The Express.
London, England, 1850-06-17 00:00:00

the erpreoo. I,

OUTGOING MAILS.
Tin neas in Gibraltar, Yalta, Green, the lonian Ems,*
1117 PI, 002 Ma. l.y, mad obis.. via swithasr.e., wW
be each wS as We niniscal 3.tiae 20.
TI. mile4fe Milk nom Meade' and the Oohed
Melee will la nub up MI the evenWe el Jaye 21.
The min be tba Manainuessa, lay"
Crylea. Iltrapleap. fn., will be mode up ea the
amt Ohne 24.
The mane he labia, Span, end Gibraltar will be made
up ea Jima 27.
The Wen Wit Kink imploding Bermuda. liaveastah,
awns, /Innderee, Now Orissa., end Weekend melodies
Own kr Madeira, St. Jua.a.le-Nieuerta, new Oreeadn,
• mad Peru, will be made up ea the analog el July 2.
TM mite tee Idaderia, the Brasile. wad Ihelan Ayres, will
be men up es the seising oriel, 4.

MOW WI.TEM AT LONDON Palma
To Dal -111oneve. Tt 71 a Warren.. I. le
11•••••••-141eiat. 11, re, Ahallere. ea. I.7ar.

LONDON, MONDAT, JUNE 17.

STALL • man be at liberty to marry his demised
wife's sister ? Or if he do so in England, may it be
done in Ireland ? Shall all the mails, and their in-
telligence of weal and woe, which arrive from all
parts of the world to little England, be frozen up of a
Sunday, lest their transport should divert some hun-
dred clerks arid mail-guards from the regular hour of
devotion? Shall young children in factories be al-
lowed to work six hours, or shall they be cashiered
altogether, because the legislature will not let them
work more than four-and-a-half, and this because the said
grave legislature is afraid that the said little girls
will have no one to go home with of an evening ?
These, with long speeches in both houses on Chancery
reform, that oo one listened to, because no one
believed in, employed the collective wisdom of parlia-
ment for a whole week in the middle of June.
The greatest and most vital questions respecting
the government and reverme of the country are ad-
journed from year to year, or neglected altogether,
because there is not time for entertaining or =sus-
sing them. And here we have a week's parliament
weeded on questions of a purely social or moral nature,
beneath the power and beyond the wisdom of legis-
lation to provide for.
Shall a man marry his deceased wife's sister? The
prohibition is argued, not from any express religions
or moral law, bie because it is said, that this prohl-
nition will maintain within the bounds of purer
sentimentalism the relation between brother and
sister-in•lew. Such an aim may be very desirable.
But how are the superfluities of sentimental perfec-
tion to be preserved by legislation, a legislation, too,
which, in attempting to promote refined virtue, forces
many into positive crime, and thus by enforcing a
rule, which is at best of very doubtful cogency or
right, transforms into public and social tranegrtssors
the many whose conscience allows them, nay, em-
boldens them, to defy the law.
The postal ques ion, and the manner in which it
boa been treated, is another terrible slur upon the
wisdom, the honesty, and sincerity of parliament
That body shows evident symptoms of consciousness
that it is drawirg to a close. To gratify constituents,
or not to offend any important portion of them, is
therefore the leading motive at present of votes, or of
abstinence from votes. And although, if a motion
were made affecting the material interests of that
class, of which members of parliament consist, these
men would instantly find courage to °pions it,
and even brave their humble constituents
by the opposition; nevertheless, on questions that are
merely moral, or social, or religion, members do not
see the wisdom or necessity of thwarting or going
against the active and strong will of their consti-
tuents. Thus it happens, that the duty of resisting
what is ex-ravagant in the zeal for Sunday rest, is
by the crowd of members of parliament left to minis-
ters, and by ministers in torn left humorously to
members of parliament. Lord JOHN RUSSELL is a
popular member, as well as a minister. He thinks
he has done sufficient for liberal ideas in jeopardising
his character for religious seal by eupporting the Jews,
and deem., with justice, that if merchants in Liverpool
or elsewhere wish to have their letters forwarded, so
that they may receive them on a Monday, it ts for
those merchants, and not for him, to come forward
against the stopping of the mails.
The other subject on which parliamentary wisdom
has been exerted was the regulation of labour in fac-
tories. This question, like the other, has, what is
called, made progress. Formerly it was alleged that
no legislation on this subject was to affect adult
labour. Now it is admitted that the chief ob-
ject of the bill is to affect adult labour.
The principle, the very great principle, that
parliament can and will, and that it is desirable that it
should, limit the daily hours of man's labour by
statute, has been established and is admitted. Not
only has this progress been made since the introduc-
tion of laws of this kind; but even since the com-
mencement of the session a stride has been made in
another sense. The aim and the promise was then
that legislation should be final, and that it was
requisite to settle the question. Now, the Tames itself
admits that far from being. a settled question, it is one
to be re-opeced next session, and it might add, for
every succeseive session as long as labour and spinning
shall endure.

The entire of this legislation, restricting the time
during which machinery shall be used, and the capital
vested in it be rendered profitable, proceeds avowedly
on this opinion, that the productions and profits of
the oaten teed; can bear it. The convincing argu-
ment is, See, we have restricted the hours of labour,
and workmen are the better of it, whilst mutate
have not stopped their necessarily lucrative works.
On this, and on this alone, a ten hours at
an eleven hours bill reposes. But who does not
see, that the returns, and profits, and prosperity
of the owners of factories, and of money vested in
them may change; and with that change must come
also a re-consideration of these laws? The present
legislation is bend, wear. told, on GO per cent. of the
operatives being for ten hours' labour, 25 per cent, for
twelvehours, and 12 per cent, for eleven hours. Thu
40 cent.
raicent. are at present mulcted of earnings. But
a in the markets and is the supply of labour
may bring results, which will change the minority of
40 Rer cent in favour of longer hours Into
a majority of 70 or 80 for the same. By its
own endue% principle, and argument, the legislature
is henceforward bound to consult and follow the in-
terests and opinions of the operatives. Now, parlia-
ment will be able to do this. It will have
neither the time nor the means of judging. And the
mid of what the House of Commons ha, commenced
will, in all probability, be an operative parliament,
or at least a council, charged with regulating the in-
terests of workmen, similar in some degree to that
Ilitabliged by M. Louts BLANC in the Luxem-
bourg. We have no doubt that it is pre-
cisely with a view to prevent this that Lord
ABEL= and Mr. DISRAELI urge parliament in a cer-
tain path. But, in reality and effect, these statesmen
will find tba., by having led and accustomed for a
number of years and seniors a large proportion of
the labouring class of the cauntry to look to parlia-
ment for the regulation of the hours of work, and
consequently of their wages, as well as of their rela-
tion to the capital and capitalist that employs them,
they have irrevocably instituted, opened out, and
established a system which cannot be done
away with, and cannot be stopped in its
progress. Oar oratorsand statesmen are very apt to
plume themselves on the assertion, that the war of
labour against capital, so fearful in its results on the
continent, is %tallow° to this country. This is a
huge. mistake. The war is as flagrant here as ever it
was in Paris ; and buries, even more than whip, are
fanning the flame. It is, however, not a state of
things that we should deprecate.

TIIAT which may be called the first set of the I
Great Industrial Exhibition has been accomplished.
The committee appointed to arrange for the b
have decided on their plans and are now in coilandie l
receiving tenders for theirerection. This responsible
task was confided to a mensittes consisting of six
members, including Mr. EMMY, Sir lons Buz-
OOTNE, and Mr. Custrr. The committee asked the
public for " suggestions," and promised upon receiv-
ing them to publish &report. This promised
has now been made, and we avail ourselves=
opportunity to give a synepsis of its contents.
The committee, it appear,, received no less than
245 different plans. Thirty-eight of these were sent
in by foreighers. The committee held twelve or fifteen
sittings to consider these designs. Ultimately they
selected from them seventy plans which they cam-
bia entitled "to honourable menace." US these