The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-28 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, JULY 28, 1863.

This afternoon has terminated the most idle and
unimportant session of Parliament within our re-
membrance. Scarcely any one thing done that was
at all worth the doing. Scarcely any one thing said
that was at all really worth the listening to. The
future historical investigator of that mausoleum of
debates, " Hansard," will, in all human likelihood,
long years hence, should he come by chance upon
the volume dedicated to the records (such as they
are) of 1863, turn the leaves lightly 'twist finger
and thumb with an air of the most supreme and
imperturbable indifference. As appropriately in-
augurative of this session, the Speech from the
Throne, delivered just below it, upon the regal dais,
by Royal Commission, gave carte blanche both to the
Ministers and the Houses. It presented, for once, no
programme, whatever, for anything at all worthy of
the name of legislative proceedings. For once, the
sweets of office carried with them all, through the
session, something of the dolce far niente. And
sympathetically in every way with the careless idle-
ness of the Government in so far as relates to origi-
nating, or even to indirectly furthering, the rational
and moderate interests of the great cause of progress
or of general improvement—has been the profound
quietude, almost we might call it magnanimity, of
the Opposition. Almost—certainly not entirely.
For the leaders of her Majesty's Opposition have,
in point of fact, merely held their hands, all through
the weary session which has this day tranquilly
expired, wholly and solely for the one sufficient
reason that they lacked, from first to last, the requi-
site opportunity. A passing word of commendation,
however ,they do nevertheless deserve,even from their
conf
"'ating ante
more than gonists, for inasmuch as they have,
'
Once though occasionally under very
considerable temptation so to do—they have never
once during thes five dawdling months last past,
striven in
any way to precipitate matters by making
for themselves an opportunity.
The Conservative
the memorable Party never yet since
a r
itst
di
conversion of the late Sir sruption by the
ROBERT PEEL to
a deliberate and
enacenee conscientious belief in the
truth, and wisdom, and b
of the Free
Trade Principles—never yet since
that momentous
winter of 1845.6, theof
discontent" for
Conservatism—never Since winter
n‘ceth then,
,until this
present
year, has the Conservative party beer' 8° Powerful,
so serried in its array, so c"aPletely and se
thoroughly organised. Yet—for once—from the
commencement of this session of 1863, down
to the very close of it, this afternoon, we have
heard no whisper even of the merest hint
at, what used to b 3 dinned into our ears
in times past unceasingly and vociferously,
the machinations of a factious Opposition. Not
merely our good-humoured Premier, but for very
decency's sake, we shculd imagine even our
saturnine Caancellor of the Exchtquer, must per-
force acquit Lord DERBY and Mr. DISRAELI, togs
ther with their associates and followers, there in the
Lords, hero in the Commons, of anything whatever
approximating in the faintest degree to factiousness.
Yet in many particulars we hesitate not to assert—
scanning the two aides intermediately and quite
dispassionately—that never has a Government been
more flagrantly open to attack than the Govern-
ment of Lord PALMERSTON. Alike in regard to
what they did and iu regard to what they did not.
Their smuggling out of view, yet once more, all that '
they had, by affecting to champion, taken office for,
now more than four years • go! Their smugglirg
oat of view we say yet once more all their old
Taunted enterprises of Reform: Their doing this,