The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-30 00:00:00

THE PALMERSTON ADMINISTRATION

The Palmerston-Russell Administration was
formed in June, 1859, and it continued without
alteration until the December of that year. The
unexpected death of the Right Hon. Henry Fitzroy,
in his 52d year, left vacant the post of Commis-
sioner of. Works, which post the right hon. gentle-
man, from his previous very successful tenure of the
Under-Secretaryship of State for the Home Depart-
rile", gave every premise of filling with credit to
himself and advantage to the public. The present
Commissioner, the Right Hon. William Cowper,
stepson o Lord Palmerston, was appointed, and his
post, that of Vice-President of the Board of Trade,
was given to its present holder—Mr. Hutt. Early
in 1860, Mr. Fitzgerald, Attorney-General for Ire-
land, was made a judge, and was succeeded by the
S)licitor General for Ireland—Mr. Deasy—whose
place was filled by Mr. O'Hagan. Shortly after.
wards Mr. Deasy also was raised to the bench,
and was succeeded by Mr. O'Hagan, who in turn
was snceeded in the Solicitor-Generalship by Mr.
Lawson. In August, 1860, the Earl of Elgin,
then Postmaster-General, having been made
Governor-General of India, his former post
was given to Lord Stanley of Alderley, who
now holds it. In October another member of the
Government, Mr. Laing, Secretary to the Treasury,
went to India as Financial Minister, and was suc-
ceeded by Mr, Frederick Peel. On January 1,
1861, the Right Hon. Sidney Herbert, Secretary of
State for War, being in bad health, was raised to
the peerage in the hope that the easier hours of the
House of Lords might enable him to retain office
and recruit his strength. But, as the Under-Secre-
tary for War, the Earl de Grey and Ripon, was a
peer, it was necessary to provide a representative
of the War-office for the House of Commons ; so
Earl de Grey and Ripon exchanged places with Mr.
T. G. Baring, the former becoming Under-Secretary
for India, and the latter Under Secretary for War.
In the following summer so many changes took
place that it was thought the Cabinet would scarcely
survive so complete a reconstruction. In Jane, 1861,
Lord Campbell was found dead in his bed. The
Attorney-General, Sir Richard Bethell, was imme-
diately raised to the woolsack, and assumed the
title of Baron Westbury ; the Solicitor-General, Sir
William Atherton, became Attorney-General ; and
Mr. (now Sir Roundel' Palmer) became Solicitor-
General. A month later two important events oc-
curred. Lord Herbert, finding himself grow rapidly
worse, resigned office; and Lord John Russell, find-
ing it difficult to maintain his position in the House
of Commons with Loid Palmerston as leader, ar-
ranged to have a peerage. But the same difficulty
that had occurred with respect to the War-office
now presented itself with respect to the Foreign-
office. The Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs,
Lord Wodehouse, was in the Upper House, and the
elevation of Lord John Russell to that House ren-
dered it necessary that Lord Wodehouse should
yield his place to a Commoner. Lord Wodehouse
was not able, as Earl de Grey and Ripon had
been, to exchange places, but was compelled to
resign, and his post was given to Mr. Layard,
the present Under-Secretary, There still remained
the War.office to be filled, and in filling this a
great number of changes took place. Sir George
Lewis was appointed to succeed Lord Herbert,
and the Chief Secretary for War being once more
in the Commons, Earl de Grey and Ripon and Mr.
T. G. Baring again exchanged back to their old
places. The Home Secretaryship was vacated by
Sir George Lewis's migration to the War-office;
this was given to Sir George Grey; the Chancel-
lorship of the Duchy of Lancaster, which he had
held, was given to Mr. Cardwell, Chief Secretary
for Ireland, and this last post was given to Sir R.
Peel. At the same time another vacancy of infe-
rior importance occurred through the retirement of
Mr. Bagwell, one of the Lords of the Treasury,
who, finding that his Irish constituents did not
approve the course the Government took respecting
the Gaiway, contract, resigned his situation. It was
conferred nine months later, on Col. White, who
s seat on offering himself for re-election, and
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