The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-18 00:00:00

to being permitted to review all those matters? Still the
separateNobleord without sn'snle should not permit Parliament to
would it not be moreedefist:raanoc;i:l measures; but I ask him,
opportunity of
settling our affairs with the UniQtehda;teataene, if settled they.
can be? The House must be aware that commercial tre2.t.les
are pending with Naples, :with Texas, with Portugal,
with the Brazils, and above all with France. I say nothing of
the policy of that treaty, but it was under consideration,
and was suspended in consequence of the quadruple
treaty of July. It is reasonable, it is necessary, that we
should understand the views of France—that we should
understand the view on the subject of the com-
mercial treaty with that country. That treaty proposes
the introduction of French brandy at a reduced taxa-
tion. Now, would not such a measure effect the impor-
tation of colonial rum, of wine and other articles of that
nature? Would it be fit, would it be right, to settle a
question of that nature till you have first decided what
your commercial relations with that country are to be?
Is not the demand I make for time to consider these
things, a demand founded, not upon personal con-
siderations, but on considerations of the public good? If
these things are to be undertaken, they should be
brought to a close at the time when they are undertaken,
and tuey should not• be proposed by a responsible
Government without having it allowed some time
for the purpose of considering such comprehensive
questions. Sir, the Noble Lord has spoken in a just,
frank, and handsome manner, with respect to the course
I pursued in advising the Crown as to the constitution of
the Government. Let me, however, remind the Noble
Lord of the confidence of the predictions with respect to
the course which I might take. Was I not told, night
after night, that in the formation of a Government I
should be the reluctant and degraded instrument of
those men who were ready to offer every insult to their
Roman Catholic fellow countrymen—that would hoist
the standard of ascendancy, and that would demand from
me complete and servile acquiesence? That was said to
be the' inevitable consequence of my accession to power.
Well, the moment for the verifying of those predictions
has passed, and the Noble Lord has admitted that over
that difficulty at least I have triumphed, and that I have
constituted a Government in a manner that has satisfac-
torily shown that the affairs of the country shall be di-
rected with impartiality. Sir, I make no concessions for
the purpose of purchasing support. I intend to admi-
nister the law with firmness—l hope with vigour. I
will not permit the administration. of Irish affairs to be
influenced by conciliating support in the House of Corn-
mons.—(Ministerial cheers.) I do say this after the
compliment which the Noble Lord has paid me. I have
a right to say that the engagements into which I have
entered with regard to the administration of impartial
justice shall, as far as they depend on me, be fulfilled. The
appointment of my Noble Friend, Lord de Grey, who
with just reluctance, Nvas induced to undertake the im-
portant functionS which wean him from occupations and
enjoyments the most refined and honourable, and credit-
able to man—the appointment of my Noble Friend
Lord Eliot—the appointment of my Hon. and Learned
Friend, Sir Edward Sugden, to the Chancellorship
those appointments do, I say, give guarantee, strong as
it could be given, of my determination to adhere to
strict impartiality—my Right Hon. Friend, the Lord
Chancellor of Ireland, felt himself under obligation, as
he was in the receipt of a pension for the Chancellorship
—a pension honourably acquired by him, after a sacri-
fice of professional emolument, but for a short discharge
of public official duty—my Right Hon. Friend felt it to
be his duty at once to resume his present position. But
I do not hesitate to say, that if circumstances occurred
to prevent his assumption of office, I would have selected
from the Irish bar a Chancellor—l would have paid that
compliment to a portion of the profession, which stands
as high as any other portion of it in the empire. With
regard to what has been said of the impossibility of
my performing my public duty, with respect to other
matters—with respect to the domestic policy of this
country—l can. assure the Noble Lord it is my
intention to act upon a sense of public duty,
and to propose those measures which my own
convictions of the public interest shall make me
desirous to carry. It is right that there should
be a distinct understanding as to the terms on which a
public man holds his place. The force of circumstances
and a sense of public duty have compelled me to un-
dertake the harrassing and laborious office which I now
fill. What would be any inducement to me to make
the sacrifices which it demands ? What can be an in-
ducement but the hope of rendering service to my coun-
try and of acquiring honourable fame ? (Ministerial
cheers.) Would Igo through the labour which it im-
poses if I could not claim for myself the -liberty of pro-
posing to Parliament those measures which I shall be-
lieve it my duty to propound ? Ido with confidence
assure those who hear me that no consideration of
mere political associations should induce me to hold such
an office as I now fill by servile tenure which should
compel me to be the instrument of carrying men's opi-
nions into effect.—(Hear, hear.) I do not estimate
lightly the distinction which it confers. It is
only valuable—not from the patronage which it
enables me to sustain—not from personal distinc-
tion—but it is only valuable to any man fit
for holding it for an hour from the opportunity
which it gives him of serving his country. Therefore I
feel that every man confers an obligation on me who
places me in this office ; but at the same time I reserve
to myself the power of giving up its onerous duties the
moment I feel I cannot discharge them with satisfaction
to the country and to myself.
Lord PALMERSTON said, whether the Right Hon.
Baronet had reasons for abstaining from malting that ex-
position of his views which his (Lord Palmerston's)
Noble Friend thought he' ought to make before Parlia-
ment separate& and whether the reasons which he had
given were satisfactory to himself and to Hon. MeMbers
who sat behind him, he'(Lord Palmerston) could .not
tell, but he would take leave to say that, having listened
with great attention to all that had fallen from the Right
Hon. Baronet, be did not think that the reasons he had
assigned would be held to be satisfactory by the country
at large.—(Opposition cheers.) The Right Hon. Ba-
ronet had challenged his NobleTriend to take the sense
of the House upon the opinions on which that side or
the other side might differ. They knew well, from the
results of the last elections, what the decision Of
the House upon a question of that kind would be.
However the Hon. Baronet might plume himself on
the majority by which he was now supported, he would
tell him to refrain from reposing unlimited confidence in
that support, because he should recollect that there was
a country as well as a House of Commons.—(Ministerial
cheers and counter Opposition cheers.) Let him not too
confidently rely upon the opinioa of that majority by
which he was supported, although technically he was en-
titled to represent it as the opinion of the country. Un-
doubtedly -it was not with reference to our foreign rela-
tions that his Noble Friend had said that the Right Hon.
Baronet ought to keep the Parliament sitting fur a longer
period at present, or call it together again at an
early period. It was not on that ground his
Noble Friend rested his observations. The first point
on which he thought some communications of its inten-
tions from a new Government were due to the country,
was with regard to the Corn-laws. I must say that I
think the reply of the Right Hon. Baronet on that
subject was any thing but satisfactory. The Right
Hon. Baronet said that he had been out of office ten
years, but he had not been out of the country—he had
not been out of active occupation of public affairs—he
had not been out of that House—he knew what had been
passing in the country—he had given his attention to
the state of public affairs, and if any man was compe-
tent to form an opinion on the interests of the country,
especially on that particular question, he (Lord Palmer-
ston) said that the Right Hon. Baronet, from his attain-
ments, his habits, and his pursuits, was the man who was
competent to do so. But then the Right Hon. Baronet
said, that if he was to be reproached with not being
ready with an opinion on the Corn-laws, to what re-
proach was the last Government exposed, which remained
three years in office without having passed a measure
on that subject.—(Hear, hear, hear.) Why really
that argument lie (Lord Palmerston) was rather
surprised the Right Hon. Baronet would condescend
to'use because it would be open to every man, when any
great measure was proposed, to say, " Why, you areto
blame for not proposing that measure sooner." Why,
with respect to every measure of importance, there were
certain circumstances that led to the proposing of them,
and it was not a matter of reproach of those persons
who proposed them.-. that they did not bring them
forward at an earlier period than the one at which they
chose to do so. However, those with whom he (Lord
Palmerston) acted in concert had proposed that measure.
When they proposed it before it might be said that the
question had not been laid before the public, that the
parties whom it interested had not hem called on to look
at it with a view to their own concerns ; but in the pre-
sent instance the question had been brought before the
public. The discussion of it had been defeated, how-
ever, by the proceedings of the last Parliament, and
therefore the Bight Hon. Baronet did not stand, with re-
gard to the Corn-laws, in
.the position which the
last Government stood with regard to that question.
He (Lord Palmerston) must now take that opportunity
of saying, that the Right lion. Baronet might have ab-
stained from giving his authority to the frequently con-
tradicted misrepresentations of what had fallen from
Lord Melbourne in the other House of Parliament. The
Right Hon. Baronet had given his sanction to the stu-
diously circulated misrepresentations of that Noble
Lord's words.
Sir ROBERT PEEL, in a low tone of voice, made
some observations across the table. We understood the
Right Hon.,,Baronet to disclaim what the Noble Lord
(Lord Palmerston) had attributed to him relative to his
remarks on Lord Melbourne's words.
Lord PALMERSTON went onto say that he under-
stood the Right Hon. Baronet to allude to the opi-
nions of Lord Melbourne on the Corn-laws. The
flight Hon. Baronet said he wondered the colleagues
of Lord Melbourne would remain in office with him, as
that Noble Lord disagreed with them on the measures
they proposed. Now, any one who would look to that
book which was so often in the hands of Gentlemen Op-
posite, The Mirror of Parliament, would see what Lord
Melbourne had said. That Noble Lord repudiated any
measure which would tend to deprive the agricultural
interest of all protection, but he was by no
,meansvich
pre-
pared to say that circumstances might not alriesLs
existing
would induce him to approve of a changein tthi
Corn-laws. The Right Hon. Baronet saidt
n)
not mean to say what he (Lord Pahnteorsanoy
change in
to him. It was not with regardd aatttrhibeutdeidd
that opinion—it
was
withd tre- The Right Hon.
the Corn-law which made Lora:ar/sdlelbtoournae express
which would abolish all
Corn-laws he was prepared'e t-chenge until he could do it
Baronet gave them to undettouaii:Criotphoaste,a
hcultiatnhgaet
hein trhee-
frained from proposing.t
at
who were
the constitution of that. o •
composed—looking at the head of a united (...r.lren.nn-ilellto.t:cociwi;,glovvo,king
-seeing
eslid,as pooffis.ceed—i_nl_
otring at the
which
Members highof
the Cabinet—if the
Govern-
ment, but were not
ntlpieilineisnboet.rsthoofswe
Eight Hon. Baronet said that he was to wait before
proposing
his intended change in .the Corn-laws till he