The Express.
London, England, 1857-12-04 00:00:00

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LONDON, FRIDAY, DECZYM 4.

Iris not surprising that upon la ocamiel wpm
and so exceptional SS the present, Ministers sbenii
have sought for some one of parliamentary ex-
perience, if not of legislative weight, to move the
Address in the Upper House in reply to the Speed
from the Throne. They looked round amongst their
mraperten to see to whom the somewhat delicate
task might be conlkled. Nobody, perhaps, of those
who wine available, appeared more likely to serve
the rare than Lord Porters. A similar deviation
from the rule which leaves the first formal act of
the session to the 'prentice hands in either House
of Parliament was made by Sir Roster PELL'A
administration, when they asked Lord FRANCIS
EGZUTOR to move the Address in the Commons,
en the entenorshis night when the total and immediate
meal of the Can Laws wee announced. How well
that accomplished nobleman performed hie task
many still remember. He had, however, a great
muse to plead, the sager of a great party to depre-
cate, the perspective of a great change of policy to
open. Poor Lord Poreere has not been so fortu-
nate, and his exseetion of his task has been ooly
notable far its perfect keeping with the sterile nature
of the country through which he was betrayed into
making his sad and solemn march. If Ministers
have made up their minds what to do, either with the
Beak Act of 1844 or the India Bill of 1863,
they have not thought it necemary to take
tea smiaquisitive Mover of the Address into
desk essofidemer. The reader of his tedious
essemenffiwon about both these 'abject' will seek in
vain Doe say light thereon from him. Regarding
Parliamentary Reform, he avowed himself equally
ignorant el what might or might not be coming.
But here he took courage to ventilate what may be
tidied the Posere.se, or pettifogging, theory of
Reform, beyond which be significantly told his Ca-
binet friends he for one was not prepared to go.
All acts of Parliament were fallible. There were
leaks in the hull of every ship. Duet would some-
times lie on the fairest broadcloth. The hand of
care must ,ften be employed to repair the Mar flaws,
remove the unavoidable blemishes, and supply the
few omissions of oversight or haste incidental to the
original armature. In short, Lord Poareas having
been with Lord Deter a supporter of the Reform
Act of 1832, ha thought he was entitled to invite
that eminent and consistent Liberal to op-operate in
correcting the puss of a new edition about to be
Mimed, the enlietaime and spirit of the text of five-
and-twenty years ago being strictly preserved. Ia
this, then, the reshlight glimmer by which we are to
read the ambiguous and faltering allusion to electoral
progress in her MAJTATY'S Speech ?
The Leader of the Opposition dealt with this ill-
starred avowal in his happiest style. He and his
friends had no such stingy notions. Tbey we
ready for anything in reason. They would cemokier
carefully and calmly the Government plan of Rehm
whatever it might be. Of course the Bill was pre-
pared and ready to be introduced. It would be con-
venient if it were laid on the table forthwith—not
for premature discussion, but that they might have
full time to deliberate upon its provisions before they
met again after Christmas. He affected to have no
doubt that it lay in on. of the pigeon-holes of
Downing-street, and pretended to understand a smile
of Lord Gasisenta'a to mean assent to his sesump-
tics. Bat when pressed upon the point, the
Lord President anxiously declined committing
himself by paying either yes or no. On other
'abject+ Lord llseds's tone was more serious.
Forgetting that he wee one of the Administration
that brought io and carried the Bank Act of
1844, he proceeded to charge it with aggravating
to a great and grievous degree the evils of preemie
end panic it was designed to obviate or relieve. He
pressed the Government to say whether they were
prepared to stand by the law, or to concede the
principle of an elutic provision calculated to render
unnecessary in future its arbitrary suspension. To
this latter policy he seems to have given his unqua-
lified adhesion. We do not in general vet much
value on his lordship's financial or commercial views,
because they have too frequently been retrogressive.l
But when in feeling and tendency they are in unison
with the temper of the time, it would be the mama
faction to shut oar eyes to the important aid such II
man at the head of so numerous a party may render
to the cause of program.
India formed naturally the staple, however, of
Lord 'ARBY'S lug and eloquent harangue. From