The Express.
London, England, 1861-07-15 00:00:00

TO OUR RIADIRB.

81.01tTING LNIIMLIGENCF.

A late edition of the IS-rprua is published every
evening during the racing season, containing the
results of the day's race&

Fon the honour of Parliament, it is well that the
present Session draws near its close. We have
seldom seen its like before, and it is to be hoped
we shall never look upon its like again. The last
exploit of Lord DRAWN House of Commons is
the pausing, by a majority of two to one, a Bill to
enable certain electors of the upper classes to vote
in future for members of Parliament by proxy !
We cannot •order if an exclamation of incredu-
lity should escape the reader at these words ; nor
•hall we to►e it amiss if at tint view they seem
somewhat to strain the license of critical exaggera-
tion. We heartily wish they did ; and that it
was not our duty to record, in the twenty-eighth
year of a so-called reformed Parliament, the feet,
that a Bill has been read • third time by a ma-
jority of lfiu t..) 80 votes, enabling a certain
limited su.d privileged portion of the electoral
body to nominate persons of their own class
to hold their proxies and to vote for them at
contested elections. It cannot be said that this
violation of all constitutional principle and prece-
dent has been done without thought and conside-
ration. It has been done deliberately, after re-
peated discussions, in spite of the remonstrance of

the leading members of the Government, and by
the sanction of numbers which, at the present ad-
vanced period of the Session, cannot be regarded
as inconsiderable. Nor can the perpetration of
this mischievous sad infatuated act be este•
nutted on the ground of party feeling. In the
majority are to be found the names of seventeen
or eighteen Whigs of the Bast:mon; Isamu', and
Gustoot school, upon whose aid the retrograde
spirit of Toryism knows that it can rely whenever
there is mischief to be done.

In the debate which took place some ten days
ago in Committee on the provisions of Mr. DOD-
11WeN Bill, a good deal of ingenious jugglery was
resorted to, to make it appear that no more was
asked for the convenience of University electors
than that they should have the privilege of re-
cording their suffrages by means of Voting Papers.
Opposed as we have ever been to the introduction
of that anti-popular method of voting, we should
have regretted the adoption of the measure had it
merely been confined to the lesser mischief of set-
ting • precedent in that direction. But the speech
of Mr. GiruhTONt on Friday night tore to shreds
the flimsy veil attempted to be thrown over the
worse innovation of Voting by Proxy at elections.
No unprejudiced man can read the exhaustive
argument of the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQIIIR
without being convinced that under this new-
fangled system every species of illegitimate influ-
ence may be exercised, and will certainly be tee-
tered. Headsof colleges--andMr.Otareirosa might
have added, heads of clerical factions--w ill aim at be-
coming the depositories of scores of suffrages, with
which they would be enabled to intrigue or traffic
on the eve of party contests for the representa-
tion of Universities, without the possibility of ex-
posure or redress. Nor is this all. The system,
however apparently guarded from abuse, will in-
evitably open a door to demure and dignified
frauds of infinite variety. A voting paper may,
accidentally of coarse, not be sent to au untrust-
worthy voter, or it may not be received in time by
some tievetiAl and excited partisan. Errors of
attestation will give rise to • whole crop of special
pleaders' points in the academic scrutiny that
must precede the summing up of conticting suf-
frages; and as even a doctor of divinity at • dis-
tance may, in the course of public discussion pre-
vious to an election, waver from his first intention,
and at the last moment change his electoral mind,
opportunity must be left him of waking • rush
to the poll ere it closes, or telegraphing a counter-
mand of his first instructions. In the former case
be may, as Mr. OLanervsx showed, actually vote
personally against his own vote by proxy already
given ; in the latter ease, be may involuntarily help
to keep out the man he finally wished to bring in. It
is highly significant, moreover, that when the possi-
bility of such scandals and abuses was pointed out
by the eilaNcattoa of the Excusorian, no advo-
cate of this anti-liberal and anti constitutional

Bill ventured to express his disbelief •
thereof ;
and, as far as we can observe, no other notice
was taken of the objections save that con-
tained in the pitiful sneer that the ri3hthon. Member
for Oxford was nut very complimentary to his old
constituents. Strange to say, the Member
for East `'!llex let fall an imputation hardly
less diacri,Ltable to the favoured body whose
privileges he is so eager to extend. After reading
an electionee-ing notice from Sir STAFFORD NORTH-
cures backers at Balliol College, anticipating the
retirement of Mr. GLAuerows from Use represen-
tation of the University, Mr. Donning is reported
to have observed that the number of votes likely
to be °tiered at the contemplated election would,
to a great extent, have Fzen condi.ional upon
whether or not • sum deemed adequate for tr.-
yelling expenses under the present system bad
been uriered on behalf of the candidate.

100, Cum, it conies to this after all, that purity
and independence, and freedom from trickery and
fraud, aro ru.i the characteristic attributes that
elclusirily characterise the well-brod portion of
the electoral body ; and that, by the confession of
their own partkolar champions, and their own oft-
elected representatives, the cream of political so-

ciety is just as liable to the adultwmtion of dirty
and dangerous ingredient& as the industrial consti-
tuencies whom the present House of Commons
affects to treat with suspicion and scorn.

Amaitics continues to draw gold from us at the
rats usual for some time past. The total
sent thither since the 28th of November is now
8,320,00411. The pressure is the less felt here,
however, because it is to a considerable extent
compensated by the influx of gold from abroad, and
partly from the Continent. It must not be for-
gotten that the Continent, as well as this country,
owes money to America, now that the trans-
atlantic consumption of continental commodities is
checked. France, Germany, and other countries
accordingly discharge their debts to America
through England. A good deal of the gold received
from the Continent roaches us merely that we
may pass it on. Wu act as agents between
the debtor and the creditor. Some attention has
been directed lately to a slight rise in the Ameri-
can exchange ; but all the statistics of the trade of
America that have yet come under our notice tend
to show that a large balance remains due to her.
A recent statement of the exports of cotton from
American ports gives those to Great Britain as
follows :

Season I n 59-60
„ 1860-61

This statement shows that although the last
American cotton crop wee smaller than in the pre-
vious year, it has been hurried forward tots faster.
But thu New York statistics of the general course
of trade are conclusive. They show that America
is still importing little and exporting much. The
latest figures in our possession state the imports
into New York for a single week as follows :
1859
1560
11111
From the commencement of the year, the ag-
gregate import figures are as follows:

IMO - 117,906,666 dais.
1800
1861
Whilst the imports have diminished thus largely,
the exports have greatly increased. For the week
they were:

- Me
1860
1881
And the aggregate export figures from the corn-
moment of the year stand as under :
1 IVO 28,M5,497 dolt.
1880 37,010,806 „
1861 57,911,490 „

Ai, therefore, the imports into New York since
Jan. 1 have been 35,048,722 dole. kai than in
the lame period of last year, and as the exports
have been 20,000,884 d 315. more than last year,
there is adifferenosof no less than 55,049,60 G dols.,
or about 11,000,0001. sterling in favour of Ame-
rica. This is in course of discharge in specie.