The Express.
London, England, 1850-12-20 00:00:00

.ONDON, FRID47, DECEMBER 10.

Tans is no coos that we commiserate more than
that of the brave and honest man to whom circum-
stances and no other means of vindicating his con-
duct, and setting himself right with the world, ttuut
those of challenging his adversary or his calumniator
to mortal combat. Bat how rarely, if ever, can the
duellist or the challenger of; xisting ed times pl
say such necessity, any ch e smite ? Far
from recourse being had to the duel for :Itch manly,
though mistaken purposes, it is, on the contrary, the
common mode by which the coward seeks to retrieve
a character for courage,—by which the fool seeks to
establish, fo-sooth, his wisdom and consistency,—or
by which the mountebank seeks to cover bis party-
coloured suit and professional antics with the garb of
dignity and self-respect.
We regret to say that the challenge recently 'sot
by an (inner employed in the civil department of the
Ordnance, and entrusted with funvions that require
fairness, temper, and discretion, shook' not have fur hie
excuse, the reasons which were first enumerated. Taking
Mr. COBDEN'S reminiscences and Mr. Balorres joke
at their vary worst, we do not erre anything is them
reflecting upon the character of Sir Thous HAS-
Twos as an officer and a gentleman.
Sir THOSIAS HAISTDIOB, with many other oMeers and
rotploysis, was examined before the parliamentary
committee charged with examining into theeervioe—
Its requirements, enioiency, and economy. It is by an
moms a pleasant duty to stand or sit before a parlia-
mentary committee ; nor is it pleasant either to act so
a oonsciintious member of such committee, and
put questions, often pressing and disagreeable
to the witness, as well as painful to the interrogator.
But the highest personages to the state are compelled
to submit to this ordeal, as may be seen in the exami-
nation of the Cimmittes on Public Salaries, where
my Lord PALNIenBTON and Lord Joan RUSIMILL had
such more
Sir Thomas HAsnotos. But such interrogatories
are necessary for the good of the state, and
custom as well as law protects the member
of parliament in the house, or in committee, as it
does tho iwyer in c nat. There was, indeed, a
time, when if an independent or opposition mem-
ber was too severe upon a courtier or a personage in
receipt of government money, the latter rebutted the
accusation by slittieg his adversary's nose. But
however fast we may be sliding back to mediaeval
habits, we are not yet bound to emote the barbarous
outrages committed in the days of the first STUARTS.
Sir TIIONAS HASTINGS was, from his position, 4
great authority; and it was the duty as well u the
wish of the economists of the committee to elicit from
him all his Pawns for the belief that England was
threats's(' with invasion, and should spend large
ems in preparations for resistance. Sir TiloMAB,
When interrogated,went throte4h the string of common
place and well.known reasons for slants. He told of the
scheme for French trans,Mantic packet ships, which
have rover bees forthcoming and
Atlantic. lie spoke of Primo Jollevtu.s's pamphlet,
and of the opinion of a French lieutenant. The
committee knew all this, as well as the public, and
had no need of summoning Sir TIIOMAS 114ASTING8
from his defensive occupations to tell them it. He
was premed foe something new, something striking,
something conclusive; but poor Sir 'lmam had
nothing of the kind; yet rather than fail of an answer
he out with the stupendous inf 'emotion that the
Bishop of JAPAN had inermed him the French were
quite decided on an invasion of England. This invoca-
tion of the authority of a Bishop from the other end
of the world, this ingenious fable worthy of the
horst-marine, wee too much for the gravity
of the committee. The members laughed over
it. It was clear that the worthy Captain
' had written himself down an ass," though Lord SET-
SWIM and Mr. COBURN in mercy expunged that
morsel of evidence in order that the big world might
sot make merry with the wisdom of the naval
30ur....,:t. Thu st wy, however, did circulate t it was
too good to be lost, and a hundred times has it set the
dub room in a roar.
Uolnekily for poor Sir TIIONAB.B equanimity, what
was strangled in the Blue Book was brought to Wie
on the ph.tferm by Mr. Beton'''. The eluquese of
the hon. member for Manchester is like a mermatnin
stream: it brings down everything with it, rocks,
roots, and banks, not wisting what it carries in its
headlong course, and not caring whet it 1 gs bare as
it subsides. And so Mr. Bstonin speech disclosed
to the world the great instance of the politico! saga-
city and recondite information on public affairs of
Sir THOMAS ILUITINGS.

The authority of the French being warlike, Mr.
BRIGHT was reported to have said, rested only '
on the authority of the II:shop of MADAGASCAR. On
the word only Sir Tilts en took his stand. Whether
Mr. BRIGHT said only or not, who can tell? if he
did, what was it but the usual pleonasm of party, the
extravagance of • joke? The absurdity lay in • Bri-
bah officer and functionary invoking at all the &Mho-
rity of a Bishop of either MADAGASCAR or JAPAN.
!or after all it was but absurdity ; and adding the
only sanely could render it more ridiculous.
Sir Tnoisa' HASTINGS, however, could not bear '
to cut a ridiculous figure. And to save him-
self from this inevitable reeult of his own words, '
be mounted his Rosinarife with all the gravity
of Don Qmizole. And his first adventure was
certainly • worthy imitation of the hero of La
Mancha. The enemy whom Don Quisote in his
Ant prowess singled out was • windmill. Sir
Thomas Harrison, instead of the windmill, falls
foul of a Quaker. There was more courage, but can
Maly far les discretion, in attacking the windmill.
Mr. Belo= has many good and great quali-
ties, but amongst them, we regret, is not a
Ire sus of humour. Ilsd but Mr. Tillman been
is Mr. BRIGHT'S place, and had Sir TIRMAS HAS-
Itnos entered into a grave correspondence with Ms
touching the Bishop of MADAGASCAR, bow the wk
would have played with the Post-Captain ! And if
the latter had written himself down an ass is oom-
therextent cf donkeyism to which he would have
been betrayed in the correspondence, would have bee*
too much for the risibility of the public. Mr. BRIGHT,'
however, lost on this occasion the opportunity, for
which we can never forgive him.
A story. ran through all the papers last week
d an infuriated bull that ran a muck in
the streets. A cabman hit him with his whipy
whereon the ball ran at an applewoman and
tossed her. Bull HASTINGS having got a cut from
friend BRIGHT'S whip, with all the logic of a bull
rushed at COWIN. Mr. COBDEN, utterly unable to
divine what said be meant by such an onslaught,
ran for a blue book to afford him some light thereon.
But cur naval Quirote would not wait. And he
straight proceeds to post the herald of the Peace
Society in the columns of the Times for not having
answered his challenge by return of poet !
Nothing can be more natural, more sendble, more
dignified, or more just, than Mr. COBDEN'S reply. It
is amongst the best things that have emanated from
his quiet nature and his c 'natio pen. All we regret
k, that such high and rational qualities should have
been waited in repl}ing to a person, evidently so
irresponsible for what be may say or do as Sir
Tacque liarrlXoe.

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