The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-17 00:00:00

AST LEY'S EUROPE'S NATIONAL AMPHITHEITRE.

Lessee and Manager, Mr. W. Cooke,
THIS EVENING, DEC. 17,
The New Grand Equestrian Chinese Spectacle, entitled " THE
WISE ELEPHANTS OF THE EAST; or THE MAGIC GONG."
Followed by a series of Mr. Wm. Cooke's matchless scenes of
Equestrianism in THE CIRCLE, by the talented artistes of this
establishment.
Concluding with a favourite AFTERPIECE.
Box-ofilce open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W.
West.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tim DAY —Morning 53 rain.after 2 I Evening 10 min.aft. 3
'!b-Moßßow—Morning 26 min.after 3 Evening 45 min.aft. 3

THE WEATEIEIt.—Sus OFFICB, DEC. 17.
- , THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
35—highest since noon yesterday.
32—lowest this morning and .during the night.
39—this day at noon.

BAROMETEB, 29'69—rising.
WIND, N.N.E.—Light breeze, and slight thaw.

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LONDON, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1853

THE CABINET COUNCIL
THIS DAY.

The circulars summoning the Cabinet Council
to take into consideration the resignation of Lord
Palmerston, fixed the hour of meeting at one
o'clock to-day, at the Foreign Office in Downing-
street, but all the Ministers had not arrived
until a quarter past two o'clock. Lord
Clarendon, the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, was first in attendance, and then cum
Sir William Molesworth, Bart., the Duke of
Newcastle, the Lord Chancellor, the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, Mr. Sidney Herbert, Sir James
Graham, Bart., Sir Charles Wood, Bart.,
Lard John Russel, the Earl of Aberdeen, the
Earl Granville, and the Duke of Argyll,
the two last, who are the youngest members
of the Cabinet, not making their appearance until
an hour and a quarter after the appointed
time. There was a grave, subdued, serious-
ness in the aspect of the other Ministers, which
seemed to betoken some weighty care ou their
minds, but Earl Granville wore his usual laughing,
cheerful expression, and the Duke of Argyll came
rattling through the office in hot haste, and with
the boyish swing for which he is so remarkable.
The only absentees were Lord Palmerston,
who, we believe, has already left town for
his country seat, and the Marquis of Lansdowne,
who was expected to-day from Bowood, but
had not reached Downing-street at half-past two,
the cold weather having probably deterred the
veteran statesman from venturing upon so long a
journey. There is only one opinion among persons
in official quarters as to the successor of Lord
Palmerston, and it is considered that Lord John
Russell will at once take upon himself the duties of
Home Secretary. It is well known, however,
that laic; lordship has repeatedly expressed
his disinclination, owing to impaired health,
to accept any post in the Government which
involves any active duties, and it is stated that he
will only preside at the Home-office ad interim,
until arrangements are made for appointing a per-
manent successor of the Noble Viscount. That Lord
Palmerston should have resigned as alleged upon the
Reform Bill, has occasioned as much surprise in
the purlieus of Downing-street as in public circles,
and doubts are entertained as to the statements
already made with regard to his secession from the
Ministry, many asserting that the "split" is en-
tirely upon the Eastern question.

It is gratifying to observe that the opinions
expressed by ourselves yesterday in regard to the
resignation of Lord PALMERSTON have been al-
ready coincided in, or re-echoed, by the majority
of our morning contemporaries. In testimony of
this we may refer with some satisfaction to the
sentiments given elsewhere upon this subject, in
our impression of this evening, excerpted from
the columns of those morning contemporaries. It
will be therein perceived that no credit whatever
is attached to the assertion that the late Home-
Secretary retired from the Cabinet solely from
his antagonism to the new Reform Bill preparing
under the auspices of Lord JOHN RUSSELL, and
not at all: from any disrelish for the foreign policy
of the Coalition —.an assertion put forward
yesterday with such suspicious and ostenta-
tious earnestness by the recognised organ of
the ABERDEEN GovernMent. Nobody believes
in the accuracy of that premature and one-sided
°Planation. Immediately the intelligence reached
us of the abrupt withdrawal of Lord PALMERSTO
from the
ttaministration, we felt assured that
there was something more behind the scenes than
lack of enthusiasm on his part for one or two
items in the projected catalogue of Parliamentary
innovation. Elsewhere than to the Noble Vis-
count
we should, of course, look at all times
for the initiative in a scheme of Legislative
Improvement. That we acknowle&e. Never-
theless, while we acknowledge tln •
s, we can-
not admit that in Lord PAL:alms/o,s eve recogia_ise
a resolute and decided enemy to Reform—...an
enema
so resolute and so decided, that, because of his in.
fatuated love for the laisse-: faire policy, he would
feel himself called upon at a most critical juncture
in the history of the world to break up the fabric
of a British Government. We cannot credit
this for one instant. Wo have not credited

, . iiiii;l:forThi",_ ne instant. Instead of doing so we
C1t744."4 r ' assertion to scorn directly we re-
ti
on -,,....
tz.rt —...-, iv° proof that it could pot pos-
--'‘*At;*-ii,,;!;111),y indeed be detected at a glance in
iSt
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