The Press. — London, England, 1858-05-22 00:00:00

. . 'Z /re C c . b • r LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 22, 1858. No. 204.—V0L. VI. STAMPED ....SIXPENCE. UNSTAMPED ..FIVEPENCE. THE BREAK-DOWN. THERE never was, we believe, so lamentable a failure as this of Mr. CARDWELL'S. For ten days past, prodigious has been the exultation of at the sure and signal defeat, the total and final expulsion, of the Administra tion of Lord DERBY. At the opening of the attack all their journals were certain of a majority of from 120 to 150. The resignation of Lord ELLENIIOIIOCGII rather damped their exultation, and they admitted that now the majority might be no greater than 80. Their defeat in the Lords still further quieted them, and a majority of 50 or 60 was now their calculation. But to this they adhered to the last. So recently as Thursday evening, six-and-thirty hours ago, the Globe wrote in this confident strain : " Some of our provincial contemporaries have been misled by the transparent tricks of the journals engaged to serve Ministers, and they talk of election movement as if a dissolution were imminent. No people are more convinced of the improbability of a dissolution than the Ministerial whips, because none have better rea son to know that the majority against them on Mr. CARDWELL'S resolution will be of a character to prevent so undesirable an event." This was based on Lord PALMF:RSTON'S advice to the Liberals at Cambridge-house :—" Make " the majority against the Government .co large " as to put a Dissolution out of the question." Meanwhile, however, as the discussion went on, the strength of the Cambridge-house con federates melted away. Their newspapers kept up the delusion to the last; but all well-in formed persons knew that the Government was gaining strength day by day and hour by hour. On Monday last it was ascertained that a majority was safe for the Government, though perhaps only of five or ten votes. On Wednes day it had risen to twenty-five. On Thursday it wag still higher; but on Friday the Palmers tonians ran in all directions like sheep. We heard one of them declare that although he himself was pledged to vote for Mr. CARDWELL'S motion, he knew of a dozen men who had changed their minds since nine o'clock that morning ! We feel assured that had a division taken place, the majority for the Government would have exceeded 100. Ministers were sure of 310 votes on Wednesday ; but they would have had 350 last night, while the Palmers tanians would have scarcely amounted to 250. It WWI a consciousness of this rapid scattering of his forces which induced the originator of the whole movement--the man who had himself put forward Mr. CARDWMLL-110W to beat a retreat, and to recommend his trusty friend to withdraw his motion. This defeat, for the ambitious Viscount, is a fearful one. But for the Conservative cause it is almost too signal and too rapid. We know that the most experienced men in the Government LATEST EDITION. have been looking forward to a small adverse majority with hope, for, said they, "We shall " never have a better question to dissolve upon." The public feeling was everywhere rising against the " Confiscation Policy." A large meet ing was held in Birmingham Town-hall on Wed nesday, at which Lord CANNING'S Proclamation was condemned, and Lord ELLEsoottot.on's Despatch approved. Petitions in the same strain were also beginning to pour in. Five of the Metropolitan Members had declared for the Government. And last night the most popular Member for Westminster, Sir Dn LACY EvAss, gave notice that he would take an early opportu nity of proposing to the House plainly to condemn Lord CANNLNG'S Proclamation. An hour afterwards a trivial' circumstance helped to show the state of public feeling. When the House of Commons broke up, Mr. DISRAELI went, in the ordinary way, minster-hall, and stepped stantly he was recognised stood near, and, before he ears were greeted witl_ three the whole body of bystanders or spontaneous manifestation not been witnessed on that PEEL carried his famous rote dence," and broke up the MI Sr "FOND ANTIC IPATiatan UNMINDFUL of the old counsel, " . sell the "bear's skin until you had k'd Min," the eiktz favourite occupation of the foliation of Brookes's and the Reform Club, during the present week, has been that of " Caliatdalting . ." This has been entered upon with, tip greater zeal, inasmuch as it was allowed, (1111rin Minds, that " something new " must be prodead: Oven the Times admitted, in its paper of Tuesday . , that the late Ministry of Lord PALmmtsrom was " de " ficient in ability, largeness of view, and even po " pulaz sympathy. The majority of the Cabinet " were mediocrities The Whig connection " may well be dissolved for ever. It has done good "in its day, but that day is past. If there were " no alternative (but) between Lord DERBY and " another Whig clique, we might be content to " give his Lordship a further trial." The main drift of all this was, "the construe " tion of a Liberal Ministry on the broadest " basis." Now, if the Times forgets, is it possible for the public to forget, that this very experiment was tried just five years ago, and most signally failed? In January, 1853, a Cabinet accepted office which was declared to be resplendent in talent, consummate in experience and ability, and both Liberal and Conservative in the fullest meaning of the words. That Cabinet embraced, — The leading Whigs--LfaisnowN-E, Russet., GRANVILLE, CLARENDON, ARGYLL, and WOOD ; The leading Peelites--ABERDEEN, GLADSTONE' GRAHAM, NEWCASTLE, SIDNEY HERBERT, CARD WELL, CANNING ; A prominent Radical—Sir W. Motsswoßra ; and The man of all Cabinets—Lord PALMERSTON. Here was a Cabinet "on a broad basis" ; and a Cabinet which was said to be oppressed with even a superabundance of talent. How long did it last, and what was its fate ? It endured about two years, and perished in scorn and disgrace. It blundered in every conceivable way. It al lowed the country to drift into a war, merely for want of speaking two or three words of firmness at the right moment. Having got into a war, it blundered in the conduct of that war in the most inconceivable manner. When will Punch's de scription of " the Duke of Higgledy and Mr. Sidney Piggledy" be forgotten ? It then attempted peace, and blundered in that also. Lord JOHN RUSSELL went to Vienna, with his children and his nursery-maids, and when he came back, a round-robin was got up among his own Whig friends, to ask him to re sign, lest the odium of his doings should ruin the Ministry ! Such was the "Ministry on a broad basis"— the " Liberal Ministry"—the Ministry of men of talent and experience—of 1853. Will any man seriously propose that we should try that absurd experiment over again ? Well, the Aberdeen Cabinet failed. Lord DERBY was asked to take the Government, and he declined. Lord Joux RUSSELL had then the offer made to him. He "tried to, and couldn't." At last Lord PALMERSTOWS turn came. He made a Cabinet of Whig peers, Whig peers' sons, nephews, and sons-in-law. It was, as the Times now confesses, a Cabinet of mediocrities--s Cabinet, rather than return to which, we had better keep Lord DERBY ! Surely, when the Times itself admits this, the House of Commons, which exchanged Lord PaLmies DERBY, may well stand justified. for Lord But perhaps the Times neither means to revive .Lord ABERDEEN'S Cabinet, nor yet Lord PAL autsufrotes ; but has some peculiar views of its own. It is impossible to clear one's mind of suspicions of this kind. It is impossible, when we remember that a hand which, three months ago, penned despatches, now pens leaders for the Times—it is impossible not to imagine that we even in one who Council-board, ever level. But let these am, other quarters, be " Independent Liberals undervalued, are believe that Mr. nate post, not deeming to the door of West- into a 'lrillticle. In- by the eipords that c could ditie, oc his ree 1ood;41 from lers ! ilolimaiodsoliden ion of sti rr iosa has spot • • T ate of " ... qi egad- felbourier I. detect aspirineoC &logy it e neither in Pklise,butt aver rose sK,:ivii-% Al e I • I unbitious ..• . • . I Ili gravely 1,1 ." sr' iberals " 40r , - 4 4 4 4.... not few iitm Not • . HoionsAN iirg- gming a seat outride the Cabinet