The Express. — 1853-12-19 (London, England)

WARD. CANNING was criticised as a juvenile statesman ; and the then Lord Howtcx made the best speech that had yet been heard from him. These names are enough to.make any man serious; and the survivor of them all may well say, " Mcntem mortalia tangunt." Premature death, suicide, lunacy, and the wearing out of a political existence, longer or shorter, amidst conflicts and disappointments—these must be grave remembrances to the one who is still living and at work while the gram is long on so many graves. The whole career of CANNING, whom, foreign policy gave hope to freedom throughout the world, most be a deeply interesting contemplation to a penoaal friend who has had so mach longer a space anctlarger an opportunity for sarryingout s policy,and has not succeeded in doing so. Lord P•unitirrou entered upon office as linder-Secretary at War in that PERCEVAL ministry which CANNING WWI est enter, in 1809; and it was to second the essuegeset Address that "Young Pan" first rose to speak, in connexion with any government. Surely such facts as these should make Lord PALMERSTON feel that it is time for him to be staid, and wise, and consistent, according to his early promise, if he does not mean to end in the failure which his discrepancies have so often threatened.  By consistency we do not mean that he should not have progressed with the times, like his friend CANNING, and PEEL, and every other statesman who is worth anything. The consistency we want is between the avowed principle and the oonduct—between the speech and the act. Lord PALMERSTON was a member of that Ministry which CASTLEREAGH represented in 1816—that Ministry which betrayed the liberties of Sicily by breaking our pledges to support her ancient constitution, and incurred from MACKINTOSH, when the truth became known five years after, the reproach of plunging us in "perfidy and dishonour ;" yet we censure Lord PALmaarrox for inconsistency—not because he afterwards encouraged constitutional government in Spain, Portugal, and elsewhere, but because he failed to sustain the efforts he induced, and played into the hands of the despots while cheering on those whom despotism called rebels. In 1822, he was a colleague of the Minister who entered upon the amusement at Verona of parcelling out Europe for the convenience*: the sovereigns, who considered themselves a kind et planters on a large sale—proprietors of lands and people at once ; but we do not charge him with inconsistency, because in five or six years after he had become semi-liberal, with Lord DCOLET, MOSKISI SON, Lord Oterreloo, and other friends of eittetsti. Oa the contrary, the whole Liberal party in England were thankful ; and when, two years after, he became our Foreign Minister, there seemed every reason to hope that in the changes ushered in by the French Revolution of 1830, we should be able through him to secure the best and speediest peace by strengthening the cause of liberty from end to end of Europe. " The world war all before him where to choose" to apply the moral power of England, while his singular activity made us certain that our authority would be mighty for good or for evil. How has the expectation been fulfilled? How fares Constitutionalism in Spain? and how have we succeeded in securing the welfare of the young QVer.s, and the settlement of the royal line? How fares Coestitutiooalissa in Portugal, and how are we repaid by the blessinp of the Portuguese? How do the Greeks like Lord PALMERSTON ? and who is grateful to' him there except, perhaps, Don Foam() ? How did he manage the Boundary Question, and that of the Right of Search, and the Tahiti business, and the Opium quarrel ? Why was he three months before answering one urgent letter from China, and four months in answering another—so as to complicate the question, and enhance the miseries of the war in China? How fared the continent in 1848? In what state are the cities and people of Sicily, and of Naples, and of Lombardy, and of Hungary? Many fillipping letters of Lord PALNIEILSTON'A Can be produced from the bureaus of probably all thew countries: but what did he do, and let us do ? He laughs at the nonsense of charging him with being bribed by Russia; but it may possibly strike him that that nonsense could never have been uttered if he bad done either of two indispensable dui les —t brown open diplJ matic action to public observation, as is done in countries both more and less free than our own, or checked the course