The Express.
London, England, 1868-03-31 00:00:00

IS POILISHZD

EVERY EVENING.

LONDON, TUESDAY, MARCH 31.

THE PIRST NIGHT OF THE DEBATE.

Tnrss was considerably more animation and
excitement in the precincts of the Palace of
Westminster last evening than within the
House of Commons. A great debate was ex-
pected with eager curiosity by crowds and
groups of people, who, by a felicity of
fortune for which they were probably not
grateful, were permitted to imagine those elo-
quent speeches they were not condemned
to hear. It can hardly be pretended that
faith in parliamentary eloquence cometh
by hearing. To judge by the admiring ardour of
the public who trooped into Palace-yard or West-
minster-hall to set their eyes on the familiar
features of their favourite statesmen and orators,
anti to contemplate them in their daily habit as
they live, faith in public men cometh by
sight, and in some instances it must be a toter-
ablyrobust faith which can survive the shock of
meeting a senator fees to face. To be sure the
habitual sightseer is very apt to be a carefully
misinformed person. Applying to moral gran-
dma- a conventional standard of greatness, he
sometimes mistakes the line person of a ailent
member for the minister or the orator he came out
to me. Nor, indeed, within the House were the
outward manifestations of a critical encounter
altorrther wanting ; but we have seen more
show and stir in the body of the House
and en the galleries on occasions of less na-
tional moment than Mr. Gises,rorti.'s Resolutions
on the Irish Church. Assuredly yesterday was
no oanaston date in our parliamentary history,
when the most popular and powerful of English
statesmen came to make confession that the hour
had Mae fur clearing away the last and the largest
of the wrongs of Ireland, and for accomplishing the
last and the largest of a long series of measures of
tardy and reluctant justice. Nor as an ordeal of
parliamentary battle was the debate which began
yesterday at insignificant episode in a session.
Vt was not one of those personal incidents which
excite the malicious interest of Society. But it
was beyond all doubt or denial a determined and
derisive party fight, with ensigns held aloft and
loaners in the wind ; a fight of parties, but still
more of principles, of parties as the representatives
of principles ; a fight to try the balance of parlia-
mentary power in this kingdom for years to come.
Still, considering the circumstances and the causes
of the contest, there was an almost listless and LW.
guid air in the aspect of the House itself ; as if
for the first, and perhaps the last, time in its exist-
ence, the call of honour could not be disobeyed
nor the obligation of a conscience be disavowed.
No doubt it is charseteriatic of an Eng-
lish political assembly, that it seldom betrays a
consciousness that it is making history. This week,
if ever, the House of Commons is making history,
Yet to all outward appearance the visitors in the
galleries felt the fact more keenly last night
than the historians below.
The preliminaries of the engagement, however
were unusually dignified, and, like those perpetual
alarums in the performance of SHAKESPEARE'S his-
toricdramas,more dignified than amusing. TheCleiks
at the table figure as trumpeters, and like our modern
renadier bandsmen in the costume of warriors of
reign of King Benet. V., or King Joint, they
eented to handle their instruments with an awkward
sense of incompatibility. After the fifth article of
the Act of Union, and the Coronation Oath of
Wituam and Marty, a horrible doubt possessed the
assembly for an instant whether Magna Charts (to
which indeed the Soucrroa-Garmasx referred with
easy grace at a later period of the evening) might
not be called for by some ingenuous and in-
quiring ministerialist. The Coronation Oath
was to all intents and purposes of the debate as
appropriate as any " first lesson " that might have
been selected from the daily services of the English
Church ; and we may add that it was read in the
polite and pleasing style of elocution in which a
chapter from " Judges " is delivered from the
lectern at afternoon service in a cathedral. Par-
hape it made the House feel serious. It certainly
made members look grave. At all events, it sug-
gested to Mr. Grarerows in his opening sentences
a point of contrast between "the solemn dutar
" we are about to perform," and " a warfare of
" trial and contrivance," which, Mr. GLAD:mows
generously abstained from remarking, was invited
by Lord STANZ•IfB amendment. Readers of Mr.
GLADATONE'R speech will not fail to note not so
much its lucid order of arrangement and its nom .
prehenaive grasp, which belong to all his speeches,
as its singular directness, simplicity, and sus-
reserve. Nothing is held back, nothing glanced