The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-17 00:00:00

MINISTERIAL EXPLANATIONS.

On the motion that the Sr :Jaker do new leave the chair,
• Lord PALMERSTON rose and said —ln rising, sir, to
move that you do now leave the chair, I feel it is generally
expected that a person who fills for the first time the situa-
tion I have the honour to hold, especially under circum-
stances such as those which preceded my appointment,
should state very shortly to the house what led to his hold-
ing the office he holds. Sir, that which I have to state
will be very brief, because it has been anticipated by
statements which have been made by a noble lord in an-
other place, and by a statement made by my noble friend
in this house. It has been already stated, and correctly
stated, by the Earl of Derby, that when he was com-
manded by her Majesty to form a Government, he did me
the honour to come to me and to propose to me that I should
belong to the Government he was about to form. He at
the same time expressed a wish that I should communicate
the same desire on his part to my right hon. friend the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, and to my right hon. friend
who now holds the position of Secretary for the Colonies.
I stated, as was correctly stated by that noble lord, that
those habits of long personal friendship which co-operation
in office had engendered, and the high esteem which I felt
for his personal character and statesmanlike habits, would
render me anxious to co-operate with him in a public
emergency, when it was of the utmost national importance
that a Government should be formed. I said, however,
that I could give him no answer till I had had an oppor-
tunity of communicating with friends of mine; but that
one thing I was prepared to say, which was this, that in
the present state of our foreign relations I should be un-
willing to belong to any Government in which the conduct
of our foreign affairs did not continue in the hands of my
noble friend the Earl of Clarendon—(Dinisterial cheers)—
who had shown great ability and success in the manage-
ment of the department confided to his care. The com-
munication, as stated by Lerd Derby, was made a little
before two o'clock. I communicated as soon as I could with
my right hon. friends; I communicated also with that
noble friend of mine upon whose judgment I place the
most implicit reliance, and whose opinion would guide me
in every important transaction of my life—l mean the
Marquis of Lansdowne—(hear, hear)—and the result was
that I wrote to the noble lord to say that I did not think
that by accepting the proposal he had done me the honour
to make me I could give to his Government that•strength
be was pleased to think my acceptance of office would con-
fer. It was remarked as somewhat unexplained, that that
intention of mine was quoted by ray right hon. friend the
Chancellor of the Exchequer in his answer given at a later
hour to Lord Derby. The fact is, that that opinion of mine
was formed upon a full consideration, and communicated
to my right lion. friend before he wrote in reply to the
offer that was made to him also, declining to join the Ad-
ministration. Sir, that endeavour made, her Majesty
was pleased to call upon my noble friend the member for
the city of London, and to charge him with the task of
forming an Administration. My noble friend did me the
honour, immediately after that command was given, to
come to me and ask me to accord my assistance. Sir, my
great personal regard and esteem for my noble friend, the
perfect similarity of political opinions which existed be-
tween us, led me at once, and without hesitation, to say
that, feeling impressed with the full importance of the
crisis in which we stood, any assistance it was in my
power to give him should.without any hesitation be given
—( Ministerial cheming)—and if lie had succeeded in form-
ing an Administration, I Rhoul,l have felt the greatest
alacrity in giving him any assistance it might be in my
power to render. Sir, that attempt did not succeed, and
it was the pleasure of her Majesty then to commission me
to endeavour to form a Government, if I thought I could
succeed in submitting to her a list of Administration likely
to command the confidence of Parliament, and ade-
quately to carry on the public service of the State.
Sir, sI received that command about six o'clock on the
Sunday evening, and I was fortunate enough, to be
able, on the Tuesday afternoon, to report to her Ma-
jesty that I had obtained the assistance of such col-
leagues as I thought her Majesty might fairly approve.
as answering the description she had been pleased to give
in the commands she gave me to make the attempt. Sir,
the Government then was formed, and I trust that that
Government contains sufficient administrative ability,
sufficient political sagacity, sufficient liberal principles,
sufficient patriotism and determieation to omit no effort
to fulfil the duties which each member has undertaken,
and to justify me in appealing as this house, to Parlia-
ment, and to the country, for such support as men may
be considered entitled to receive who, in a period of great
difficulty and of national emergency, have determined to
undertake the responsibility of emleavouring to carry on
the business of the country. (Hear, and Ministerial
cheers.) There is one great departmont which will continue
to enjoy the ability, the experieneS, and success of my
noble friend the E,l of Clarendon. We have had the good
fortune to obtain for the conduct, of the War Department
the services of noble friend Lord Paninnre, who combines
all the energy, tho firmness, and perseverance which are
required for the conduct of that important branch of the
public service in the present emergency. I am happy also
to have the assistance of my right lion. friend the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer in the conduct of that most im-
portant branch of the public service—(hear)—and my
right hon. friend who sits by me, and who is going imme-
dietaly to propose the estimates for the naval service,
needs no panegyric on my part as to the great ability with
which he has discharged the duties of the department en-
trusted to his care. Sir, we begin then the task which it
has been the pleasure of her Majesty to confide to our care.
In undertaking that task it is useless to dissemble that
there is one difficulty which immediately meets us,. and
which, I may say, stares us in the face ; that difficulty, I
mean, which arises from the notice of my hon. and learned
friend has given for Thursday next. Sir, I will not at-
tempt to disguise the fact that I feel the same objections to
the appointment of the committee of which he has given
notice which I had the honour of stating when the sub-
ject was before the house on a recent eccasion. Jtly opi-
nion is, that such a committee would, in its action, not
be in accordance with the true and just principles of the
constitution ; and that for the effectual accomplishment
its purpose it would not be an efficient instrument. (Hear,
hear.) Sir, I should hope that this house when it came
calmly to reflect upon the principles involved in the ap-
pointment of such a committee—when it came calmly to
reflect upon the cumbrous machine and the tardy result
which would be to be expected from its action—might bo
ilied,suspend the appointment of the
committee
eat awhllieehvemnyts,btoo
n.an
and learned friend proposes to
name. But, sir, I feel that the only ground upon which
they could be disposed to agree to postpone the appoint-
ment of that committee would be the belief that the Go-
vernment itself intends to do these things which the com-
mittee pointed at—which the committee appointed might,
at the end of a long period, recommend to be done. And
as we all remember the defence of that monarch of Eng-
land who, in meeting a body of his discontented subjects,
and finding that they had lost their leader, rode boldly up
to them, and exclaimed, " You leave lost your leader, my
friends ; I will be your leader," so I should say to the
agree not to appoint this
be satisfied cheers)—and
Housemee
committee—(laughter
si:_ot fe:C:edmowameuogenhhsta,
el irl f
tathnhedeny counterswe i
wi e
whether,
leering —t e Govern-
ment will be their committee--(ironical
ywoue shall make, whether on
t.ibsyLathwhe
irtehsutilites
in-
quiriesofhfiatyteobaepepno
ioniisrtietnuetrai gonintei. s
improvementsa
Now,
wl labours,
:,
as for the objects of that commit-
e, or yon
will more formal Parliamentary
tinhte nuisances that exist at home
and abroad. I imagine, sir, that the object the
majority
of those who voted for that-
committee had in view was to
tw:el,l theynn think
must
compel the Government to make
certain Administrative
changes in our military departments at home, and, by in-
quiries and improvements abroa I, to restore order and
regularity in those services Which, unfortunately, have
been marked by circumstances of an unfortunate character
in the Crimea and in the East. Now, sir, that which I
propose to do I will shortly sketch out detail, but simply
as indicating the inte_tions which the Government con-
template carrying into execution. Sir, the house must be
aware that I have net felt it ivy duty to recommend to
her Majesty to appoint a Socreta.ry-at-War. The reason
why I have so abstained from doing so is that I think an
amalgamation can he made between the offices of Secretary-
at-War and that of the Secretary for the War Department,
which will greatly contribute to the efficiency and sim-
plicity of the public service. 'My opinion is, that in regard
to the Ordnance great improvements may be made—(hoar,
bear); that,, speaking generally, but without of course
pledging myself to specific details, the discipline of the.
artillery and of the engineers 139,1 be transferred to the
Commander-in-Chief, like the discipline of the rest of the
army—(hoar)—and that the civil department of the Ord-
nance may be placed under the superintendence and con-
trol of the Secretary for the War Department. What may
be the collateral arrangements which, when matters are
examined into detail, it may bo thought best to make, I
cannot presume to say ; but that is the general outline,
and I do not think there can be any volt material difficulty
in carrying it into execution. My right hon, friend the
Secretary for the Admiralty
.has established a board to
superintend the transport sereeeatsea, a service of the ut-
most importance, and one which has grown into the cha-
racter of a great national institution—a
service upon which
our alliance with Prance has made it necessary to call for
groat and increased efforts for the transport and conveyance
of French troop' as well as Eeglish troops, And just it is
that such should be the case. We are engaged in warlike
Trance
operations in conjunction with ranee as an ally. We have
not the moans of contributing tee same amount of soldiers
and mon for the prosecution ,of the war which the larger
military establishments of France enable her to send into
the field. It is but fair, then, that wo should bear our share
of the expenses of the war,. by affording to France those
naval MG:MS of carrying her troaps which her less exten-
sive naval cetetaisliments do not enable her to supply.
These arrangements involve a much more complicated mass
of details than can be well careied on by that limited de-
,
pa; trnent over whichy right lion. friend prosi les, and ho
has therefore established a separate board for the purpose,
and I am convinced that thataboard will tend beth to the
increased economy and the' increased efficiency of that
department of the public service. Sir, well-founded com-
plaints have been male on the subject of the accommoda-
tion prosi led for 'oar sick in the hospitals in the Crimea
and elsewhere. Sir, we are going to scud out a commis-
sion compesed of eiviliaus—inch not swayed by the bias
of professional habit 3, nor yet military iron ; but men who
have been accustomed to deal with sanitary questions not
only at home, but one of
them has been employed upon a
similar service in the West Indies. We are going to seed
those three civilians out with ample power to examine the
sanitary condition of the hospitels, of the camp, and of the
saipe. (Hear, hear.) There was one sent out some time
ago but there are three persons now going out simply and
solely for the purpose of reviewing those sanitary arrange-
ments. (Hear, hear.) I anticipate the greatest advantage