The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-01 00:00:00

TSB NEW CABINET.

. .
(From the Daily News.)
Before the new Ministers can take their places in
the House of Commons Lord Palmerston has in-
stalled himself—on his own nomination—in the
seat conceded by use and wont to the leader of the
Opposition. This assumption of office on his part
was cheered by his friends in the house •, and
already batteries have been opened on Lord Derby's
Government from the journals devoted to the in-
terests of the ex-Premier. Are the independent
members of Parliament, or is the country at large,
prepared to acquiesce in this usurpation Y Are they
willing to act on the understanding that there can
only be two Ministers and two party organisations
in England, and that office must be tossed back-
wards and forwards between them like a shuttle-
c ick between two battledores. Lord Palmerston
by restning has confessed that the vote of the
House of Commons on Mr. Milner Gibson's motion
was so severe a censure of the policy of his Adminis-
tration that he could not retain office under it. In
consequence of his resignation the Queen has exer-
cised her undoubted prerogative of entrusting the
business of the nation to a new Ministry. It would
be suicidal in the independent members of the
House of Commons who have just driven Lord
Palmerston from office to commence an immediate
attack upon Lord Derby, without pausing to deli-
berate as to what is the best course to be pursued
with regard to him, or who is the leader most
worthy of their confidence.
Before the independent members of the House of
Commons accept Lord Palmerston as a leader, they
will do well to pause and reflect what have been the
principles ostent ttiously proclaimed of late by his
most able and influential organ in the press. On
the 11th of last month the Times indulged its
readers with an exposition of the view it takes of
the functions of an English Ministry and an Eng-
lish Opposition. After denouncing with scornful sar-
casm the line pursued by the then Opposition
with regard to the Conspiracy Bill, the Times pro-
ceeded to remark, with wonderful candour We
don't wish to flatter the present occupants [of
the Opposition benches]. On the contrary we have
little doubt that if Lord Palmerston, Sir George
Grey, and the Ministers generally, found them-
selves on the other side, they would do the duties of
that position as welljas they are now doing their own.
We should have them suggesting a flaming mani-
festo as a pretty compliment to send to the French
Emperor and Empress—just witnesses of a fearful
carnage intended for themselves—informing them,
for their comfort, that it was the custom of this
country to take its own time, and put itself out for
nobody, not even for au Emperor. We should
have Sir George Grey taking his stand on the
‘./Voltsmus leges Anglice,' &e., or some other wise
old saying ; or arguing that because too much was
done in Queen Anne's time, and no more than
enough in George W.'s, therefore we ought to do
nothing at all. Some other member, now on the
Treasury Bench, would argue that if a word too
much had been said on the other side of the Channel
we ought t 3 retaliate by doing nothing, and refuse
to take a step against murderers in revenge for long
tongues." And this tirade was wound up by a
recommendation to explain to the irate French
colonels the real value of debates in the House of
Commons. "Let them be instructed that a bill is
only a sort of thesis laid on the table of the House
of Commons, just as a proposition used to be written
on a slip of paper, and posted on the gates of a
University, or the doors of a school, to provoke a
disputation and to sharpen youthful wits. Let it
be explained that at Westminster we have still
' opponents,' as they used to be called, while the
Government represent the 'respondents' of the
mediteval disputations. In those days it was no
unusual circumstance for the disputers to change
sides the day after, when each of them was expected
to improve on the arguments of his yesterday's
opponents, and generally did so. . . Such is our
Parliamentary system, and we are far from
o a
deny-
ing
its merits. It is best to know both sides
question, and we have them in the debates of the
Imperial Legislature, though, fortunately, govern-
ments are obliged to take only one side—that is, the
practical one."
It is not impossible that many of the readers of
the Times may have regarded the "leader" from
which we have been quoting as merely a playful
caricature, an ebullition of irrepressible animal
spirits excited by the triumph of a large majority.
But the course which has been pursued by the
Times, sinoe the division on Mr. Milner Gibson's
motion, must have convinced even the most chari-
table, that the article in question is a cynical
avowal of the scandalous opinions and principles of
action of the Party in behalf of which it is penned.
on the very =vain after the division the Times

discovered, for the first time, that it was as likely
Lord Palmerston had acted wrong as tight, in not
answering Count Walewaki's despatch. Oa the
Monday thereafter the Times, having .good resson
to believe that Lord Derby would form a Ministry,
had the audacity to threaten him with that very
Reform Bill, which had been doing its best to
-pooh-
pooh for mouths before. "Then comes the great
question of Parliamentary Reform. The House of
Commons and the whole ;party are committed to
the measure. Will L-ird Derby declare against it,
or take it up and make it his own r' • On the Tues-
day, the Times rated Lord Palmerston for his ap-
pointment of Lord Clanricarde, and complained of
" the spectacle of the aristocracy fastening with a
kind of rapacity on minor offices ;" taking care,
however, to add that these "blunders" cannot
" be weighed against the great services which,Lord
Palmerston has rendered his country.' On the
Wednesday the Reform question was again had re-
course to. "So before long we shall all be brought
round to the old question, what is to be done
and the. statesmen who answer this most to the
satisfaction of the public will be likely to carry the
day. There may be to urgent demand for the
India Bill, and China may be resigned to the
Plenipotentiaries out there ; but as for this
Reform Bill, there asenis no escaping it. What
will Lord Derby do ?" On the Thursday
,the
Times had actually got the length of describ-
ing Count Walewski's despatch as " outrage-
ously insolent," and twitting Earl Grey with
his conservative notions. The Times had now got
the length of glorying in its " low Radical views,"
and declaring that, " If we wish to establish our
representation ou any firm basis, and have seine
definite principle to appeal to, we must recognise
the extension of the franchise. to all who can exer-
cise it with safety, and t-ho s„ oval of the scandal-
ous disproportion between constituencies." On
the Friday the Times proved with great ability that
the conspirators against the life of the French
Emperor who have just received sentence have !
scarcely resided in England at all, and. condes- '
cended to notice, for the first time, the illegality of
the capture and detention of the Cagliari. And on
the Saturday the Times raised its indignant voice
against those aristocratical cabals to check, if not to
displace Sir Colin Campbell, at which it had con-
nived, so long as the Palmerston-Clarendon party
remained in office.
This is pretty well for the organ of the ex-Minis-.
try during the first week of their relegation to the g 4
Opposition benches. Already has it recanted all of
it has been preaching for months back. Already has A,
it shown practically how sincere was its conviction on
that "if Lord Palmerston, Sir G. Grey, and the th
Micisters genet ally, found themselves on the other th
side, they would do the duties of that position as asi
well as they are now doing their own ;" and how th
ready it is to " change sides the day after," and th
"improve on the arguments of its yesterday's op- ye
ponents." Lord Derby and his colleagues will
commit a fatal mistake if they imagine that the to
, arguments and declamations of the Times on these D
topics can be answered satisfactorily by ato queque w
But the Palmerston-Clarendon party are equally ti,
mistaken if they imagine that the country will be of
contented to see them restored to' office merely be- to
cause they for the moment talk loudly against that pi
which they have been doing for years, and will do re
again if replaced on the Treasury b -nches. Through G
their organ, the Times, they have given the people iss
to understand that, however they may talk when ti
in Opposition, they are unalterably pf opinion to
'that " Governments are obliged to take only .sa
one side"—that is the aide they have taken during to
their whole tenure of office. Now, the people want iri
men who will not only declaim against oligarchical
rapacity and cowardly sacrifices of the national G
honour, and' in favour of Parliamentary Reform, fo
when in Opposition, but who will act when in poss as
session of power as they spoke before they obtained qi
it. They will not, therefore, be satisfied with such.
a make-believe Opposition as Lord Palmerston will
assuredly be the head of. If the new Ministers will
not act in conformity to the opinions and sentiments
of the people, the people are determined to seek for
men who will. They know that Lord Palmerston
and his colleagues will not, and they will therefore
stand aloof from any opposition of the ex-Premier
and his colleagues. Of this the independent mem-
bers of the House of Commons may rest assured.
They may injure themselves by becoming the
followers of Lord Palmerstoa or Lord Clarendon,
but they cannot help either of them.

- -(Frora the Morning .11eralti.)
In a remarkably short space of time has Lord
Derby succeeded in forming a strong Administra-
tion, and this success, and the satisfactory manner
in which it has been accomplisbed, are as gall and
wormwood to his most determined opponents.
From the hour that the noble earl was summoned
by our gracious Sovereign till his task was finished,
absurd rumours have been in circulation and
numerous false reports invented.' At the first
mention of a Conservative Administration the
great lights of the political world affected in-
credulity, and declared the thing impossible. It
was evident, according to their notions, that
Lord Derby had not the slightest chance of com-
pleting his arrangements. Sir Frederic Thesiger
would not be a party to such proceed.ng, and
accordingly the Conservative leader must look
elsewhere for a Chancellor. Yet this difficulty
did not prove so formidable as these detractors
imagined, and when Sir Frederic's acceptance of
the high office was announced their fury know
no bounds. Foiled, but not vanished, they
speedily found another obstacle to su:cess. Lord
Stanley, it was clear, c)uld have nothing what-
ever to do with the venture. Although a dis-
tinguished ornament of the Conservative party,
the member for King's Lynn was, according to the
represeutatious of these interested individuals, to
secede the moment it came into power. People
perceived the absurdity of the story, yet many
were deluded until the announcement of Lord
Stanley's as Colonial Minister at once demolished
this false report. Sir John Pakingtou was the
next personage to prove refractory. Nothing, it
was stated, could induce this legislator, who held
office with credit under Lord Derby in 1852, to re-
peat the dangerous experiment. This bubble soon
burst, and Sir E. L. Balwer Lytton was then repre-
sented as the cause of embarrassment. The non-
appearance' of this distinguished man's name in the
list of the new Ministry seemed to give colour to
the assertion. From our adversaries even this
source of consolation has been, however, removed.
Sir E. L. Bulwer Lytton declined a seat in the
Cabinet solely because he did not wish, at this
juncture, to put the county which he represents to
the excitement and inconveniences of a contest.
The refusal of certain members of the Peelite party,
and of Earl Grey b undertake the responsibilities
of office, flattered the selfish misgivings of Lord
Derby's opponents, but they altogether lost sight
of the fact that these distinguished inembers of the
Senate replied to the Conservative leader's ad-
vances in the most friendly manner, and with ex-
pressions of good-will and approval.
With extraordinary facility the Government has
been formed, and thus the gloomy forebodings of
disappointed critics and jealous opponents have not
been fulfilled. Their prophecies were based upon
their hopes ; they predicted as inevitable that which
they fondly desired would come to pass. It is one
of the inconveniences of our representative and free
system that the public should be condemned to live,
more or less, in an atmosphere of delusions ; and one
fallacy is no sooner destroyed than another arises
in its place. Hence idle report found a fresh chan-
nel,and rumour appeared in a different form. The
list of Lord Derby's Administration completed.irseality. ,
and
It is no longer a speculation, bu
fn
esf°tllhee
amongst its members may be fou,,neddttheateant.3smees
of the ablest and most experienced
for
opponents
age. It would, tberefore,t i
oafnditsdeetsriastceteersce
this Nothing daunted, great
t;
othatis, continueto uos e hackneyeddaen the
possibility
phrase,
I a great fact.
and
die pquirekobsaahnldesttehramt
beset its path, give
ri
np ,a ra
en
dt o t gh
a,
sphpol ae Is.
souls. Here according to their repro-
ofaf cittstidi euyrapt
lee and to their
desponding
seutatious, is a rock which the new Ministers can-
not escape, and there a danger that must prove
destructive. Arguments of this kind are heard in
many quarters, but little heed is fortunately paid
to them, for threatened men often live long, and
statesmen determined to fulfil their duties faith-
fully, and without fear of opposition, may look to
the people for support. Moreover, the Ministerial
experiments of the last few years, all of which have
emanated from the Whig, Liberal, and Ealical
sections of the Legislature, have not tended to the
advancement of the credit of our rulers, or to give
the public a favourable idea of their interference.
From a portim of the opposition press, and from
many political opponents, both in and
nt of Par-
liament, Lord Derby and his colleagues meet not
only with fair treatment, but even with promises
of an independent support. Impartial men feel
that in this emergency the new Ministers are en-
titled, to the gratitude, as well as to the confidence
of the community ; for had they refused to grasp.
the helm the vessel of the state must have drifted
into greater perils than those by which she is