ese　sublime　establishments　in　Downing　Street　and　the　neighborhood；　the　esoteric　mysteries　of　which　are　indeed　still　held　sacred　by　the　initiated；　but　believed　by　the　world　to　be　mere　Dalai…Lama　pills；　manufactured　let　not　refined　lips　hint　how；　and　quite　_un_salvatory　to　mankind。　　Every　one　may　remark　what　a　hope　animates　the　eyes　of　any　circle；　when　it　is　reported　or　even　confidently　asserted；　that　Sir　Robert　Peel　has　in　his　mind　privately　resolved　to　go；　one　day；　into　that　stable　of　King　Augeas；　which　appalls　human　hearts；　so　rich　is　it；　high…piled　with　the　droppings　of　two　hundred　years；　and　Hercules…like　to　load　a　thousand　night…wagons　from　it；　and　turn　running　water　into　it；　and　swash　and　shovel　at　it；　and　never　leave　it　till　the　antique　pavement；　and　real　basis　of　the　matter；　show　itself　clean　again！　　In　any　intelligent　circle　such　a　rumor；　like　the　first　break　of　day　to　men　in　darkness；　enlightens　all　eyes；　and　each　says　devoutly；　〃_Faxitis_；　O　ye　righteous　Powers　that　have　pity　on　us！　　All　England　grateful；　with　kindling　looks；　will　rise　in　the　rear　of　him；　and　from　its　deepest　heart　bid　him　good　speed！〃
  For　it　is　universally　felt　that　some　_esoteric_　man；　well　acquainted　with　the　mysteries　and　properties　good　and　evil　of　the　administrative　stable；　is　the　fittest　to　reform　it；　nay　can　alone　reform　it　otherwise　than　by　sheer　violence　and　destruction；　which　is　a　way　we　would　avoid；　that　in　fact　Sir　Robert　Peel　is；　at　present；　the　one　likely　or　possible　man　to　reform　it。　And　secondly　it　is　felt　that　〃reform〃　in　that　Downing…Street　department　of　affairs　is　precisely　the　reform　which　were　worth　all　others；　that　those　administrative　establishments　in　Downing　Street　are　really　the　Government　of　this　huge　ungoverned　Empire；　that　to　clean　out　the　dead　pedantries；　unveracities；　indolent　somnolent　impotences；　and　accumulated　dung…mountains　there；　is　the　beginning　of　all　practical　good　whatsoever。　　Yes；　get　down　once　again　to　the　actual　_pavement_　of　that；　ascertain　what　the　thing　is；　and　was　before　dung　accumulated　in　it；　and　what　it　should　and　may；　and　must；　for　the　life's　sake　of　this　Empire；　henceforth　become：　　here　clearly　lies　the　heart　of　the　whole　matter。　　Political　reform；　if　this　be　not　reformed；　is　naught　and　a　mere　mockery。
  What　England　wants；　and　will　require　to　have；　or　sink　in　nameless　anarchies；　is　not　a　Reformed　Parliament；　meaning　thereby　a　Parliament　elected　according　to　the　six　or　the　four　or　any　other　number　of　〃points〃　and　cunningly　devised　improvements　in　hustings　mechanism；　but　a　Reformed　Executive　or　Sovereign　Body　of　Rulers　and　Administrators；some　improved　method；　innumerable　improvements　in　our　poor　blind　methods；　of　getting　hold　of　these。　　Not　a　better　Talking…Apparatus；　the　best　conceivable　Talking…Apparatus　would　do　very　little　for　us　at　present；but　an　infinitely　better　Acting…Apparatus；　the　benefits　of　which　would　be　invaluable　now　and　henceforth。　　The　practical　question　puts　itself　with　ever…increasing　stringency　to　all　English　minds：　　Can　we；　by　no　industry；　energy；　utmost　expenditure　of　human　ingenuity；　and　passionate　invocation　of　the　Heavens　and　Earth；　get　to　attain　some　twelve　or　ten　or　six　men　to　manage　the　affairs　of　this　nation　in　Downing　Street　and　the　chief　posts　elsewhere；　who　are　abler　for　the　work　than　those　we　have　been　used　to；　this　long　while？　　For　it　is　really　a　heroic　work；　and　cannot　be　done　by　histrios；　and　dexterous　talkers　having　the　honor　to　be：　　it　is　a　heavy　and　appalling　work；　and；　at　the　starting　of　it　especially；　will　require　Herculean　men；　such　mountains　of　pedant　exuviae　and　obscene　owl…droppings　have　accumulated　in　those　regions；　long　the　habitation　of　doleful　creatures；　the　old　_pavements_；　the　natural　facts　and　real　essential　functions　of　those　establishments；　have　not　been　seen　by　eyes　for　these　two　hundred　years　last　past！　　Herculean　men　acquainted　with　the　virtues　of　running　water；　and　with　the　divine　necessity　of　getting　down　to　the　clear　pavements　and　old　veracities；　who　tremble　before　no　amount　of　pedant　exuviae；　no　loudest　shrieking　of　doleful　creatures；　who　tremble　only　to　live；　themselves；　like　inane　phantasms；　and　to　leave　their　life　as　a　paltry　_contribution_　to　the　guano　mountains；　and　not　as　a　divine　eternal　protest　against　them！
  These　are　the　kind　of　men　we　want；　these；　the　nearest　possible　approximation　to　these；　are　the　men　we　must　find　and　have；　or　go　bankrupt　altogether；　for　the　concern　as　it　is　will　evidently　not　hold　long　together。　How　true　is　this　of　Crabbe：　　〃Men　sit　in　Parliament　eighty…three　hours　per　week；　debating　about　many　things。　　Men　sit　in　Downing　Street；　doing　protocols；　Syrian　treaties；　Greek　questions；　Portuguese；　Spanish；　French；　Egyptian　and　AEthiopian　questions；　dexterously　writing　despatches；　and　having　the　honor　to　be。　　Not　a　question　of　them　is　at　all　pressing　in　comparison　with　the　English　question。　　Pacifico　the　miraculous　Gibraltar　Jew　has　been　hustled　by　some　populace　in　Greece：upon　him　let　the　British　Lion　drop；　very　rapidly　indeed；　a　constitutional　tear。　　Radetzky　is　said　to　be　advancing　upon　Milan；I　am　sorry　to　hear　it；　and　perhaps　it　does　deserve　a　despatch；　or　friendly　letter；　once　and　away：　　but　the　Irish　Giant；　named　of　Despair；　is　advancing　upon　London　itself；　laying　waste　all　English　cities；　towns　and　villages；　that　is　the　interesting　Government　despatch　of　the　day！　　I　notice　him　in　Piccadilly；　blue…visaged；　thatched　in　rags；　a　blue　child　on　each　arm；　hunger…driven；　wide…mouthed；　seeking　whom　he　may　devour：　　he；　missioned　by　the　just　Heavens；　too　truly　and　too　sadly　their　'divine　missionary'　come　at　last　in　this　authoritative　manner；　will　throw　us　all　into　Doubting　Castle；　I　perceive！　　That　is　the　phenomenon　worth　protocolling　about；　and　writing　despatches　upon；　and　thinking　of　with　all　one's　faculty　day　and　night；　if　one　wishes　to　have　the　honor　to　beanything　but　a　Phantasm　Governor　of　England　just　now！　　I　entreat　your　Lordship's　all　but　undivided　attention　to　that　Domestic　Irish　Giant；　named　of　Despair；　for　a　great　many　years　to　come。　　Prophecy　of　him　there　has　long　been；　but　now　by　the　rot　of　the　potato　（blessed　be　the　just　gods；　who　send　us　either　swift　death　or　some　beginning　of　cure　at　last！）；　he　is　here　in　person；　and　there　is　no　denying　him；　or　disregarding　him　any　more；　and　woe　to　the　public　watchman　that　ignores　him；　and　sees　Pacifico　the　Gibraltar　Jew　instead！〃
  What　these　strange　Entities　in　Downing　Street　intrinsically　are；　who　made　them；　why　they　were　made；　how　they　do　their　function；　and　what　their　function；　so　huge　in　appearance；　may　in　net…result　amount　to；is　probably　known　to　no　mortal。　　The　unofficial　mind　passes　by　in　dark　wonder；　not　pretending　to　know。　　The　official　mind　must　not　blab；the　official　mind；　restricted　to　its　own　square　foot　of　territory　in　the　vast　labyrinth；　is　probably　itself　dark；　and　unable　to　blab。　　We　see　the　outcome；　the　mechanism　we　do　not　see。　　How　the　tailors　clip　and　sew；　in　that　sublime　sweating　establishment　of　theirs；　we　know　not：　　that　the　coat　they　bring　us　out　is　the　sorrowfulest　fantastic　mockery　of　a　coat；　a　mere　intricate　artistic　network　of　traditions　and　formalities；　an　embroiled　reticulation　made　of　web…listings　and　superannuated　thrums　and　tatters；　endurable　to　no　grown　Nation　as　a　coat；　is　mournfully　clear！
  Two　kinds　of　fundamental　error　are　supposable　in　such　a　set　of　Offices；　these　two；　acting　and　reacting；　are　the　vice　of　all　inefficient　Offices　whatever。_First_；　that　the　work；　such　as　it　may　be；　is　ill　done　in　these　establishments。　　That　it　is　delayed；　neglected；　slurred　over；　committed　to　hands　that　cannot　do　it　well；　that；　in　a　word；　the　questions　sent　thither　are　not　wisely　handled；　but　unwisely；　not　decided　truly　and　rapidly；　but　with　delays　and　wrong　at　last：　　which　is　the　principal　character；　and　the　infallible　result；　of　an　insufficient　Intellect　being　set　to　decide　them。　Or　_second_；　what　is　still　fataler；　the　work　done　there　may　itself　be　quite　the　wrong　kind　of　work。　　Not　the　kind　of　supervision　and　direction　which　Colonies；　and　other　such　interests；　Home　or　Foreign；　do　by　the　nature　of　them　require　from　the　Central　Government；　not　that；　but　a　quite　other　kind！　The　Sotomayor　correspondence；　for　example；　is　considered　by　many　persons　not　to　be　mismanaged　merely；　but　to　be　a　thing　which　should　never　have　been　managed　at　all；　a　quite　superfluous　concern；　which　and　the　like　of　which　the　British　Government　has　almost　no　call　to　get　into；　at　this　new　epoch　of　time。　　And　not　Sotomayor　only；　nor　Sapienza　only；　in　regard　to　that　Foreign　Office；　but　innumerable　other　things；　if　our　witty　friend　of　the　〃live　coal〃　have　reason　in　him！　　Of　the　Colonial　Office；　too；　it　is　urged　that　the　questions　they　decide　and　operate　upon　are；　in　very　great　part；　questions　which　they　never　should　have　meddled　with；　but　almost　all　of　which　should　have　been　decided　in　the　Colonies　themselves；Mother　Country　or　Colonial　Office　reserving　its　energy　for　a　quite　other　class　of　objects；　which　are　terribly　neglected　just　now。
  These　are　the　two　vices　that　beset　Government　Offices；　both　of　them　originating　in　insufficient　Intellect；that　sad　insufficiency　from　which；　directly　or　indirectly；　all　evil　whatsoever　springs！　　And　these　two　vices　act　and　react；　so　that　where　the　on