The Express.
London, England, 1868-01-01 00:00:00

tamed right of the trial by jury and the privilege el the
writ el habeas capes shall not he crashed eat nor treddin I
under fait. He gess further, and in one cesopesismaire sea-
tows mports that the principles of American liberty are
still the inheritance of this people, and ewer should be.
When • peat soldier, with unrestricted power in his
hands to oppress his fellow•osn, voluntarily foregoes the
reams ed gratifying his 'Wish ambition, and devotee him-
NB to the duty of building up the liberties sad
strengibeedeg the laws of his country, be presents an
example at the highest public virtue that human ea-
ten Is sepal& of praelieing. The etreagest claim of !
"timbale's.' to be " first in war, first in pears, and ant
in the berets of his countrymen," is founded on the peat
fact that in all his WillitiOWl earlier be scrupulously ab-
stained from violating the kepi and conittbatineal
sights ei his fellow-oltisons. When be surrendered
his ennisimics to Oongrem, the President of that
body spoke Ids bigheet praise in saying thet he had '
" always regarded the rights el the civil authorities
tbrc* ell dangers and disasters." Wherever power
above limo law courted him acceptance, he calmly pot temp-
Wise elide. By seek magnanimous ;sots el forbearance
he won the universal admiration of mankind, and left a
name whisk ham se rival in the history of the world. I
am for hem saying that General Hancock is the only
diem el the Animism army who is infhtemsed by the
erompiejlLWeekiegtere. Doubtless thousands ti them
are faithfully devoted to the principles for which the men
of the revolutiou laid down their lives. But the distin-
guished honour belong to him of being the first officer In
high command south of the Potomac since the close of the
civil wee who has given utterance to those noble senti-
ments in the form of a military order. I respectfully
suggest to congress that some public recognition of General
Hancock's patriotic conduct is due, if not to him, to the
friends of law and justice throughout Use country. Of
such an act as his at such a time it is but fitting that the
dignity should be vindicated, and the virtue proclaimed,
that its value as an example may not lost to the nation.
A:gnaw Jonssox.

Washington, D. C., Deo. 18, 1867.
Of course everybody knows that he was not
driven into this outburst of enthusiasm through
his admiration of General Hancock. He is simply
using the general as a whip with which to scourge
Congress, and whatever the faults of Congress may
be, everbody knows that they are not likely to be
removed by correction from the hands of Andrew
Johnson. Moreover, in praising General Hancock,
he casts reflections on the legislature, which it has
not merited. In arming the generals with abso-
lute power Congress did not intend that they
should supersede every other kind of authority.
They intended the country to be governed by judge
and jury, but they intended also that judges and
juries should not be used, as they constantly are at
the South, as instruments of oppression. The
message, as might have been expected, was received
with derisive laughter, sinking Mr. Johnson lower
in the estimation of all parties than ever he stood
before.
As regards the Tenure of Office 11111, everybody
is sensible that it will not last longer than Mr.
Johnson's term of office. Nobody believes in the
expediency of keeping Presidents in general under
such disabilities as this imposes ; a large portion
of the republican party does not deny its unconsti-
tutionality. It rests, in fact, like so many tither
things done during the crisis, on the necessity of
the case. When it was passed fears were enter-
tained, which his language seemed to justify, that
Mr. Johnson was detenuined on violent courses—
that he was about to surround himself with violent
and unscrupulous men, and, by fair means or foul,
prevent the execution of the congressional plan of
reconstruction. Congress had therefore to take
such precautions as it could, and the country was
not disposed to examine either their constitution-
ality or their danger as precedents too closely.
Ilut I think Mr. Johnson, once relegated to his old
home in Tennessee, this, as well as other restric-
tions recently placed on the power of the President,
will be removed.

The almost certainty that General Grant will be
the next President renders his views on questions of
foreign policy of considerable importance. lam ,
enabled to state on excellent authority that his I ,
feelings towards England are not of the most ami-
cable
description, and that he makes no secret of
his indifference to the settlement of the Alabama
question. This is a rather mild way of putting
it ; but Ido not like to say—as it was reported to
me—that he wants the Alabama controversy to be
kept open, because this probably does him some in-
justice. I believe, however, he holds to the upinion
that sooner or later America and England, unless
some thorough and nut merely external change
collies over the latter with regard to this country-,
will be forced into a conflict, if for no other
purpose, for the purpose of settling their
relative positions, of deciding once for all
what their relative political strength is, and
he thinks the sooner the struggle comes
the better, and that the Alabama case is as
good a cause for it as any other. This may, how-
ever, be the opinion of a soldier merely. It is an
.pinion certainly very common in the army and
navy. It may be that the responsibility of a high
political position would make his views on foreign
questions much sounder and mom conservative.
lint there is no disguising the fact that such sen-
timents on the part of a man as silent, and dogged,
and as little addicted to " bunkum" or popularity
hunting, and at the same time as influential as
General Grant, are at least disquieting. I know
they cause some anxiety—not much it is true—but
still some. to the Committee on Foreign Affairs at
I least in the Senate.

A MissiNG Ilmumilwom.—WASHlNGToN, DEC.
17.—Tke city is startled to-night with a thousand conflict-
rumours regarding the disappearance of Colonel Ely
Parker, of I :coer.l Grant's staff, who was to have been
married this morning, at 10.30 o'clock. to Miss Minnie
Sackett, of this city. It seems that Colonel Parker had
made every preparation for the event, even to the issuing
of reception cards for his friends in New York at the
Metropolitin Hotel. and at his residence in Weahiogton
after his return from the expected bridal tour. He had
purchased his wedding unit, and on Saturday evening went
to General Grant's house, where he borrowed from Mrs.
Grant one of the general's military sashes to wear at the
weddinit. After remaining an hour or two, at 8.30 be bid
the family good night, since which time he has not been seen
in the city. At the appointed hour this morning the
bride's mother, who is a widow, General Grant and staff,
and a large number of friends and distinguished guests
were amenibled at the Church of the Epiphany. The !
bride was in readiness, and General Grant was prepared to
give her away in accordance with the arrangements made
at Colonel Parker's request, who, however, failed to make
his appearance. His fellow.othcere of the staff had ar-
ranged to make the bride an elegant present, d other
friends were ready to snake appropriate wedding angifts.
The scene which ensued when it became known that
Colonel Parkercuuld not be found can be faintly imagined,
but the pen fails to describe it fitly. Yammers were
despatched to the usual resorts of the missing one, and
when the report came that all search was in vain, the
audience quietly dispersed with many heartfelt prayers
for the lady so cruelly deserted. AU search to-day has
proved fruitless, but up to a late hour to-night no tidings
of Colonel Parker have been received. Meantime there
are rumours current that he was seen in Baltimore this
Polo ; that his body had been found under tee
in
the Potomac, and, again, that lie was married aser
person in Buffalo this day. Miss Seckstt's friends are
doing everything in their power to console her in her ter-
tittle affliction, and ewes. a hope that the mystery may
yet be cleared up in a satisfactory manner. 'The=
Mlref the entire °amenity is waited in the
—New York Tikes. Dee. Ida