The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-06 00:00:00

MIN ISTERIAL STATEMENT.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said—
Sir, in consequence of a message which I have received
from my noble friend the Secretary of State for the
Home Department, I wish to propose to this house that
the orders of the day, with the exception of that relating
to the Fisheries (North America) Bill, should be read,
for the purpose of being postponed. My noble friend
has also, communicated to me that the same reasons that
induced the house on Friday last to waive all pro-
ceedings likely to lead to discussion are still in their
full force, and that is why I wish that the order should
be further postponed. The adjournment of the house
will take place as usual until to-at_orrow.
Lord EBRINGTON.—I Wish to ask the right bon.
gentleman whether by the stattmassitt. which has just
been made—namely, that the ' r6sions for postponing
public business continue in full force—ho intends to con-
vey to us the fact that no progress whatever has been
made towards the formation if a new Government t
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER.—Sir,
I have received no communication from say noble friend
on that subject. (A. laugh.)

The orders of the day, with the exception mentioned,
- were then read for the purpose of being postponed.
FISHERIES (NORTH AMERICA) BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
LORD JOHN RUSSELL'S EXPLANATION. 1
On the motion that the house do now adjourn,
Lord J. RUSSELL rose and said that he had been
very anxious that there should be no necessity ler
any further statement on his part with respect to
his resignation of the high office which he lately
had the hoaour to hold. He, therefore, in
the debate of Monday last, refrained from replying in
any way to the statement of his right hon. friend ;he
Chancellor of the Exchequer. Although none of these
statements were calculated to produce an effect injurious
to himself, and the only statement which he added to
the one which he had previously given related to the
correspondence which took place on the subject of
uniting the two offices of Secretary at War and the Se-
cretary of State for War, yet there had since appeared
a publication purporting to be the report of a
speech of the Duke of Newcastle, made elsewhere,
which he could not refrain from noticing without allow-
ing grave errors to .settle in the public mind. (Hear,
hear.) He Need not say that he thought that speech
rather too much placed this question as a question of
dispute between the Duke of Newcastle and himself, and
not on those broad public grounds upon which he had
thought it his duty to resign. It appeared to me at the
end of last session that the propositions of the Govern-
meat
.were such, that not relying upon party sup-
port they did not meet with very general approval, and
defeats frequently attended them. Under ordinary cir-
cumstances he should have thought these defeats a suf-
ficient reason to allow him to state to the Earl of Aber-
deen that it was not advisable that such a Govern-
ment should continue, and that he could no
longer: attempt to conduct the business of the
Government in the House of Commons. (Hear, hear.)
Bet there was a great question then pending, and still
pending—namely, the prosecution of the war ; and since
the house had given its confidence to the Government
on that subject, he stated what he thought he was justi-
fied in stating, that so long as be thought the war could
be prosecuted in a vigorous and efficient manner, that
ministers would be justified in holding office in
spite of the defeat he had mentioned. (Hear, hear.)
There was another consideration forgeneral notice, which
he wished to place before the house, namely, that it was
of the utmost oonsequence in whose hands the conduct
of the war was placed. (Hear.) His belief was that if
Lord North had conducted the seven years' war, we
should not have had to boast the conquest of Canada, or
ilLerdChatham had not conducted the war of American
1114ePendence, we should not have had to deplore the
capitulation of Saratoga, or suffer the humiliating
toP"t4cridet
j 1 which
_rt. allowed the enemy's fleet triumphantly
i Ilh waters. Hear, hear.) Now, if that
werewas of the house, he Was sure,(
w 7 ouldnot think' that it
ber of the Go,:" him, .being the principal mem-
ber
the utmost erns.
ment in that house, to watch
of the war. (Hear:eh:surd anxiety the prosecution
particular statements Which Re came now to the
h
by the public prints to the DukeoafaNewcastle. been attributed
In the
first place, the Dake of Newcastle objecate:d toa
t the state-
ment which he had made that-there w
on his part to hold the office of Secretary a starotnegfowritshe
War Department. He made that statement from the
language which ho had heard from various member. of
the Cabinet who had so stated to him, and he considered,
he must say, that it was natural that the Duke of New-
castle, having fitted out an expedition with verycon-
siderable rapidity, should wish to see what he believed
they all expected, namely, the iriumphant issue of the
expedition while he held the seals of Secretary of
! State
for War. (Cheers.) But upon this subject he
left to mere general belief, because in a letter which's net
he
received from Lord Aberdeen there occurred this pas- i
sage :—" But I must observe that at the formation of
the Government no such office as the War Department
existed, and when the subject of the separation
of the Colonial-office from the War Department
took place, no objection whatever was made to the
R itvhoinrof the War Department by my noble friend the
--'7.sire.,,aulie bi.liewcastle.” Now, those words appeared to
1b..41.74-- '"
•A.,,: ceedingly clear ; they had a definite mean-
-9i,--1:7 berdeen did not say that no objection was
i:;- , 714 hoice of the Duke of Newcastle but he
*
IF.; 1 Alef- -: ion was made to the choice seethe War
-.llaapolui
srl:lf- -- 4 .y the Duke of Newcastle. (Hear, hear.)
a e.Sket
,7t-,
./.14 .tly true, as stated by the Duke of New.
. ----eifr E,e .. "7" when the two departments -were divided, '
T 1 irWr.'i; fki.T.A.-it