The Express.
London, England, 1866-02-08 00:00:00

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.

(THIS DAY.)

IGNINfiRN AND THEIR POLICY.

tan vague in their sense, argues the Times, are the
*ords in the Queen's speech which treat of parliamentary
reform, that they are consistent with the mere imposition
of • few fresh oaths, or some new security against persona-
tion', and the admissions of Lord Russell in debate
go further to show, that the intended measure will
be • simple one, and obnoxious to the charge of being a
stepping stone to additional changes. His lordship by saying
that in this latter respect it only sharid the fate
of the Reform Act, from which Mr. Hume
anticipated • goof deal that he never got in the
way of prri•mertay reeonstru lion, leads us to
infer that in his own expectation • reduction of the
town •ni °nutty fr•ce`i+e, end that alone, will be as com-
plete and long-livrd • finality as the last Reform Act has
prove' to be. But, in the cp'nic• of the Times, such a
mode of dealing with the subject will only have the effect
of leading to • constant agitation. It will add thousands
of electors to the eo•atitnenoies of the large towns, and
wore" only to thole of the small towns. It will set the
small householders of the large town upon a constant in-
quiry why they have not votes at all, or why they have
each of them only a tenth of the votleg power enjoyed by
thq corrupt little borough is their neighbourhood. And
this is a state of things which we are told is to be no step.
piatstote, but a exefo.t die finality for poeritione to
t come t

The Herald supposes that it was to counterbalance the
appointment of Mr. Mengel!, and to show tut the anti-Po-
pery feeling which dictated the famous Durham letter BIM
rules supreme in his heart, that Earl Russell has re-
called Mr. Standen to power, and conferred upon the
confederate of the universal opponent of regal
government in Europe (ff. lfessioi) the important office
o Under Secretary of State for India. The indigos-
time of the English public so lately drove this gentleman
heal power because it was considered derogatory to the
honour of the oonntry to Watt in coanexion with the
administration a person avowedly intimate with the advo-
cate of assassination. whew) house had been long the
receptacle of his correspondence, and whose brewery served

_ .
as a readesvoue for hisassoeiat- a. even in the insignificant
position of lay Lori of the Adninity, that the Herald
will be both surprised and dirappointedif his present nomi-
nation to a far higher post do not call forth a similar exhi-
bition of feeling.
Commenting upon the **west changes in the govern-
ment, the Daily TekgrapA says it cannot pretend to
think the thrquis of Hartingten (piddled to carry out
the serious and resolute economic reforms which are sena-
tlal in his department ; ad though Lord de Grey is a man
of {away, what can he know of the matters upon which,
far one hundred and sixty minims of haulms creatures,
his sign-manual hes now beams fate? We have only the
one consolation, the', disregarding the recommendations of
those who cover their ignorance by decrying the informa-
tion of the experienced, Lord de Grey 1411 trust Sc. John
Lawrence sad the Council of ladle, and distrust himself.
The Star remsrks that to a *erten extent Earl Grey
may of late years be mid to occupy in the House of Lords
something like the position which Mr. Borman or Yr,
Lowe fills in the House of COMMOILL He is what is
called an independent critic ; that is, he exercises himself
in finding sbjecitioes to every liberal measure proposed by
the government ; ant it is marvellous woat s reputation

for criticism s man can obtain either M politics or letters
by simply ending fault with everything. But if FAH

Cite?. father hid been ad-Hefei t, the same style of states-
manship his name would never have been ranked among
the great reformers of &gland.