The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-23 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1855.

This evening the fugacious ex-Ministers are to
attend in their places and explain the grounds of
their resignations. The House of Commons
freely and willingly assented to the brief adjourn-
ment demanded by the Premier. The Right
Honourable seceders will, therefore, be allowed the
opportunity of telling their own stories. There
may be comments subsequently offered by the
deserted chief and some of his indignant followers,
but nothing will be said until the fugitives have
been heard in their own defence, detailing the
special facts and the reasons by which they were
actuated.
Without attempting to prejudge the case, or
to anticipate the -verdict that may eventually be
pronounced, we cannot avoid noticing the extra-
ordinary change perceptible on every side. A
fortiigkt since they were the " observed of all
observers," " the cynosure of neighbouring
eyes." Now "none so poor to do them
honour." They were then indispensable. No
Ministry, whether Derbyite, Russellite, or
Palmerstonian, could do without them. Now, it
has been " a most felicitous riddance ! " That
which we enunciated long ago is at length dis-
covered by contemporaries who pique themselves
on the sagacity which led to the tardy know-
ledge !

It is asserted that the assent of the Premier to
a searching Parliamentary investigation is the
ostensible cause of the split 1 We use th• term
" ostensible," because when a subordinate has

been so puffed up and inflated with self-conceit
AS to SIITSO that be cannot be got rid of, and
that malireagiCriials will be ready to compete
for his insistence, taking him at his own
price, and offering a carts blanche as
to terms the element of stability is alto-
gether wanting, the warning may be given
at any moment, and on the most trivial pretext. It
is, however, believed that this will be the position
assumed on which the " deserters" rely as a com-
plete justification for their misconduct. They
consider that they are themselves placed on trial ;
that the Financial Minister who " starved the
war," the First Lord who contrived to paralyse
the efforts of our navies in the Euxine and the
Baltic, and the Secretaries at War, under whose
arrangements our forces endured such bitter pri-
vations and
heartrending calamities, cannot be
exonerated from the consequences of their own
acts. That trial is equivalent to condemnation.
They are right. we felt SO, ab initio, and, al-
though almost single-handed, expressed our opi-
jions without reserve or equivocation, How Mr.
SIDNEY 11111tBEItT could be promoted •
, conse-
quence of his failure, seemed almost miraculous.
If he had been successful in his administration,
he should not be removed from the department
which, under existing cirzumstances, was the most
important of any : if otherwise, it was surely too bad
to foist incompetence iuto a higher office—to
pitchfork mediocrity, or worse than mediocrity,
into the control and management of our colonies
—to hold out so great a temptation to the young
blood of these thriving dependencies to sever the
painter by which they are connected with a
country tolerating so gross and palpable a jol-.
The " old country"—" the unnatural mother," as
we believe she has been termed, rv,,,a+, he in a very
cutarrassing "fix" when she
;Jr nothing
batter to her sumeteus and .—portazt pettlw

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