The Express.
London, England, 1868-06-06 00:00:00

TILE WEEKLY PRESS.

! Referring to Mr. G lodatone's letter on the subject
of the Irish Cherub, and which led to the pommel contest
between Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Disraeli in the House
of COMMON on Thursday, the Saturday Retina says
the really important point is whether the statement
contained in it was true or not. Our contemporary bee
so hesitation in saying that it was perfeetly true. The
leading members of the ministry may now say that they
I never had any intention of proposing an endowment of she
different religious bodies is Ireland; sad it is very probable
• that there was no express, definite, avowed resolve on the
part of the leaders of the government, as there certainly
was none en the part of the cabinet generally, to gin
endowments to the catholic and pembyteriaes. But no
one sun douut that there was s testing ides,a general Ma-
Latin) policy, on the part of Mr. Disraeli sad one or two
of his immediate confidants, to seek in a general scheme
of endowment the solution of that great difficulty
which is caused by the existence of the Irish church.
No one respects the ministry. There are in it many able
t administrators ; and some honest, though not very great,
politicians. But as a ministry it has no hold on the re-
spect either of the country or the house. The consequence
is that the House of Commons, which, to do itself jostles,
I must be under the guidance of a ministry it respects, has
sunk to a really pitiful state of demoralisation. Perna-
! mentery degradation can hardly go further than whoa an
s English county member occupies the time of the house
with a long discussion on the question whether a parson
like Mr. Bearden ceased to be a supporter of Mr. Glad-
i stone because they differed on the Contagious Diseases
I Act.

Discussing the report of the neutrality commission, the
Saturday leerier. says that it goes at once to the heart of
the matter, suggests exactly what is wanted, and no
MOM.

The EACGllintr contends that electoral reform will not
be complete as long as the numerous and intelligent
classes that make up the staff of the inland
revenue, the customs, and post-office respectively,
ars excluded from electoral privilege. To the
Exastieer, it has always appeared to be a case which might
fairly claim the support of conservatives, as bringing
within the pale of the constitution a large and influential
class, whom instincts are essentially defensive of existing
institutions, and who in their political views would, no
doubt, in the opinion of good Tories, form a counterpoise
to the sprcad of that democracy of which they have such
an excessive fear. The claim may also fairly command the
support of liberals, on the ground of its inherent justice,
when made on behalf of an educated and • tax-paying
section of the community.
It is the attempt of the Controller-in-Chief to break
through the vicious system of account and audit which
has so long prevailed at the War-office, and to introduce
a healthier one in its place, that has, says the Ex-
obtiner, led to the violent opposition raised against him.
The clerks are powerful for obstruction if weak for work,
and the Breathier trusts that they will not be allowed to
prevent or defer the introduction of changes which expe-
rience has shown to be indisputably necessary in the
public interests.
After discussing " Mr. Justice Blackburn's clever reply
to the Chief Justice," the Spectator contends that, remem-
bering Mr. Eyre's previous career, and giving him credit
for the sincerity of his belief in the matter of the Jamaica
rebellion, the nation ought to adopt the most lenient con-
struction of which his actual conduct was capable, con-
sistently with the due assertion of the right of all
classes of her Majesty's subjects to equal and just
government, and of the strict responsibility of ill-judging
governors for blunders of judgment so grave as to issue
in all the consequences of deliberate oppression. But
what the Spectator cannot help seeing is that the upper and
middle class of the English people—especially the latter—
do not care to assert these principles at all ! that
they are positively enraged at the demand of negroes
for equal consideration with Irishmen, Scotch.
men, and Englishmen ; that proceedings which would
have cost the most well-meaning of weak-judging men his
head if they had taken place in the United Kingdom—
which would have been received with shouts of execration
if they had taken place in France or Austria—are heartily
admired as examples of "strong government" when they
take place in the British West Indies.

In 1700 there was no lawyer living in the Isle of
Wight. In 1588 one came to live there, and wan driven
out of the island. The islanders at that period, having no
legal business to attend to at Winchester or London,
seldom left the inland.
•
The following epitaph is to be seen in Boldre
chuza, in Hampshire :—" Hero lyeth the boa* of
William Omens. Pions, industrious, honest, charitable,
ye who he., how good a man be was Orin to osy4o
,P10411Lail&M•111-71
• . 11 . .