The Press.
London, England, 1858-03-06 00:00:00

LORD DERBY

IN THE

HOUSE OF LORDS,
MAItCH 1, 1858.

The Earl of DERBY rose and said:—

I hope, my lords, that in asking your permission on
Friday evening to postpone until this day the statement
which constitutional usage requires from those who fill the
situation in which I have now the honour to stand, I shall
not have been thought guilty of any disrespect to your
lordships. (Rear.) On the contrary, considering that
during the whole of last week I was engaged day and night
in making those personal arrangements which are neces-
sary on the formation of a new Government—a task which

I had not previously the slightest idea of being called on to
undertake—and that consequently I had not had a single
moment for reflection on any matter not immediately con-
nected with those personal arrangements; and consider-
ing, too, the great importance of the subject, I thought it
was more respectful to your lordships that, having only
just acceded to office, and having only departed from
the presence of her Majesty at half•past four o'clock, I
should not come down here at five o'clock to lay before
your lordships what must necessarily, under the circum-
stances, have been but a crude and imperfect statement.
(Bear, hear.)

Believe me, my lords—and I say it with all sincerity—l
address your lordships from this place on the present occa-
sion with no feeling of triumph or exultation. lam over-
whelmed with the sense of my own incompetency to per-
form duly the arduous task which lies before me. I am
overwhelmed with the sense of the magnitude of the diffi-
culties which I must encounter, and of the questions with
which I have to deal; bat my satisfaction, my consolation,
in feeling myself so unable to deal adequately with these
great questions is, that indulgence will be extended by
your lordships and by the country to one who, having been
called suddenly to office by the favour of his Sovereign,
has certainly sought for it by no unworthy means, and by
no underhand intrigues. (Loud cheers.)
Bence proceeding to enter upon public questions, I
believe it will be proper that I should remind your lord-
ships of the course of events which have placed me in my
present position. Your lordships will all remember that
last Friday se'nnight a vote of the House of Commons
taken in a fall house resulted in a majority of 19 against
the then Government upon a motion which, in point of
fact, involved a vote, if not of censure, at least of disap-
proval of the course which had been pursued by the Go-
vernment upon a matter of great importance. Into the
substance of that motion I will not at present enter, though
it will be my duty so to do before sitting down ; but I
rejoice to think, my lords, that, although that majority was
composed of parties certainly not usually in the habit of
acting together in concert, but entertaining different
opinions upon most subjects, I have not heard from any
quarter upon the present occasion any of those taunts of
combination and coalition which were so freely poured
forth upon a similar occasion last year. (Hear, hear.) For
myself, I mast confess that I never was taken more by
surprise than by the vote of Friday week, and for those
with whom I have the honour of acting I can only say
that there was not the smallest step taken fir the purpcse
even of securing attendance, or for inviting a eingle mem-
ber to remain in his place. (Hear, hear.) The Govern-
ment having been thns placed in a minority of 19 acted
in accordance with constitutional usage in at once tender-
ing their resignations to her Majesty, and her Majesty, as
I understand, at once accepted those resignations. I be-
lieve that the noble viscount lately at the head of the
Government was with her Majesty at five o'clock on the
Saturday, and in the course of that evening her Majesty
did me the honour of summoning me to her presence.
With her Majesty's gracious permission I will venture to
state what took place during that interview. Her Majesty
hiving been pleased to inform me that she had accepted
Vie resignation of her late servants called upon me for my
advice as to the course which she ought to pursue, and
asked me whether, looking to the circumstances of the
sue, 7 was willing to undertake the responsibility of' form-
ing an Administration. In reply to that gracious intima-
tion, I took the liberty of requesting her Majesty not to
press for an answer to her question on that day, andl then

Ili