The Express.
London, England, 1850-12-31 00:00:00

'e eravressgi.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
&berthamead Intended Ise . The Loyeso." Laden waft paper,
mast to at tbe Gem, le, Ileavadoetwoot. W Two ealost to tie
day ot pabdoadad.

MOH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Toss DAY—Morsleg. UL MIS*46IIIIOOII. ISL OM.

LONDON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31.

EIGLITILN HeNDRED AND FIPIT will be *
bered amongst the most eventful years, and, after its
stirring predecessors, must appear a dull one. Indeed,
Its great characteristic has been its lulling tendencies,
its dative to set old movements to sleep, and check the
starting of new ones. There sever was a year, per-
ham in which it wu so difficult to get up anything
like enthusiasm. In vain did protectionist., colonial
11001111erli, domestic economists, sympathisers with
foreign liberalism, seek to stir up public sentiment.
The English nubile remained dull, mistrustful, and
incredulous. Nor do we believe that anything could
bare stirred ii, has than a genuine Hiberno-Roman
cardinal in red ht,t and stocking., astride his bull,
and tossing prime minister and bishops on his very

first advent".
There is reason to be grateful to the soporific cha-
racter of 1830, fur having set finally to rest the
dragon of protection. How wakeful it was this time
last year ! How alive and menacing in every
county! Not a politician but thought it necessary to
mos'er his partisans and address to them words of
comfort and advice. Conflicts, indeed, were avoided,
for protectionists prefer long shots; and when Mr.
COBDEN came to argue the matter at Aylesbury,
Mr. DISRAELI preferred coming no nearer than
Great Marlow. Bat the pea came in aid to
the tongue. And even those grave personages,
the landlord., thought it necessary to address their
farmers on the all-engreesing 'abject of rent and
teems. It is just a twelvemonth since Sir Roemer
PEEL wrote his memorable letter, which was far
hem being a solution of the difficulties ot the crisis.
But the crisis solved itself ; and we see the great
results at each county or rural electioo, in the fact o'
tenant-farmers seeking to set up for themselves, and
find at length a voice in the h gislature.
In burying protection, the political undertakers
have, we are sorry to say, consigned to the tomb, at
least for a time, other questions, that might with
advantage have survived. Financial economy, with
all its resolutions and essays, its oracles and its asso-
ciations, where is it? We do not see even Manches-
ter stir in its behalf. Lest year we bad a surplus,
and every sulfuring interest was open-mouthed to
have it applied to its relief. Are people now more
prosperous, or more apathetic, that they allow the
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEGUER to sit upon
a still larger surplus, as easy and unmo-
lested as Lord TRURO himself upon the woolsack?
Some good citizens do indeed get together to grumble
at the window tax. Bat in general, and for the season
of the year, JOHN BULL is more than usually qoiescent
on fiend matters, even with a renewal of the income
tax impending. And he is fool enemata to lose all
self-possession in fear of the POPE, when the CHAN-
CELLOR of the Excileill: ea is the rogue whom he
should chiefly think ot guarding against. In his
anxiety to prevent the rove from depriving him of
his family Bible, he is leaving his pocket-book at
the mercy of that greater thief, the tax gatherer.
The secret, however, of our apathy in worldly mat-
ters is, no doubt, as we have said, increseed anxiety
in spiritual things. And on this subject indeed there
has been enthusiasm, there ha been agitation. Bat
has there been progress? We fear not. Never, per-
haps, was there a more apt or noble opportunity for
all protestant creeds, and followers of religious
liberty to unite, not for persecution, bat for self-eman-
cipation.
Nothing could bo more evident than that the move-
ment towards the re-establishment of personal sacer-
dotal authority amongst us, either on papist or quasi-
papist principles, proceeded from the exclusively cle-
rical organization and influence of the church and of
its great seen navies of education. Had there been a
national demand for the opening and secularising. of
these universities, an immense point would have
been gained, both for religious freedom and
for the maintenance of the protestant principle.
But no, the dissenters flew off from the churchmen,
desiring no better than to see Anglican bishops
worried by Roman cardinals. And one dissenting
writer clapped his hands and exclaimed, that the
Anglican and Roman establishments were two cats,
which would inter-devour each other and leave nothing
but the tail of one to contend with. It is the senti-
ment and the policy conveyed in such an expression
as this that has kept the great dissenting interest
and community under water for now nearly two
centuries, aid may keep it so centuries longer. For
by uniting every aristocratic interest, religions and
political, against it, it can have nothing to hope save
in democratic advance, and to that the great body of
the dissenters are as disinterestedly averse as if they
were the dominant sect. Never was a large body of
intelligent men so blind to anything like a common
policy, or so thoroughly determined upon the fling-
ing away of every opportunity that fortune offers
them.
This time last year things promised better. We
were then just issuing from the GORHAM contro-
versy, and the great body of the English Church,
supported by the government, were assuming a ma-
nifestly liberal and comprehensive attitude. This led
to the most absurd lengths on the part of those of
all creeds appestat to freedom and toleration. The
year was propitious, its tendencies good, its opportu-
nities immense. But all have been flung away, and
each protestant church will now renew its normal state
either of inertness or mutual antagonism ; whilst the
enemy of all secures its dominion over the seats of learn-
ing and extending it over the haunts of ignorance and
destitution, will he able to defy in the last half of the
nineteenth centurythose effortiewhich, if well directed
and combined in 1650,m4ht have swept clean away
the very foundation of this renascent ltmunism.
In a year during which great questions are stationary
small ones are often found to program. Yet this cannot
be said of 1830. Whoever will turn to the records
of Dumber, 1819, will be surprised at the sameness
of events. Then we find the government commissioner
and the City delegate, in 1819, holding a cooference on
the state of Smithfield, with as little result as in
the present day. We find the Times congratulating
the country on the abolition of French passports; and
French passports are quite as troublesome and ex-
pensive as ever. We find strikes on the Midland
thin, as on the North Western now. In Ireland we
find, in December, 1849, Lord RODEN getting up a
green bag of accusation against the Viceroy, for the
cries' of corresponding with Orangemen, in order to
induce them to defend their country. n December,
18.50, we find the suss Lord RODEN getting up a
similar green bag against the same lord-lieutenant for
corresponding with some Catholic bishop in portibus
on the subject of the godless colleges—in fact, the
same cock and bull story over again.
If Irish officials are fishing in much the same
water, what is the colonial government about? Ceylon
is certainly quiet with Lord TORRINGTON in London,
Sir 1311113110te TEMENT going to St. Helena, and
Mr. WOODHOUSE to Honduras—the play carding by
a dispersal of the corps dramotique. But we see
no solution of great colonial difficulties. What we
are to do with our convicts seems as little capable of
receiving an answer as ever. And the Cape, which
was thrown into effervescence last year by the advent
of the Neptune with its cargo of convicts, still con-
tinues its agitation, and seeks to guarantee itself
against the future caprice of a colonial minister by the
reality of a constitution.
Had we space or mind to extend our contempla-
tion and comparison from domestic and colonial qua-
time to the state of foreign countries, we could much
more fatly incubate the remark with which we set
out, which is, that 1854 ha proved a year of suspen-
sion, of slumber; the little activity that it has die-
played having been turned to no useful purpose,
whilst the enthusiasm, wanting great and generous
purpose, has been frittered upon the ephemeral
and the idle. The advantage ;we owe to 1850 hes,
not in the good which it has originated or advanced,
but in the evil which it has happily set at net.