The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-21 00:00:00

MINISTERIAL DIFFICULTIES.

(Prom the Daily News. )

The clubs and coteries are of course still busily
speculating about the present coliditioLt or the Cabi-
net, and the prospect which Ministers have of meet-
ing Parliament with success. The interest taken
bayze thette
db ual ks
Ho fetmli
ee nsaeteiroentaarbyoiust
vwehryo ss
ma r ell i
na
ldl 3e-e
db e,
when compared with the vivid excitement of poli-
tical "sets" under similar circumstances. The na-
tion, as a whole, does not greatly care whether or
no Lord This is in; or Lord That is out, so lour, as
the work of the Government goes on, the character
of the country is kept up, and the prosperity of the
people is not checked. With the coteries a vacancy
in any such post as the Home-office is a totally dif-
ferent thing—a thing to keep place-holders in anxiety
and place-seekers at a white heat of expectation till
the name of the new official really appears in the
London Gazette. The question of " Who may come
in ?" means to them, also, who may be taken in
with him, and what are the future chances of a
special policy, and the hopes of a group of would-
be ministers and other placemen. Hence the fervour
with which rumours pass from month to mouth,
and from club to club. Yesterday, the Carlton had
the honour of being declared parent to a rumour
that Mr. Gladstone was about to resign ; but, like
most Carlton rumours, it met a very cool reception.
It was endorsed chiefly by those who declared that
the entire Cabinet is in those early throes which
usually betoken a final dissolution. The adherents
of Lord Palmerston are naturally ready to lend ear
to all such gossip, and to give it full currency. Al-
ready these same politicians find a very ready hear-
ing from all to whom change is distasteful. If the
Coalition are found to be really in a mood for Re-
form, every representative of a rotten borough
will, of course, be keenly on the look out for a
good excuse' why he should vote against a Cabinet
with a Reform Bill in its .Ministerial pocket.
Even now the anti-Reform steam is being got up.
Whilst the bill is out of sight, who knows what
seats may be lost ? what legislators disturbed ?
what little quiet borough nests may be rumpled ?
what vested interests in corruption be disturbed ?
With his 'keen nose to the chance of future high
office, the. ex-Home Secretary when he contem-
plated resignation could scarcely overlook the
chances of future-division lists when the present
House of Commons are called to vote upon a mea-
sure or to deal with a Ministry pledged to Parlia-
mentary improvement and electoral, extension. He
could scarcely have been unmindful of this when
(if the story is true) he wrote to Lord Aberdeen to
object to the Cabinet measure on Refiwm, and to
ask for modifications. lend -he might—when he
reeeived the alleged reply of the Premier, saying
modifications were not requisite—he might let us
imagine, have been screwed to resignation pitch,
by the thought that with a seat in opposition he
might secure a chance of winning to his side allthose
who shudder at reform. His friends say he has no
such prospects, but the reply is suggested by the fact
chronicled in the " Court Circular," that on his re-
signation the ex-Home Secretary went at once to take
counsel with Lord Lansdowne, who is also inimical
to parliamentary changes. Virhy go to Bowood
unless he wanted to upset the Cabinet coach ? And
more. It is now said said that he wrote a letter
complimenting Lord Clarendon on his foreign
policy—the policy on the Turco-Russian quarrel.
Can this be true ? And if so, why did he do that
if he had no desire to disturb the colleagues he had
left ? Did he do these things or did he not ? If
he did, what can be the explanation other than
that he desires to pave the way for the time when
the disruption of the present Cabinet shall seem to
open a channel by which he may himself" be at the
head of a party in Downing-street, with Derbyite
colleagues and a reactionary policy ? Lord Lans-
downe,' with all his former liberal leanings, was
known, from growing years and sedate objections
to change, to be an unwilling party to parliamen-
tary alterations. He was, so to speak, known to
be shaldng. Lord Clarendon might also be re-
garded as not very cordially bent on schemes of
parliamentary alterations. He was, so to speak,
known to be shaking. Lord Clarendon might also
be regarded as, not very cordially bent on schemes
of parliamentary alterations, unless these changes
were sure to give new popularity to their origina-
tors. If then, he had no ulterior views, why did
Lord Palmerston run to visit the one, and hasten
to compliment the other ?

We liave no desire to do any sort of injustice to
any one of the statesmen in or out of office whose
names are identified with recent changes We have
neither ministerial patronage nor ministerial lean-
ings. But on behalf of the public at large—" Our
Party"—let us ask the friends of Lord Palmerston
to speak out, and give his reasons for leaving a
Ministry with whom he has so long been acting.
If errors creep into journals when discussing these
things from deficient information, it is not the fault
of journalists. With them publicity is the only
motto. The secresy—parent of error—is all on the
side of the officials. If Lord Palmerston will ex-
plain his opinions on reform the public will then be
able to 'appreciate them. If he will give up his
views on Eastern policy the public can judge of
their merit. If he did not compliment Lord Claren-
don on the Conduct of the Eastern affair, it will
be easy to say so. With the " materials for thinking"
which explanations from Lord Palmerston might
afford the nation would be able to judge how far he
has been right in this matter—how far his suppor-
ters are correct in the views they put forth—and how
far the ex-Home Secretary may be fit for that higher
position in office to which some theorists regard
him as an aspirant. He would, moreover set clubs
and coteries at rest, and reheve them and the coun-
try from the present flood of (it may be) baseless
rumours which besets us.

That Lord Aberdeen must resign if this country
should come to blows with Russia there can be
little doubt. Like Lord Lansdowne he is far ad-
vanced iu life ; like that noble lord he may be wil-
ling to " stop a little longer" if his friends urge him
strongly "to do so for their sakes." But the two
strong reasons for his resignation can scarcely be
overcome—his belief in Russia and the need for a
vigorous Minister during anything like serious
war. If faith is truly kept with the Turks, out
h Lord Aberdeen must surely go, though he can
scarcely be expected to take any step towards re-
signation until he has had an opportunity of
making an explanation to Parliament. The ses-
sion is, however, at hand, and it may happen
that to make things pleasant we may find Lord
Lansdowne, like Lord Aberdeen, waiting for the
gathering in St. Stephen's before either the one or
the other takes any formal steps for interfering
with the Ministerial status quo.
Every Reformer throughout the country will be
quite ready to admit that the present Cabinet has
given us many acceptable measures. The succes-
sions duty, the repeal of the soap tax, the abolition
of advertisement duties, the promise to bring all
the money collected by taxation within the con-
trol of Parliament, the instalments of customs
improvements, the penny Receipt Stamp Act, the
Charitable Trusts Act, the settlement of the Canada
clergy reserves vexation--all these are in their
• way things for which the Cabinet, as a whole, is
entitled to great credit, and to much future
support. When the moment comes for the modi-
fication cf that Cabinet, these instalments of im-
provement must of course all be remembered in
favour of the Aberdeen Ministry ; and if one or two
resignations should come, the question will be,
whether the whole party should be upset, or whe-
ther the measures really • carried' during the last
session, and the promise of a real measure of fur-
ther Reform, are sufficient guarantees of good in-
tention to justify the country in prolonging their
confidence in men who have done so much and pro-
mise so much more, or whether a clever Parliamen-
tary tactician should be allowed a chance of resolv-
ing the whole existing staff into its original elements,
in order that from its ruins he may construct a raft
which shall bear him into the high place which his
friends declare him best fitted to fill. The wedge
that will finally split up the Cabinet—if it is split
up—will, of course, be its Eastern policy. The
man to drive it home, if it is so driven, will be Lord
Palmerston. "No Coalition Reform Bill " and
" War, war," being the probable battle-cries.

ENFIELD.- -THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY.—
Last evening a meeting of the inhabitants of Enfield was
held in the Assembly-rooms of the King's Head Tavern,
to hear an explanation of the principles and plan of this
society, and of the scheme of allotment of the Enfield
estate, to be a2tlotted on the 4th of January next. A
deputation, consisting of Mr. R. N. Fowler, the banker,
member of the executive committee, Mr. C. G. Lewis,
Mr. Morgan, and Mr. Gruneisen, the secretary, at-
tended. Dr. Millar, of Enfield, presided. Mr. Fowler
addressed the meeting in explanation of the principles
and general plan of the society. Mr. C. G: Lewis also
addressed the meeting in explanation of the details of the
society. Mr. Morgan, the surveyor, stated that, if pro-
per applicatiot i were made to the Eastern Counties Rail-
way Company, every person building a house of the value
of 501. per anztuin would have a free pass on the line for
the perid 04 years, .