The Press. — London, England, 1855-02-24 00:00:00

THE PRESS. Lord ABERDEEN : The expedition to the Crimea was a well-con sidered effort, conducted by the Government at home and the adminis tration abroad with the utmost prudence and circumspection , and, though unforeseen circumstances in some degree hindered its imme diate success, the wisdom of those who managed it will be ultimately and amply vindicated. Eh ? Mr. GLADSTONE : Very fluent and neat, indeed. Mr. S. HERBERT (seriously): And perfectly true. (Laughter.) Sir J. GRAHAM: Assured of its truth, I next address myself to the Duke of Newcastle. I beg to ask him whether the War Department did not do everything that was in its power for promoting the success of the expedition? Duke of NEWCASTLE : Not only everything in its power, but every thing that could be desired. Aud as for myself, I used to lay awake — Mr. GLADSTONE: Lie awake, when you write to your friends. Duke of NEWCASTLE : Very well, purist. I used to lie awake night after night, thinking as hard as I could — Sir J. GRAIIAM : All right. Addressing myself to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, I beg to ask him whether he thinks that the war was starved ? Mr. GLADSTONE : Decidedly not. The soldiers were, and the horses, but not the war. The financial arrangements devised by my self were of the most satisfactory character, and the estimates which I framed, though utterly falsified by events over which I had no control, were constructed upon the soundest and most defensible principles. Sir J. GRAHAM : I will now apply to Mr. Sidney Herbert, either for oonfirmation or contradiction of the statements of the other moiety of the War Department. Mr. S. HERBERT : All that a man could do was done by us. SATURDAY, Sir J. GRAHAM : In fact, you two men did one man's work ? Mr. S. HERBERT : No, no, I don't mean that. Sir J. GRAHAM : Very well—then you mean, I suppose, that you two men could not do one man's work between you. That is what Pam and the papers said. Mr. S. HERBERT : Do not be so needlessly smart, my dear First Lord. If saying sharp things would build gun-boats, perhaps Napier might—(Cries of " Order, order "). Well, he began. I meant to reply to his inquiry that the War Department discharged its duties in a most exemplary manner, and, whatever disasters may have occurred, arose from a dispensation of Providence, and not from any mismanage- ment by the authorities. Sir J. GRAHAM : And I can say the same for the Admiralty, with out troubling anybody to ask questions. Now, I think that if we meet, as soon as the house has accepted the plan, and do this sort of thing regularly and formally, and draw up a report, which of course will not indicate the parties who furnish the imformation, but will emanate from all us unitedly, the thing will be settled. Old Pam really deserves credit for the invention, and if he carries it—Come in 1 Enter, hastily, Mr. FREDERICK PEEL (dishevelled). ALL (start up) : Fred. Peel, in a hurry, and his hair out of order ! Then there is a row ! Mr. F. PEEL: Roebuck sticks to his committee, and Palmerston saps we must give way. Lord ABERDEEN : Ha! ha! ha! Duke of NEWCASTLE : Hee, hee, hee. Mr. GLADSTONE (incensed): You may laugh. Cantabit we have places to lose. Graham, a word. Sidney, come here. (Thep whhper. For the molt, see the papers on Saturday morning, Feb. 24.) But TO CORRESPONDENTS. - - - - - It is impossible to acknowledge the mass of letters we receive Their insertion is often delayed, owing to a press of matter and when omitted, it is frequently from reasons quite inde pendent of the merits of the communication. We cannot undertake to return communications of which we do not avail ourselves. Cemmunieations should always be legibly written, and on one side of the paper only. if long it increases the difficulty of finding space for them. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenticated by the !mule and address of the writer, not necessarily for publica tion, but as a guarantee of his good faith. Advertisements sent from the country must be accompanied by a remittance or a reference for payment in town. ytx 0 ruig. LONDON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1855. POSTSCRIPT. HOUSE OF LORDS.-FRIDAT. In reply to Lords Lyndhurst and Vivian, Lord PANNURE stated that a supply of summer clothing was being provided for the troops. Earl GRANVILLE made a statement respecting the blockade of the Russian ports, similar to that made by Sir J. Graham some days since in the Commons. Adjourned at quarter to six. HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY. The house presented a most animated appearance at the commencement of business. Great excite- ment prevailed during the interval between the ter mination of private business and five o'clock, at which time Lord Palmerston entered the house amid some cheers. The first order of the day, the Committee of Supply, having been put, Lord PALMERSTON moved that it be postponed till after the consideration of Mr. Roebuck's committee. Sir J. GRAHAM, who spoke from below the gang way, rose to explain his resignation. He had been prevented from taking part in the recent discussions. The motion which had been adopted by the house was now submitted to by the Government. He had no fault to find with the proposed members of the committee, but held all his objections to inquiry through such a tribunal. He argued at some length that it would be unjust to individuals, and injurious to the public service. He had from the beginning considered the vote as one of censure, and could not now regard it as anything else. He had hoped that the late Government changes, and the reforms al ready in progress, might have satisfied the house as an atonement for the past and a promise for the future. The house thought otherwise, and he could not himself accept its proceedings, which he thought unnecessary, unjust, and inexpedient. Among other causes of danger was that of the necessary connection of inquiry into our own proceedings with that of our ally, and thence questions might arise fraught with fatal consequences. He had always opposed the motion, hut his colleagues had abandoned their defence, spiked their guns, and run away. He be lieved that the present Cabinet had not the confi dence of the house more than had that of Lord Aberdeen, but declared that on all possible occasions he would render it his disinterested assistance. Mr. BRIGLIT argued from the critical crisis which paralysed and humiliated the country to the import ance of securing peace. Negotiations had been opened at Vienna, and he trusted that the Govern ment would let no feelings of vanity or ambition interfere with their efforts to terminate the war. He was encouraged by the presence of Lord John Russell at Vienna, who would scarcely have under taken a negotiation predestined to failure, and trusted that he would be able to conclude an armis tice as soon as the negotiations bad progressed to the proper point. He detailed the disasters already entailed on the country by the war, and promised Lord Palmerston his support as long as he evinced a sincere desire for peace. Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT explained his own retire ment from the Ministry partly on the same grounds as Sir J. Graham, and partly on grounds personal to himself. He was willing to submit everything be had said or written to the strictest scrutiny. But he believed that the committee, as a means of inquiring into the war, would be neither efficient nor constitu tional. The same feeling had been expressed by the Premier, who now waived his objections, but be (Mr. Herbert) could not follow him. Resolutions quite as strong had been rescinded before, and when the great need of the country was a strong Ministry, the Ministry succumbed with an injudicious, and he would say a needless weakness. His separation from his colleagues was a painful proceeding, adopted only under a paramount sense of duty. Mr. GABEELL considered that the Ministry in yield ing, had exercised a sound discretion. Mr. DRUMMOND thought that amid official squabbles the state of our army was forgotten. Lord SEYMOUR had consented to serve on the com mittee, but nevertheless retained strong objections to it. Mr. LOWE likewise objected to it, urging the danger of implicating our allies, and injuring individuals. Gen. PEEL would give the committee all the assist ance in his power, though he did not approve of it. Mr. SCOTT, on the contrary, highly approved of it. Mr. G. VERNON argued with some detail against the necessity for inquiry, and thought that the Ministry at home should not be blamed, and the general abroad should be supported. After a few words from Mr. PALK, Mr. LAING would support any Government which would act upon principles of obtaining an honourable peace. Sir J. PAKINOTON could not say, looking at the events of the Crimea, that there was no case for inquiry. He believed that the whole army there would ere long have perished, and that we had no means of recruiting our strength. Those we were now despatching there were not soldiers. With this state of things abroad, we had the intrigues of indi viduals, instead of united action at home. The state of public feeling was one of deep indignation, and he demanded the cause of these misfortunes. Attribut ing the state of the country to the late Ministry, he stigmatised Lords J. Russell and Palmerston as I first in fault. Mr. S. WORTLEY said that by this committee we were about to put on their trial men, who had devoted their lives to the country. Its object was to remove every man in high position in the army, condemning them in their absence. Mr. Wer.roLE said that inquiry into every branch of policy had been submitted to by successive Ministries. All inquiries were attended with incon venience, but there were times when they were un avoidable and they are forced upon us now by delibe• rate conviction on every mind that there was some thing wrong which we were bound to ascertain. He quoted the great precedents of inquiry after disaster. and pointed out their bearing on the present crisis. Mr. GLADSTONE would have rested satisfied with the statement of his two colleagues, but for the sur passing importance of the question. He referred to the past Ministerial transactions, explaining his own part in them, declaring that to that moment he was ignorant of the precise offer made to him by Lord Derby, and passed a most glowing eulogium on Lord Aberdeen. He defended his own secession by reading his own words on a former occasion against the committee. He protested that he was not an opponent of inquiry into the conduct of the Government, but of inquiry into the state of the army. Against inquiry directed against those in com• • mend in the Crimea at the present moment he entered his strongest protest. Lord PALMERSTON defended his own conduct. The country had taken up the vote of the House not in the sense of those who voted for it as a censure of the Government, but as an inquiry demanded by the crisis. The ()Pinion reacted on the House, and the new Ministers felt that they could not altogether resist it. He had hoped, atter his statement of his own reforms, changes, and inquiries, the House would have postponed its vote ; but he bad not ac cepted office intending to shrink from his duties on account of the persistence of the House. If the committee was inconvenient, much more so was the spectacle of a country without a Government in such arduous and delicate circumstances. He would not take upon himself to resist the unanimous opinion of the country. He professed his earnest ness and good faith in the pending negotiations for peace, and demanded its support of the house on a national question. Mr. DISRAELI said that it would have been conve nient if the Premier could have assured the house that there was any Government in existence. That gratifying information, if true, was withheld from them. Lord Derby had not found it impossible to form an Administration, but to form a strong Admi nistration. He did not know that the noble lord had formed one much stronger. He commented with great severity on the conduct and inconsistencies of Lord Palmerston, and then defended the appoint ment of the committee, quoting precedents in its favour, and adding that, if there had been none, a precedent should have been created under such grave and inexplicable circumstances. Sir G. GREY declared that the Government of Lord Palmerston was not founded on the principle of opposition to Mr. Roebuck's motion. The basis was a vigorous prosecution of the war. Mr. Mtarrz protested against arguing from pre cedent in a case without precedent. The committee was then appointed, and the house adjourned at a quarter past two. The general budget of receipts and expenditure for the year 1854 was presented on Thursday to the French Legislative Corps. It shows an excess of receipts of 4,640,480 f.