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unmeasured abuse from the Morning Chronicle and the Globe, down to the Manchester Guardian and a host of provincial whig journals, which, professing to love free trade very much, loved whiggism much more. In the Manchester Guardian, of the 2nd of January, I find the following passage, in reference to what is called the escapade at Walsall, and copy it as a specimen of the sort of stuff which, in all ages, men of mere expediency throw in the way of an assertion of principle:—

"Most of our readers are aware, that the town is blessed by the presence and the labours of a number of gentlemen who call themselves philosophical reformers, and who profess to regulate all their political conduct by a strict adherence to certain dogmas which they call principles, without paying the slightest regard to expediency, or accepting the slightest compromise with persons of different opinions. Now, all this sounds very fine in theory; but when reduced to practice, whether in politics or the ordinary business of life, it is not found to be a remarkably successful course of proceeding. It is undoubtedly true, that the nearest route from one place to another is by a straight line, but if a coachman, who regulated his conduct by principle and scorned expediency, were to endeavour to drive in a straight line from Manchester to London, his plan would end very much like most of the schemes of our political philosophers; he would either upset the coach, or stick fast in a ditch, before he had completed half a mile of his journey."

The obvious object of all this was to create a schism in the League, now beginning to exercise a power which might be very dangerous to men in office, to whom "certain dogmas called principles" are not often acceptable. If a portion of that body could be induced to declare for ministers and their "moderate" fixed duty, while another portion called "impracticables" demanded total repeal, the Association would be broken up or rendered powerless. The League, however, adhered to its declared constitution and justified the proceedings of its deputation to Walsall. On the 4th January Mr. John Ballantyne, its secretary, was directed to write to the Morning Chronicle, that in putting to Mr. Lyttelton the test of immediate repeal, "the Council had but fulfilled