The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-13 00:00:00

great-Ltheir embarrassments are increasi ag; and they ni. igbe
have thought that time and fortune woul d place them, some
two months later, in a more advantageoms position than that
they now occupy. But, having felt it to be their duty, or
having deemed it to be their interest, to take the step they
have taken, I was greatly surprised When the honourable
gentleman who seconded the address, the brother of a Cabinet
Minister, sought to impress upon the House of Commons
the expediency of silence in reference to the present state
of affairs. (Hear, hear.) But that was not all ; the rare
luxury of one Cabinet Min,eter only has it been permitted
to us to enjoy in this debate; and yet that right hon. gen-
tleman filled his speech, not only with vinclications of his
office—which, by the way, h td beenvenly very partially attacked
—but also with a discreet admonition, to the effect that the
loyalty of the House of Commons would be best proved, .
and its character for wise discretion most effectively este-
bliished, by not expressing an opinion in the face of the
country on the subject of that absent army which has suf-
fered so much, and which, in all its deeds of high heroic
achievement, was sustained by the conviction, that when the
hour came their wrongs would be criticised for the people of
England. It may be a clever thing :ear the Lord President of
the Council to be silent on this subject, and it may be discreet
of his attendant Secretaries of State ; but I assert they have
not acted withei full sense of duty in not seeking to obtain
an expression of feeling, which is at MOO the soul and life of
the Honse of Commons of this country. (Hear.) My right
hon, friend the member for Droitwich has taken a course on
this occasion which I consider is much to his credit, and one
which will be appreciated by the country, and had this debate
terminated with his speech I should have been silent. He has
indicated the course which it becomes a Conservative oppe.
salon, supporting the Ministry, to take. I cannot understand
how right hon. gentlemen opposite can bring themselves to
such a pitch of iecling or to rise and protest against the
opinions of Parliament on the conduct of the Government.
Last year I had to protest against this. coarse. No ineaettre
was brought forward by the Governments—even though mea-
sures on which they were subsequently beaten—in which we
were not teed to put the question to a vote of confidence on
the part of the House of Commons. We have been told to-
night by the War Secretary the same thi sg. "Do not," he
says, "indulge in captious criticism up en our conduct, or
state what, perhaps, is the opinion of the country, but pro-
pose a vote of want of eonSdenco in the G evernment." Sir, I
had occasion last year to notice that unce.nstitationel course
of proceeding on the part of the Govexament, and to show
by reference to high authorities, to l'arliamenta7 pre-
cedents, which have great weight, how such a course, if
generally adopted, would strike at the root of all freedom,
of all public discussion: (Hear, hear.) I hold it to be the
privilege of
.members of this house to 021.17555 the conduct
of the Government, without having the responsibility
cast upon them individually of asking „
change
of that Government. (Hear, hear.) If I recollect aright, it
was in 1803 when this country had a Ministry which avas .
unpopular carrying on the war, and an Opposition tuppeet.
big the policy of that war, while it, disapproved of its conduct,
in that occesien Mr. Wyndham, no mean authority, I 13,6.
same, a man of brilliant genius, qualified by large acquire-
ments and 'great experience, rose and said he trusted thet the
unanimity of the nation on She subject o' the war would not
be mistee ea for unanimity cf sentimene on.the conduct of the
Ministry, and that he supported the poL cy of the war while
he disapproved of the conduct of the elie istry. Mr. Wynd-
ham spok-e that as a member of the Opiosition. lie was
followed by some of the most eminent menthers in the house,
and no one impugned their privilege of quest outing the policy
of the Government, or declared that they should be obliged
to tot their opinions by proposing a vote of confidence or co
condelence to t'arliament. (Hear, hear.) Yet, this repartee
of legit Session is now again brought forward fo-uight ; and
we are told by the Secretary at War, in speaking of minute
details, not adverted to by my right two. friend the member
fur leroitwich—in answering an anonymous accusation in the
the public press—that if there was to be a question of the
Ministerial conduct and policy, the sure of the house ought
to be taken as to the question of coeddence. (Hear, heir.)
I protest against this policy. (Hear, hoar) I see the object
of it. (dear, hear.) It is to stop all discussion. (Hear,
hear.) It is to degrade and destroy the li'ouse of Commons
by putting an end to that free discussion which is the element
and the atmospeere of its system, and witho-at which it cannot
live. There was an hon. baronet who bore an honourable name,
who rose early in the debate, and made use of a remarkable
o.,sJrvation, founded on a misapprehension, which his acute
mind should- have avoided. He alluded to a speech made
by me last session, in which I said, speaking of the causesi of
the war, that on this side of the house we confined our-
-elves to the propriety of discussing the causes of the war,
but no capitous criticism would I hope be everheard (I
speak from memory) on the exertions of a future Wellesley
on tile banks of the Danube, whatever were the difficulties
he might have- to encounter. That was an observation
which referred to the military conduct of the war. It
meantto say that we had not the presumption or the wish to
criticise the abilities of those appointed to command, but
that we should place in them the confidence which
the country was ready to place in those whom the Govern-
ment in their wisdom appointed to those commands. Would
the hon. baronet the member for Tamworth deny for a
moment that it is the duty of the House of Commons
to scan and scrutinise the military' expeditions that
are planned and concocted in the Cabinet of the -
Sovereign ? I suppose ho will not maintain that
Walchereu expeditions are not to be criticised. He
will not for a moment maintain that such convictions as
Ciutra -and Saratoga are to be passed by in subdued
silence. Why are we a House of leommons at all I What
confidence have we of commanding the respect of the people
if, when matters of national importance come before us, no
national feeling is to be found in this house ; that
we are to be mute, and a minister is to rise and
say that if you discuss such a question at a period of
difficulty to the Sovereign and the nation, we put on you
the responsibility of a change of administration I That was
a principle dangerous to public liberty, and one which
they should not sanction, that the House of Commons,
in a feeling of patriotism, should be silent. They
were now called on to decide if they would argee to the
Address which we have heard moved in terms echoing the
speech from the Throne, a speech in some circumstances the
most remarkable that had ever proceeded from that source,
inasmuch as it was the shortest we have yet heard, and con-
fined to almost one subject. Let me, however, remind the
house that it commences with an admission of great import-
ance, and one calculated to excite the attention of the whole
country. We have the announcement that the country is
engaged in a great war. This time last year, when we were
on the verge of war, when it was virtually, not formally, de-
clared, no minister would acknowledge that the war was a
great war. The Lord President was thou ready to re-organise
this house, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in taking
the votes for the expedition, brought forward a meagre esti-
mate for the conveyance of 25,000 troops to Malta and back e
in the course of the year, although the house was theta
willing to place in the hands of the Government as much
power as the Emperor of Russia obtained by his ukase. Sir,,
the Government had the most popular war, the most power-
ful ally, the most favourable combination of circumstanoes,
with which any country ever had entered into war before ;
and I now ask the house to consider—not whether there
were sufficient nurses or surgeons at Scutari—not what may,
have been the amount of marmalade sent out—(a laugh,
and heat)—but what has been effected by this Ministry with
such marvellous advantages ? (Hear, hear,) You designed
to attack the powerful ruler of Russia in two opposite 'miler
of the world—almost at the extremities of his vast dominions ;
you fitted out armadas to attack him in two seas ; you sent
out an army which was to baffle him on the banks of the
most important river in Europe ; and what have you done f
(Hear, hear.) The Secretary laf War sneered at the notice
my right hoe, friend took of the achievements of the Baltic
fleet; but. if the ideas of the Government as to national suc-
cess are to be measured by those achie'venrents, we have lest
hope than before of a successful conduct of the war by the.
present Government. (Hear, hear.) Let me recal to mind.
the strength of the fleet—greater than any that had ever
figured in our annals—greater than the Allied fleets of France
and Spain which met Nelson at Trafalgar. Let me recal the
circumstances under which the commani of that fleet was
bestowed. It occasioned a debate in this house. (Hear,
hear.) The head of the Admiralty—that prudent statesman
—that experienced senator, who had so often presided over
that department--(hear, and a laugh)--was a guest at the,
public dinner given to the commander of that great enterprise_
(Hoar.) And the most experienced statesman of the country,
one who had presided so long over our foreign councils—a
department which it is supposed imparts the peculiar charac-
' ter of discretion to the human conduct—(hear, hear, and
laughter)—that noble lord was present on that occasion; and
in the face of all Europe, before admiring and recklessigno-
rance--(hear)—these statesmen—the men of who
m we are
most proud—te whom we look
eateohstioref
guests
grthe
'or even awe—(a laugh) -they
wueprowitthhertehaes
at the banquet, given at a political club, to inaugurate the
captaincy of this great enterprise.
their speechesled country
theto cherish I We .
And what were the ex-
pectations
are at
this time necessarily and naturally engrossed in the all-
important affairs that have taken place in the Black Sea ; foe
more than two months the feelings of every heart have beam
I absorbed in Sebastopol. But, sir, at that time no one thought
of aehastopol or the Black Sea. (Hear.) Those were minor
matters in comparison with the vast enormous armada
wafted from our shores under the blessing and the benison
of our roost experienced statesmen, and which had the ad-
vantage of bell': commanded by a " true reformer." (Laugh
ter.) Well, the Secretary-at-War pretends that the capture.
of Bomarsund was all that was anticipated, or was arta
thought of, at the time when the noble lord (Palmerston)
and hie experienced colleague (Sir J. Graham) lent theirgredk
names and illustrious reputations to the inauguration, of that
great enterprise. (Hear.) I will not say that the noble lord
had never hem of Bomarsund—he is such a well-Infornied
gentleman that doubtless he knew all about it—(a laugh)—
and, indeed, I have an idea that it was settled that the forti-
fications of Bomarsund were to be destroyed before our fleet
entered the Baltic. (Hear, hear.) Now, I hardly think it
was worth while to send for A Marshal of France and

10,000 French troops to destroy a place which a few ma-
rines would have destroyed in a few hews. (Hear, hear.)
Certainly that was a sorry catastrophe for that vast! enter-
prise in which the noble lord and his wise colleague so
deeply interested themselves on that memorable occasion.
(Hear, hear.) Well, then, the expedition to the Baltic was
not one which obtained results at all commensurate with the
expectat!ons created by the Ministry themselves. If it were
otherwise, why did not the noble lord (J. Russell) give no-
tice to-night of a vote of thanks to the admirals and ahem
engaged in the transactions in the Baltic ? (Hear, hear.) If
he had ventured to do so we mightihave made some inquiries
and gained some enlightenment. Sir, I now come to the
second of the two groat expeditions which this Government
entered upon with advantages which no Ministry ever en-
joyed before, and which never can recur in the history of
this country. What did you do with that army you sent
to the vicinity of the Danube ? You explain your conduct
and their course, but your explanations cannot changeno the
result ; you cannot deny that you accomplished
(hear, hear)—and that your plans have proved harrenta
fruitless. (Hear, hear.) You tell us that you
all that time the course of events ; that this Were
Watching
Was the excuse
for the inactivity of such of your forces
calculations, al-
v" escaped the pest,
which it appears had not entered into
though it is an habitual tenant of that
tell us that they would have acted at the right
accursed soil. Yon
that their presence influenced the
to have advancedllsothathte, haDadnuithbee,
time, but
armies. But you have never told conduct of the Russian
neces-
sary for our army
provided the means by which eynouhadPlished. (Loud cries of " he that advance could be aecona-
dared to meet that accusation. hear, hear.") No minititer has yet
alluded to by the hen, (Hear, hear.) It has been
who has stated . member for Alesbu bin Layard),
that you had
been the fate of Silistria, no means,
. whateverT might have
upon the Danube that
there. (Hear, hear.)
you had. (Hear, 7,
oor thedposition osfttohe :ex lion troops
you had
ounnoemveerandaredilto deyclareratia army
h ) Buty
whether you made that
you ear. prepara-
tions or not, this you cannot
deny, that, as on the Baltic, 80
on the Danube, you effected nothing. (Hear, hear.) And
what did you effect in the third, now the most important
division of your designs ? Late in the autumn, with a force,
as far as we were concerned, of 20,0u0 or 25,000 troops, you
invaded Russia. You beleaguered a fortress as strong as
Gibraltar, and perhaps better provided. Under what cir-
cumstances did you undertake the enterprise ? The Secretary
at War told us that he did not desire to blink the policy of
the enterprise, and that it was to strike a blow at the power
of Russia in the Crimea. Brave words: But if you attack a
place at the wrong time, and with inadequate means, the
general policy of your plan will be no apology for your
, conduct. (Rear, hear, hear.) )17 OM Wiz. Mewl the