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

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LONDON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3,1855.

POSTSCRIPT.

LORD DERBY AND LORD PALMERSTON.

As it is necessary to a proper understanding of the
political position at the present time that the circum-
stances connected with the unsuccessful attempt of
Lord DERBY to form an Administration should be
correctly stated, we publish the following facts,
which may be fully relied on :
On Tuesday night, at ten p.m., a royal messenger
came to Lord DERBY from the Queen, bearing a
despatch from her Majesty, fixing the hour of half-
past eleven on 'Wednesday morning for an interview
of his Lordship with the Queen at Buckingham
Palace. At the appointed hour his Lordship had an
interview with her Majesty, and being commissioned
to form a Ministry, he obtained the Queen's per-
mission to ask Lord PALMERSTON to join him. Her
Majesty sanctioned this arrangement, but we need
scarcely say that all those statements which have
appeared in some papers of the Queen having im
posed conditions on Lord DERBY that any persons
whatever should unite with him, are wholly false.
Lord DERBY immediately went to Lord PALMERSTON,
and received his assent to join on his own account,
but with this condition, that Mr. GLADSTONE and Mr.
HERBERT should join also. Lord DERBY assented, and
those Right Honourable Gentlemen were therefore
invited to take o ikie under Lord DERBY, but we
believe an intimation was expressed that Mr. GLAD-
STONE would not bold his late office as Chancellor of
the Exchequer. From his interview with Lord
PALMERSTON, Lord DERBY received an impression"
that the proposed arrangement would take effect,
and he waited on her Majesty to report what had
taken place. The Queen returned that afternoon to
Windsor. Late at night, Lord DERBY received
answers from Lord PALMERSTON, Mr. GLADSTONE,
and Mr. S. HERBERT, refusing to join Lord DERBY,
but promising their support to any Ministry which
he might form. This promise of support, however,
it is well known is of a purely formal character.
We believe that Lord PALMERSTON declined to join
on the ground that the support he might individually
be able to bring to a Government formed by Lord
DERBY would not he of any material service to it.
Lord DERBY, having seen Mr. DISRAELI, went to
Windsor on Thursday morning, and announced to
her Majesty as he stated in the House of Peers the
same evening, that he could not construct such a
Government as the necessities of her Mkjesty's
service required. But he intimated that, should
other combinations fail, he would place himself at
her Majesty's service, so that in no case need the
Queen fear that a Government would be wanting to
conduct the business of the country.

Foua of the officers of the lately formed Baggage
and Land Transport Corps have started for the East.
Colonel McMurdo and others will follow. Colonel
Napier is to remain at home, with a staff, to superin-
tend the recruiting and the formation of a depot at
'Woolwich.

1..1•••••-•••••

THE PRESS.

THE WAR.

Letters from the Crimea to the 20th inst. reached
London in the course of yesterday afternoon. They
report little progress in the siege operations, and re-
peat the often-told tale of suffering, sickness, and
loss among the British troops before Sebastopol.
The following are extracts from a letter of the above
date, written by the excellent correspondent of the
Morning Herald :
The enemy's garrison in Sebastopol has, daring the last
tws or three days, been showing frith in the lines in very
considerable strength. At first the demonstration excited
some slight uneasiness, as being considered the prelude to
a general sot tie upon the whole of the allied position, and
measures were accordingly taken to render it, like past
attempts of a similar nature, utterly abortive tand unsuc-
cessful. The enemy, however, showed no disposition to
quit their lines, and after remaining about the works two
or three hours gradually dispersed into the town. On
both the 17th and 18th their dispersal was much accele-
rated by the fire from the French mortars, which managed
to drop 10-inch and 13-inch shell wherever the enemy were
thickest.
Since the last post and until the 16th there has been
an intense frost, which, while it lasted, surpassed for its
severity anything we have yet felt. During the day the
thermometer seldom rose above Di deg., hut with the
night a keen wind swept over the snowy waste which froze
the very blood of those exposed to it. No terms I can
use would give even a faint idea of what the sufferings of
our troops have been and still are. Hundreds are frost-
bitten in the hands, feet, and face; the cholera is still
among them, and scurvy and dysentery spread more and
more each day. The men hove no fires, the miserable
stock of roots and shrubs which used to enable them to
get a warm drink are now quite exhausted, and no ma-
terials for firer; of any kind are to be found in camp. I
ant informed that for two whole days throughout the great
mass of our lines not a fire vas lit, though the mercury
then stood at nearly 20 deg. below freezing point. On
each of these days, as if in rockery of their Buffeting's,
the raw coffee beans were served out to the men as
usual.

The road which some time ago the French completed
for us. conjointly with the Turks, was begun too late.
The earth visa so soddened with rain and cut up by inces•
sant traffic that the stones thrown over the track have
settled iuto ruts and holes, and the path is now almost
wore than ever.
The Adelaide has arrived with the 82nd Regiment on
board. The 39th Regiment has left the Golden Fleece, and
taken up the quarters at the head of the harbour lately
occupied by the Itith Royal Irish. The Simla has
arrived with a number of horses. The Trent was at Con-
stantinople, and expected up here each day with 250 mules.
These animals are worth any money to us in our present
position.

Advices from Constantinople of the 22nd tilt.' state
that the English Consul at Trebizond bad obtained a pro-
clamation from the Oitoman Government abolishing the
traffic in slaves.
The Turkish police, with the authorisation of the
allied powers, had visited the dwellings of several Italian
refugees, and arrested those upon whom arms had been
found. Several French soldiets had been assassinated in
Galata.

The Baltic fleet are to assemble at Spithead the first
week in March. Instructions have been received at Elsi-
nore to have accurate returns prepared of the quantity
of coals and other stores pow deposited there, so that the
extent of further necessary supplies may be correctly as-
certained.
According to the Military Gazette of Vienna the Pied.
montese troops, under General Lamarmora, are to land at
Kaffa under the protection of the Black Sea fleet, when
the detachment will be reinforced by others from the
British and French armies.
The Turkish ambassador at Vienna has received fall
powers to assist at the conferences. Special plenipoten-
tiaries are expected, as well as the powers which the
Western powers are to give to their representatives.

A ukase has been issued by the Czar ordering the
issue of paper money redeemable by the State three years
after the conclusion of peace.
The Journal de St. Petersbourg announces that the Czar
has given 25,000 roubles to the officers of the Black Sea
fleet to repair the damage caused by the explosion of a bomb
in the library of the fleet at Sebastopol.

IN THE CASE OF MR. WM. HENRY BARBER, the
solicitor, Sir Fitzroy Kelly, on Wednesday, applied
to the Court of Queen's Bench to fix a day to hear
a motion for the renewal of his certificate, on the
ground of new and important evidence, upon which
the learned counsel observed he entertained a very
confident expectation that the application would be
successful. The court fixed the second day in next
term (Tuesday, April 17) to hear the motion.

A COMMUNICATION has been received by the City
Markets Improvement Committee from Lord Pal-
merston to the effect that his lordship disapproved
of some of the rules framed by the committee for
the regulation of the new market in Copenhagen-
fields, on the ground of their not being sufficiently
stringent, and further that his lordship approved of
Tuesday for holding the market instead of Monday,
as determined by the committee.

SATURDAY:

LAST NIGHT'S DEBATE.

HOUSE OF COIIIKONS.—I'a;DiT.
VOTE OF THANKS TO SIR DE LACY EVANS.
A very full house assembled, for the sole purpose of
thanking Sir De Lacy Evans for his gallant conduct in the
Crimea.
About half-past four the gallant general entered, and was
received with loud cheers, the house rising tt) receive him.
The SPILAKER, alter recitiag the paragraph of the com-
mon vote of thanks to the army relative to Sir lie Lacy
Evans, said, " It was with feelings of pride and satisfac-
tion that this house welcome the return of one who, at the
Alma, encountered and overcame almost insuperable diffi-
culties, whose energy and valour were conspicuous in the
conflict of the 26th of October, and who, on the heights
of lukermanu, displayed a dauntless courage, mingled
with a chivalrous generosity, when, rising from a bed of
sickness you carne to the assistance of the general in the
temporary command of your division, sharing the danger
and nobly declining the honour. Your conduct has been
marked by the highest honour the house has it in its power
to confer. I have now, at the command of the Commons
of England, to deliver you their thanks for your conduct
in the several actions in which the forces of the country
have been engaged."
Sir Di LACY EVANS appreciated deeply the honour con,
(erred upon him. There was nothingof which a Briton could
be more truly proud than the recognition of his services
by the representatives of his country. It was a novelty to
him to be thus received, for he certainly thought that he
had been as good an officer twenty years ago, and had
carried on more difficult operations with a more important
command, and, as he ventured to hope, with equal SUeeefiS.
He would especially tender his thanks to those opposed to
him in politics, for their concurrence in the presen; vote.
He must 41d that he should not have had the chance of
the high distinction now conferred on him but for the
gallantry of the second division under his command. He
must say on the subject, that he read the official statement
of Lord John Russel, with unfeigned astonishment, and
when he remembered that half of that division had perished
on the field, he should be wanting in his duty if he did
not place the matter on a better footing. Lord John
Russell evidently considered himself a better general than
Lord Raglan, for his description was totally at variance
with the despatches of the commander-in•chief. The
second division had been conspicuous in the three great
combats of the Alma, the 28th October, and Inkertnann,
and it was the only division present in all three, and de-
manded that notice from the Minister which it did not
obtain. He begged pardon for making these statements,
which he had been obliged to do. He would have wished
to nave added a few words on behalf of the gallant men
whom he had left on the scene of action, but he trusted
he should have an opportunity at, another time. He felt
deeply grateful for the honour conferred upon him, con-
vinced that such a reward, conferred on so humble an
individual as himself, would have its effect in animating
his fellow•subjects in the performance of their duties.
Lord Pitsienwros observed, that never was the Speaker
more faithfully the organ of public opinion than on the
present occasion. He moved that the eloquent anti
feeling address of the Speaker to the gallant general ought
to remain as a perpetual encouragement to his comrades
on the field of battle, and that the speech of the Speedier,
together with so much of the reply of the gallant general
as related to his acknowledgment of that speech, be en-
tered on the journal of the house.
Mr. Wstrout, cordially concurring in what had been
said, seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
The North American Fisheries Bill passed throne,
committee, and the house adjourned till Monday.