The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-22 00:00:00

the charges the right hon. gentleman has just brought for-
ward again. I said I will not do any such thing, because it
would be shutting a door against any honourable negotia-
tions, and destroying all hopes of peace. I said I will not
shut that door, and therefore the charge the right hon. gen-
tleman now brings against me of not having held uniform
language is not founded upon the course I have pursued. I
stated then that which I state now, namely, that I do not re-
nounce hopes of a satisfactory result from future negotia-
tions, and that I will not take a step which would close a door
to negotiations, or render any negotiation for the present im-
possible. But, then, the right hon. gentleman says that I
did not discourage the right hon. member who is about to
make his motion. The house surely recollects I was asked
a question by the hon. gentleman the colleague of the
right hon. gentleman the member for Manchester—(hear)
—who asked me whether the time had arrived when the
house might fairly enter into a discussion on the negotia-
tions. I said that the hon. member must exercise his own
discretion, but that I thought such a course would be a
most inconvenient one in the present state of affairs. I
said that it would be attended by public inconvenience,
but that it was not my intention to dictate to the hon.
member or to any other person. I thought the hon. member
would abstain from pressing his question on the considera-
tion of the house in the present state of things; but the right
hon. gentleman the other member for Manchester did
nevertheless think it right to put his notice on the paper.
What was the course then I thought it my duty to pursue?
Should I, on the part of the Government, back out from the
discussion ? (Hear.) Should I endeavour to stare it off
by technical delays, saying that this day would be incon-
venient, or the next day would be incovenient ? No, sir ; I
feel it the duty of the Government boldly to face the right
hon. gentleman ; and though I disapproved of his motion,
and though I thought and still think it was a most ill-
judged motion, and one calculated to lead to a discussion
which must be injurious to the interests of the country,
if the right hon. gentleman thought otherwise, I said,
"Here we are ; I will give you an early day for the pur-
pose ;" and now I have come down here ready to meet the
right hon. gentleman face to face upon the terms of his
motion, if he thinks right to make it, and to give it a
positive and direct negative. (Cheers.) Well, I say the
course I assume is perfectly plain and simple, and there is
nothing that requires illustration. We laid before Parlia-
ment the documents it was entitled to have. I would
not take the step the right hon. gentleman urged me to
take, because I thought it would b shutting a door upon
future negotiations. I stated to the right hon. gentle-
man the member for Manchester that I thought it would
be extremely inconvenient for the public interest—not for
the inconvenience of members of the Government, for I
place the matter on higher grounds—that it would bo pre-
judicial to the interest of the country with a view to future
negotiations, that we should be called upon at the present
moment to discuss and come to a decision upon the terms
which had been offered and refused, and upon the terms
which might have been proposed. I went into those dis-
tinctions in my answer to the right hon. gentleman, and I
said that I thought there would be an inconvenience, and I
think so still. Whether the motion of the right hon. gentle-
man is met, as my right hon. friend the member for 'Wilt-
shire intends, by moving the previous question, or by a direct
negative, as the Government are prepared to move, I think
in either case the discussion must be prejudicial to the in-
terests of the public. But the discussion is forced upon
her Majesty's Government, and we are ready to meet it.
(Hear, bear.) I was asked a question founded upon pas-
sages in one of the protocols. I answered those questions;
but if I am called upon by the right hon. gentleman the
member for Buckinghamshire to enter into an explanation
of what passed between the Government of her Majesty
and those of France and Austria, I say I will not be led
into explanations and discussions of confidential communi-
cations (hear, hear); the effect of which must be to ren-
der such communications for the future impossible, or, at
all events, not beneficial for the purposes for which they
are carried on. I say the house may or may not think fit
to continue to give their trust and confidence to her
Majesty's Government in the conduct of public affairs;
it is for them to judge; but this I will say, whatever
Government may enjoy the confidence of this house, I
think this house would commit e. great mistake, and
would be doing a great injury to the public service, if
they were to take out of the hands of the Government,
whatever it may be, the conduct of matters which can only
be carried on by Government. (Cheers.) If the House
of Commons take upon itself to do that which the motion
indicates, viz., to prescribe to the Executive Government
how it is to carry on negotiations, what conditions it is
to ask for, what conditions it may 4:iress, and what condi-
tions give up—if this house takes upon itself the power of
carrying on negotiations, I say they will be doing a greater
injury, and he departing more dangerously from the true
principles of the constitution than I think any great num-
ber of gentlemen in this house will be inclined to submit
to. I say, therefore, that negotiations of this nature can
only be carried on by an executive Government ; but, if
they are to be called upon from day to day to state what is
the last proposal made, and what is proposed to be done,
and what has been done during the last week or ten days,
the functions of Government must cease. I say you roust
give a certain amount of confidence to any Government
that may exist for the day. If you think this Government
unworthy and undeserving of your confidence, say so dis-
tinctly and plainly, and we shall know distinctly what it
is our duty to do. (Hear, hear.) But so long as you
do not do so, so long as this house is content to leave the
Executive Government in its place, I say it is the duty
of this house, and that it is necessary for the interests of
the country that you should not interfere in this manner
in the detail of a negotiation, that you should wait until
the final result is known, and then if you are displeased,
you can censure the Government if you like, or express
your opinion as you please. But you never will arrive at a
successful end of the negotiations if this house is to under-
take, as the motion is calculated to effect, the practical di-
rection of important negotiations. (Cheers.)
Mr. BRIGHT—I wish to say that I think there has been
a little over-excitement on both sides of the table about
this matter. (Laughter.) The right hon. gentleman the
member for Backs need not be very much exasperated at
any course that may be taken to-night ; for he must know
very well that the object of my right hon. friend is one which
is not supposed to harmonise entirely with the views com-
monly expressed by the majority of his followers, and there-
fore is at liberty to judge what is bait in the interest of the
object which we have at heart, and which I take to be the
establishment of a satisfactory peace. Now, the house
will not suppose that I have any object other than that
after the course I have taken for the last twelve months
on these questions. Some time ago I put a question to
the noble lord at the head of the Government, to which
he has referred to-night, and I was anxious then to have
from him something more explicit than he had given us
as to whether negotiations were being carried on or not ;
and when I said carrying on, I meant not that the nego-
tiations were exhausted, for if the negotiations were ex-
hausted we should be at war for ever, nor did I want to
know exactly if the Allied Powers were willing to receive
offers from Russia, if they were sufficiently submissive ;
that we also know very well ; nor did we want to know if
Austria were engaged in doing a great many things other
than those which this country and Government have been
asking her to do for a long time past. (Laughter.) What
I wanted to know was this, for I wished to embarrass
the Government as little as possible— (hear, hear)—
and, indeed, I would be willing to bargain not to
speak in this house for the next fifteen years, if the
noble lord would undertake to bring the negotiation to
a successful termination in the month of June. My object
is very well understood ; but I wish the noble lord at the
head of the Government to tell us whether the conferences
or negotiations are under that form and under those cir-
cumstances that take them out of that ordinary state of
things always existing during a state of war, in which
each side is willing to receive from the other ; whether
the conferences lately held may be said to be still alive,
and whether the noble lord the member for the city of Lon-
don, or the Earl of •Vestmoreland, or anybody, is in com-
munication, and in such a manner as to afford some pro-
bability or hope that pa me is not absolutely distant. Will
the noble lord allow me to observe that it is not Austria
alone which makes the observation which was quoted by
the right hon. gentleman the member for Wiltshire, and
which I quoted, viz., that there were the elements of a
satisfactory settlement in the propositions of Russia,
but the French Minister for Foreign Affairs at Vienna
also gave expression to a similar opinion. Well, if that
be so, what I want to do is to impress upon the
house, and especially upon the noble lord, that,
there being an opportunity of re-establishing peace on
honourable terms, that opportunity should not be allowed
to slip ; and if the noble lord give, as he has partiallygiven,
an assurance of that kind to the house, I should be as
anxious to abstain from urging my right hon. friend to pro-
ceed with his motion as I should be anxious to abstain my-
self under similar circumstances. The question being, what
is most advantageous to the interests of those members of
this house who wish the war to be brought to a close, and
who think that there is something in the late propositions
upon which a satisfactory peace might be settlecl,itappears
to me that the right hon. gentleman my colleague has that
only to consider, and not what may be the objects of those
who may either feel, as I do, not very friendly to the Go-
vernment, or who are anxious to prolong the war. The
noble lord the member for Durham (Lord H. Vane), who
was about to second the motion of my right hon. col-
league, and the right hon. gentleman the member for the
University of Oxford, if I understood what he said cor-
rectly, intended to vote in favour of that proposition. It
becomes a question when those who take such views, and
are anxious for the passing of these resolutions, believing
that the passing of these resolutions by this' house would
be productive of great and important results—when they
urge my right hon. colleague to withdraw his motion, ho
is placed in that difficulty which we have seen many mem-
bers of this house (of late placed in, I am afraid to urge
anything with regard to it—(hear, and laughter)—but if
anybody will say that it will be subservient to the cause of
peace, I will urge him to withdraw his motion ; but, inas-
much as the statements that have been made appear to me
to be vague, I shall urge my right hon. friend by no means
to suspend indefinitely the motion which lie has proposed
for to-night, and I take it for granted that some time dur-
ing the week after the Whitsuntide holidays the noble lord
will be able to tell us whether there is a pi ohability of the
conference coming to a satisfactory conclusion. lam sure
that there is a large party in the country anxious to have
this question thoroughly debated in this house, and who
think that they will get from the debate a little more truth
than they have hitherto got from her Majesty's Govern•
ment, and a great deal more truth than they have got from
the public newspapers during the last twelve months. I
shall be satisfied if the motion goes on, and, under the cir-
cumstances, I shall be equally satisfied if it be postponed.
(Hear, hear, and laughter.)
Mr. ROEBUCK— Sir, after the speech of the noble lord
at the head of her Majesty's Government, Ithink the right
hon. member for Manchester is bound to go on with his
motion. The noble lord the member for Durham kindly
informs us that he intended to second the motion of the
right hon. gentleman, but that the circumstances are
changed. Now, after the speech of the noble lord at the
head of her Majesty's (government, I ask, have the circum-
stances changed ? The noble lord says that when the right
hon. gentleman proposed to bring his resolution before the
house he felt that it was impolitic to do so. Ho feels so
now, but ho did not give the house to understand that any-
thing had happened to place the circumstances iu a Wile-
rent position than they were at the time when the right
hon. gentleman !proposed his resolution. The noble
lord says that Government is open to any propositiuu that
will lead to peace. Now, I ask if that is not a condition
in
war which every Government is at every moment, of every
auxioNeillieic,oh ever exi,sted ? (Hear.) Are we not at all times
props the noble hc:zr2....raa
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othfethreight hon. gentleman to
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