The Press.
London, England, 1855-02-10 00:00:00

office, as was best for the advantage of the Govern-
ment and the public.

THE CRISIS.

On Tuesday Mr. BENTINCK complained of the
disastrous state of public affairs arising out of the
actual delay in the formation of a Ministry. He
recapitulated the various ,attempt► that had been
made, and said that the difficulties arose from the
determination on the part of certain public men to
force a preponderance of their own party on the new
Government. After adverting to the risks incurred
by such a state of things, he trusted that an expres-
sion of opinion by the house would lead to the dis-
continuance of a delay so fatal in every respect.
Sir C. Woon referred to the experience of the older
members of the house to say if the course adopted
by the hon. member was not irregular and unprece-
dented. It was not now the time to ask for expla-
nation.

Mr. WHITESIDE hoped that the reasonable obser-
tions of the hon. member (Mr. Bentinck) might be
taken as intended to accelerate a settlement which
seemed never likely to be effected without the inter-
position of the house.
Mr. F. SCOTT begged the house to express an
opinion on the present crisis, observing, however,
that the country had gone on just as well for the past
week without a Government as it had for the last
two years with one. He trusted some expression of
opinion would be made on the conduct of those
public men who were opposing their personal interest
to the welfare of the country.
Mr. LABOUCHERE, admitting that the time might
arrive when it would be the duty of the house, by
an address to the Crown, to endeavour to put an end
to the present situation of affairs, deprecated desul-
tory conversations of this nature. If the house in-
terfered at all it should be regularly and with dig-
nity. The time, he believed, was not far off when
they would receive the necessary explanation from a
responsible Government.
Mr. MUSTS said that the people were kept waiting
while two or three aristocratic families were adjusting
their diffiwences. The people are beginning to in-
quire whether there were not men good enough to
govern the country as it had been governed for the
last thirty years, without entering into the charmed
circle of aristocratic relationship.
-Mr. MALINS said that it was a most disastrous
state of things that a body of men lit to govern them
was not to be found. He demanded why Mr. Roe-
buck did not appoint his committee, and made some
strictures on the conduct of the various members of
the late Ministry. He complained that the great
party by which he was surrounded had no voice in
the Government, which was in the hands of a small
section of thirty or forty persons, who stood between
two great parties.
Mr. J. WORTLEY appealed to the house to stop the
discussion at a time when Lord Palmerston was, he
fully believed, successful in forming a Government.
Mr. ROEBUCK rose to explain that the reason why
he delayed the formation of his committee was that
he wished to obtain the services of the leading mem-
bers of the house, and if he named any of them he
did not know but that they might be includet in the
new Ministry.
IllOn Thursday the crisis came to an end. Mr.
HAYTEH moved for new writs for Lord Palmerston
and Mr. Sidney Herbert, who had accepted new
office under the Crown.
THE EXPLANATIONS.

On Thursday Earl GRAMME, in moving the ad-
journment of the house till Friday next, explained
the position and intentions of the Ministry. After a
short reference to the past negotiations, in which he
said that the public men engaged in them showed
great self-abnegation and public spirit, he declared
that—
As to the principles that should govern the internal affairs
of the country, they were identical with those of the late
Government, which he believed had met with the general
approval of the nation. Whenever a reasonable opportunity
occurred for improvement in internal affairs, most assuredly
the Government would not neglect or disregard it.
But they felt that the paramount object to which the wis-
dom of Parliament and the energy of the Government
should be directed, was the vigorous and active prose-
cution of the great war in which the country was now
engaged.

He exhorted the country not to give way to feelings
of despondency, in which the army itself did not
share. Our resources were unlimited, and we had
already achieved more than we had done in any war
in an equal time. He had great hopes in our al •
liance, and, profiting by the lessons of experience,
the Government of Lord Palmerston would carry on
the war to the day, and not a day later, when a just
and honourable peace should have been obtained.
The Earl of DERRY then rose and said that it was
his duty to take advantage of the opportunity now
offered him of the course which he had felt it his
duty to pursue, and of the motives which had
actuated him. He began by referring to the conduct
of the great Conservative party towards the late
Government, which, in the face of the great disasters