The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-25 00:00:00

alteninit rni

LONDON, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1851.

In the House of Lords last night,

The Marquis of LAsisnowNs, in moving that their
Lordships do adjourn to Friday, entered into expla-
nations on the subject of the Ministerial crisis. Hav-
ing detailed the circumstances under which the
Cabinet had resigned, and the failure of Lord
STANLEY to construct a Government, he said that
Lord JOHN RUSSELL had been again sent for by her
MAJESTY, and was now endeavouring to reconstruct
a Cabinet.

- .
Lord- STANLEY would be prepared, when the
crisis should be passed, to state, unreservedly, the
advice which he had tendered to her MAJESTY.

The Earl of ST. GEaMAINS expressed a hope that
their Lordships would sit to-morrow (this day) to
discuss the second reading of the Marriage Bill.

This request, which was supported by Lord CAMP-
BELL and the Archbishop of CANTERBURY, was tw-
ee led to, and their Lordships adjourned.
In the House of Commons a new writ was ordered
for Harwich, in the room of Sir JOHN CAM HOB-
HOUSE, who has accepted the Chiltern Hundreds.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL made his promised explana-
tions. In consequence of the narrowness of the ma-
jority on Mr. DISRAELI'S motion, and the defeat of
the Ministry on Thursday, on the motion of Mr.
LOCKE KING, he thought it disadvantageous to enter
upon the discussion of financial questions with a Mi-
nistry so weakened and so liable to defeat. He ac-
cordingly assembled all his colleagues, with the
exception of the Marquis of LANSDOWNE, who was
out of town on Friday, and they all agreed to tender
their resignations to her MAJESTY. The absence of the
Noble Marquis had rendered it necessary for him to
request the delay which he had requested on Friday.
On Saturday the Noble Marquis had arrived, had
concurred with the rest of his colleagues, and the re-
signations had been formally tendered and accepted
by her MAJESTY, who bad sent for Lord STANLEY.
On the same afternoon, he (Lord J. RUSSELL) had
been again sent for by her MAJESTY, and instructed
to reconstruct an Administration, as Lord STANLEY
bad declared that he was then unable to form a Go-
vernment. _ _

\lr. DISRAELI said when the time came Lord STAN-
LEY would make a statement, but he believed that it
was scarcely correct to say that Lord STANLEY had
stated that he was unable to form a Ministry.
Lord JO/IN RUSSELL thought that the statement
of Lord STANLEY would bear out th© words he had
used.

Mr. ROEBUCK warned Lord JOHN RUSSELL that
upon him rested the responsibility whether or no we
were to fight the free-trade battle over again.
The louse then adjourned.

Great excitement prevailed during the whole of
yesterday in the neighbourhood of the New Palace
at Westminster, which reached the utmost pitch of
intensity as the hour approached for the meeting of
both branches of the Legislature. Anxious crowds
had assembled, endeavouring to obtain any indica-
tion, however trifling, to the solution of the Ministe-
rial difficulties. The great points to be discovered
were whether there was to be a total smash, or
merely a reconstruction of the Cabinet, and
whether Lord STANLEY was, as asserted by
a morning contemporary, a leading organ of the
Protectionist party, "entrusted with authority.to form
a Ministry, and that the commission was remaining
in his hands." Quod volumus facile credimus.
A ready credence was accorded by the sturdy agri-
culturists to the too flattering tale and pleasing vi-
sions of a renewed corn-law, with wheat at sixty
shillings the quarter, and an abolished malt-tax,
flashed across the bucolic mind. The elongated vi-
sages of some of the members of the party who had
access to more authentic sources of information
than the vague guesses hazarded in accordance
with the political creed of the would-be prophets ;
that peculiarity of aspect which is vulgarly termed
being " down in the mouth," on the part of those
who, on hearing that Lord STANLEY had been sent
for, were for a time clutching the fruits of office in
fancy's dreams, in some degree abated the confidence;
but hope was not altogether banished until intelli-
gence arrived of the explanations by the Ministerial
leaders in both Houses of Parliament, by whom it

was stated that the Protectionist chief had informed
her MAJESTY, when asked whether he would undertake
the construction of a Government, that " he was not
then prepared to form one ;" and that the former
Premier bad then been sent for, and had, at her MA-
JESTY'S request, agreed to attempt the task of re-
constructing a Government which might be able to
obtain the confidence of Parliament. The immediate
adjournment of Lords and Commons until Friday
next, in order to give Lord JoaN RUSSELL time to
enter into the necessary arrangements, confirmed these
opinions, and the disappointed Protectionists departed
down-hearted and dispirited, execrating the newly-
acquired caution of the once impetuous STANLEY,
the whilom HOTSPUR of the house of Derby. Few,
however, who can consider the subject calmly and
dispassionately, will come to any other conclusion,
than that the Noble Lord exercised a wise and pru-
dent discretion in avoiding the perilous honour. the
acceptance of which must have involved the country
in the greatest difficulty and embarrassment.
In his explanation, Lord JoaN ascribed his
resignation to two causes, viz., the nar-
row majority on Mr. DISRAELI & motion,
and the subsequent defeat on Mr. LOCKE KING'S pro-
position for the extension of the franchise. As it has
been so stated by the Noble Lord, we have no doubt
that it was " the truth," but we also believe that it
was not the " whole truth." An honourable feeling
towards his former colleagues, a desire to avoid re-
vealing the internal dissensions that had prevailed in
the Cabinet, and to spare Sir CHARLES WOOD the
mortification of having it stated th it his incompetence
and stupidity had occasioned the dissolution of the
Ministry, probably prevented any allusion to the
" PRECIOUS BUDGET," but we repeat our firm con-
viction that it was that " miserable abortion" and the
unyielding determination of the Colonial Secretary to
support his brother-in-law and protege, and not to
sanction any variation in the iniquitous and impolitic
is scheme," that was the real cause of the crisis. Ile
could not meet the representatives of the British
people as the advocate of that ridiculous project, and

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