The Sun.
London, England, 1838-03-08 00:00:00

longed would not tripe), their confidence. He believed that
the Government represented the opinions of what was called
the liberal or moderate party. If it was admitted that the present
Oniernment represented the opinions of the lot classes, it was
quite clear !tie Eluch a Government as he had described could
not be of long duraticriL lf; on the contrary, Gentlemen op-
posite represented, as they asserted, the opinions of the coun-
try, they did not need the aid of the Hon. Baronet or his
friends to get into office. The Right lion. Gentleman tbee.
eluded by again thanking the House for the attention with
which they bad listened to him.
Lord STANLEY wished to say a few words in expla-
nation. The Right Honourable Gentleman was mis-
taken in supposing that he ( Lord Stanley) had ever
asserted that with h's Administration commenced the diffi-
culties of Canada. On the contrary, he distinctly stated,
ill answer to what had fallen from the Noble Lord opposite,.
that the difficulties and embarrassments of Canada herd been
of much longer standing, but that the hesitation and uncer-
tainty as to the course of policy Government should pursue,
had commenced with the Administration of Colonial affairs
by the Right lion. Gentleman.—( Hear, hear, from the Oppo-
sition Benches.) He had stated that Mr. Roebuck, the
Representative of the House of Assembly, had been led into'
this mistake by a personal interview which he had with the
Right Hon. Gentleman. He had distinctly vindicated the
Right Honourable Gentleman against the charges brought
against him by Mr. Roebuck of unconstitutional interference.
in the affairs of Canada, and this he had endeavoured to convey
in terms as little reflecting on the public character of the
Right Honourable Gentleman as he could possibly use. He
regretted that what he had said had made so deep and
bitter an impression on the mind of the Right Honourable
Gentleman. He would not comment on the terms in which he
had alluded to what had fallen from him, but—(the remainder
of the sentence was drowned by loud cries of " Spoke" from
the Ministerial benches.) He hoped that in two or three days,
on more calm reflection, and after looking to the terms in
which the charge was conveyed, the Right Hon. Gentleman
would see that the words which he had used did not bear the
construction which he had put upon them.—( Cries of " Spoke,
spoke.") He should sincerely rejoice if, upon reflection, the
Right Hon. Gentleman should see—( Renewed cries of
" Spoke," from the Ministerial benches, followed by cries of
" Order" and " Chair" from the Opposition.)
The SPEAKER was sure that Hon. Members must per-
ceive from the tone of the Noble Lord that he had no inten-
tion of exceeding the limits of the rule, and that his only
desire was to satisfy the mind of the Right Hon. Gentleman,
with respect to a mistake into which he said he had fallen.
Lord STANLEY was about to say that on the further
consideration of what had passed, and on cool reflection, the
Right Hon. Gentleman would give wider scope to those feel-
ings of kindliness which the excitement of the present mo-
ment prevented him exercising. One word more.—( Cries
of " Spoke, spoke,") Whenever he had an opportunity he
would be most ready to undertake the vindication of the Go-
vernment to which he belonged.
Lord HO WICK hoped the House would allow him to
say a word in explanation, in reference to what had been
mputed to him as having said of Lord Aberdeen. —( Hear. )
He had only expressed those opinions which, on his side of
House, they had all entertainod for what were commonly
called high Tory opinions ; but he was very happy now, know-
ing from his office what Lord Aberdeen's conduct had been
in reference to the colonies, in being able to state that he
thought, from the despatches written by Lord Aberdeen dur-
ing his tenure of office, that he had manifested a spirit of li-
berality which was in the highest degree creditable to him.
Sir R. PEEL heartily rejoiced that he had given the Noble
Lord opposite an opportunity of explaining a charge which
had been supposed to have been brought by him against his
( Sir R. Peel's) Noble Friend, and of expressing his approba-
tion of his Noble Friend's conduct during the period he was
Colonial Minister of this country, and paying to him a tri-
bute of praise which he ( Sir R. Peel) believed to be as justly
deserved on the part of his Noble Friend, as he must say it
was creditable on the part of the Noble Lord to make it. He
must say, however, that he was surprised at the sensitive and
irritable feeling displayed by the Right Honourable Gentle-
m n opposite. He should have thought that a Chancellor of
the Exchequer responsible for his public conduct, having filled
the station of Colonial Secretary, would have been content to
vindicate himself from an imputation brought forward by his
Noble Friend, he must say, in no unkind terms. And
he did think it an extraordinary principle for the
Right Hon. Gentleman to maintain, that his conduct
being questioned in fair argument, he, therefore, had a
right to attribute to him who questioned it a departure
from those friendly feelings which he had heretofore
always shown.—( Loud cheering.) He was surprised at the
retaliation of the Right Honourable Gentleman. His conduct
was fairly open to the observations of his Noble Friend.
How was it possible to question the Colonial policy, arid at-
tribute to it those evils which were attributed to it, without sub-
jecting the Right Hon. Gentleman's conduct to a scrutiny ?
But was it perfectly decorous in the Right Hon. Gentleman
to charge his ( Sir R. Peel's) Noble Friend (Lord Stanley)
with misconduct in the Colonial Department, when the
Right Honourable Gentleman himself was a member of
that Government ?—(Much cheering.) The doctrine now
was that the whole of a Government was responsible for
the acts of a member of it. If that doctrine were well founded,
with what decency did they who had been the colleagues of
his Noble Friend attribute to his Noble Friend improper
conduct in the administratien of that department ?—(Hear.)
They, according to their own showing, shared in the responsi-
bility. Why was it, that after their experience of his con
, duct in Ireland, they had called upon his Noble
t Friend to administer that department, when the most
F important measure that ever was discussed was about to be
submitted to the House ? They quarrelled now with him about
his colonial conduct. Did they tell him then of all the evils
• they now professed to feel had arisen from his conduct ?
—( Cheers.) Why, if they felt it, did they not declare
to him that they would not share in his responsibility ?
( Hear, hear, hear.) Why did they now come forward and
complain of the doctrines which they said ought not
to have been sanctioned ? Would it not have been
more becoming in them to have said that those doctrines should
not have been sanctioned, rather than to have let them go for
four years, andlafterwards to have complained ?—( Hear.) Was
it on the subject of the Irish policy or of Colonial policy that
their union with his Noble Friend terminated ?—( Hear, hear.)
Was it not rather on account of his steady and constant ad-
herence to principles which he had never deserted; and when
he left their Government, did they not all una voce admit
that their chief pride and ornament had left them ?
( Much cheering and loud laughter.) Did they not all
feel that he who had rescued them a hundred times over from
difficulties in which they found themselves involved—did
they not all feel that they had lost the principal support,
the word of their Government ?—( Renewed cheering and
laughter.) Ile gave them credit for having felt it, because
they had all said it.—( Hear.) He knew they said that on
public and personal grounds they more deeply regretted that
separation in public life than any event which could have oc-
curred--( Renewed cheers.) He should proceed at once, with-
out one word of unnecessary preliminary comment, to the consi-
deration of the real question which was at issue on that occasion.
They were two-fold—first, the amendment which had been
proposed; and secondly, the policy which that amendment
called in question and condemned. He made no apology fur
this amendment.—( Cheers.) The amendment embodied
every opinion which he had given on the subject
of our Colonial affairs.---( Hear.) That this amendment
surprised Hon. Members opposite was not a matter of asto-
nishment, because it was an amendment wholly at variance
with every principle on which they had acted in public life.—
( Cheers.) It was an amendment which partook not of the
character of being ambiguous or dilatory—(Cheering)--
which contained sentiments which they (the Opposition) had
avowed; and in plain, direct, straightforward terms arraigned
the conduct of the Hon. Members opposite. It sought for no
confederacy with opinions to which it was opposed—( Cheers)
it made no truckling compromise with opposite principle for
the purpose of swelling the number of votes--( Loud
cheers)—it sought to found upon no compact, but
on the contrary, to declare the determination of the
Conservative party in the House. It declared their deter-
mination to support the Crown in maintaining the autho-
rity of the Crown ; it expressed satisfaction at the success of
her Majesty's arms, but at the same time consistently with the
expression of that satisfaction, and that success, and that de-
termination to uphold it throughout, it expressed directly
certainly a want of confidence in the Government. And yet
Hon. Members opposite could not account for this, and they
fancied it must be from some pressure from behind.—( Hear,
hear, and Cheers.) They were so uncharitable as to judge
of Members on this side of the blouse by themselves.—(Loud
cheers.) The Noble Lord, the Secretary of State for Fo-
reign Affairs, saw fusion and coalition as the ultimate deject
of this motion—( Loud laughter)—and, although he ( Sir
Robert Peel) repudiated any concurrence in the motion
of the lion. Baronet, and, although an amendment was
proposed, in which the lion. Baronet could not concur,
although the Hon. Baronet must know that he would have
disclaimed any concert with him ( Sir Robert Peel), as much
as he ( Sir Robert Peel) would have disclaimed any concert
with the Honourable Baronet, on account of the extreme
opinions which they entertained yet, notwithstanding
all this, the Noble Lord could not find any assignable
motive whatever for this amendment, except the prospect
of a coalition between the Hon. Baronet and himself. —( Cheers. )
And this amendment was objected to on various grounds.
First, it was said that lion. Members on this side of the House
concealed their intentions, that they approved of the policy
of the Government ? Did they approve of it on the discussion
on the Canada Bill. Did not lie ( Sir R. Peel) declare that to
the vacillating conduct of the Government that revolt was
mainly to attributed ?—( Cheers.) On that occasion lie
expressly declared in the words of that amendment, that
although he would enable the Crown to vindicate its authority
although he cordially rejoiced in the succes of her Majesty's
arms, he distinctly declared that on account of the irresolute and
dilatory conduct of the Government he thought these evils had
arisen. The Lion. Gentleman the Secretary for the Colonies
asked how it was possible to concur in the Address to her Ma.
jesty, and why they had not moved an amendment condemnatory
of the Government? He would tell the Hon. Gentleman why—
because the Noble Lord expressly invited them to concur
in that address, saying he
did not mean to agitate the
question of whether the Government should stand or net.
There was the return which they had made. The Nos le
Lord (John Russell) said " The question which I wish to pre-
pose this evening is whether the House is prepared to maintain
the authority of the Crown in Lower Canada ; and not whether
her. Majesty's Ministers are to blame or not? If any person
choose, upon a future occasion, to bring the question of our
conduct before the House, I am prepared to show that we are
in no way to blame, for the course which we have adopted."
--(Tory cheers.) Ministers told the Opposition not to make
the question of that night a party questiun.—(Cheers.)
Ministers wished on that occasion to secure a majority.—
(Hear, hear, hear.) The Opposition believed them ; e