The Express.
London, England, 1868-05-16 00:00:00

on Mr.

beaming Prosier his Chas-

(eller would aertainly be Sir ROEINDEEL Rams.
But it would appear as U the mounded lawyer el
his day and one of the most reepasied sambas of
Parliament had purposely rendered hie acotegon to
the most responsible and dignified (Abe in the
State, almost impossible. With sincere regret, the
true admirers of Sir ROUNDBEL Pauses have
learned that he was intentionally absent from
the momentous divisions which gave an over-
whelming majority to Mr. GLADSTONE and doomed
the Irish Church to extinction. He has thus
shown his readiness to sacrifice such a prise as the
Chancellorship at the bidding of conviction. No
one can find fault with Sir ROUNDELL Paz. tia's
conduct ; but his defection is greatly to be
deplored. Yet the Liberal party lose in him a
valuable ally, rather than a pledged supporter.
His paramount merit is his personal upright-
ness. There are not many great lawyers whose
characters will bear rigid scrutiny. The besetting
sin of the profession is to be Janus-faced, sternly
to uphold morality in public, while privately
addicted to the vices which tarnish other men.
The impossibility of insinuating anything of a
personal nature in disparagement of such men as
Lord CAIRNS and Sir ROUNDELL PALMER has en-
hanced the reputation of both. They are above
all suspicion. The respect they obtain is fully de-
, served. In the caae of each, however, it would
seem as if freedom from certain shortcomings were
purchased at the expense of other drawbacks.
Lord CAIRNS has found in the cultivation of Tory-
ism of the deepest dye a relaxation, and perhaps an
occupation which keeps him from straying into,
forbidden paths, while Sir ROUNDELL PALMER de-'
votes the spare moments snatched from profes-
sional avocations to further the cause of the Church
of England. The compilation of a church hymn
book formed his favourite amusement for years.
Apparently, he has been as ambitious of the cha-
racter of a good churchman as of a splendid lawyer.
Now it is difficult to be anxiously zealous to main-
tain English ecclesiastical arrangements and at the
same time to act as a genuine Liberal in politica.
Bishops are naturally Conservatives, and all whose
minds are attuned in harmony with theirs have a
tendency to preserve what is established, not
because of its excellence so much as on account of
its existence. It is regarded as an exception
worthy of special note, when two such genuine
churchmen as Mr. COLERIDGE and Mr. GLADSTONE
are seen rising superior to their predilections, and
ready to test a question of policy on its merits.
On the other hand, nobody ought to be astonished
when so intense a churchman as Sir ROUNDELL
PALMER refuses to aid those who would sweep
away the Irish Church establishment fur reasons
of imperative political justice.
The puzzle may appear greater to reconcile his
conduct on the question of reform with the prin-
ciples by which we believe him to be actuated.)
He seemed far in advance of his own party when
Earl Russet!. was in power, and his Reform Bill
under discussion in the House of Commons. To
Sir ROUNDELL PALMER was entrusted the responsi-
ble task of refuting the sophistical speech in which
Mr. Lowe endeavoured to demonstrate that to
reduce the franchise was to precipitate a revolu-
tion, and that under the operation of the act of
1832 every properly qualified person was able to
exercise the right to vote. Not only did he ably
expose the fallacies which Mr. Lowe uttered
amidst rapturous cheers from the Tories, but he
declared himself in favour of going farther than
his leaders. Ho said, " I have no doubt in
" my own mind that the time will come when
" we shall be of opinion that all rated house-
" holders may be entrusted with the franchise
" safely and with benefit to the country." At
the time these words attracted general notice, and
were made the handle for accusations on the
part of Tories to the effect that the Government
lof that day entertained designs inimical to the
Constitution. The period arrived much sooner
than the ATTORNEY-GENERAL anticipated, when;
the proposition to which he declared his ad-
herence was carried into effect by the men who
had scouted it as preposterous. Sir ROUNDELL
PALMER'S liberality with regard to the enfranchise-
ment of the people had its origin in his convic-
tion that the educated section of society could
always control the poorer classes. He probably
shares the belief of Mr. DISRAELI that the new
electors will be amenable to the influence of those
who are supposed to be their betters.
Asa legislator Sir ROUNDELL PALMER has made
no mark. Law reform has never been favoured
or advanced by him. His disposition is to regard
existing arrangements as very good, provided they
are carried out by qualified men. The utter rotten-
ness of our whole legal system he does not seem
even to understand. Indeed, he is now what he was
when he entered Parliament--a thorough Conser-
vative at heart. As with nearly all who once con-
stituted the Peelite party, his Liberalism is a
sentiment rather than a conviction. He would
consent to change rather because he saw the folly
of resisting than because he thought it advan-
tageous. It is only when his deepest convictions
are appealed to that ho will refuse to sanction what
he cannot successfully oppose ; hence his absti-
nence from the divisions on the Irish Church. A
pleasing rather than an impressive speaker, yet a
debater of far greater skill than the majority of
the legal members of Parliament, he is listened to
with attention by the House, and even when he
cannot direct and govern a debate, he is certain
to win the favour of opponents as well as friends.
The party to which he is still attached has few',
more estimable members. Any legal honour,
short of the highest judicial office, that party may
yet have at its disposal, might well be conferred
OD Sir ROUNDELL PALMIE. A more aocompliehed
man, and more perfect master of the law, it would'
be hard to find. It is common to meet with im-
petuous legal partisans, for whom the strife of
politics is a delight, and by whom the consequent
elevation to the bench is conquered more by force
than by merit. Of Sir ROUNDELL PALMER, how-
ever, it may be said, without reservation or hy-
perbole, that his acceptance of a seat upon it
would be a great benefit to the country.

WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA.

THE deputation of the Irish Bishops to implore !
the Queues aid in upholding their Church is not'
unprecedented. On the 28th of May, 1834, a!
similar deputation went on a like errand to her
MaJzsrv's predecessor. The guarded terms in which
her MAJESTY replied to their address differ ma-
terially from the warm and sympathetic language
which WILLIAM THE FOURTH employed. Those
who blame the Sovassiox now for having given
their lordships a special audience, and censure the
wording of the reply to their address, may be as-
sured that the proceedings of Thursday are a great
' improvement on those whichshocked our forefathers.
In 1834 the Irish Church was in danger.
A motion to appropriate its temporalities to secular
uses had been made in the Howie of Commons.
The Ministry was divided against itself. The
present Lord DERRY, the Duke of RICHMOND, the
Earl of Rirox, and Sir Janes Gamut refined to
assent to any scheme for the setae:intim of ths•

_
Church property, airn Icing unable to tin k liiiß
views prwrang they isliiped once, and halifOrl W
belong, to the Llbwoat party. Approheesiy*at the
consecitiessee Ihs 'lrish Bishops, with emir Aich-
bishop of ARMAOH as their spokesman, proceeded •
on the Kaxo's birthday to solicit his sympathy and
assistance. WILLIAM IV. readily gave the one and
promised the other. Instead of making a formal
and constitutional reply he delivered a lengthy ex-
tempore speech. He told them that he bad always
been warmly attached to the Church, that he was
friendly to toleration but opposed to licentious-
ness, and that he was fully sensible of what his
family owed to the Revolution of 1688. He made
his delighted hearers conscious of his belief that
the Irish Church was a sacred portion of the con-
' stitution. He told them, in conclusion, that "the
" words which you hear from me, are spoken from
" my mouth, but they proceed from my heart."
The contrast between such an answer as this and
that which her MAJESTY gave on Thursday,
strikingly marks the progress we have made in
constitutional government. It is another proof of
the prevalence of the modern maxim that the So-
VIREIGX is never to act unless in accordance with
the formal advice of a responsible Minister. Mr.
DISRAELI is a daring innovator, but even he would
not venture to remain in office if the Head of the
State were to act as WILLIAM IV. did when that
thorough patriot, EARL GREY, adorned the office
he now fills. Perhaps, too, the long and conso-
latory statement which the Irish bishops listened
to with delight 34 years ago is the last which they
will ever hear from the Crown. Her MAJESTY
told them a wholesome truth when she said that
Parliament would doubtless "adopt such mea-
" sures as shall be at once just and conducive to
" the maintenance of true religion among my
" people." This is infinitely more becoming an
English Sovereign than associating the mainte-
nance of the Church in Ireland with the perma-
nence of the dynasty founded in 1688. We aceept,
it as a happy augury of the proceedings now begun
in Parliament for the overthrow of the Irish
Church Establishment which the "glorious revo-
" lution " contributed to render more galling than
it previously had been to the unfortunate people of
Ireland.

ON the meeting of the House of Commons on
Monday afternoon, Mr. DISRAELI will move that
the orders of the day be postponed until after the
notice of motion relative to the appointment of a
select committee to consider the boundaries of cer-
tain boroughs. The committee will consist of five
members. The names selected, and which will be
submitted to the House by the Home
SECRETARY, are those of Mr. WALPOLE, Fir WIL-
LIAM STIRLING-MAXWELL, Mr. WHITBREAD,
Mr. AUSTIN BRUCE, and Mr. KIRKMAN HODGSON,
two Conservatives and three Liberals. The com-
mittee, it is proposed by the Government, shall
report on the boundaries of the following boroughs,
as laid down by the Boundary Commissioners :
Birkenhead, Birmingham, Bolton le Moors, Bristol,
Cheltenham, Cheater. Derby, Gateshead, Glouces-
ter, Greenwich, Hastings, Lambeth, Liver-
pool, Manchester, Marylebone, Newport (Isle
of Wight), Newport (Monmouthshire), North.'
ampton, Nottingham, Oldham, Portsmouth,
Preston, Reading, Salisbury, South Shields, War-
wick, Wigan, Windsor, Chelsea and Kensington,
Darlington, Middlesborough, and Stalybridgo.
All petitions presented to the house relative to
these boroughs are to be referred to the committee,
who are to be empowered to receive and call for
maps, memorials, reports, papers, and records,
and to confer with the Boundary Commissioners
and those employed under them in their in-
quiries. The committee will sit from day to day.
Mr. NEATE intends to move that they be in-
structed to state in their report the principles by
which they have been guided, and the reasons for
their decision in each case, and Lord AMBERLEY
will endeavour to empower them to receive in evi-
dence any written statement that may be made by
a member representing any of the boroughs, or
the county in which such borough is situated, pro-
vided such statement has reference only to the
case of the particular constituency represented by
the member in question.

IF aught could excuse the unjustifiable pro-
ceedings of firebrand Protestant lecturers, it would
be the towering indiscretion of zealots on the other
side. Mr. ItEARDEN last night asked the SECRE-
TARY of STATE for the HomE DEPARTMENT
" whether it was his intention to introduce a bill
" this session for the purpose of preventing lectures
" upon the religious profession of faith of any of her
" MAJESTY'S subjects in any part of the United,
" Kingdom, except in churches and chapels
" licensed for that purpose, and during Divine
" service in such churches and chapels, without
" first submitting a copy of such lecture for the
" approval, revision, and consent of the SECRE-
" TART of STATE for the HOME DEPARTM ENT."
Mr. HARDY replied most properly, and we
cordially re-echo his " protest against adding
" to the duties of Secretary of State for the
" Home Department the approval or revision
"of lectures upon religious subjects." Such de-
plorable and disgraceful proceedings as have re-
cently taken place at Ashton and elsewhere, must
be dealt with by other means than this. To
forbid lectures because brawls follow in the wake
of one notorious lecturer—to train and dandle the
strong giant, Free Discussion, as if it were a
baby—to swathe, and bandage, and control, where
it is our glory to be free and unrestrained, would
be to re-cut Pnvzrives ears, to put DEFOE in the
pillory anew. Mr. Mrarnv and his friends are
excrescences on a vigorous trunk, and must be
treated to alteratives and remedies. If the exist-
ing laws are insufficient for the purpose they must
be amended ; and inciting to riot be placed on an
equal criminal footing with rioting itself. But if
the earnest Catholics are wise they will not ask us
to establish a system under which argument and
discussion are to be dealt in like wines and spirits,
only in licensed houses and after the sanction of
the authorities has been gained. Such proposi-
tions,l besides aggravating religious bigotry, are
likely[to alienate the sympathies of moderate and
thoughtful men. It is one thing to condemn
Mr. Meariry with his following, and another
to crave for a bureaucratic interference which
would be galling and unconstitutional, and we
have little fear of parliament confusing such oppo-
site ideas.

TEWMIONIAL TO DR. RICIi•BOSON, F.R.B. —A
meeting is announced for Wednesday, the 20th, at Willis's-
rooms, at half-pest two o'clock, for the purpose of present-
ing a testimonial to the above-named physician and
physiologist, subscribed to by over &00 medical men and
men of science in all parte of the world, and amounting
to the value of more than a thousand guineas. This re-
cognition is looked on in medical circles as one of which
there is no similar history. Joiner, it is true, received
two grants of larger value, but they were from the state.
and were given only after great contention ; in the present
case, althoufh the award is pecuniarily leas, the actual
vales of it is even greater, as it emanates solely from
men, every one of whom is, so to speak, a professional
judge of tree scientific worth. Mr. Paget, F.R.S., stir-
gem to her Majesty, will preside on the occasion of the
sweeentation.—ltodiaal Tinta and Oa :cite,