The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-04 00:00:00

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THE NEW ADMINISTRATION.
(From the Times of yesterday.)
With a promptitude and a facility that contrasts strangely
with the protracted and fruitless negotiations of last
Deem):
ber, Lord John Russell's Ministry is already arranged. Our
readers may depend on the following list; which, though
agreeing to a considerable extent with that given in our
columns last Tuesday, " as far as it goes," presents some im-
portant differences, which the history of the intervening days
may possibly account for :
THE CABINET.
Lord Chancellor
President of the Council Marquis of LANSDOWNE.
_Lord Privy Seal
Home-office
Foreign-office ... Viscount PALMERSTON.
Colonial-office
First Lord of the Treasury Lord Jolts RUSSELL.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Mr. CIIARLES WOOD.
Chancellorof the Duchy of Lan 't
caster j Lord CastrßELL.
Paymaster-General Mr. MACAULAY.
Woods and Forests ....
Postmaster. General Marq. of CLANRICARDE.
Board of Trade Earl of CLARENDON.
Board of Control
Chief Secrary for Ireland
Admiralty Earl of AUCKLAND.
NOT IN THE CABINET.
•
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland Earl of BESDOROUGIL
Commander-in-Chief
Master-General of Ordnance
As the Cabinet, of course, professes to be only a revival
or
the old Whig Cabinet, it.admits of no other criticism than
a general inquiry into the merits of such a revival. Before
we drop a word on that subject, it may be as well to re-
late briefly wha:ever has come to our knowledge of- a
nature to throw light on the construction of the Cabinet as
it now stands. W e believe we may say that Lord John Rtis-
sell has spared no pains to increase its strength by the ad-
dition of new elements. On receiving her Majesty's com-
mands to form a Ministry he sought an interview with Sir
Robert Peel. The ex-Premier received him with every sign
of cordiality, gave him a general promise of assistance, and
undertook that he would not oppose any measures Lord John
might bring forward, simply because they proceeded from
that quarter. To this he added expressions, the force of
which may have been overrated, but which implied the
absence of all wish for a return to power. On this, it is said,
Lord John ventured to ask for what he considered a fair
pledge of Sir Robert's sincerity. He requested that the ex-
Minister would acquiesce in three of his late colleagues,
whose names our readers will probably anticipate—Lord Dal-
housie, Lord Lincoln, and Mr. S. llerbert, accepting seats in the
new Cabinet. To this Sir Robert is said to have replied, that he
felt unwilling to interfere in so delicate a matter, that he
would offer no opposition, but could certainly not recommend
a step which would be liable to unfavourable comment, as
indicating a too great tenacity of office on the part of those
youthful statesmen. As we yesterday intimated to our
readers, Lord John Russell returned on Wednesday from
Osborne House, charged with an expression of her Majesty's
wishes that the Duke of Wellington would still continue in
command of the army. To this request his Grace yielded
a dutiful compliance, in conformity with his views under
somewhat similar circumstances in 1827. At the same time
he said that he considered his political life now ended, and
that he should now never open his lips in Parliament, except
on subjects connected with his office. Lord John Russell
hereupon felt himself encouraged to make the same request
he had previously made with imperfect success to Sir R. Peel.
The Duke at first returned much the same answer as his late
colleague. He was subsequently, however, induced to give his
consent to a letter, of which Lord John sent copies to the
above-mentioned tlftee members of the retiring Cabinet.
Their replies left Lord John Russell no hope of their assistance
as members of his Government—for the present at least.
Some of our readers will possibly be grieved to find that a
Cabinet which has risen into power on the back of the measure
carried by the League, should bear so little outward sign of
sympathy with that body. In the first place, however, they
will discover some pledge that their misgivings are not
founded in fact, in the circumstance that Lord Grey now
views in a more favourable light the difficulties that led him
to break with the Cabinet attempted last December. The
question, too, of offering a seat to Mr. Cobden received, we
are informed, long and repeated discussion. Of course the
admission of a great and triumphat agitator to the councils
of her Majesty and the Executive Government of the nation
was a proposal likely to present some unfavourable aspects
to persons such as Ministers, Whig or Conservative,
usually are. We have reason to believe that no un-
becoming jealousy was displayed. There are cir-
cumstances, however, which will occur to all our readers as
offering at least a temporary impediment in the way of that
gentleman's acceptance of office, His business, it is well
known, is one peculiarly dependent on personal superintend-
ence, so much so that Mr. Cobden himself considers a period
of political retirement necessary to make amends for the
loss he has suffered by his generous devotion to a public
cause, and on the same ground a magnificent subscription
has been set on foot by his friends and admirers. However,
a communication has, we believe, been made by Lord John
Russell, with the acquiescence of his intended colleagues, ex-
pressing his deep sense of Mr. Cobden's services and conse-
quent claims, and conveying also the prospective offer of a
seat in the Cabinet, contingent on Mr. Cobden finding him-
self some day in sufficient health and wealth to discharge
that great responsibility without danger to his life or for-
tune. Proposals have also, we have reason to believe, beer
made to two other prominent members of the League; and,
although in one case they were, also from private reasons,
unsuccessful, it is not improbable that at least one gentleman
who has distinguished himself by his public advocacy of
corn-law repeal will enter Lord John Russell's Government.
The Cabinet which has resulted from these nego-
tiations and failures of negotiation is not more aristocratic
than Cabinets usually are, and therefore need not on that ac-
count excite the suspicions of the most thorough-going friend
of the people. That it does not contain more of the popular
element is clearly not owing to any lingering spirit of exclu-
sion in the leader. He has done his best to give it a compre-
hensive character, but found himself limited to the personnel
of which it was inevitable that a Whig Ministry should be
composed. It deserves, what it will probably obtain, a fair
trial at the hands of all parties. We are not aware of any
particular objection to which it is liable, unless it be the
Right Hon. Baronet selected for that very important and
arduous place, the Board of Control. Surely it was not
necessary to inflict on us, by his return to that office, the
painful recollections of his former most unfortunate official
career, especially when his qualifications are such as to as-
sure us that his failure was something more than misfortune.