The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-01 00:00:00

Seward's, who was supposed to be at least mode-
rate and discreet. He is now lying seriously ill in
Washington, doubtless from the effects of over
fatigue aid excitement, and any illness at his age
may be teonounoed dangerous. Into whose hands
Mr. Jcigison would fall in case of Mr. Seward's
death its hard to say—most probably those of
some fitoatlerner, d not of Mr. Stemberry, of
* new Attorney-General. Mr. Seward
has tars
.lid adviser both of Mr. Lincoln
lila of his successor. Mr. lAseuln

looked to him for counsel, partly owing to his being
an older and more experienced man than himself,
and partly to the great importance assumed by the
department of foreign affairs daring the war• He
has not by any means succeeded in performing his
duties to the satisfaction of everybody, but he

managed to make himself useful in an extraordi-
nary an 4 unprecedented degree to both Presidents,
and he bon strengthened his influence over Mr.
J ohnson by the hearty support he has given to his
" potion" Unsatisfactory as he now is to the
Northeni public, I think his removal from the stage
of events would unquestionably throw Mr. Johnson
more completely than ever into the hands of the
violent Southern party, and render more probable
than ever the dangers at which I have already so
often hinted. It may seem rather absurd, after
the exhibitions of the last fortnight, to talk of Mr.
Seward as a restraining influence, but I think there
is little doubt that such he bas been even in the

late evil days. With all his faults he is
a man of' education and a Northerner, bred in an

atmosphere of legality and of melt-restraint, and
therefore likely, in dangerous times, to throw him-
self on the side of patience and forbearance.
WhaUtter happens, however, it may be said that
the " Johnson party" has been strangled at its
birth. What has just happened in this State may
serve to give you an idea of the utter insignificance
and powerlessness of the Philadelphia Convention,
on the importanoe of which I see some of your con-
temporaries ere dwelling with such emphasis.
That contention, as you know, drew to it many
prominent members of the old republican party, but
none mode prominent than Mr. Thnrlow Weed and
Mr. Raymond, of the New York Times, both of
this State. Mr. Raymond was, in fact, the chair-
man of the managing committee of the party ; and
Mr.Weedita leading "wire puller." Their, defection
was therefore felt to be, in this State at least,
a serious matter, and dismal forebodings
were felt by many as to the prospects
of the - Tarty in the coming State election.
Yet, when the republican convention met at
Syracuse a fortnight ago, to nominate a governor,
there washardly a sign of any division in the ranks.
It was clear from the first day that the desertion of
these two leaders was not likely to produce any marked
effect. The plan of the Johnsoniarui was, that in
each State nominating conventions should be called
to carry out the principles of the Philadelphia
address and resolutions, to which men of all parties,
and of all shades of opinion on other subjects, who'approved of the President's policy, should be united. I
Such a call was issued in this State. and the con-
vention met last week in Albany. Messrs. Weed
and Raymond were there, but hardly one other re-
publican
of distinction. The convention was made
up entirely of old pro-slavery democrats and copper
heads. It was the expectation of the republican
wing that the old party distinctions would be laid
aside, and all business conducted with a
single eye to the success of the Philadelphia pro-
gramme. But when the work of nominating came
on, it was found that the copperheads were in the
ascendancy. General Dix, who was proposed by
the converts for the governorship, was thrown
overboard, and Mr. Hoffmann, the mayor of this
city, who was throughout a bitter opponent of the
war of emancipation, put in his stead, and in fact
there was no essential difference between the pro-
ceedings of this convention and that which re-
nominated Governor Seymour and endorsed the
Chicago platform in 1864. Consequently the re-
publican fusionists find that the Johnson party is
in reality the old copperhead party under another
name, and that its principles are the logical se-
quence of those held by the copperheads during the
war—that its leading men are here, as in all theother
States, the old enemies of the Union—men whose
names stink inthe nostrils of every Northern village,
and whose defeat is, therefore, certain. Where-
upon Mr. Raymond frankly confesses in Monday's
Times that the conduct of the convention has
not been what he expected, that the Phila-
delphia address is not being acted upon,
that the names put upon the " ticket" are
such as will ensure its defeat, and that in
his opinion sensible people (himself of course
included) will come to the conclusion that they can
beat serve the country by voting with the old re-
publican party. This' is tantamount to a formal
withdrawal from the new party, and the democratic
organs so consider it, and denounce Mr. Raymond
accordingly ; so that it may be said that in this
State, where its chances of success were really
greatest, the Johnson host has gone to pieces before
it took the field. And the same pitiful result will
be witnessed all over the country. The attempt
to secure a soldiers and sailors' endorse-
ment of the Johnson policy is also a failure. The
convention which is being held in Cleveland pos-
sesses no importance, and no weight, and will
probably be forgotten in a month in the greater
glories of one which is to meet on the other side in
Pittsburg within a week or two.
One of the most singular and significant signs of
the times is the tremendous falling off in the cir-
culation of the New York Times since it became
Mr. Johnson's organ, and the corresponding in-
crease in the circulation of the Tribune, which is
now the only morning paper in this city, except
the Herald, which supports Congress. The increase
has been, I happen to know, nearly 50,000 since
the let of August, and it goes on gaining. The
conversion of the Herald has taken place within a
few days, and was very characteristic. It kept on
abusing the radicals until it saw they were
carrying everything before them, when it turned
mind in a single day, and began to heap abuse on