The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-05 00:00:00

MINISTERIAL CRISIS.

The Earl of ABERDEEN said—My lords, I am
under the necessity of moving the adjournment of the
house ; but I think it right to inform your lordships
that my noble friend the Secretary of the Home Depart-
ment has been commissioned to propose to her Majesty
a new Administration, and he being engaged in that
work, he (the Earl of Aberdeen) could only move that
the house, at its rising, adjourns till to-morrow.
Agreed te.
CATHEDRAL APPOINTMENTS CONTINI7•
ANCE BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
BILLS OF EXCHANGE BILL.
This bill also passed through committee.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(THIS EVENING.)
The SMARR took the chair at four o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The following bills were read a second time and
ordered to be committed :—Aberdare Valley Railway
Carlisle and Silleth Bay Railway and Dock ; Colonial
Life Assurance Company ; Glasgow and South-Western
Railway (Steam Boats) ; Glasgow, Dumbarton, and
Ilelensleurgh Railway ; Halifax Gas ; Inverury and Old
Meldrum Railway ; Nottingham and Loughborough
Road ; Regent's Canal (Hertford Union Canal) ; Royal
London Militia ; South Staffordshire Railway ; Staines,
Wokingham, and Woking Railway (Reading junction) ;
Staines, Wskisghaaa, and Woking Railway (Alterations,
&c.) ; Swansea Vale Railway ; Taunton Gas ; Torquay
Market and Slaughter-houses ; Vale of Neath Railway ;
Wadhurst and West Farleigh Roads ; Wolverhampton
Now Water ; Wolverhampton Water.
CAMBRIDGE ELECTION.
The SPEAKER acquainted the house that he had
received a report from the Examiner of Recognisances,
stating that the recognisances in the Cambridge cage
were unobjectionable._

PETITIONS.
Sir J. IVA.LIISLEY presented a petition from the
stage carriage proprietors of Wrexham, praying for a
reduction of the stage carriage duty.
Mr. W. J. FOX presented a petition from a tempe-
rance meeting, praying for the immediate and total abo-
lition of the sale of intoxicating drinks. (A. laugh.)

BALAKLAVA.
In reply to Mr. DENIM,
Admiral BERKELEY read two letters from Admiral
Lyons, to show that steps were being taken to improve
the harbour of Bala.klava, so as to enable free ingress
and egress to transports.
APPEARANCE OF THE HOUSE.
There was a tolerably full attendance of members at
this stage of the proceedings of the House, which pre-
sented an animated appearance. The Peers' boxes Red
the strangers' gallery were fully occupied, and the whole
of the members of the late Government were present,
with the exception of Lord Palmerston, Sir J. Graham,
and Mr. Sidney Herbert. Amongst the Peers we no-
ticed Lord Panmure (the new Minister at War), the
Earl of Carlisle (the new Secretary for the Home De-
partment), Earl Grey, the Duke of Newcastle, and the
Marquis of Clanrioarde.
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-morrow.
Lord EBRINGTOIsT.—I wish to ask the right hon.
gentleman whether by the statement which has just
been made—namely, that the reasons for postponing
public business continue in full force—he intends to con-
vey to us the fact that no progress whatever has been
made towards the formation of a new Government
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER.—Sir,
I have received no communication from my 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.
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 for
any further statement on his part with respect to
his resignation of the high office which he lately
had the honour to hold. He, therefore, in
the debate of Monday last, refrained from replying in
any way to the statement of his right hon. friend the
Chancellor of the Exchequer. Althoegla none of those
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, but 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 mini. (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 -
(leen 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.)
But 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
en that subject, he stated what he thought he was justi-
fied in stating that so long as he 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 for general notice, which
he wished to place before the house, namely, that it was
of the utmost consequence 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
if LordChathaen hal not conducted the war of American
Independence, we should not have had to deplore the
capitulation of Saratoga, or suffer the humiliating
epectoecle which allowed the enemy's fleet triumphantly
to ride in British waters. (Hear, hear.) Now, if that
were so, the house, he was sure, would not think that it
was unreasonable for him, being the principal mem-
ber of the Government in that house, to watch
with the utmost care and anxiety the prosecution
of the war. (Hear, hear.) He came now to the
particular statements which had been attributed
i
tl"5 public prints to the Duke of Newcastle. In the
state-
went Plaee, the Duke of Newcastle objected to the state-
on his which had made that there was a strong wish
part to held the office of Secretary of State for the
War Deputtnent,
made that statement from the
language which he he,: h
the Cabinet who had ea :Lard from various members of
h. must say, that it was tefl ito him, and he considered,
naturale.ped that the Duke of New_
male, having fitted out
an
whaton with very con-
siderable rapidity, should wish to see
they all expected, namely, the triumphant
t he. believed
expedition while be held the seali of Secretary Stateeef
of the
for War. (Cheers.) But upon this subject he was net
left to mere general belief, because in a letter which he
received from Lord Aberdeen there oocurred this pas-
sage :
" But I must observe that at the formation of
such office as the War Department
the Government no
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
the
choice of the War Department by my noble friendd
to
Duke of Newcastle." Now, those words appeare
him to be exceedingly clear ; they bad a definite
mean-
ing. Lord Aberdeen did not say that no objection was
made to the choice of the Duke of Newcastle, but he
said no objection was made to the choice of the War
Department by the Duke of Newcastle. (Hear' hear.)
It was perfectly true, as stated by the Duke of New-
castle, that when the two departments were divided,
he declared himself ready to take either or none,
as it should be thought best for the public service ; but
his noble friend at the head of the Government, who
hat great confidence in the abilities of the noble Duke,
proposed that the noble Duke should have the choice of
the two offices, and there was no opposition to his wish.
(Hear, hear.) The not statement this,he had
was