The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-02 00:00:00

A SPLIT IN THE MINIST ft

Have we a Ministry, or have we not? Rumour, and
more than rumour, says that grave dissentiraent has
sprung up between different persons and fractions of the
Cabinet, and that an old wound, which had been consi-
dered for a long time healed, has opened afresh. What
canibe the cause of this soreness and schism? Is it that
our rulers disagree on the [grave subject of electoral re-
form? We believe that they are not by any means
too unanimous. But reform is too trifling a matter io
break up a Cabinet. Is there any difference about peace
or war? Such things are not within the remotest pro-
bability. Have any of Earl Grey's colleagues become
restive :or discontented, at the prospect of bearing the
odium of his Lordship's policy at the Cape, and of the
campaign of his nominee commander in that colony?
We believe not: his colleagues were prepared to take
their share of Lord Grey's blunders and unpopularity.
Have the remote consequences of Lord John's Durham
letter stirred any of his colleagues to rebel at the
eleventh hour, and induced them to sacrifice him to the
Pope and Dr. Cullen? Not even that. Is one fraction
of the Cabinet for offering a share of office to the politi-
cians of Lancashire, and doth the other fraction prefer
the quondam colleagues of Sir Robert Yeel? Neither is
this the mountain of difference that has arisen.
That difference is a mere stumbling block; a pre-
cipitate and imprudent word which Lord Pal-
merston is accused of having employed in answering
an address from some parochial deputation. The
suburban liberals came to congratulate the Foreign Se-
cretary for having aided in the liberation of Kossuth,
and they mingled with their congratulations some dis-
obliging expressions for the potentates, who showed such
a fierce anxiety to hung Kossuth, and who did lieu,.
and shoot his companion. Lord Palmerston received the
address politely; perhaps somewhat jocularly, objected
to some of its expressions, but on the whole showed his
own breast, however ministerial, as participating in that
universal sentiment of sympathy for,the constitution and
liberal cause in Hungary, which has stirred, and which
still stirs, nine-tenths of Englishmen.
Lord Palmerston's sentiments were pretty well known
before; but This expression of them is, it seems, a high
offence. The Carlton Club have made it the foundation
of an impeachment; of which, for the last ten days, they
have been framing the articles,. Those good Tories have
found a very fit attorney-general to plead their oause in
Baron Brunnow, the Russian ambassador. And he has
addressed his formal accusation
,to her Majesty, both in
Court and in Council.

Had Baron Bruanow, the Carlton, and the Times,
stood the unsupported trio of accusers in this ins‘tter,
then should we have little doubt of the decision, and,
after all, see little gravity in the accusation. But the
absolutist trio have, by good luck, found an eift,eient
support in Earl Grey. His hereditary and long- seated
jealousy of Lerd Palmerston has been aroused to a flame;
so, at least, it is pretended, by the fact of his coll.engue
having paid an imprudent compliment to the aunga-
rian. And his Lordship, to tell a plain story, reh 1803 to
sit any longer in the same Cabinet with the Forei, gn Se-
cretary.
Once more, therefore, is the Prime Minister put in
the painful alternative of siding with ono of hi: t col-
leagues against the other. Earl Grey, a member of the
Cabinet and of the Liberal party, is entitled t o the
highest consideration. He has done good servic e. and
has been often stanch on vital points when his opp :.vents
tailed. It is possible, too, that on certain questions of
conduct in foreign policy, Earl Grey may have taken
the right view, and Lord Palmerston the wrong. But
at the present juncture to break up a Cabinet, and a
Reform Cabinet, on account of en imprudent word .—and
a Cabinet, too, of which the members have had to par-
don each other many imprudences, Lord Grey's, own
letters to his colonial subordinate being amongfit the
number—will bo considered as an act of unreal onable
petulance.
Besides, it will infallibly by said that his Lo rdship
was actuated in no small degree by those motives which
drove Mr. Hawes from office. A lowering Parli axnen-
tary storm hangs over the Government on acco ant of
the policy and consequent expenditure at the Cap, ;; and
it will be said, that whilst Mr. Frederick Peel has shown
a courage disproportionate with his years in undertak-
ing to do battle for Earl Grey, the Earl himself hi con-
sidered discretion to be the better part of valour, r said re-
peats the only way "to live to fight another day.,"
As may well be supposed, we take no very gr sat in-
terest in this personal quarrel, nor in the maint onance
of this statesman or that in office. We feel pretty
well assured that no one, in the Cabinet or out of it,
meditates a war with Russia or with Austria. But a
statesman or even a Minister telling those potentt tee in-
directly a bit of English mind, we really see no harm
in. If we do not want to attack, neither do we I rant to
curry favour with these potentates. And if England
should not play the bully, neither should it, af,:er the
fashion and the recommendation of the Times, en s.:3t the
sneak.

What we want is peace; but peace won by tr ight-
ness and not meanness. With peace we want ec o.nomy
and reform. All Ministers will give us peace; tl toy are
all bound over to keep it. But what Ministry win give
us most economy and most reform? These we the
points on which we should like to hear how str Icemen
think, and how they differ. If Lord Grey finds Lord
Palmerston not liberal enough or too liberal on this
point, we should like to hear it. We could tied crstand
a liberal statesman breaking up a Cabinet in such a
cause. But to get up a quarrel because a cones gue has
made use of an imprudently liberal word; or, wade a
speech which does not harmonise with the etique tto of a
Court—this is child's play, not man's play. Sch Dolboys
would deserve to be flogged for falling out abo at such
things. And for our part, we feel strongly inc! ,tied to
use the birch.—Daily News.