Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1847-09-01 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

NEWS OF THE WEEK.  The occurrences of the past week like those of its predecessor, furnish few topics calculated to excite public interest or to throw light on ilk. tendencv of political movements. The elections no longer ply subjects for comment. The intentions of Ministers as to the measures of the next session ere as yet beyond the limits even of conjecture, surmises as to the numerical strength of the NIII/kly in the new Parliament. are set at rest bv the coinpletiun of the election returns tor the whole than. They establish the view a Melt we put l'ordi in the columns of the HERALD, on (he eve of the General Election, that the Ministry would On; cure a large majority. They prove, tio, on a hat slender grounds, more than one of the Metropolitan Ministerial Journals sang pans of triumph ovrr the vietory wind], as they confidently, anticipated would result to Lord John Russell's Ministry, from an appeal to the Country. They supply a lesson uf caution against over-confidence in ca leo lationsentered into under the influence of party predilections— and ties. To the cause ot political libeialism , these too sanguine estimates and announcenients—where the " wish is father to the thought," are in every way prejnilicial. They produce a false secority— and repress energies which would otherwise be called forth on behalf of the popular cause. The statements of the:relative strength of the three great sections into which political party is divided, assigns three hundred and thitty three members to the Liberals, two hundred and ten to the Protectionists, and one hundred and thirteen to the more Laver mi Conservatives, who are classed under the design'_ tion of Peel ites. It thus appears that over Lie united Conservative party, the; Ministry ha + a m.,joiity of ten only. Looking to the coinposAam of the Liberal party—considering that it numbors in its ranks a great proportion of eloquent an I ented as well as uncompromising advocates of progressive Libel-AlM—men for whom we have idedLei in their past history, that the' amil not barter prin. ciple fos power, or emnprotnise measures in order to find favour in the eyes of their opponents, men who would spurn the idea of office, on the degrading condition of holding it by permission from the "Tories," we by no means regard a small majority as an unmitigated evil. To a Minisrry with a majority of ten, a little Radical aid will prvbably be neither unprofitable nor unacceptable. As yet, however, it is a matter of conjecture, whether political strength will be sought in a coalition or in a decided coarse of popular measures.  It is rumoured in pulitical circles, that Lord John Russell will in the ensuing Session bring forward a scheme of National Education on the secular principle. The report recieves confirmation fmm the character of the Minutes of the Education Committee of 10111 July, to which we referred in a former number. We should rejoice if the rumour prove correct, not only as a favourable indication of the course of policy which the Ministry will adopt, bet as the only satisfactory solution of one of the moat important social problems. The weather luring the past week has been favourable to harvest operations. The reports of the yield" are highly satisfactory—and the produce of wheat is cepres.lited as being fully equal to that of average seasons, while barley and oats are described as very abundant crops.  Foreign intelligence represents the aff.iirs of Italy as rapidly approaching to a crisis. In France, the recent murder of the Duchess de ['milli], while it almost solely occupies the French journals, semis to have produced an impression on the public mind, by no means favourable to the existing state of things in that country. When an event which, in a national point of view, is of no importance, can thus affect the institutions of a great people—it is but the foreshadowing of their end.