The Sun.
London, England, 1834-07-10 00:00:00

RESIGNATION OF MINISTERS.

Lord ALTH OR P rose amidst a feeling of the most in-
tense anxiety, and on silence being obtained, his Lordship
proceeded—ln the peculiar situation in which I now stand, I
find it necessary to make a statement to this House, and I have
requested his Majesty's permission to make the statement which
I shall now have the honour of submitting.—( Hear, hear.) Sir,
when the decision of the Cabinet was required as to whether
the Coercion Act should be renewed, I concurred in the neces-
sity for its renewal, with the omission only of the clauses re-
lating to court-martials. I hope I need not say, that I did so
with the greatest reluctance, and that nothing would have in-
duced me to do so, but my conviction of the absolute necessity
of the case. Private and confidential communications, how-
ever, from the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to indivi-
dual Members of the Government, brought the sub-
ject again under the consideration of the Cabinet in the
week before last. It was at this time that my Right Hon.
Friend, the Secretary for Ireland, suggested to me the pro-
priety of telling the Hon. and Learned Gentleman opposite,
that the Bill was still under consideration. I saw no harm
in this, but I begged him to use extreme caution in his
communication, and by no means to commit himself.—
( Great cheers.) As I have said, these communications
from the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, brought the sub-
ject again before the Cabinet. From the nature of
these communications I was led to believe that the
three first clauses of the act, those I mean, which
refer to meetings in the parts of Ireland not pro-
claimed, were not essentially necessary, and that they
might be omitted from the new Bill, without endangering the
peace of Ireland. Under this impression, I objected to the
renewal of these clauses.—( Hear, hear, and cheers.) In this
opposition my Right Hon. Friends, the Members for Inver-
ness, for Cambridge, for Edinburgh, and for Coventry,
concurred.—( Immense cheering.) The Cabinet, however,
decided against us, and we were left in a minority. We,
the said minority, had then to consider whether we
would acquiesce in this decision, or whether we would break
up the Government ? We decided that it was our duty to
acquiesce. Upon the most careful consideration which I
have been enabled to give to this point since, I am convinced
that, with the imperfect knowledge we then had of what had
occurred, we were right in so doing. I felt, however, that, in
such circumstances, I might be placed in great difficulty and
embarassment during the progress of this measure through this

House. But when, on Thursday, I heard the statement of my
Right Hon. Friend, the Secretary for Ireland, and then
for the first time was made aware of the nature and extent of
the communication which he had made to the Honour-
able and Learned Gentleman, I thought it most pro-
bable that the difficulties and embarrassments to which I
have already alluded, in which I should be placed, would
prove to be insuperable. The debate on Monday night,
on the motion of the Hon. and Learned Gentleman, proved to
me that they were so, and convinced me that I could no longer
conduct this Bill through this House, or indeed the public
business, and the business of Government in this House with credit
to myself, or with advantage to the public.—( Great cheering.)
I accordingly wrote that night when I returned home
to Lord Grey, and requested him to tender my resig-
nation to his Majesty, which his Majesty has been
graciously pleased to accept. lam authorized by my Right
Hon. Friends, to whom I have alluded, to say that they approve
of, and concur in, the step which I have taken. This

is the state of the case as it respects myself, and indeed
as it respects my Right Hon. Friends. I shall be extremely
sorry, if the course which I have pursued on this occasion
should be disapproved by my fellow-countrymen—( Hear, hear,
and cheers); but I should be still more grieved, if it should
not be approved of by that large body of Gentlemen in this
House, who have hitherto honoured me by so much of
their confidence, and who, by their handsome and steady
support, have enabled me to maintain a position, for
which my abilities would otherwise have so little qualified
me. I should feel most deeply indeed if they did not approve
of my conduct.—( Renewed cheering.) Sir, I have now
made the statement which, I think, has been required of me.
I have only, therefore, further to say, that I continue
only to hold my office till my successor shall be appointed, but
that of course I shall feel it to be my duty to continue the or-
dinary business of Government in this House.—(The Noble
Lord sat down amid the most deafening cheers, which lasted
a considerable time.)

Mr. LITTLETON said, I am sure that after the statement
of my noble friend, the House will indulge me with the oppor-
tunity of making a very few observations. No individual ever
stood in this House in a more painful situation than that
which I now occupy.—( Hear.) I have committed two errors ;
in the first place, one in holding any communication with the
Hon. and Learned Gentleman opposite, without the previous
sanction of the head of his Majesty's Government. I have
committed a greater error in placing confidence in one
who has proved himself so ill deserving of Cheers.)
Nothing is easier than to look back and discover the course
which it would have been wisest to have taken. I am now per-
fectly aware that the wisest thing for my own character and in-
terests--perhaps the wisest for the interests of my friends
in the Government—would have been that I should have re-
signed my office the very first moment it was communicated
to me that the hopes and sincere belief I had enter-
tained that the clauses in question in the Coercion Bill
would have been left out—could not possibly be omitted.
I never in my life shall forget the emotion of regret
I experienced on receiving that communication • but having
reflected that my resignation might have probably influenced
the conduct of others, and probably might produce a
dissolution of the present Government, I confess I did
not think sufficiently highly of myself. I had not sufficient
courage to take a step that might create that risk.—
( Loud cheers.) I therefore, Sir, resolved to do that which
I hope was not dishonourable.--( Cheers, and hear, hear. )
I resolved to compromise my opinion on this point, albeit that
opinion was a decided one, and to abstain from taking that
line of conduct, the principle of which I approved in the main.
Sir, my Noble Friend ( Lord Althorp) has observed that it
was only on Thursday last he was aware of the full
extent to which my communication to the Honourable
and Learned Gentleman had gone ; but be it borne in mind
that so full and so entire was the conviction in my mind—not
merely that the conversation which had taken place be-
tween the Honourable and Learned Gentleman and my-
self would go no further, but that the clauses in
question were sure to be abandoned—that the importance of
doing any thing more than merely to inform my Noble Friend
of what had taken place had really never occurred to me.
( Hear, hear.) Sir, I shall not detain the house any longer. I
have only one anxiety to express, and that is a most anxious
desire that the House may feel I have been actuated
by no other motive than to promote the peace of a country--
(Immense cheering)—than to promote the peace of a country
which has ever since my earliest entrance into public
life bad my warmest and sincerest sympathies--( Cheering)
—and for which, be it known, at the present time, I was in
some degree responsible.—( The Hon. Gentleman sat down
amidst long-continued cheering. )
Mr. O'C ONNELL said that the statement which had just
been made had been received by the House as it ought. He
( Mr. O'C. ) did not stand up for the purpose of vindicating
himself ; on the contrary, he would be content to receive
a double portion of blame, if it was thought that he was in any
degree culpable. He was convinced (indeed it was impos-
sible that he should not) that the Right Hon. Gentleman had
acted in good faith towards him, and that he had a sincere
conviction of the truth of every word that had dropt from him—
he believed the Right Hon. Gentleman utterly incapable of
any thing else.—( Hear.) He trusted that the House would
permit him ( Mr. 0' C. ), humble individual as he w as, to appeal
to its justice. He called on them to recollect that his unfor-
tunate countrymen had reposed in him for thirty years an un-
limited confidence, and that he would be the most
abject of human beings, if he had any thought
which was not absorbed in the wish to promote their interests,
and advance their liberties. He would ask Hon. Gentlemen,
before they condemned him, if England or Scotland were
placed as Ireland was, must they not wish to maintain
for their respective countries that portion of equality to which
they were entitled; and if he (Mr. O'Connell) had one duty
greater than another to discharge, it was that Ireland
should be their co-equal.—( Great cheering.) He was •
deeply convinced that the Right Hon. Gentleman and the Noble
Lord were perfectly right in deeming that those clauses
were utterly unnecessary to preserve the peace of Ire-
land. He (Mr. O'Connell) acted upon the suggestion
given to him. He would not take any merit to himself for
it, but he would have been wrong if he had published
one single line or said one single word that would
have infringed upon the c onfidence reposed in him, or
furnished a pretext for any person to taunt the Noble
Lord or the Right Honourable Gentleman with any of

those excesses which his (Mr. O'Connell's) con due* `'"""
would
have provoked. it was only to preserve
3•`lac country
from that danger that these Gentlemen lima •so acted. The
House would recollect that he (Mr. (1.: Connell) was not
a private individual, and that so lon's as explicit confidence
had been reposed in him, he ha'', not mentioned a single
name, but he had to procure the consent of others—of the
party with which he acted•—and he could positively state
that he did not utter a word, or give a hint, to any
person, of the quarter from which he had received the
intimation. If, finding himself deceived in point of fact
(though not intentionally), he did not rise to vindicate
himself, he would be content to receive a double portion
of blame. He ( Mr. O'Connell) was as anxious as any
other person for the maintenance of an administration of liberal
principles, such as those professed by the four Cabinet
Ministers who had just been named. They had his (Mr.
O'Connell's) confidence—(hear)—and he believed they had
the confidence of the country.—( Loud and continued cheer-
ing.) He thought the strongest Administration that ever
was formed would be formed upon the principles which
these Ministers had individually entertained with those
colleagues who combined with them in the same sentiments,
and gave the full benefit of their advocacy to the great prin-
ciple of reform, with which their names would be ever con-
nected. He begged to withdraw his motion.
Mr. HUME rose to move the order of the day, and in doing
so would take an opportunity of expressing how seriously sorry
he was to hear what he had just heard from the Noble
Lord and the Right Honourable Gentleman—( Hear,
hear, hear.) Although, on some occasions, he had
taken an adverse position to the ministry of Lord Grey, he must
say that he still had some confidence in that Ministry.—
( Hear, hear.) It was with extreme regret, therefore, that
he had heard his Lordship had been placed in a situation
in which he was compelled to resign, rather than to sacrifice
his principles.
So much noise was occasioned by Hon. Members leaving
the House, that Mr. Hume sat down.
Lord ALTHORP then rose and said, I wish to confine
myself to my own case, but I ought to have stated
in my first address, that in consequence of myself and
my Right Honourable Friend retiring from office, Lord Grey
will, by this time, have stated in another place that the Admi-
nistration is at an end.—( Great sensation.)
Mr. HUME rose immediately and said, can any one state
that any Administration could be formed on any other
principles than those of that liberal character professed
by the Noble Lord and his colleagues? Attempts may be
made, but I mistake the feeling of the House and country
if it is not utterly impossible to saddle upon the country a Tory
Government.—( Loud cheers.) I therefore express my regret
again at what has occurred.
The order of the day was then read.
SALE OF BEER BILL.

Sir E. KNATCHBULL and other Hon. Members pre-
sented some petitions in favour of the Bill.
Sir E. KNATCHBULL expressed a hope that the Hon.
Member for Cork (Mr. F. O'Connor) would not, as he had
intimated an intention of doing, press the motion of which
he had given notice as an amendment to the order of the day
for going into Corpnlittee on this Bill. Such a course, he
thought, would not be very gracious on the part of the Hon.
Gentleman; and as individual Members had only one day in
the week to bring forward their measures, he hoped the Hon.
Gentleman would not impede the progress of this Bill, by
adopting so unusual a course.
Mr. HUME rose and said the House was not in a condition
to transact business.

The question being put—.
Mr. 1.. O'CONNOR said that the motion to which the
Hon. Baronet referred was one of considerable importance, at
all events to the individuals to whom it related. The liberty
of those individuals was materially affected by it ; and, having
already made several attempts to bring it on, he had only to
now that he would accede to the Hon. Baronet's request, pro-
vided the Hon. and Learned Gentleman opposite (the Attor-
ney-General) would appoint some early day for the discussion.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL observed that, as his in-
fluence as a Member of the Government was at an end, he
could not do as the Hon. Gentleman desired. This, how-
ever, he would say, that whenever the motion was brought
forward, he should be fully prepared to meet the Hon. Gen-
tleman upon it.

Mr. F. O'CONNOR was understood to postpone his mo-
tion for a fortnight.
Sir E. KNATCHBULL said that he would adopt any
course the House desired, but he at the same time hoped the
Hon. Member for Middlesex would withdraw his motion, if it
were only to enable him to postpone the Committee until
Friday next.

W. HUME assented, and accordingly withdrew his motion.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURTS BILL.

The Central Criminal Courts Bill was, on the motion of
the SOLICITOR-GENERAL, and after a brief discussion, read a
third time.

Mr. ROTCH proposed a clause by way of rider, excepting
the county of Middlesex from all liability on account of ex-
penses for calendars and other sessional papers beyond those
to which it was at present subject.
The clause was agreed to.
. .

ne Hon. and Learned Gentleman also proposed, that in.
stead of coming into operation on the Ist of October, the Bil
should not take effect until the 31st of that month.

The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the
House adjourned a few minutes after half-past six o'clock.

PARLIAMENTARY DIVISIONS: