The Express.
London, England, 1860-09-12 00:00:00

" that maintenance of discipline and subordination
" without which no school could exist." He is
indeed disposed to complain that in these days tilt
scholarship of the place has rather fallen below its,
traditionally high standard. But the grounds of
his adverse criticism are certainly narrow, and
present Etonian will probably reply to it in the
familiar phrase, Laudator temporis acti. The
praise, however, which the learned lecturer
bestowed on Eton and public schools generally as
affording scope for active boyish discipline of the
most valuable kind is in the main well merited.
These great national institutions have un-
doubtedly many advantages over private schools,
not only in their higher standard of attainments
and more efficient means of teaching, but in that
practical moral training of the playground which
is derived from the mutual influence of boys on
each other. Private boarding-schools do not, and
generally cannot, afford such scope for the free
development of the more robust and manly virtue.
of character. They are almost of necessity strongly
affected by small partialities, narrow standards of
excellence, and injurious personal influences.
There can be little of that vigorous public opinion,
strong to reward and strong to punish, which,
acting continually on the whole social system of a
mixed multitude of youths, proves such a valuable
discipline in our best public schools. But public
schools are at present inaccessible except to the
wealthy few. The practical question is w hether schools
having the special advantages which public schools
posse. might not be multiplied at a compara-
tively cheap rate over the country. If some plan
could be devised for effecting this, the urgent
problem of middle-class education would be in a
fair way towards solution.

THE LATE RIGHT HON. JAMES WILSON.

Another heavy blow and great discouragement
has fallen upon the hopes of reformed administra-
tion in India. Death has struck down suddenly
and unexpectedly the man who, but a few short
months ago, was specially selected by the home
Government as the ablest and most trustworthy
instrument at its disposal for the redemption of
Indian finance from the ruinous state into which it
had fallen, and already, ere he had time to see
the first results of the bold experimental policy
he had instituted, he is summoned from the
scene of his arduous labours without time to think
who shall enter into them. JAMES WILSON is no
more. Within • month from the death of Sir
HIRRY WARD of cholera this second distinguished
administrator has perished in its merciless grasp.
A telegram received yesterday afternoon at the
India House contains only the brief announce-
ment of the event, which occurred on the
I Ith ultimo, and of the fact that the funeral, as is
ciritoinary in the region of the tropics, took place
on the following day. The Executive at Calcutta
is thus deprived of its most vigorous and versatile
member, while the Executive at Madras is
mourning its energetic and experienced chief.
Losses like these may, and we trust will, in due
time be repaired, but not easily or speedily. Faith
in the fertility of free institutions to furnish a suc-
cession of competent and courageous mon to fill
every post, civil or military, which the rule of an
empire needs, forbids our doubting that the places
now lamentably vacated, may be filled up wor-
thily from the ranks of that clams of self-made men
to whom Wsau and Wn.sow belonged. But we
know too well the influences that commonly sway
the dispensation of patronage to feel too confident
that the next hest men will be forthwith placed in
the room of those whose premature loss we de-
plore.
Mr. WiLso,r, as most of our readers are doubt-
less aware, was the architect of his own political
fortune. In trade, to which he devoted the earlier
years of his life, he was not successful ; and when
he began to turn his attention to statistical writing
for the daily and weekly press, he was almost
unknown to politicians so called. k'rom the coin-

inencement of the great controversy regarding the
abolition of Protection to Corn, Sugar, and
Shipping, he took an active part, but rather with
his pen than as a speaker. Nature had not,
indeed, conferred upon him any of the gifts that
render a man pleasing or impressive as an orator.
Though always full of information, and capable
of presenting in lucid order a vast array of
arithmetical facts, he never was able to overcome
a formality of expression and a monotony of tone
which rendered his best efforts better to read than
to hear. While, therefore, a useful ally to the
Anti-Corn-Law League, he rarely took any pro-
minent part in their public demonstrations. His
principal share in the Free Trade struggle was
that borne in the pages of the Economist, a journal
established by him with the aid of cortain in-
fluential persons of the Whig party. Through the
same influence he was enabled to enter Parlia-
ment in 1847. His first speeches were listened
to with more of curiosity than approbation, for he
was too rigid a financial doctrinaire to find favour
with the Tory Opposition, still smarting under
their recent overthrow, and angry at the defection
of their great leader and his staff; and there
was nothing about the new member for
Westbury to propitiate the humour of the pow
aerate and fastidious section that traditionally
supported a Whig Ministry. A short time, how-
ever, elapsed before he contrived to show his apti-
tude for the details of business ; and he was ap-
pointed by Lord JOHN RUSSELL to one of the
Joint-Secretaryship' of the Board of ControL
Little was said or thought in Parliament about
India in those days. Lord DALHOVSIE had been
nominated Governor-General to please his relative
and patron the Duke of Wexamsorow ; and had
the errors and excesses of his policy displayed
themselves earlier than they actually did, they
would not have been severely criticised by
either of the great parties in the Legis-
lature. Mr. WILSON'S time was conse-
quently applied almost exclusively to the
preparation and defence of the financial
measures of the administration, more especially
those relating to the reform of our colonial tariff.
In the protracted discussions that arose upon the
Sugar Duties, and in those respecting the remis-
sion of our ancient differential charges on foreign
and colonial produce generally, the proprietor of
the Economist became better known as a useful
and ready parliamentary speaker. At the general
election of 1852 he was reelected for Westbury ;
and on the formation of the Coalition Ministry
under Lord Aaearotms, he was made one of the
Secretaries of the Treasury, a post he continued
to fill under Lord Patrxasr►x until 1858.
On the noble viscount's resumption of office
in 18.59, hu was appointed Vice-President
of the Boanl of Trade ; but was soon afterwards
promoted to the post of Finance Minister of the
Supreme Council of India ; in the discharge of
the laborious duties of which he has now sunk
into an untimely grave.

Of his fiscal and financial policy in the East
wo have so frequently and so fully spoken that it
is unneceseary to recapitulate its leading features
here. His mission was, as speedily as possible to
make the current revenue balance this salmi

THE EXPRESS. WEDNESDAY E