The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-03-04 00:00:00

TICE COUNCTir ON TUESDAY.

[PROId TtE mice.]
A CEMINBT Council, war-held on Tuesday afternoon, at'
the Foreign-office, Downing-strOet. Fourteen of the Ministere
were present.
Lord P:tx.mriasrolg briefly explained his reason for wishing
this Council to be held. It was that height assure himself
that every Member of the 6binet fully understood the
principle-upon which it would ice. faure• be necessary to card
on the business of the country, so- far as- legislation was coil'
curned. Hebei] given his best consideration to the subject,
and had maturely, and he would add affectionately —(a laugh)
—weighed the powers and capabilities of those with whom he
had the honour to be associated. Ii announcing the con-
victionthat further experiments in 'legislation must be dl-
- he hoped that he shouid%receive credit for doing
what was• best for those whom he saw around him. In a
word, they were-not up to their worTa.
The Loan Cittuczown quite comprehended the Premier.
On the- previous night the President of- the Council had been
desired to-apologise for the Parke blunder; and to promise to
do what was fitting. That course was. exceedingly unkind to
himself, and he felt that he ought to have been supported.
Lord GiANVILLS was sure that he had supported his Noble
and Learned Friend in a remarkable. manner. When In
(Lord Granville) came to read the amount of wisdom he bad
poured forth 'upon a subject of which ha really.. knew nothing,
he was quite astonished.
The Duke of AroaTlzhad also been astnnished to hear the
Noble President say so much. It was aIP wrong,. certainly
but it showed, his desire to be useful. He(the Duke) would
take that opportunity of asking whether th&,Cabinet did not
think he had castigated the four Law Lords-in capital style,
answering their elaborate orations with the •intimation that
they were only. prompted by the jealousy of a batch of pro"
fessional adventurers:
Lord PALMERSTON, admitted that it was bead. Ile should
not liked to have said. it;. but some people might say anything
with impunity. He was anxious to correct- his Noble and
Learned Friend, the- Chancellor. His remarks were- by n°
means solely directed, at his Noble Friend, although, doubtless,
the Parke affair was one of the great messes. of the session.

The LORD CzntrucELL.oz weal' repeat thathe ought. to have
been stuck to.

Mr. Vnanoai•Smieux begged that the language used there
might be more refined. It was all very well.for the Haase of
Lords, where people •talked about " rows," and .quoted vulgat
proverbs, bat he lmd been accustomed to genteel society.
Sir GEORGSGuErIoped that the Chancellor was not going
to be childish. He was mortified at his failure, and naturally
so, for it was a very signal and disgraceful one; but the well
of the Calefiet wasnot to be sacrificed to atrolotiet.
Lord PALMERSTON- said the conciliatory speech of tit!
Home Secretarye-(laughter)—explained his, meaning,. and
left nothing to be desired. To-night he was going to throw"
over another experiment. (Sensation.) Yes; the bill which
their friend the Irish Solicitor-General called. the Loofa Jews-
The Duke of ARGYLL was not surprised. The advocacy to
which the measure had been committed was deplorable. ,
Lord PALMEzslox • said that it was nolhingof
and, considering that Robert Lowe knew nothing of the clue!'
tion until he got-.it up for the debate, he had ,been.descetuf
dashing. He defied the noble duke himself to have been
more courageous, • But audacity would not. do by itself. It
would be dangerous to confront the opposWen the- measure
had called out, unless- they had other and betterchampiont
And he begged to signify Wall and each of his friends-around
him that no oneanust be astonished or offeadeei at any, grails:,
fate overtaking any measure he might, iriiife in charge.
was contrary to his opinion that any bilis-114, been broughtin at all. They- were a war ministry,p4 while there vie;
war, they had an excuse for neglecting everything else. Anu•
a man who had a good excuse was an ass far-not using it.,
Sir GEORGE. Gass was no amateur legislator, and detested
the making ach; of parliament for doing what ought to be
left to official responsibility. The premier's remarks; there'
fore, did not affect him. But he confessed .that; of all the
cabinets with which he had been associated, .this one• bad die-
tinguished itself, .most by abnegating ono- duty. supposed t°
belong to the executive—that of initiating.reforms.
Lord PALMERZT.ON begged the Home Secretary, not to niis;
state the case. They initiated lots of reforms, aud he had Ile"
the least objection. to- everybody -as- many as be
pleased. But he,would have no government questions, If the
bills could be• carried, bon. If not, so mach the worse for se
objectionable- bill.
Sir GROHS& GREY might acquiesce in a,leurse which neces'
sity seemed to dictate, but it certainty looked quintesseutialtf
cowardly,
Mr. Lanouoll,Eßl3 agreed with his friend,. but eometiruel
apparent cowardice involved the highest moral courage. The
were convinced, that their retention of office was a nations
necessity ; and he saw a noble fearlesaness in their hesitating
to accept no humiliation that might enable them to persevere
in the diseltarge of their duty. (Hear; hear.)
The Duke of ARGYLL had heard those sentiments at many er
their meetings. The argument was infelicitously put, but the
conclusion was practically, if not logically defensible. But he
should certainly not take the trouble •to attempt legislation,
unless he were to receive support, especially as anytaing
might briugiorward would be—he said it without a partieP
of vanity,--that which a government ought to pride itself on
producing.
Lord PALMBESTON was unfortunate in annoying his
friends,, as he seemed to have done in several instanceo,,
but a little anger there was better than a good deal of 04"
warduess elsewhere.
Sir Cua,ax,ns Woo) was not going to be personal, but f 144.
he had been a good deal laughed% at, he should like to ask, 11l
all good humour, who it was that first decided that the nevi
Crimean Commission must sit with closed doors, and then
deeidod that it was as absoluttly necessary that the sitting('
should be public.
Lord PARMIIRE thought that he had suffered enough freT
mistakes—he would not say whose—in that business, to alle
him to ask that the subject be dropped.
Lord PALMERLTON said there was no need for socene6•4;
The• change was only another proof of the willingness of Ile
Majesty's Ministers to do whatever was agreeable to anybodi"
A door must be open or shut, as the French proverb said,
Sir CHARLES WOOD wished to ask when a door was. note
door. (Impatient sensation.) Well, he would give notice
the question for their next meeting.
Lord GRANVILLE concluded that they had accomplished tb:
object of their assembling. There could be no doubt 05
the Cabinet was in rather an awkward position—somethiei
like that of the king that reigned, but did uat govern-'bi
then, as reigning would do for them, why—
Lord PALMERSTON : Vice la Reins !

THE Nsw Loiar.—A bill for raising £5,000,000 by WaY Of
,4
annuities, now before the Commons' House, enacts that evel
contributor of £lOO shall be entitled to £lll 2s. 2d. in the
per Cent. Consols. The conti ibutors who have already depes%i
io per centum on the sums by them subscribed are to pay
remainder by instalments as follows—viz., £lO per cent. oto
the 3rd of March, £25 per cent. on the 13th of March, of
per cent. on the 29th March, £l5 per cent. on the 10ti!,0
April, and the remaining £l5 per cent. on or before the 10,
of April next ensuing. Guardians may subscribe for infallo
The dividend on the stock will be three per cent. en
annuity of £lll 2s. 2d., to commence on the sth of JanOt'i,
1856, and to be payable half-yearly. Contributors tusqbe
cipate payment of their instalments, but no discount 01,1,0 t
allowed thereon. Subscriptions paid in part only, and lot
cnipleted, will be forfeited. The Bank is to be allowed £500,.,e.
every £1,000,000 of the said loan for the expenses of mall" t•
ment, equivalent to the rate of ls. per cent. The 3 per cc
annuities are to be added to the joint stock of Consols. Ai
sinking fund will be formed for the extinction of this Pt; 0
debt until, by means of a yearly payment of £250,000, a fled,
of £5,555,416 13s. 4d. of the funded debt has been callee.br
A second bill, just issued, provides for the funding of V,f'ded
quer-bills to the amount of £3,000,000, the terms alL°'or
being £lll 2s. 2d. in Consols for every. £lOO of Exchet Pt, of
bills. Interest on the bills will be allowed from the dtoir
the same up to the days on which they are deposited. "iti;
scribers may pay money instead of Exchequer-bills by gl
r-arnium of ss. per cent. on the money paid.