The Express.
London, England, 1868-02-25 00:00:00

IRISH AFFAIRS.

Criticising the debate in the House of Lords last
night, provoked by Lord Clanricarde's bill, and by the
bill for the further suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act,
the Tinto expresses its surprise that Lords Ellenborough
and Hardwick* should seem to have intimated that the
revonnes of the Irish church must he maintained intact
and the Roman estbolie clergy endowed on a similar scale.
)lee may discuss, with Lord Grey and Lord Rumen, the
propriety of distributing all the ecclesiastical revenues of
Ireland among the different religion bodies of the
island, or may argue, with Mr. Bright, in fa-
vour of reserving a certain moderate proportion of
existing endowments for each distribution, or may call
with bolder Reformers far the disendownieut of all nal
clout bodies, caving ve.ted interests, but those who re-
commend the endow meat of the Roman catholic church on
a male of equality with the English church in Ireland
must have disregarded altogether the current of modern
thought. The government might take heart, from the
tone of the debate, to produce a bold and statesmanlike
scheme to-night.
It is rem►rked by tho Daily News that if Lord Grey and
Lord Russell differ from Mr. Mill as to the fitting
remedy, they are at one with him as to the nature and
extent of the peril. Hie policy we know. The polity
of the government, if they have a policy, will be
disclosed thin evening. From the Home of Lord, we are
referred to the House of Commons; the Duke of Rich-
mond sends us to Lord Mayo. His grace's own state of
mind is frankly laid open :—" The noble earl, in his pun.
phlet, had laid down the dictum, ' let right be done t' but
the difficulty in the matter was to find out what was
right." This is not the language of political capacity;
but it is the language of personal modesty, and in the
absence of capacity modesty is laudatie.
The Standard takes refuge from the difficulties in the

recommendation of inquiry. An attempt to ascertain the
truth as to the condition and wishes of the Irish tenants
ought to satisfy Ireland that parliament really desires to
do it justice. Any other course can lead to nothing but
blunders and disasters.
The Star remarks that there are others besides the
ministry to whom the country looks for a declaration of
policy to-night, and that not Ireland alone, but England
and Scotland too, will be deeply disappointed if the op-
portunity be allowed to pass without some pledge which
the nation may accept as security for a pacified and pro-
sperous future.
After stating that a meeting of the liberal members was
held at Mr. Gladstone's house yesterday afternoon to con-
sider the situation, the Telegraph adds that while the
liberal party will offer no factious opposition to the
government, it will insist on knowing what the govern-
ment mean to do. The liberal party are fully aware of the
danger with which Ergland is menaced by the condition
of Ireland, and are quite prepared for thorough-going
measure.

MIL MILL
The disoovery of Mr. Speke is the subject of Dorm

in all the morning papers. Supposing the rev. podi-
um to be in possession of all his faeultice,andto hare eons-
mitts& this act with the deliberate resolatios of with-
drawing himself either for a time or permanently from
the society of all who knew him, it is difficult to imagine,
thinks the Timer, a more heeding and mischievous all.
Be bee levadd the mod Wawa disked ea his Midis.