The Press.
London, England, 1855-02-03 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

are told every day that it is oar blessed lot to live in an age
of progress, and yet we have this confession in our purer
days of morality that the noble lord the late President of
the Council goes to the Prime Minister and tells him that,
in consequence of " antiquated imbecility," as the noble
lord opposite (Palmerston) might say,but in zonsequence of
incapability and incompetence on the part of a Minister of
War at the present moment—in consequence of that
Minister not being " the active spirit of the whole machine,"
he (the Lord President) proposes that one Secretary of
State shouldbe dismissed, and another colleague, the right
hnn. member for Wilts (Mr. S. Herbert), should be super-
seded altogether.
To make the matter complete, it was the very Minis-
ter on whose behalf all this disturbance had been
made who had to rise, and, with Spartan fortitude,
administer a rebuke to the disinterested conspirator
who had thus sacrificed himself on the altar of friend-
ship. Lord Palmerston was shocked at the indiscre-
tion of his colleague, but he forgot how short a time
since he had been guilty of almost the same act, only
different because unaccompanied by an equally can-
did explanation. Lard John Russell had broken up
the Cabinet in consequence of his opinion of the in-
competence of a man to whose appointment he had
made no objection because it gave him an opportu-
nity of saving the balance of power, in introducing
into the colonies a supporter of his side. He con-
cluded with the following pointed observations :

I have no confidence whatever in the existing Govern-
ment. I told them a year ago, when taunted for not
asking the House of Commons to ratify that opinion of
mine, that as they had no confidence in each other a vote
of want of confidence was superfluous. I ask the House
of Commons to decide if twelve months have not proved
that I was right in that assumption. What confidence has
the noble lord the late President of the Council in the
Minister for War? What confidence have this variety of
Ministers in each other's councils? They stand before
us confessedly as men who have not that union of feelings
and of sympathy necessary to enable them successfully to
conduct public affairs. The late President of the Council,
in scattering some compliments among the colleagues he
was quitting, dilated upon the patience and ability with
which the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs had con-
ducted the duties of his department. I am not here to
question those valuable qualities or that patience, but I
say that all the patience and all the ability with which the
Earl of Clarendon may have administered are completely
lost by scenes like this, and when the Ministers of this
country have themselves revealed their weakness to foreign
Courts all the ability and patience of that statesman cannot
make up for the weakness which is known to prevail in
the councils of England. At all times such a circumstance
must be injurious, but at the present moment it may be
more than injurious. If this be the case—if we are called
upon to decide whether the House of Commons has confi-
dence in the Ministry, when the debate is commenced by
the secession of the most eminent member of the Govern-
ment—when affairs are in a calamitous state, and when
we are told by the late Lord President that the conduct of
the war is intrusted to a Minister who he thinks is un-
equal to the task—l ask the country—l ask the Ministers
themselves, whether they can complain that a member of
the Opposition should give his vote according to the belief
which he entertains that the affairs of the country are in-
trusted to a deplorable Administration?
Lord Joint RUSSELL only rose to repel a personal
imputation made by the last speaker. If the right
hon. gentleman, when he said that in the last
century his conduct would have been called a profli-
gate intrigue, meant that in those days such a
vituperative epithet might have been applied to him,
it was likely enough; but if he meant that a true
character would have been implied in the name, he
most solemnly denied the imputation. He entered
into the circumstance of his resignation, said that
the whole truth had not been told, but that it would
be inconvenient to state what passed between Cabinet
Ministers. What he had said last year respecting
the Duke of Newcastle had been stated to that
Minister, who had stated that he was ready to concur in
any arrangement for the public service. Had his
suggestion been adopted at the time when no popular
cry had been raised against the duke, it would have
been a simple interchange of office, and could not in
any way be characterised as a "profligate innigue."
Lord PALMERSTON was quite willing to admit that
the entire Government was responsible for the acts
of its War Department, and that no one member of
the Government could be fairly singled out for indi-
vidual reprobation. The Duke of Newcastle had been
unfairly dealt with ; the time would come when he
would have justice done him. The Government had
been taxed as a Coalition Government; no doubt its
members had not all belonged always to the same
party, but in their deliberations they had never re
membered to what party they had originally belonged,
and had no greater difference than might be expected
when several men deliver opinions on one subject.
In the present state of politics a Government could
not be forthed from a single party. As for the con •
duct of the war, it was a fair subject for discussion
if properly introduced ; but the present motion
established a dangerous precedent, pei ilous, if carried
out, disappointing to the nation if allowed to drop,
inconvenient at home, and dishonourable abroad. A
direct vote of want of confidence would be a far more
manly and constitutional proceeding. Whatever
discussion and dissension had taken place, he trusted

SATURDAY,

they would be confined to the present Government ;
that the future Government will not present to Eu-
rope the most lamentable spectacle of a country
interrupted by paltry political squabbles in a great
national undertaking, but that Parliament, following
the example of the nation it represents, will be
unanimous in its determination that the war shall be
carried on with vigour and energy. As the nation is
deeply convinced of the justice of the war, and firmly
calls for that war not to be concluded without such a
termination as will secure future safety against the
recurrenle of those dangers to avert which we have
been driven to take up arms, he trusted that when
this house has said what Government it will have—
when this house shall have given its confidence to
any set of men who may be intrusted hereafter with
the conduct of public affairs, it will give its hearty
support to that Government to enable it to carry out
the wishes and determination of the nation—that it
will not. show to Europe that a constitutional Go•
vernment is less able to conduct its affairs than an
arbitrary despotism.
Mr. MUNTZ could not expect anything from a
Ministry in the state of helplessness and inefficiency
in which he saw the present. It was useless to look
to the past, and all they had to do was to provide
better for the future.
After Mr. HORSMAN had said a few words amidst
great impatience,
Mr. DUNCOMBE begged to ask the proposer of the
motion if he was in earnest, and really intended to
nominate the committee if he obtained the vote for it?
This was a duty the house owed to the country, and
he hoped it would not disgrace itself by voting a
sham.
Mr. ROEBUCK said he was perfectly in earnest, and,
if the house granted the committee, pledged himself
fairly to carry it out. He reviewed briefly the objec-
tions to his motion. It had been said that the vote
would paralyse the Government. Paralyse them!
Why, they had acted under a continued paralysis.
They were condemned by their own statements, and
were unable to make use of the habits of industry
and action which formed a part of the qualities of the
nation. The Ministry had failed the people ; in
quiry was in their hands, and if they refused it they
were answerable for any further disaster that would
befall the country. The army was melting away,
and it would be too late to inquire when there was
nothing left.
The house divided:—
t ..,( 305
Against l4B

Majority
The announcement was received with emotion, but
in silence.

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT.
The House of Commons on Thursday evening was
quite full and extremely animated, when Lord PAL-
NERsToN ruse to make formally that communication
which would have been made on Tuesday, but for the
accidental circumstance that the House of Lords was
not sitting ; and to state that in consequence of what
passed on Monday the Government had placed their
resignation in the hands of her Majesty, who had gra-
ciously accepted it. Under these circumstances the
house would feel that the ordinary business could
not po-sibly be proceeded with, and he begged to
move that it adjourn till to-morrow, not longer, be-
cause the honourable and gallant member for Nest-
minster will take his seat to-morrow, and the house
could not delay their formal recognition of his ser-
vices. There was, in addition, the arrangement be-
tween this country and the United States in respect
to the fisheries, and it would be a convenience to the
public service if the bill for those purposes could be
passed. He proposed the sitting to-morrow for that
purpose only, on the understanding that no other
business would be brought forward.
Some formal business was transacted, anal the
house adjourned at a quarter to five, after a few
words from Lord EaßinoToN, who could not allow
the house to separate without expressing his wish
that some allusion had been made to the formation
of a new Ministry in the present crisis, and for that
reason was glad that the house had not adjourned
over the next day.
RESIGNATION OF MINISTERS.

On Thursday the bar of the House of Lords and
the members' and strangers' galleries were crowded
to bear the expected statement of Lord Aberdeen.
The house itself was for the occasion very mode
rately attended. The front Opposition bench was
filled early; the Ministerial was for some time
vacant. Lord Aberdeen entered about a quarter-
past five, and received an ultra cordial shake of the
hand from some members of the house who were
willing to exhibit their sympathies with a fallen
Minister.

........,_
After some minutes' delay, Lord ABERDEEN rose
and announced his resignation as follows :

My lords, after the vote of the House of Commons on
Monday night, your lordships will readily imagine thtt
her Majesty's Ministers at once resolved to place their