The Express.
London, England, 1859-10-11 00:00:00

duog up be the surface of public attention'
in the pelmet dull meson. We have no desire to
qualify or palliate in any seam the filthiness of the
practices proved to have been resorted to with equal
shamelessness by Whig and Tory agents's:id to much
about the same extent in the cathedral city of the
West, on behalf of a Blehop's son, and in the work-
s-day town of the North, with its Quaker candidate.
Thom who can renal the great electoral contests for
Norwich, when Bishop Baran= and old Dice
001INET pulled together in the same boat to secure
the return of the once celebrated WILLIAM SMITH,
will not be surprised to find that in electioneering
tactics creed and calling make little diffe•
rence. They will, however, stars incredaL
ously when they hear it said gravely, and
with a tone implying not indistinctly • ainisMr
aren'ee penale, that so shocking and overpowering
are the disclosures just made of bribery and
treating, by what are called highly respectable
persons, in two third-clam constituencies of the
kingdom, that unless summary means can be
found for smothering the stink, delicate-nosed
legislators can hardly be expected to have nerve or
equanimity enough to undertake next session the
teak of framing a Reform Bill. The next thing we
should doubtless hear, were any toleration accorded
to this sham sentimentalism regarding jlectoral
purity, would be, a proposal to suspend ad further
progress in the direction of popular justice until roads
could be devised free of dust or mud, upon which the
varnished wheels of doctrinaire bureaucracy might
roll without liability to a speck or spatter. We die.
trust and dislike all this overdone sensibility about
popular vices. We can neither acquiesce in their
details being suppressed in the name of effeminate
dessney, nor their proportions or importance being ex-
aggerated by the lavish um of indiscriminating terms
of horror and despair. It is simply not true that
any case of prevalent depravity has been made out
against the humbler classes of electors throughout
the kingdom, or that any such case could even in
semblance be made out against them by the Parlia-
mentary Commiasioners now sitting at Wake-
field and Olonoester, were they to sit on till
Christmas twelvemonth. The controversy which
their reports will be expected to decide
is whether two hundred or three hundred, or at
most four hundred individuals in each of those
populous places deserve the opprobrious epithet of
venal; but the very confessions upon which the
conclusion, whatever it be, must rest, confute the
insidious inference that the banner is confined to the
poor. When summing up his standalone experiences
of political debauchery at Gloucester, Mr. Alderman
Warman declared that among the inhabitants of
the four principal streets not ten would be found who
were above the reach of influence of one kind or
other. Dismant this statement at what rats
of incredulity yen may, and maks what de-
' dactions you will for the instinctive desire
every delinquent has to multiply his fellow-
offenders, the gist and substance of the allegation still
remains, namely, that cupidity and want of political
spirit are vices not exclusively of the humble and
needy, but are shared (as, in point of fact, we all
know them to be) by the thrifty selfishness and
clambering ambition of a certain portion of every
grade in society. In the main we believe the com-
munity to be sound, and therefore we harbour no fears
of the utmost degree of exposure when it is dis-
covered. On the contrary, we can conceive nothing
so calculated to foster the silent spread of contami-
nation as the adoption of the idea, that because cor-
ruption is never likely to be wholly extirpated from
the working of representative institutions, the lees
said about it the better. Half a °eatery ago drun-
kenness was certainly far more of a national habit
than venality at elections can be pretended to
be. Had JOHN WENLIT and other reformers
of the time consented to ignore the practice, and to
be dumb as to its hideous consequences, we should
not now have the happiness to dwell in a land com-
paratively exempt from the most degrading of
reproaches. With vice of any kind, whether social
or political, there is no wisdom or honour in enter-
ing into a truce under any circumstances. We are
all for fall and complete exposure, therefore,
of electoral misdeeds. Bet we cannot assent for a
moment to the re-actionary suggestion that because
a handful of shabby and shameless fellows are
proved to have taken money for their votes in two
middlesized towns, and because it is probable
that similar siftings would eliminate as much chaff
in other quarter., the indefeasible claim of industry
and intelligence to their fair share of political rights
and privileges can or ought to be held to be in
jeopardy.

tDe Court.

BALMOBALL Ocrr.B.

Her Majesty, awonapanied by Princess Alio, and
Primers Helene, and attended by Lady Churatill, left Bal-
moral In the morally, end drove be Loch Belly. The royal
party then proceeded to D.linsM where they mounted the
bill posies, end rode by the Beads of Gain end the Hill of
Lanett, end returned to the math' la the evening.
. . _ .

Ttss Prime Consort and Ma P. of Waist went oat deer-
stalking.

Coisiel the Hon. Robert Broca sad Dr. Belt' have arrived
et the castle.

TY royal dinner party included tits Priam of Wales sad
Frinenia Like, and Lord and Lady John Ruud].

Deepatchss from the Governor of British Colombia were
reatived ysstarday at the Colonial-odor.

Hia Highness the Prince Victor Wasailtchikoff
hes arrived at klaarigy's Hotel from visiting the Duke Of
Hamilton at Brodkit Castle, N.B. HD bighting mill leave
town in a few days for Paris.

HU Excellency the Commander Targione hu left
Maarigy's Hotel for his rseideact in Albemarle•street.
The Duke and Duchess of 'inceleech are sur-
rounded by a distinguished circle of frionde at Drecoldruig
Castle.

The Earl Cawdor has arrived at Wonley Hall,
on a visit to the Earl and Countess of Eliemonra, front
Cawdor Castle.

Lady Milford leaves town this day on a visit to
the Marchicom at Aberrant, at Brackett Ball, Hertfo.d.
Airs.

Lady Alvanley has left town for Brighton.
Colonel and Lady Laura Meyrick bays passed
through tows for Brighton.

W; ( Times) regret to hear that Mr. Stephenson
was mac► worse yesterday, sad that the phyaiciana are no
logger able to entertain say hoper of his recovery.

. -
Sir Richard Modem Bromley, K.C.8., Accountant-
. Gemeril of the Navy, paid an official visit yesterday to
Portsmouth dockyard, being his Bret Alicia, resumption of
business since his late serene finale., from which Bir
Richard hes quite recovered.
" Argue," of the .Ifurni,gy Post. remarks that the
late Bedford race meeting was honoured by the promos of
the Lord Chancellor, who was the guest of Lord Wensley-
dale, a resident la the neighbourhood. With the edd!tion
of Judge Clerk, who aloes presided, there were
three judges in the Stead. The Lord Chancellor was
"the amend of all *Mervin," end his healthy ap-
pomace' and !activity at such en age were the theme of
greed conversation. "Of course no number of the ring
irked his lordship if he would hare ' one or the field for
p my,' and nen George Taylor hinoulf hesitated about
inqtairieg whether he wanted to hack anything for the
Ceeareeriteti or Cambridgeshire. But so fir from looking
glum or reserved, Lied Campbell cha'ted as lively and In-
dulged as willingly in a little laver wagering with the ladies
of \mown party es may lemur barrettes out for the Derby
day, sad infinitely mom se than Mr. Dickens did at Dos-
cuter two years kook."