NEWS QF THE WEEK.
THE Parliathent was prorogued on Thursday, with a Speech from the King, which bears a strong resemblance to those puffing an-
nouncements which theatrical managers are wont to make at the foot of -playbills, where every piece is declared to have been re- ceived with unbounded applause by crowded and fashionable au- diences. - But as it not unfrequently happens, that instead of being applauded, the plays have in fact been all but damned; so, many of the measures of the past session, which their authors, and the authors of the Royal Speeteksaffect to regard with infinite coinpla- eency, have in reality beenberely tolerAle in the eyes of the Bri- tish
public..
The recognition of the little Queen of Portugal came just -time tci enable Ministers to declare that something had been dosth -HI our Foreign politics. This solitary act is, we ate right glad to say, creditable to the Government and the .coantry ; and we -will. not abate its value one jot by coMplaining that it was not sooner performed. The antiquated plan of making foreign affairs take precedence of all others in the King's Speech, is still persevered in, notwithstanding its evident impropriety, • The Speech; then proceeds to inform the Parliament that the 'Bank Charter-has been renewed, on terms "which appear to be well calcu'ated to sustain public credit, and to 'Secure the useful- ness" of the Bank; This is the opinion of the managers behind, not that of the' audience before the curtain. The charter was renewed on terms which were positively scouted by Lord Ltirsit- Foot., and even by Mr. HERRIES, when the interests of the pub- lic were confided to their keeping. The bill, in fact,-was passed in pursuance of. a bargain made with a set of ,keen and continuo- Tank Direetors, by an unusually maladroit and inexperienced -Chancellor of the Exchequer ; and it was precisely such a bargain as Under those circumstances the public had a right to expect. vain did the most able-financiers implore delay : no—it was.abso- lutely necessary that the Banking interests, that the Currency. of -fie country, should be "settled;" and -this waythe bill was forced through Parliament. But are the.4e important matters settled ? No such thing; • the whole question relative to joint stock and country banking is to be reopened; and the legal teedsr clause was acceded toun the 'express conditions that it was open to -repeal or modification at any future period. The currency of the -country ean-hardly he ,said to have 'derived much security from -suclian arrangement. The East India Charter Bill next comes tinder review. This tneasureeoutairis so much of inbstintial good, that we are net disposed to recur to its numerous blemishes; which indeed would be going over ground that we have already completely trodden down. We trust that the'bill,' in the words'of the Speech, " wi.I prove to hive been wisely framed for the improvement and liappi-. tress of the natiVesef India, -whilst by the opening of the China trade a new field has been afforded for the activity and enterpt ise of British commerce."
Patens are sung `Upen the settlement of-the Slavery question "the deliberations of Parliament have been guided by the pas a- mount considerations of justice and humanity, and -the interests of the Colonial proprietors have not been .ovalooked." Indeed they have not! We have at least twenty MillioriS of reasons, and the.- continuance of a hurtful monopoly, as proofs of the truth of. this - latter assertion.. It is quite impossible at present' to say, with may confidences whether 'the EtnaneipationBill is a diScreet measure
.
or the It is an immensely hazardous experiment,- and one, which Miniaters:were compelled to make. Should it succeed, as every one must wish, the. Government cannot derive much credit- from its success; for they would greatly haste pre' ferred 'to let the: subject alone. On the other hand, should it fail, its failure ought not to be charged against Ministers; they did the best they could. In the meanwhile, e'however, we protest against its being counted. among those acts of the session upon the success of which they
have a right to plume themselves. • The demolition of the great measure of Law Reform, the
Local Courts Bill, is passed over without a word. It could not be converted into a theme for self-gratulation ; so, in accordance with the general scheme of the Speech, no allusion, is made to . it; while the minor reforms—the "creeping, inch-by-inch" , movements of the complaisant Chancellor—are set forth with due laud. They would have appeared to advantage as pendants of the great measure, but cut a meagre figure alone. We derive, • however, from the following passage, a strong hope that more ex- . tensive measures of Law reform are still in store for us. The King says- " I have caused a commission to be issued for digesting into one body the en- actments of the Criminal Law, and for inquiring how far, and by what means, : a similar process may be extended to the other branches of our jurisprudence.'" The reform of the Scotch Burghs, " upon sound principles, 1-.. and the prospective remodelling of English Corporations, force the next topic in this long-winded address. Here, as in the Law , reform, what has been done is a small matter; and measures of greater impo tance are spoken of in the future tease. The first, fatal, act of the session, is almost the last one alludecI7 to by the King, " Insubordination and violence, which prevailed to so alarming an extent in Ireland, have," we are informed, "been in great measure subdued ;" and this is attributed to the working of the Coercion Bill. This measure has unquestionably had the effect which its friends and foes both agreed in saying that it would have,—that of producing a temporary calm in the dis- turbed districts of Ireland. Similar measures - have been re- peate tried before, and With similar results. • Every. one :must the immediate pressures? ming Pirs.s. But, that the. utfe.rior consequences of 4.D50:;Aitinftr-sno sever and'exaspes rating a character would be highly dangerous, was admitted by Ministers. themselves, unless advantage were taken of-the interval of quiet which it produced, -to effect some great ancLnalpable goo* for the mass of the Irish nation. On the faitillthat some measure fully ans ering to this character would be carried speeaity through.: Parliament,.an unwilling assent was given to the Coercion Bills • And when the "healing measure" was first brought forward, it certainly wore the • aspect of an honest and efficient one. It abolished Vestry'Assessments, and reduced a number of Bishop- rics; but it is in vain to deny that it was mainly acceptable be- cause it recognized the grand principle, that after providing for the due maintenauce of the Established Church, the surplus of clerical property should be applied to secular or national purposes _ —to purposes from which Catholics as well as Protestants might- deri% e a benefit. It s melancholy- to think how this principle was subSequently abandoned by Ministers. Their dereliction of it was ' tsited, as it deserved to be, with instant loss of credit. With an allusion to the benefits expected from the operation of the Irish Jury Bills, which we hope may be fully realized, and an ex pressios of his determination to preserve the Union inviolate, his Majesty-closes his enumeration of the acts of the session. ' -
From the remarks which we have made upon the various topics •: of the Speech, it will be seen. that we do not think that. the Exe- entire has much reason to boast of the results of the Parliamentary labours during the last six mouths. Ministers, indeed, are full of set losont placeney ; but persons with inconvenient memories remind. them of the loss of the Local Courts Bill, the Jewish Relief Bill, and the measure for the repeal of the hateful Foreign Enlistment • Act. They ask what has become of the English Church Reform and Tithe Commutation Bills, upon the faith 'of which Ministers_
ew so hugely upon the support of Parliament? These measures have been cushioned—some of them with the connivance of Minis- ters; while these of -an arbitrary character were enacted by vast • majorit es. Bills confirmatory of monopolies, which even the Tories ' considered to have outlived their day, have been also triumph- antly carried: but most of those measures upon which the People - had net their lierists,—the shortening of Parliaments, the abolition,. of Sinecure, the repeal, • or at all events the fair apportionment of the Assessed Taxes. the d.sframihisement.of corrupt boroughs told' voters, and other:: of less moment,—have been either con-, temptuously rejected, or put off tea more convenient season.
