Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-04-23

re ON OUR LoND ON CORRESPONDENT.
LONDON, MARCH 81, 1858.

fROM OUR LONDONCO
NJ LONDON, MARCH 81, 1853
Sir FRANCIS PALdRAvE, in his History Of the
Anglo-Saxons draws the following distinction be-
Eeen the Wtana-gen,ot or Meeting of the Wise,
and the Mcelgetl.eat or "Great-thought'' of the
IAnvlo-Saxons on the one hand, and siau 1slTtld-
,ssest or a Tul of mare modern times, which Is not
VERY Hattering to the latter. He makes an Anglo
Saxon of the time of Edward the Confessor say
"You well know that our Wittena gemot (Meeting of
the Wse) present well deserves its name Our Redes-
men or Counseors the members of the Legislature, pom
der much before they come together say te and write
less All the dooms statutes which have been enacted
snce the days of King Ehebert would not fill fourand-
twenty leaves of common sized missal Hence our com
mon people helaws and respect them and what is
f much greater Importance they respect the makers
Long may they continue to deserve respect But am not
Without apprehensions for the future We are strangely
ond of novelty 8. / hear that, amongst the
French they designate such legislative assemblies as
urs by the Of 'coUoquum, as we should say,
talk which they render in their corrupted romance
hrgon by the word Parlent and should our HittenG-
emo Mcetgehea, ever cease to be Meeting q me
Use or Great thought, and become Pdrlement or Great
Talk it will be for England than If myriad Of
orhern pirates to the land from sea to sea-
sMark my words, if our Witan ever enters into
ng debates most to the State must
Inevitably ensue; they will begin by contradichng one
notaer, and end by contradicng themselves Constant
raising expectations which they can fulfil each
ary systematically conradicting and decryng the asser
ions and the acts of the other the Locmen and Churs
Who compose the great body of the people, will at last
ancy that the Wtan no wiser than the rest OF the
community. They will suppose that the art of govern
requires neither skill practices that it acces-
ble to the meanest capacity that it requires nothing
put Parlemet or Great Talk"
We greatly fear that the Parliament of England,
as well as some other Legislative Assemblies which
we could mention, too often more deserving the
little of g Great Talk" than that of Meeting OF
he Wise" or g Great Thought" but we are willing
10 hope that our present Parliament and enlightened,
LIBERAL and industrious Governmen-"c coalition and
mosaic though be- and its opponents bring greater
charge against twill ponder much and sag little" The
Ministry have already given "spice of their quality,
md decided majority of the House Of Commons appears
ving to second their efforts and forward the public
BUSINESS. The present session will doubt, pass great
md important of law reform "A very salutary
I'LL relative to ecclesiastical property will become law
Iunatc asylums will be judciously regulated. new
bill relative to divorces will be passed. The Canada
clergy bil and other Improvements in Colonial
law and legislation will be attended to- The bill relative
to the Jewish disabilities viii pass the Commons more de-
cisiyely than ever but we fear reception with the
Lords Many inconvenience relative to the custom
house regulations will be done away with. The shipping
interest will be relieved from many exactons
The property and income tax, if continued will be ma
teray and accepaby modified and although the budget
is vet in nu5us venture anticipate that desire to
equaize and reduce the public burdens far as prac-
cable will be its principal features To these if we add
decisive for the promotion of education and
iudcous modification of the convict system so far as re-
ates to transportation to the colonies we think we shall
have put together plenty of work for the session. and we
to predict that by far the greater part Of viii
be accomplished There also the affairs Of lndia and
the business connected with the late disclosures OF the
infamous proceedings at the last general elections some
thing decisive must be done relation to Parliamentary
reform or no respectable will in future connect him.
self in any way with greater part of the constituencies
An election has just been held at Blackburn, in Lanca
shire in which it was almost affair Of life and limb to
take any prominent part
Large masses the aborng community having come TO
the rational conclusion that in the present times, when
owing the great increase in the quantity OF money the
prices Of almost every article Of consumption has cons
deraby advanced that their wages should advance aso
have struck for increase of pay among others the
various officials and aborers at the railway stations at
Liverpool and elsewhere the coal miners Of the Glasgow
district and the ron-workers in parts Of Wales
The movement is rapidly spreading, not only among the
artisans, but among the rural laborers The Wiltshire
men are banding together in very peaceable but in
very determined and firm manner; and are the Berk
shire aborers The feeling that the laborcr is worthy of
his hire is not denied by any but the laborer him
self getting to be very generally Of the opinion that the
hire ought to be increased One good sign Of progress s
that strikes as they called which twenty years ago
would have been productive Of riot and disorder are now
conducted with order and quiet frmness The know
what they are about and many of them extremely
well-informed.
During the late Easter hoydays there has been COM
plete exodus out Of the country into London and an
,xodus out of London into the country Rural holyday
eekers have abandoned their quiet homes for days
rmo through the crowded streets Of London for coun
Fy people always look for the wonders and gaiees Of
London in the most densely y-thronged thoroughares
whilst tens Of thousands of the working have
tushed out Of town to the British Mons Sdcer"
free Hl, at Greenwch-with determination inverse
proporoned in intensity to the rarity Of the opportu
atty they have Of exercising it. to buy few hours of
,easure whatever cost We forced to admit that
n English particularly London hoyday partakes more
a II the nature Of saturnalia than relaxation This
rses however, from the seldom occurrence Of these
holvdays and from the Of rational recreation than
fom any thing inherent in the character OF the peope
But although TO large proportion Of the
che present mode Of passing it, instead Of refreshing them
from the abors Of the past tends rather to nerve and
incapactate them for the abors Of the future yet the
proportion of those who enjoy the Easter hoydays in
rational manner is rapidly increasing This is shown by
the annually enarging numbers Of the visers at the
British Museum and other public places, which are then
thrown open the public and by the increased interest