasm the utter-
ance of the weighty truths embodied in M. DE
MONTALEMBERT'S essay on the Political Future of
England," snd that we now invite attention to his
manly defence of the liberty of election in the Corps
Legialatif.
There can be no doubt that M. DE MONTALEM-
BERT.' aim in publishing the essay to which we have
adverted—and which we were the first to introduce to
the notice of the English people—was lees to express
an opinion regarding the future destinies of England
than to animate his countrymen to a peaceable and
legal struggle against the absolutism of the existing
French Government. His bold denunciation of the de-
cision of the Court of Caseation with respect to the
liberty of distributing electoral bulletins is a
second move in the same direction. That decision
was extorted by the importunities of the Government
from the reluctant timeservers of the Court of CSE-
sation. Its object was to defeat the preparations of
the French Liberals to send a minority of able and
independent members to the Corps Legislatif at the
next general election. The purpose of the Liberals
in this movement was to begin the good work of
wresting from the power that is" concessions to
popular liberty without exposing their country to
the perils of • revolution. In exposing and
denouncing the decision of the Court of Ces-
sation, M. DE MONTALEMBERT seeks to promote
this patriotic agitation. In this he shows himself to
be au enlightened friend of his country, and at the
same time no enemy if the existing Government.
The aup a'Etal opened • gulf between the pure
and high-minded intelligence of France and Loos
NAPOLEON, which it is difficult to bridge over, but
which must be bridged over if the NAPOLEON
dynuty is to be perpetuated, and France saved from
a new revolution. The enlightened middle classes of
France will submit to much in order to escape
anarchy, but they will not permanently submit to
the unoontrolled will of one fallible mortal, whore
sole strength is in the support of a corrupt
bureaucracy and • still more corrupt combina-
tion of Stock Exchange gamblers. Is the EMPE.
ROB aware of this ? The publication of M. DE
MONTALEMBERTII speech in the Moniteur—gar-
bled and emasculated though the version of it in that
journal be—would seem to indicate that he is, and is
prepared to act upon his knowledge. The DE
MORNYS and BAROCHES may well struggle against
any such yielding on the part of their Imperial
muter, for the restoration of the constitutional liber-
ties of Frenchmen is likely to relegate them to ob.
ocurity. But surely so clear-sighted a man as LOUIS
NAPOLEON cannot fail to perceive that the circulation
of M. DE MONTALEMBERT'S speech in the official
journal most awaken throughout France hopes which
it would be dangerous and foolish to disappoint. One
thing is certain, that permanent tranquillity in France
can only be based upon popular liberty ; end as
the EMPEROR is naturally intent upon retaining hie
exalted position for himself and his family, the
problem he has now to solve is, how can he restore
that liberty without endangering his own tenure of
the crown.

The people of England will watch with intense in
tenet the progress of that peaceful struggle in which
M. DE MONTALkSIBERT is es yet almost the only
visible champion of regulated freedom. They will
sympathise with his aspirations and efforts, will wel-
come the appearance on the stage of French politics
of every able and patriotic Frenchman who hastens
to participate in his labours. They will do this in
part from merely selfish motive*, because everything
that tends to make France free and prosperous renders
her a more desirable neighbour and ally for England;
bat they will alio do this from higher motives,
because they would grieve to see all the Titanic
efforts of the generous and intelligent French people
to ameliorate their social and civil condition ending
in the establ,shment of an insecure and paralysing
despotism. They gladly recognise the eminence of
the French people in arms; they thankfully acknow-
ledge the cervices of the French people to arts,
science, and letters ; and they would gladly have the
French people for their allies in promoting and pro-
tecting the great cause of humanity, civilisation, and
freedom.

Lord Elgin, having reared Victoria, his Lb
Canadian pivot* eecrotary, °Upbeat, la tow talked of.

The Morsieg Post of this day asserts that it yes-
terday pablistoi Ham (mew programme of the naval re-
view " eaciamively." The PM is la tyro% The provamme
I speared la the Wire lampreedom of yesterday's Dail, New.