The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-13 00:00:00

Vie Onnoeol4.

OUTGOING MAILS.
The West India Mae, asiading Bertuuda, Thema*
If maw, Sondem, New Chimes, and MOZICO, aad Maladies
times far Madeira, fk. Juan-de-Nieeresm, New Olusadu,
Mai, and Pon, will Mobley OS April 17.
Ths mils for Lisboa, Spala, and Gibreltar will be made
ap ea April 17.
The nails for British North Americo and the United
I Snare will be made up oa the wooing of April 19.
TM malls kr Gibraltar, Italia, Grow, the Lhasa Islands,
Bane. Cleylea, India, and Chime. via Southampton, will
to mob up es We looming of April 20.
The mane Mansillos, to the Mediterraaem, Berypt,
Cephnh led* Boner-Beam &AL, will be made up as
tie Malta ef April 24.
TM mil Per gadgets, the Braid* sad Buenos Ayres, will
M made tip OS the 4th of May.

MON WATIN A? IMMO)! liRII)43S.
ft= Dat—llravlze. Ma. Sia
T•••••••••—nessise, h. is.., 11,111 s.

LONDON, SATURDAY, APRIL 13.
COXBIDLRABLE expectations had been excited of
what Mr. Diiintaam was to do in the after-Esster
campaign. Those expectations will scarcely have
been answered either by his motion, by his sptech,
or by their joint result last night. Tee first was ill-
judged, the second dull, the last a complete /sumo.
It was extravagant to ask the House of C41031111D11
to fling itself et once in mediae re*, and set about the
docking of divers salaries. To pass each office in re-
view, to hear what could be said in defence of its
existing expense, and the nature of the value given
for the money, is unquestionably the busiress of a
limited number of gentlemen assembled in a commit-
ter. It was neither decorous nor possible for the
house to manage it. And for ministers to be allowed
to propose a hasty or convenient schedule of reduc-
tion without parliamentary inquiry, was surely the
best way to defeat the economic reform that was
demanded. As Mr. BRIGHT justly observed, the best
machinery for effecting what was desired was a com-
mittee; all depended upon the formation of that
committee.

We believe that ministers themselves are ready to
admit the advisability of doing away with those very
high offices, which demand exorbitant salaries for the
sake of show. The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, our
ambsssadors at the three great courts—the object of
them, and of their large expenditure, is display, not
for display sake, but for the prestige' and weight, and
influence, which the expenditure used to give. But
such has been the progress of things, that this large
expenditure and display have no Losgsr the same
effect as of old. The Viceroy of Ireland no longer
dazzles the mob, or commands the aristocracy to his
revees. Ambassadorisl splendours are equally thrown
away. At home and abroad people look more to
realities. Then, if the great offices are lees useful of
themselves, they are lees necessary for the purposes of
political management. The great lord has no longer
a dozen boroughs in his pocket, and does cot requite
such dear propitiation. But, as long as those magni-
ficent pests remain, of course they must he filled.
Eerie and marquises will ask and will expect them.
And eerie and marquises are to longer the servants
that a government require. When our diploma•ic poste
no longer present prizes to lords, they wilt be filled
ti), men who are cot only better, but more liberal
diplomatists.
With respect to judges and ministers of state, there
is this at least to be said for them, that they work
hard for their psy,—as hard, perhaps, as the mind of
man can be worked. And it is not only jug', but
politic, that they should be reum.orated so as to
render high offices possible to be held by men of great
talents and small fortune. Wo have not heard ru
our time of statesmen who hove smarmed fortunts,
nor is the tenure of office ever likely to be such ae
to admit of it.

Judges and bishops are, however, in a different
category from statesmen. They give thews-Ives to
amusing fortunes, and they d, crewed. Raised not
only in their oa n p.ra,,te, but in their femtlies,
to the highest grade of scc'tty and rank,
monied wealth is indispensable to keep their
sons teed dau;h•ers in this Reid lel wk.; a•.d
scarce beccmes the buein-ss, the duty, and the cha-
racter el these othermis: venerated pr ifersio: s. More
than one power, however, is in operation for bringing
down the profession of the bar. The p ople will
have cheap justice, and not merely the people, hut
the propertied classes. And we are much mistaken if
the two great pr lessions of law and cliv;nity be tot
brought down to the popular keel by those strong de-
inocra.ic tendencies, which begin to mark the prin-
ciples and conduct of the country party.
Some writers bless their stars every morning,
and congrctulatc their readers on Englano's being
so unlike the Contin nt, in offering an imp •netrable
barrier against democracy. What delusion! We
know of no country in which th- demo-
crat has more cause to rub Lis hands and
be delighted. Ile cannot look up withcut
perceiving all the cleans al;o7e him engiged in the
labour of pulling down each other. Tee landlord
and the manufacturer have had a long tussle, and
each has floored the other more than once. Now,
both have set upon the lawyers; and when the law-
vers have been well beaten, the y will help to pull
down the clergy. It will go the round. And
none are more fierco at the work than the
conservatives and tories. For ow- part, we are I
contented to sit quiet and applaud in contemplating
this labour of lore. For, after all, it does but work
things back to what they ought to be. But it is
curious to see these very champions and classes of
society, so full of aristccratic and feudal tuitions, the-
they bemock and contemn all other countries which
get rid of them, indulge in the same levelling ten-
dencies and efforts, and rush to the si It-same goal
with the nations of the Continent, although by outer
paths, and under deceptive banners.

THE Irish Franchise Bill has passed through com-
mittee and now stands for the third readirg in the
House of C rmmons. We agree, for once, with Mr.
STAFFORD is thinking that nothing could be better
than the tone of the discussions which took place
upon the manifold details of the bill; and nothing
more matter-of-fact and business-like than the manner
in which its various provisions were debated by
those Irish members, more (specially interested in
the general dila and tendency of the measure.
We are happy to recognise this growing dispcsition
on the part cf men who differ in political
opinions so widely as hish liberals and Irish tories
necessarily do—to deal with such matters practically
and dispassionately. When once the principle of a
measure has been affirmed by a decided majority in
either house of legislature, the re-opening sf geatr.ll
discussion elms each subor. inate particular can lead
only to the exasperation of prejudices and the painful
waste of public time. And it is highly creditable to
the house that, notwithstanding the factious sugg..s-
tions given out of doors at the commencement of the
debates in question, there has been no attempt made
of late to thwart or retard the legitimate progress of
the bill.

It sometimes happens, however, that upon an in.
termediatc and usually formal stage —technically de-
sleeted as " the bringing up of the report,"—occa-
sion is taken to raise a debate upon the collective me-
rits of all that has been dove seriatim in committee,
and thus virtually to force a generkl discussion, in•
voicing a consideration of the main principles of the
bill. But &sides its inconvenience, this practice hi ob-
jectionable, on the ground that it is always more or leas
open to the imputation of being a re-heating of the
cases disposed of in committee, or an anticipation of
that breed and oomprehousivo view width is appro-
priate to the third reading. The proper business ap-
pertaining to the stage we ore 'Huth' g to is the
supply of casual emiss'ons, or the repair of errors of
inadvertency that may have occurred in committee;
and wf.atever exceeds tinge limit, m.iy be justiy sus-
pee ed of covering designs not fully or fairly avowed
by their authors.
We are not disposed to judge severely what is done
by persons like Loid CASTLEREAGH ; but when we
learned that he had given native of his intention to
move, on " bringing up the rt port" of the Franchise
Sill, an amendment raising the rateable qualific taut'
to 121., we could not ht Ip fee'i-g and t xpreesing the
conviction that if this were done by concert nud deli-
beration, it must be regardi d is a forerhadowing of
what was intended in the llonso of Lords. Bat as
we were prompt in recordlog our objeetione and
miPgivings when the notice of Lord l'Atcrns.
emit was given, we toil bound to ao equally
frank in acknowledging our satisfaction at his hAving
publicly withdrawn it. Still more do we wish to
call attention to the reason which the tuble lord
wiped u influenciug his change of purpose. " lda

had found," be said, "no support for his proposition
on either side of the house." In other words, the
liberals were not disposed to abandon the pricciple
for which they have so long contended—namely, that
at least as numerous a constituency should exist in
Ireland as in England : while the protectionists,
conscious of the advantage which the present make-
believe constituency gives them, cling to the hops
that the Rouse of Lords may raise the qualifica-
tion to 161, and so drive the Commons to throw
out the bill. A compromise suits nti;her. Lord
CASTLEREAGH has discovered this experimentally, by
proposing his amendment ; and be has acted like a
sensible end straightforward man by consequently
withdrawing it.
An equally interesting, though for the present less
important intimation, was that given by Lord Josue
RUSSELL respecting the proposal made before the
recess for grouping together neighbouring towns, and
so forming boroughs, with adequate constituencies.
The Prime Minister stated certain difficulties which
stood in the way of carrying such au arrangement
into affect—difficulties *Lich nobody denied, and
which from the first everybody had foreseen. lie did
not state, however, that these difficulties might
not be overcome. On tte contrary, he intimated
pretty plainly, that he thought they might, and that
without encroaching too much upon the small-town
element in the county constituencies, the existteg evil
of very small boroughs might safely and Oren:nail,
be remedied. Only he prayed that Ma part of
the question might be allowed to stand over until
next w salon. is pretty clear what that means. It
is another virtual pledge given by Lord JuuN
RUSSELL, that he will not willingly allow the
present parliament to expire without introducing
a3me general measure to make good the imperfect and
defective Reform Bill.

Meanwhile it is of great importance that upon the
third reading the present measure should be affirmed
by such a mij rity as may serve to mike the Cham-
ber of Obstructives pause era they vintur,. to meddle
with it in any essential point. It is really a bill for
the repair of the county franchise alone. That of the
towns it subs'intially leaves as it was. In some places
the electoral numbers may be increased sqme.shat ;
in others, they will cm taiely be rather diminished.
But in the ceinties the number of voters wiil be
augmented, so as nearly to equal that which is toned
to exist in English counties. In this respect it is a
valuable, though it must be owned a tardy cocci mien
of justice to the people of Ireland; and as such it
behoves the House of Commons to clear themselves,
by an impreasire declaration of opini ,n, from all
suspicion of indifference or half-heartLdnese in the
matter.