The Express.
London, England, 1868-10-31 00:00:00

THE WEEKLY PRESS.

The Saturday Renew devotes one article to a review of
the career of the late Archbishop of Canterbury, and
another to speculation upon the new appointment. Of
Dr. Longley himself our contemporary observes that it is
enough to say that a more popular archbishop never sot
on the metropolitan throne of England ; and this with a
ispularity founded upon no unworthy arts, and scarcely
recommended by the ordinary gifts of popularity. As a
writer, preacher, and speaker, the late primate has left no
mark on the church. His fame will live on the recollec-
tion of his manners, his goodness, and his skill in unob-
trusive, yet nit unvigorous, administration. He represented
the best characteristics of the living church by exem-
plifying them. Ile war only a High Churchman in
the rams way and the same sense that the in-
t -Ilea, if it at all recognises the traditions of the
thumb, must lean to the high school ; and in those
matters in which he encountered differences, or even came
into collision, with that portion of the intellect of the
English church which discards tradition, it is impossible
to deny that he represented the generally diffused and
largest sentiments of the great majority of English
churchmen. With regard to the second branch of the
subject the Saturday Rersew says the precise direction
which Mr. Disraeli's thoughts will really take could
hardly be foretold without a very exhaustive analysis of
motives; but our contemporary will not be surprised
if on this occasion the premier shows himself superior to
electioneering oonrideratioas, in which cur he will cer.
tainly be induced to make a striking rather than a com-
mon place appointment.
The Spectator thinks it is impossible not to blend regrets
for the archbishop who is gone with something of anxiety
for the archbishop who i• to come. For its own part our
contemporary would see with sincere pain and disapproval
a continuation of the old precedent which regards tibiae
for this post as consisting irr a mild and colourless catho-
licity of benignity that rests upon no strong basis of intli-
dual character.

The grenadier describes the late Archbishop of Canter-
bury as having been an amiable, but weak and vacillating
man, who reigned without ruling in Lambeth. The only
two questions on which he did succeed in coming to a con-
clusion, and acting upon it, were that of the Bishop of
Natal, and that of the political severance of the church in
Ireland from the church of England—in both of which he
was clearly in the wrong. Re was simply the highest in-
cumbent in the spleudid roll of church preferment, de-
corous, kind, charitable, inoffensive in his daily walk and
conversation; politically and polemically a cypher.
The London R, rim takes it for granted that within a
few months Mr. Gladstone will be Prime Minister of
England. Referring to the right bon. gentleman's con-
nexion with the whig party, our contemporary maintains
that he has hardly a single feeling or opinion in commou
with the official caste of his party, except so far as they,
as formerly whigs, accept, with him, as formerly a tory,
the doctrines of the radicals, till now deemed, except in a
few rare instances, unable and unfit to guide the course
of public affairs. The thorough individuality of Mr.
Gladatone's position is a most encouraging and valuable
fact, and ought at this moment to be firmly insist .d upon
by all holders of advanced opinions.
Sir Richard Mayne has retired, receiving in acknow-
ledgment of hie long and valuable service to the state a
baronetcy and a pension equivalent to full pay. ffir Walter
Crofton has been appointed Chief Commissioner of the
Metropolitan Police, but will in addition, exercise through-
out England the general control over the police vested in
her Majesty's government." That, says the Speteter, is
the kind of announcement which, if the ministry possessed
any administrative nerve or vigour, would be published
before parliameut bad met, and it would be followed up
by three legblative proposals, the first authorising the
steady police surveillance of all released convicts; the
second making serious assaults felonies, and fixing a
minimum of punishment ; the third, establishing a special
succession duty on all real property in great cities, to be
applied in aid of the police-rate.

" The Emperor's Map" is the subject of an article
in the kouturthv Berkey. If (says our contempo-
rary) the French Emperor, by colouring Austria a pale
green on paper and Bavaria a delicate mauve, is able to
convince himself for half an hour that the battle of
Sadowa has had no material bearing on the balance of
power in Europe, no one will grudge him the fleeting
amusement be may have derived from the construction of
a map. The air with which he produces it is in some
degree that of an imperial Mark Tapley, whose business
it is to be jolly under difficulties; but provided he really
means to say that the more he looks at his present French
frontier the more he likes it, the nows is joyful
news indeed. The want of common sense, however,
is a characteristic of all these imperial maps. The Empe-
ror's reconstructions of Europe and America are invariably
redolent all over of midnight oil. He is for ever imagining
that he can alter the universe by recolouring an atlas, and
that Providence has intended the world to group itself
so uto satisfy the symmetry of a Frenchman's eye. But
nobody can flatter himself that such • publication adds
seriously to the chances of European peace.

The quarterly return of the Registrar-General
shows that during the three months ending Sept. 30 there
Were 266,199 births, and 166,726 deaths in the United
Kingdom. The recorded natural increase of population
during the quarter was therefore 89,471, and the native
emigrants were 40,672. Both births and deaths in Eng-
land were above the average number; but the marriages,
which are given for the June quarter only, were fewer.
The average price of wheat was 69e. ld., to which it tall
from 71s. 10d. in the previous three months. The mean
temperature throughout the quarter was 639, and on
the 22nd of July the thermometer in the shade rose to
964—the highest temperature ever recorded at Greenwich.
The mean summer fall of rain is 767 tons to an acre of
land ; but in the last summer the deficiency was 252 tons
an acre.

Intending exhibitors at the ensuing Christmas
show of the Smithfield Club may need to be reminded that
Monday, November 2, is the last day on which the secre-
tary can receive entries from them.

We (llardenere Chronicle) hour front Windsor
that the nee of acorns for cattle has not been eaten led
with good results, several of the Herefords having boon
indiaposed after partaking of them. In the neighbourhood
of Watford several cases of ilium have arisen from the
same cause. Lord Ebury had tea heifers, some of which
died seriously ill together. They had been feeding greedily
upon acorns.