The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-21 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 1866

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

" Confusion worse Confounded."

Resignation or Dissolution ?—that is the ques

tion !
If Resignation—will the Queen accept it ?
Rumour—as usual at every Ministerial crisis—is
again in this instance many-tongued.
Statements the most conflicting are put forth,
and are now flying about in all directions.
Until Monday we shall have to wait for the solu-
tion of the problem.
Meanwhile, some few among the more remark-
able conjectures are worth stringing together.
The Daily Telegraph is clamorous for a dissolu-
tion. So, also, for that matter, is the Morning
Star.

The former ironically defines the Conservative
programme thus :—" Ou Monday next everything
will be perfectly satisfactory ; the present Cabinet
will announce its resignation, and Lord Derby will
be sent for. The list of a new Ministry is ready in

his pocket."
The Pall-Mall Gazette, however, asserts positively,
and with all the emphasis of conviction, that while
" we believe it is already settled that there shall be
no dissolution, this session at any rate, there is an-
other question—whether the Queen will accept the
resignation of the Government, supposing it to have
been tendered."
The Morning Post, indeed, goes so far as to
remark, to-day--" It is stated" (adding, however,
parenthetically, " but this must be accepted with
every possible reserve) that the Queen has de-
clared, by telegraph, her unwillingness to accept
the resignations which the Cabinet have placed in
her Majesty's hands."
That the communication transmitted to her Ma-

jesty at Balmoral was actually the tendering by
. .

Ministers of their resignation, was intimated pretty
plain yesterday in the High Court of Equity by
the Lord Chancellor.
The Daily Sews, referring to this intimation in
its first leader of this morning, observes :—" The
' open secret' of the Ministerial communication to
her Majesty which remained undisclosed on
Tuesday by the Premier in the House of Lords,
and by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in
the house of Commons, has been indirectly re-
vealed by the Lord Chancellor in a Court of
Equity. His lordship has intimated to counsel
in the henceforward historical case of ' Penn
v. Bibby and others,' that he will, in all pro-
bability, cease to hear causes after Saturday
next. All the world can guess why. There can be
no formal indecorum, then, in anticipating here the

statement to be made to both Houses of Parliamen

on Monday next. Ministers have tendered their
resignation to her Majesty; and the etiquette of
constitutional government will, in all probability,
lead the Queen to send for Lord Derby. The
country may look forward to a purely Tory, or to
a mixed Tory and Adullamite Administration,
or, in any case, to a very earnest and resolute
attempt to form one."

As the case just now referred to is really thus
rendered in a certain sense historical in its character,
the manner in which the consideration of it was de-
layed yesterday is worth giving precisely as the brief
but significant proceedings of the Court have been

reported.
COURT OF CIIANCERY.—JUNE 20.

THE RESIGNATION OF THE GOVERNMENT.
(Before tho Lord Chancellor.)

PENN V. BIBBY AND OTHERS.

This part-heard case, which has occupied some time,
was resumed this morning,

In consequence of a communication from tho Lord

Chancellor,

Mr. Rolt stated that the arguments must occupy 19nger

;han Saturday next.

Tho Lord Chancellor then intimated that, as he should
probably not sit after that day, it was useless to go on with
a case which he would not be in a position to decide.
Tho further hearing was then postponed sino die, and

the court adjourned.
The significance of the words above printed in
italics must be sufficiently obvious to the meanest
capacity. Meanwhile the difficulties of the situa-
tion are very considerably enhanced and compli-
cated by the unfortunate circumstance of her
Majesty's absence at this moment at her Highland
home of Balmoral, otherwise at a distance of six
hundred miles from the seat of Government.

Upon this the Ou'l, without referring to the
Ministerial Crisis, remarks that " The extreme
inconvenience caused by her Majesty's absence at
Balmoral may be estimated when it is remembered
that it will be necessary to hold a Privy Council to
announce our neutrality in the Continental war, and
to do this some right hon. gentleman will have to
perform a long journey to Scotland, and a delay of
two or three daya will be unavoidably incurred
should the
Queen not return immediately to
Windsor."date Windsor, June 20, it is formally an-
nounced by the Court Newsman that
Under
"her Majesty
the Queen
and Royal family are expected to return
to the Castle from Balmoral by Saturday next,,,
namely, the day after to-morrow : the official news-
monger of the Court adding that " Orders have been
received at the Castle and preparations made in
Henry lll.'s Tower for the reception of the children
of Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt,
who are expected to arrive here either this evening
or to-morrow forenoon from the Continent. The
State apartments of Windsor Castle have been closed
to the public since her Majesty's departure for Scot-
land, and will remain so until after the wedding of
her Royal highness the Princess Helena on the sth
of July, as all the rooms on the north side, as well
as the
heVandyke, Zuccarelli, the 'Waterloo Chamber,
the Reception-room, and those Tapestry-rooms
Emperor and Empress into the Quadrangle, are being fitted
up in a Style
of
magnificencel
o of
t
thesimFrileanrchto
her:Majesty atith. visited
But, will the wedding of
postponed after all—asgaof the Princess Helena be
lesser Court festivity
has just now been, according to the subjoined an-
nouncement, which says that—
"ln consequence of the death of his Royal
Highness Prince Sigismund of p
of her Dlajesty the Queen, her
Maru.saia, grandson
jestfis Evening