The Express.
London, England, 1861-03-01 00:00:00

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LONDON, FRIDAY, MARCH 1.

Toe conflict between the French 13iehope and
the Emperor N A11,1.1:4 IX has broken out afresh,
with new and astoniahing violence. 'Nothing that
" the Reds" ever published in the crises of revo-
lutions was more reckless and passionate than is the
wenehmeet of the Bishop of Pornaas given in our
columns yesterday. The Bishop treads under foot
all the recognised laws of warfare, and attacks
the Eartaos personally with the weapons which
ecclesiastical jealousy knows so well bow
to pervert. The object of the Bishop, to
use his own words, is to nail the EMPEROR to
the pillory, and to do this be does not shrink from
comparing him to Potrrter PILATIP. His policy is
described in a sacred and terrible phrase as a
" mystery of iniquity ;" but the next moment it
Is represented as so obvious to criticism as to be
branded by the ridicule of all statesmen.
What is the meaning of all this blasphemous
tirade? !limply that the French Bishops fear that
the Byrom will not always be content to answer
for the arrests of ASTONELLI and the forays of
Mesons. The Bishop's own historical analogy
betrays him. PILATE, in the awful transaction
which the Bishop so irreverently drags into
the question, was at least the judge in the 11
cause, and " could have had no power at
" all exoept it had been given him from
" above." But Loris NseoLsox has no title
whatever to be the judge between the Pori and
Italy. He has kept a garrison at Rome these twelve
years to protect the Puns against his own subjects.
He is at Rome in no other character than as the
powerful friend of the Pori. He has done for
the Holy Father what no other sovereign either
would or could do, and done it at an immense sacri-
fice of credit. But all is forgotten by Ultra-
montane insolence. You can never count on the
gratitude of a spendthrift. It is in vain that you
have beggared your family, and plunged yourself
in difficulties : when the inevitable moment
comes, and you are compelled at length to
stay your hand, prepare to hear that not
the exasperated creditor, not the bailiff, but you—
false in your professions, obstinate in your plans,
mysterious in your iniquity—you are the author
of his ruin. This is the temper of the Bishop of
POITIERS.

The Government of the EMPEROR, it appears,
has resolved to bring this episcopal mandement
before the Council of State, which has jurisdiction
in such matters. It is alleged, that besides being
offensive to the EMPEROR, it " wantonly troubles
" the consciences of the citizens." According to
English notions the consciences of the citizens are
best loft to the enlightenment of discussion and the
assuring and confirming influence of the truth it
elicits. But every nation has ways of its own, and
it must be remembered that the Bishops are abus-
ing an influence which is essentially one of autho-
rity and not of persuasion. That they are acting
in concert is shown by the adhesion of ten of them
to the circular of the Bishop of OsLa•Na. For
the next few weeks their proceedings will repay
attention.

Twi posture of the Admiralty in the face of its
foes is that of the lamb which " licks the
" hand just raised to shed its blood." Sir
JAML, ELPHINRTUNS throws a delicate sauce of
personal flatteries over the palpitating victim
before he proceeds to cut it up. Nobody is to
blame ; "the System "is the sinner. The result
is that the Service is going to the dogs—ships and
men. This was the burden of the chorus last
night. Mr. LINIVIAY summarised the indictment
in a comprehensive count of increasing outlay
and decreasing efficiency. Mr. lIVIRY HAULM
interpreted the suspicious alacrity of the
Admiralty in granting a Committee as a
favourite dodges for amusing the House,
throwing a sop to public opinion out of door,
and making all snug at Whitehall for at least two
years to come. He asked how it was that Govern-
ment was not prepared to reconstruct the Ad-
miralty, if, as it appeared by the appointment of
the Committee, the necessity for reconstruction

was not denied. Sir J.tera ELPRIMITONE glanced l
at the Service in all its branches, executive and ad-
ministrative, afloat and ashore, and found all
rotten. Responsibility was nowhere, frivolous and
vexatious meddling everywhere. The right sort
of ships were constructed at the wrong time, and
the wrong sort of ships at all times. The construc-
tion of ships was devolved upon an officer whose
primary qualification was that he knew ab•
whitely nothing of ship-building, or that
he was well up in steam machinery, with
which the government dockyards have no onicern.
This was how in the Russian war we built a couple
of floating batteries, which were floundering in the'
Bayof Biscay like sheep in a ditch, long atter their
French originals had silenced the forts at Kin-
burn. This was how the Warrior stuck fast in the
contractors' yard until the Board had made up
their minds about the " drawings " and the plates.
This is how, as the Member for Portsmouth
phrased it, we went on building, in the SYMOSR.days,
ships without bottoms, and during the campaign in
the Baltic, mortar vessels without bows. This is
how we are always behindhand with our recon-
structions, and always throwing good money after
liad, in accumulating with reckless precipita-
tion whole dames of ships which are super-
seded almost before they are launched. This
le how our royal yards are ridiculously
mans and bow any additional accommoda-
tion is provided at a cost which would cover
ail the mercantile docks and basins in the
United Kingdom. Then I. to the personnel.
In a fit of panic three years ago we re-
sorted to the fatal bounty system, and by a reck-
less waste of public money we swept the scouring
of the ports into the fleet, and fatally debauched