The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-30 00:00:00

The Ministerial Crisis.

Nothing has yet transpired of an authoritive
nature relative to the formation of the Earl of
Derby's Goveanment. It was, however, generally
rumoured this morning that the office of Lord
Chancellor had been offered to Sir Hugh Cairns,
and that Lord Chelmsford would be provided for
in another direction.

Mr. Disraeli had an interview with the Earl of
Derby of considerable duration at an early hour
this morning, during which the Earl of Malmesbury
arrived, but the noble earl's stay at St. James's-
square did not extend over five minutes.

The Standard says: "Although the Earl of
Derby was only entrusted by her Majesty with the
duty of forming an Administration on Thursday
afternoon, some of our contemporaries are already
expressing impatience at the lung interregnum. In
answer to the friendly suggestions of ' insuperable
difficulties,' hitches,' and break do wns,'we have
only once more to announce that the success of
Lord Derby's efforts is already assured. Of course
with his lordship's well-known desire to establish
a Government on a broad and popular basis
it is impossible that the Ministerial arrangements
can be concluded with the ease with which an
Administration, composed of his lordship's imme-

diate supporters, :could be submitted to her
Majesty. But the delay will not be long, and we
hope, in the course of a few hours, to give the names
of the noblemen and gentlemen who will be asso-
ciated with the noble lord in the new Ministry. In
regard to the adverse rumours that are in circulation,
we may state that, with the exception of the report
that overtures have been made to individual repre-
sentatives of the more moderate section of the
Liberals, they are totally unreliable."
The Daily Telegraph asserts positively that Mr.
Lowe has agreed to join the Administration which
Lord Derby is endeavouring to form, upon condi-
tion that Lord Clarendon shall consent to become
the Minister for Foreign Affairs in a Tory Cabinet.
The Press says—We are happy to be able to as-
sure our readers that the arrangements for the for-
mation of a new Administration are progressing in
the most satisfactory manner, and that Lord Derby
has received the strongest assurances of support
even from certain distinguished members of the
Liberal party who may not at present assume the
responsibilities of office. From the hour that the
noble earl accepted her Majesty's gracious com-
mand he has been actively engaged in the task,
and the list of a Ministry, consisting of states-
men who, for official experience and ability, are
entitled to the confidence of the Sovereign
and of the country, will shortly make its
appearance. Although the arrangements . are
not sufficiently advanced to enable us to mention
all the members of the Cabinet, we have reason to
believe that Lord Derby made certain overtures to
the Duke of Somerset and Lord Clarendon which
were declined in the most friendly spirit. The Earl
of Malmesbury having refused the Foreign-office,
that post will, in all probability, be filled by Lord
Stanley. Lord Cranborne and Mr. Hardy will be
members of the Cabinet, and the Earl of Carnarvon
will be a Secretary of State. Not the slightest re-
liance is to be placed in the rumours respecting un-
expected difficulties and the possibility of failure
which are circulated by some of our contemporaries.

TENDERNESS TO TURTLES.—A society has lately
been established in the city of New York "for the preven-
tion of cruelty to animals." Being a novel thing, its pro-
ceedings are marked with the activity and energy which
is said to characterise the use of a new broom. The mem-
bers of the society are vested with power to demand the
service of the police, and to act as policemen themselves, if
necessity should require the exercise of such authority-
Already the association has effected some noticeable ro-

forms. It has put an end to the practice of tying live
calves and sheep b) their legs, and transmitting them in
that condition to slaughter-houses, often with their heads
hanging over the sides of the carts, in positions to be struck'
by the rounds of the revolving wheels. They have made
the immoderate beating of horses and mules a dangerous
thing for the perpetrators. They have had punished
wicked persons who plucked the feathers from live
chickens, and they have compelled them to wring the
necks of the birds before proceeding to strip the bodies.
They aro arranging matters to force railroad companies
to traneport cattle with more comfort than formerly, and
they declare that, after having undergone one day's trans-
portation, the animals should be released at some depot
and allowed a day's rest before recommencing their jour-
ney. They are making surveys of the grades of streets
of the city of New York, so as to induce the passenger
railway companies to practise humanity towards their
horses by compelling them to use more of those beasts
in dragging crowded cars up steep ascents than are em-
ployed at present. In this way the society is doing A
great deal of good, i;nd the members have already put maul
persons of brutal instincts upon their good behaviour.
But there may be some danger that in their zeal they will
go too far. We have pot yet heard of their having made
any complaint of the practice of pegging the claws of
lobsters, in order to prevent these erustacsa from acting
cruelly toward human beings ; but the President of the
Society did, the other day, bring up to the justice seat
the captain of a vessel fronz the West Indies, which Nv3*4
loaded with a cargo of turtles. Complaint was made against
the skipper, that he had bored holes through the fins of
the amphibia, and put them upo n their backs. This per-
foration the president considered a cruelty. Upon the
evidence which was given in t,'le case, two importaut
questions arose, one being, whether' this perforation caused
the turtles any pain and the other involving a nico
quirt' in the jurisprudence of animated nature, whether 3
a turtle is an animal ? A physician and naturalist, 03-
mined for the defendant, testified that the fin of a turtle is
like that of a hoof of a horse, and destitute of all power
of feeling. He was of opinion that turtles had nerves, lit,
they were so few and blunted that they never sufferee
from neuralgia. As to placing a turtle on its back, he con-
sidered that the action was a benefit to the creature, e.g
thereby it would live longer. But upon the legal ques-
tion, whether a turtle was an animal, his honour, the
justice, before whom the prosecution was urged, was some'
what doubtful, and he adjourned the proceedings in order
to examine the reports, and to ascertain whether such a,
knotty question had ever been decided by a court of co
petent jurisdiction.