The Express.
London, England, 1850-02-01 00:00:00

OUTGOING MAILS.

The West India Mails, inchulteg Bermuda, Havana'',
Naomi, Horduras, New Orleans, and Mexico, and excluding
those for Madeira, St. Juan•de-Nicaragua, New Granada,
aad Peru,will be made up to-morrow morning, Feb. 2.
Tao mails for Modena, the Brazils, and Buenos Ayree,will
re mate up oa the evening of Ft b. 4.
The mails fcr Lisbaa, Spaia, and Gibraltar will be made
op on

Naafißee, to the Mediterranean, Egypt,
Ceylon, ladle, Hone Kong, dte., will be mule up on the
evening of Feb. 7.
The mails for British North America and the United
st ates will be made ep on the evening of F, b. 8.
'f.he mails lee Gibraltar, Malta, Gr.ece, the lonien Islands,
Egypt, Ceyloa, India, and China, via Sont.%amrdn, will
be made up on the morning of Feb. 20.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Den—littotant, Pt. 4to Afternoon, S O.:ea.
T, non .4.—mar, 3A 17,0 Aftenoos.

LONDON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1.

THE Speech with which the crown or its ministers
now open the parliamentary session, is often, as we
yesterday observed, a feeble and timid indication of
the intended policy of the government. Our con-
sciousness of this precludes the but too ready censure
which the perusal of such a royal speech as that
before us would provoke. Viewed in itself, as the
qe-all and the end-all of ministerial intentions,
with its promises strictly construed, we
should call it almost a finality speech,
notwithstanding Lord JOHN RessELL's recent and
happy disclaimer of the justice of that epithet. The
speech is more like the political testament of a de-
funct party than the programme which a hopeful
and vivacious body of statemen might be expected
to put forth. But remembering that in 1846
when Sir ROBERT PEEL had his ministerial speech,
announcing the total repeal of the corn laws, already
concocted, the royal speech contained but the most
vague indications of it, we are encouraged to hope
that the nullity of the speech from the throne in 1830
may lead to a similar contrast.
To one branch of policy, however, to one series of
measures, those which have opened and consolidated
free trade, ministers are not only determinately but
openly stanch. There is no paltering here, no am-
biguous expression ; and ministers deserve for this the
full credit which Mr. CounEN so lately allowed them,
although the startling coincidence of prosperity and
success in the results of each measures, as well as the
adhesion and support of all that is eminent or in-
telligent even amongst the tory party, left any falter-
ing on the part of the whige impossible.
We should, however, bear in mind that however
irrefragable the principles of free trade, they might
have been put in practice under circumstances more
trying, when the necessity of them was not so urgent,
and when the good malts were not so manifest. The
liberal party in the country, therefore, ought
not to grow supine by triumph, nor neglect
to secure the material rights and equality thus
obtained, by a proportionate possession of elec-
toral rights and political influence. Though beaten
in the field of argument, and overwhelmed by ad-
verse facts, the agricultural interest still retains its
mastery over the legislature, whenever it may think
the opportunity favourable for re-asserting that
mastery. And most assuredly, if something be not
done to apportion out political and electoral power to
the great body of the citizens and consumers equably,
there is no single right or advantage now enjoyed by
the people that may not again be ram imbed from
them in an hour of popular torpor and aristocratic
remotion.

Fortunately, these motives press strongly upon
ministers, as far as the sister kingdom is concerned ;
and not only these motives, but the stronger ones of
decorum and necessity. The electoral body in Ire-
land has literally died out, being starved or ejected.
When constitutional government is attacked as a
mockery by writers so powerffil as Mr. CAR-
LYLE, it is advisable not to allow it to be-
come quite a mockery, or to permit a whole
kingdom to sink into the condition of •

rotten borough. and that bworagh. too, is the peones.'
sioa of baekropt linellredism. TM question of the
Irish fraecbise has tine fared itself upon govern-
ment and parliament. That the necesii.ies thu, felt
with respect to Ireland are also urgent in England,
no seer man can doubt ; and we are confident that
if ministers shrink from dealing with them, it is more
in fear of the nose of Lords and the reectionists
than frcm any doubt of the advisability of
such measure. Indeed, the only question is
whether ministers and parliament will do justice to
what tioth must admit to be right, to be urgent, and
to be expedieet or whether they will leave to the
great National Bofors Association the task and the
honour of achieving. them. Mr. TEIFNELL'a WM-
nu nu fie the epee's, in the shape of notices of motion,
did not, we perceive, add much either to the know-
ledge or the hopes entertained on this subject.
The most unsatisfactory part of the speech is its
financial paracraph. I,ast year the aspect of
affairs" allowed her Majesty's government to make,
or rattier to promise in the speech ' large redue-
Coes." Surely the aspect of affairs was more mena-
cing at the commencement of 1849 than in that of
I°so. Even the mover of the protectionist amend-
ment concurred in this view of the case.
The question of financial economy is bound up
with the of colonial reform. Of this, however, we
have no inkling, save in the prosiest° to-introduce the
bid for the Australian constitution. Let us hope that
OR that occasion Lord GREY Will take the opportunity
of communicatieg to the country the row lights
which have broken in upon him on the subject of the
self-government and self-dependency, in financial
matters, of 'he colonies.
If we are discontented with ministers promising so
little in domestic c 'memo, we are, on the rotatory,
well pleased to find no promise at all on the
subject of foreign politics. For successive Teats
we have been promised the pacification of the Plate,
the independence of Crecow, and, last year, we were
induced to expect a " permanent settlement of the
affairs of Sicily." "Setement" these affairs have
had %kb a vengeance, though of its permanency
we that my little, except that the blood-thirsty
and brutal despotism which prevails in Sicily
is a permanent disgrace to this country.
We are most ready to give every credit
to the intentions of the whig government in
foreign affairs. But it is lainettable to reflect, that
wheuever we interfere in behalf of liberty, we infal-
libly end by prodecing. " arrangements' in favour of
despotism. Si was it in Portugal, so in Sicily, so in
Rome, North Italy ; and so we fear it will be the case
both in Schleswig and in Turley, where Col. HODGES
orders Danish solders to be at free quarters in the
one, whilst Kossetu nd his friends are doomed to
Asiatic imprisonment in the other. We shell, however,
min enjoy the opportunity of testing the liberal or
illiberal tendencies cf the government, when we see
them either adopting or repudiating the retrograde
and cruel acts of their pair of worthy governors—.
O'FESKALL std WARD.
Ireland is mentioned this year in a more solidi°.
tiny tone than has long been possible in a royal
speech. Pecuniary assistance or armed coercion
seeered the inevitable alternative which ministers as-
aually came forward with. This year " ceder"
reigns amongst the middle and lower classes of that
country ; thuugh beneath that order lie misery and
disorganization, to which ministers durst apply but
partial remedies.
fne pith and interest of the speech, however, lie in
the paragraph which records the complaints of the
landed interest, amidst the real prosperity of the rest
of the population.
The series of royal speeches since 1815, and even
before it, does indeed but contain alternate regrets and
congratulations of this kind; agricultural distress at
one time, manufacturing at another. Oar economical
system has been such, as that one appeared always to
be sacrificed to the other. Both were always in ex-
tremes, and always changing positions, varying fres
the hectic flush of fever to the pallor of exhaustion.
We do Dot believe that this will totally cease till both
Patients get rid of the physician, till the state ceases
to take oognommi of them, and until ministen and
royal speeches leave lanced and commercial interests
to take care of themselves without favour or inter-
forme&