The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-05 00:00:00

THE SUN,

a Cabinet almost as evanescent, a Cabinet of merely
168 days—the Cabinet of Lord GODEBICH. Under
the Premiership of the Duke of WELLINGTON, there
was subsequently, in 1828, formed an Administration
the interval of whose existence extended over nearly
three years, namely, over two years and 301 days
altogether. Then came the Reform Cabinet, the Ca-
binet of Earl GREY—a Cabinet lasting three years
and 231 days, that is from 1830 until 1834, in which
Ilatter year Viscount MELBOURNE was nominated for
the first time the First Lord of the Treasury. Upon
this occasion, however, Lord MELBOURNE
and his colleagues continued in office only
128 days being succeeded in the same
year, 1834, by the Duke of WELLINGTON,
and his Grace, after remaining for twenty.two
days in the capacity
of a sort of My-Lord-High-
Everything, being in his turn succeeded in that same
year of
memorablegrace 1834, by Sir ROBERT PEEL,
immediately on tl:Pat illustrious statesman's return,
from his inopportune visit to the Eternal City.
, The
" Bedchamber Plot" prevented Sir ROBERT S con.
tinuanoe in efflee beyond a period of just 131
days—Viscount MELBOURNE being in 1835 called
upon to organize bis Government. It is
this Government we have already particularize(
as the longest-lived since the fourteen years' Govern.
went of Lord LIVERPOOL. Having spread its autho.
rrity over an interval of six years and 138 days, it
also expired—dying
disgracefullylB4l! s
ithe R
ROBERT
death T ofv EeExL-
haustion. Afterwards, in
was authorised by her MAJESTY to draw out the list
of his Administration. Wonderful though the
achievements of that renowned Ministry were, both
in number and magnitude, they were all accomplished
within an interval of four years and 97 days, when,
in 1845, Lord Joule RUSSELL WaS sent for to Edinburgh,
and empowered by his
SOVEREIGNin gallant
to
form (if he
could) a new Government. Nineteen days
but nheaffv having-
been exhausted by Lord j
tual attempts to collect together a sufficient number
of administrators, Sir ROBERT was again induced, in
1845, to assume the responsibilities of office, being
only compelled to retire from a power the splendour
N
of which his genius and patriotism had so remarkably
illustrated, after extending his authority over 188
days additional, having been victorious in establishing
the free-trade principle, and having been defeated only
upon the question of carrying into effect another
coercion Bill in regard to the people of Ireland. As
is by this time tolerably well known to the
Majority, the Cabinet thereupon formed in 1846
by Lord JOHN RUSSELL, after surviving
exactly five years and 239 days, was followed
in the February of the present year by the inaugura-
tion of the Earl of DERBY'S Government. It is
manifest, therefore, from the above particulars that
within the last forty years England has had no less
than fourteen Administrations. Against the continued
recurrence of those brief and sudden changes it
should be the assiduous effort of our more patriotic
statesmen to guard, if possible, henceforth. Ocher

wise, the affairs of the empire must be per-
petually liable to fall into confusion—a progres-
sive and uninterrupted system of government being
altogether impracticable without the prevention of so
many injurious political fluctuations. Against the

repetition of this Ministerial incertitude the empire
must, at any rate, be forewarned under existing cir-
cumstances. In 1827 there were two Cabinets, in
1845 there were also two Cabinets, while in 1834
there were, as we have shown, actually no less than
three Cabinets in rapid succession. In 1352, at least,
let us be spared the agonies of political uncertainty.
En?,land, it should be remembered, has no particular
affection for the mere Dissolving Views of Go-
vernment.