CHARACTER OF THE OPPOSITION PARTY.
IT is well to observe the extreme anxiety et the Tories to wash themselves clean of that nasty mess in which they have been rolling with hoggish delight for the last few weeks. The Times swears that none of the dirt of the foul NORTON plot attaches to him. Ile says—" We should have felt ourselves disgraced, had we ever liven the remotest cause to our enemies to taunt us with using a single word expressive of satisfaction that Lord MEL- BOURNE should have been subjected to a trial, of which the result might be to ruin him as a politician, through the medium of an attack upon his morality in private life. To such ungenerous and unmanly warfare, this journal has never lent itself. We defy the grossest slanderer of the press or of the party, to say that we ever exhibited the slightest wish to encourage, or push on to extre- mities, the case referred to ; that we ever anticipated from it the shadow of a triumph in favour of anybody, or at the expense of anybody ; that, in fact, we ever once alluded to it until all the rest of the world were engrossed with it, when we spoke of it with temper and with grave regret.--This is a literal quotation from the Times of Friday. The Times insists that it never attempted, in any, the slightest degree, to give a political complexion to this trial. Yes, the Times; which in a political leader confidently at- tributed the length of the Whitsuntide recess to the en►barrass- ments of Ministers, arising from NORTON'S action against Lord MELBOURNE; which in another political leader, directed against the subscription for Mr. O'CONNELL, proposed a subscription by certain ladies to defray the damages which, it was assumed, might be awarded to NORTON; which first printed, which invented, and scarcely passed a day without repeating, the term "Grim-Con-hell CuAinet,—a term which not only connected the case with politics, but took for granted, as if it were a matter about which there could be no doubt, that the verdict would be against Lord MELBOURNE. Surely, the Irish expression, "mighty great liar," is not too strong for this case. The Standard also endeavours tocant itself clean of any participation in the political NORTON con- spiracy. The HAMILTON of this Tory plot has not yet vowed that he had no part in it : but the Times declares that that "strong Conservative Lord" had as little part in the plot. as the Tunes itself ! Well, every thiug in these day s, caveat Reform, goes at railroad speed; and there seems ira t ea mu1 why progress in the art of lying should be another (twee:ion (lean the general rule. However, there is sonic shame Vt. in the would. As the assassins tare missed their blow, it is bet aural that they should eagerly deny ever having used the daeeer. All that has happcued was lo. foretold by the Spertator.
We always said, that when the ell 1. t :11111 can out, the real vic- tim of this Tory plot would he Note , Intaself—the RAPHAEL of Ibis affair. But, however alike ill ie• t there is one groat difference between the two caae. •, ea conspiracy had
but a single victim : here there are , ' , t to a ife and children, as well es the pour tool of a husl.e ed. '1 •: Hs.) was plainly fore-
to;d, when we pointed out to the T. i, y. ueltv as well as the inefficacy or their political attack oil Lie! i Li ate el " morality in private lift.'' But uo: as they e.:ol l ma ont vote the Liberal Pi tallier, they would have a stab at him, suffer who might. De- spair of returning to power has driven them lead. They are run-
ning a muck against all that hounnealtha manly, and tenterans in society. If they should tell. it their edject by sneh wicked awl reckless means, they mac ha reqterly called " the Malay Ministry." It is the fa hion kat Ii m t c ek, uicknames ; and we really want a word to exrress the iledoes desperation, and cruel, malignant, assasain-like characier or the ;:arty tiow in Opposition.