The Express.
London, England, 1850-12-12 00:00:00

Vie eV/0,00.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
ASsousasosiatiera Orr "The Iblyres."Larlos Emig paw,
Emit ba at Use Oft% 10. llonalraine4 by No Viol es tie
dro et pablkwakm
MOH WATER AT LONDON DEMI.
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twalissow—lianita IL Oa Allsrasok IL Its.

LONDON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12.

Or the pablie men whose *pinkies tend to mould
or modify the national mind of England, there are
but few who have not given expreseion in some form
or other to their respective sentiments on the present
aspect of church affairs in connection with the state.
Every section has spokes through its leading repre-
leatatives—the whim; through the Prime Minister
seat Lord FinsetLite•—the philosophic radicals
through Mr. Heat and Mr. COBDEN—the protection-
ists through Mr. DISRAELI and Mr. Mties—the
Peelitee by the voice of Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT and
Lord Crlicaveree. There still remain a few paide
dans of mark, about whose dispositions in the cow
troreray a certain degree of doubt prevails;
ask d
these, the most remarkable, as the fates will have It,
are the two individuals who, not very long ago, sir
=limed themselves by heading a mutiny and deser-
tion formidable to the existence of their party, on
this very matter of church policy.
Lord STANLEY and Sir JAMES GRAHAM quitted the
whig cabinet in 1834 opn the question, then for the
first time raised. regarding the integrity of the esta-
blished church in Ireland. lo concession to catholic
feeling in that country, Lord JOHN RUaartt urged
upon the government of that day the propriety of
reducing the emoluments of that brat oh of the
general prreestant endowments of the empire, and
appropriating whatever might be deemed superfluous
to the purpose of educating the whole people. A
majority of Lord MELBOURNE'S cabinet con-
coned in the principle so laid down ' • but Lord
STANLEY and Sir Lona GRAHAM declared their
scruples of conecier ce on the point to be insuperable,
sod were followed in their consequent retirement from
office by the Doke of RICHMOND and Lord Rine.
The struggle that ensued is still fresh in popular recol-
lection. The church question became the touchstone
of pasty fidelity, and the test of party strength. For
sake of it the whigs were suddenly driven from
power at the close of 1834, and their rivals early is
18.35. FM sake of it Lord STANLEY and Sir JAMES
GRAHAM forsook the friends of their youth, and gat
them up into the heights of toryism, whore they dwelt
long years, and where his lordship is likely for the
residue of his days to dwell. We are not so sure
that the ambiguous baronet is quite so firmly
rooted in that uncongenial soil. We share hi
the suspicion entertained by in at persons who
have attentively observed him lately, that he
feels himself consigned to somethisg very like honour-
able exile among people whose sympethies he cannot
share, and whom ooufidence he has never possessed.
Not so the supercilious colleague whose fortunes he so
long followed. Lord STANLEY is at home in his posi-
tion as head of the learned ignorance, the unconscion-
able prejudice and high-born silliness of the realm.
He is ready to lead them in any crusade whereby their
passion. are to be gratified or their pockets filled, and
they are ready to follow him whithersoever he will.
Strange that two such men, at such a time, should
both continue dumb.
Their silence will hardly, however, be attri-
buted to any common cause. Respecting his
lordship little doubt is professed by those who are
supposed to know his feelings upon public matters
as to the mime he intends to follow. We
wholly disbelieve the idle rumour of his having ever
contemplated seriously the vain attempt to turn
the dissatisfaction of the catholics to account by
making a feint of sympathy for their position. Of
the catholic body three-fourths at least are Itch, and
that is enough for him. Even of the remainder, but
a handful belong to the only class in society aboutl
whom Lord STANLEY cares, and of these few nearly
all ere identified with the whiga. What could Lord
STANLEY hope from such allies? Of the catholics in
office not one either in England or Ireland has, we
believe, resigned in consequence of anything that hag
recently occurred, or that may be expected to occur;
and as for the farmers of Ireland, credulous as
they are sometimes asserted to be, we do not sup-
pose that half . dozen of them could be induced to
enlist under the Dever standard, though all
the recruiting powers of the Carlton were put in
requisition to persuade them that " protection rents"
are better than " tenant rights." A joke may be a
joke; but to accuse Lord STANLEY of double dealing
would be no joke, but a malicious imputation to which
we owa we could not bring ourselves to lend the
slightest sanction.
We incline rather to the belief of those who say
that the heir of KNOWSLEY looks with no ordinary
satisfaction on a movement in the public mind which he
hopes that he may turn to amount as a pretext for
further church extension. 04 this bead we would
otter a suggestion which, even though it emanates
from us, we trust his sporting lordship will see is
meant for his good, end that of those who are
usually nearest, and no doubt sometimes dearest also,
to him. If we are to have mare bishops,
why sot let Mr. HERMES, Mr. NawDEGATE,
and the Marquis of GRANBY be Specially appointed
toast in that spostolical capacity. I'M/ are serious
enough for any function; and aver, prevalent feeling
mists that us lay politicians they mistook their voca-
tion. Their speeches read very much like homilies,
and, omitting the statistics, which always seem out
of place es it is, they might possibly make very fair
armour. However that may be, it is certain that at
present their light is totally hid under the imperial
bushel, and that the sooner they are otherwise disposed
of the worse it will be for Sir CHARLES WOOD and
his colleagues, who are growing quite careless in their
manner of answering them.
What thoughts the Knight of Nerneeee revolves
in that curious head of his, in them days of reproach
and blasphemy—who knoweth
l'oseibly not even himself as yet,—finally. He has
seen both sides of the matter, and is now at full liberty
to choose impartially what course he will henceforth
pursue in these ecclesiastical quarrels. How comes it
to pass that one so wary and so wise has thus far
made no sign ? Does he meditate giving his powerful
aid to the minister or to the churchdominents, or to
those who look upon the conflict with indifference or
contempt ? The member for Ripon is as free as ISH-
MAEL, and seems to have a lurking wish to personate
on the political stage that somewhat onneighboorly
cheracter. His hand is in turn agaiest every man,
and every zaan's hand loin turn lifted up against him.
That paver of his see= always, however, se ten nil
arrows, and his aim la in general so sam that
every one somehow or other feels to • minim
degree uneasy until be has discharged his bow. To
the ultimate tome it may contribute little in malt,.
Bat what of that? The great art of modern stateanses.
ship seems to lie in trying to ascertain what is Weak
to be, and at the last moment affecting to detonable
it. The sagacious world for the moment gives the
docile follower of opinion the praise of guiding it;
and not until after the good or evil is long pest recall,
discovers how small a share of praise or Mime wee
really due to those who marched foremost in the
procession. But so it is; and rather as an index or a
finger-post men feel some curiosity to know what will
Sir JAIIZI I:3laalisat say of all this basinese 7

Two striking events, lately weaning or refined
to, anmoidably direct attention to the social and
olitieal resells which seem to attend not so much the
dogmas of Roman catholicism as its traditional spirit
and its modes of propagating and strengthening its
inflames.

One of these is the letter, mhiek_we pabliehed
yesterday, trom Mr. MOLTNIWI 1 ATLOL. Ws
were the first to complain at the grow injustice of this
we, in which we nnenfaily wed Dr. Wm.
Iwo, sum
,Bat, Gammas or lineman, it
is much the aufse, and as the former ie
dead, so doubt it is Cardinal Wyman, as
:ENtaut' et his Ghana in this episcopate,
crill woofed to the remedea and dmposal of
Mr. TATLOI% property. nit podiums, alter he
had pima theap sigh% To induced by his