The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-07 00:00:00

The New Ministry.

(From the nines)
The appearance of the House of Commons last
evening indicated that the long Ministerial inter-
regnum had at length been brought to a close. For
the first time for seven years, the Liberal leaders took
their seats on the Opposition bench, relieved at once
from the honours and responsibilities of office. The
Treasury bench was not yet occupied by the new
Ministers, for, according to constitutional custom,
those who were members of the House of Commons
vacated their seats upon accepting yesterday the
seals of office. New writs were consequently moved
for the vacant seats, and 21 gentlemen will have
opportunities of receiving the congratulations or the
remonstrances of their constituents, and in turn of
offering some explanation of their intentions and
hopes. The new Government can as yet have had
little time to mature their policy, but the public will
not fail to look with interest to the declarations they
may make. The whole administration of the coun-
try has suddenly passed to new hands, and, if no-
thing more, it is a convenient custom which gives
us an opportunity of hearing some popular state-
ments from those, to whom our interests, at such a
critical moment, have been so unexpectedly intrusted.
The business of the country has been so long inter-
rupted that we must hope there will be as little op-
position as possible to re-election of the new officers
of State. The principal Ministers will, of course, be
returned without opposition, and we may expect
in the House of Lords on Monday a full Ministerial
statement by Lord Derby in explanation of the new
arrangements.

As the number of new writs would of itself indicate,
the appointments of the new Government are now
all but complete. Lord Devon, who declined the
responsible duties of the Lord Lieutenancy, has ac-
cepted a less onerous post in the Chancellorship of
the D uchy of Lancaster. The post of Under-Secretary
for Foreign Affairs has been finally assigned to Mr.
Edward Egerton, and Lord Belmore will be Under-
Secretary for the Home Department. The other ap-
pointments which have been made since we last wrote
are mostly to offices in the Household, and are of
more interest and importance to the gentlemen who
have accepted them than to the public in general.
From the list of writs it will be seen that Lord
Claud Hamilton will be Vice-Chamberlain, Lord
Royston will be Comptroller, and Lord Burghley
Treasurer. The commands of the Yeomen of the
Guard and the Gentlemen Pensioners are respec-
tively accepted by Lord Tankerville and Lord
Cadogan. The list of names in the new Adminis-
tration, as enumerated in the writs, presents a very
respectable appearance, and the various offices have,
upon the whole, been appropriately distributed.
Lord John Manners, it will be seen, finds a post
more suited to his capacity as First Commissioner
of Works. The office is not one which requires any
great political qualities, but there is ample room for
energy and good taste in the general superintend-
ence of the public works of the metropolis. Mr.
Cowper's administration has been most successful,
and the public owe him a large debt of gratitude
for the immense improvements he has introduced
into the Parks. There is one appointment among
those finally announced last night which we cannot
but regret. Mr. Corry, who in former Conserva-
tive Administrations has been either Lord of the
Admiralty or Secretary to the Admiralty, has now
taken the post of Vice-President of the Committee
of Council on Education. He is thoroughly well
acquainted with the work of the Admiralty, and his
services there would be valuable. He may possibly
be not less competent, as far as his personal quali-
fications go, for his new post, but neither he nor
the Lord President, the Duke of Buckingham, has
any experience whatever in matters of education.
The office, in these days, is a somewhat delicate
one, and it is to be regretted, not only that Mr.
Corry's energies should be dissipated in becoming
acquainted with a totally new subject, but that a
post of growing importance should be inadequately
filled. Sir John Pakington, who returns to his old
post at the Admiralty, will have the assistance of
Sir John Hay and Admiral Seymour.
In one respect, at least, the House of Commons
will gain by the change of Ministry. It was an
unfortunate defect in the late Government that so
few of the heads of departments had seats in the
Lower House. The new Ministry, on the contrary,
will be represented there with unusual complete-
ness. From the writs moved last night it will be
seen that, besides the Chancellor of the Exchequer
and the First Lord of the Admiralty, no less than
four of the principal Secretaries of State will sit in
the House of Commons. Mr. Walpole for the
Home Department, Lord Stanley for Foreign
Affairs, General Peel as Secretary for War, and
Lord Cranborne for India, will bring four of the
most important Departments of State into imme-
diate contact with the more popular branch of the
Legislature. Such an arrangement is not only
satisfactory in itself, but will afford sonic additional
guarantee that the Liberal policy which commends
itself to the nation will not be disregarded by the
Government. Lord Carnarvon, in fact, as Secre-
tary for the Colonies, is the only leading Minister,
with the exception of Lord Derby himself, who will
sit in the House of Lords. On Monday next the
new Administration will be fairly started. They
deserve to receive, at least in the first instance, every
consideration. Few Governments have succeeded
to a more arduous position, or have entered upon
office at a more critical time.

PLENTY.—Menhaden never were so plenty as
now, and the fish-works are over-running with stock. The
New Bedford Standard says: —" Tho fishermen are confi-
dent that 20,000 barrels could have been, taken last week
off Dartmouth and this harbour if the manufacturers of
fish oil and guano at Woods' Hole had not checked them.
Hundreds of barrels have been taken within a few days in
our harbour, above Pahner's Island. A shoal of men-
haden was driven ashore last week near to Potomska
farm, and GOO barrels of them were secured by Richard
Laphara and others."