The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-04 00:00:00

bury had, up to the present time, relusei to pay the DA()
,talop duty required by the act 55 Geo. 11.. c, 184, to be
paid on the patent of appointment to th office of Secre-
tary of State ' • and whether, in consequeve of such refusal,
the patent of appointment of the Earl of Clarendon to the
office of Foreign Secretary did not now eist unrevoked ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHIQUER said that
his noble friend the Earl of Malmebury was ready
to pay the fee if he was satisfied that those who
preceded him had. (Laughter.) The mater had been sub
mitted to his hon. friend the Attorney-Gneral, who would
make a report to him on the subject.

MINISTERIAL STAiEMEN T.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said he would move the adjournmnt of the house
in order to enable lion, members ,o make any re-
marks they might be desirous of dolig in reference to
the statement which he was abort making to the
house. After the observations h( had made the
other night, and the vote which was arrived at
by the souse on Thursday night, it was
not a matter of surprise to him that
the Luctohers of did Goverment did not
intend to proeccd with the bill which he
had the honour to iotr444Pf some weeks
ago, relative to the represeliation of the
people. He strongly protested against the doc-
trine laid down in the course of the debate on

that bill, namely, that Parliamentary Reform
should be the appanage of any political party,
or its introduction the privilege of any individual.
There were two points of view in which the question
of reform might be Iciplfed at—the CDC Conservative,
and the other, without intending to be offensive,
revolutionary-(laughter]--the one being desirous
of retaining, in any measure of reform, unim-
paired, what they regarded as the vital
institutions of the country, and the other
who desired to render that house the

mere representative of a numerical majority,

(Hear, hear.) The Government felt they had
fulfilled their duty to the country and to
the house, and they had done so at considerable per-
sonal sacrifice. Notwithstanding the vote which had
been come to on Thursday night, and which the
Government accepted as a vote of censure, the Go-
vernment would not retire from office. It refrained

from doing so for three reasons. In the first place,
the Opposition in that house did not exhibit
any more symptoms of cohesion or unity than
they did at the time when, from the want of such
elements, the present Ministers were called on to
assume the reins of power, and under such a state
of things he thought it would be most undesirable
that they (the Opposition)should be entrusted with
the conduct of public affairs. In the next place, her
Majesty, by advice of Government, had interposed

to effect an amicable arrangement of differences
which had arisen between different powers, and
to prevent the peace of Europe being disturbed.
It was, therefore, indispensable, at the present
.crisis of foreign affairs, that the Government of
this country should belong to a party who
were united, and who did not present the spectacle
afforded by the Opposition. In coming to that
resolution he considered that the Government were
discharging their duty to the country and the
house. (Cheers from the Ministerial benches.)
As a proof of the want of unanimity on the
part of that Opposition, he would allude to the
difference of opinion as to the course that the two
leaders of the Opposition determined to adopt in
reference to the Government bill. Lord J. Russell
said he would do all in his power to defeat
the Government bill, but Lord Palmerston had
approved of portions of the bill, and considered that
it was susceptible of being adequately amended in
committee so as to meet the requirements of
the country. The • Opposition, in point of
fact, was composed merely of sections of
parties, who certainly were: powerful when they
united to overthrow a Government, but were too
incoherent, as he had already said, to be considered
to be united in future policy. From these considera-
tions her Majesty's Government, in the exercise of
their prerogative, had advised her Majesty to dissolve
Parliament. (Ministerial cheers.) From the state
of public business, however, it would not be ad-
visable to dissolve Parliament at present, but
merely to prorogsue it with a view to its future dis-
solution as soon as business which it was necessary
should be transacted. There were some bills which
it was necessary should be settled, such, for is-
stance, as the question of Indian financo. He
should not allude to any other Government measure
unless the house wished him to make a statement
with regard to the Superannuation Bill. Her Ma-
jesty had adopted the advice which the Govern-
ment deemed it advisable to give, and had accord-
ingly sanctioned the course which he had stated.
The right hon. gentleman having expressed his
gratitude to members on his side of the house for
their support, and to the opposite side for their cour-
tesy, he concluded by asserting that the course to be
adopted would suit her Majesty's convenience,
would be for the honour of the house, and the
benefit of the country. (Cheers.)
Lord PALMERSTON commenced by bearing
his testimony to the courtesy displayed by the
right hon. gentleman (the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer) in transacting the business of that
house. (Hear, hear.) Notwithstanding the
vote that had been given on Thursday night, it
appeared determined to retain office. He had sup-
ported the resolution of his noble friend the member
for London because it was a safe and parliamentary
means of dealing with the subject before the house
during the recent debate. He thought the Govern-
ment should have withdrawn the bill and
introduced another framed in conformity with the
wishes of the country and the sentiments of the
hon. members who had addressed the house from
the Opposition side. He strongly deprecated the
course which the Government proposed in dis-
solving the Parliament, and the right hon. gentle-
man (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) would fins
when he met the next Parliament, himself in
a still greater minority on the question of
reform than he had been on Thursday, for
the feeling of the country, when tested, would be
found to be in favour of a more extended reform
than the Government measure offered for the consi-
deration of this house. The great question in the
country at present was, what was to be the reform
that would be granted to the country, and the
right hon. gentleman would find that his Go-
vernment, or any other, would be called on to
bring forivard a complete and satisfactory Reform
Bill. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. BRIGHT approved of the course taken by
the Government in not immediately dissolving
Parliament, and defended his conduct in reference
to the question of reform, and assured the Govern-
ment that the result of an appeal to the country
would not be favourable to them.
Lord J. RUSSELL said he did not consider the
change of Ministry would effect the peace of
Europe. He was in favour of the £lO franchise in
the counties, and a £6 franchise in the boroughs,
being introduced in any Reform Bill; and, in reply
to o question, said he would not support the adop-
tion of vote by ballot in any Reform Bill.

Mr. DRUMMOND denounced the revolutionary
views, as they had been called, entertainedby some
parties on the subject of reform, and. was

[LEFT SPEAKING.]

FIRE IN LAMBETH.—On Saturday morning,
about four, the inhabitants of Oakley-street, Lambeth, were
aroused from their slumbers by the springing of policemen's
rattles and loud cries of " Fire !" In the course of a few
minutes it was found that the premises of Mr. Holdforth,
furniture-dealer, were on fire. The house was a double
one, No. 36, and at the time of the disaster no fewer
than twenty-three persons were sleeping therein. Police-
sergeant Thompson, of the L division, and Constable
Barrett, No. 80 of the same division, upon reaching the
building found it impracticable for eight children to effect
their escape, owing to the heated smoke rushing up the
staircase. A man came at the same time to one of the front
windows, called out loudly for help, and then jumped to the
ground, by which his leg was badly injured. Thompson at
the same time entered by a side door, rushed up the stair-
case, and placed a child under each arm—but the smoke
was so dense that he could not tread the stairs, and in the
most courageous manner he jumped from the first landing
to the bottom, and giving the children to Barrett, returned
again and rescued in the same mumer two more. After
that, with the assistance of constable Barrett, the other four
were taken out in safety. Had it not been for the prompt
supply of water and the exertions of the police, the house
would have been totally consumed and several lives sacri-
ficed. The sufferer was insured in the Union Fire-office.
ROYAL FREE HOSPITAL, GRAY'S-INN-ROAD.---
The number of patients relieved at this hospital during the
week ending April 2 Was 2,268, of which 611 were new
cases.

GOOD SPORT.--The Perthshire Courier says :
The angling in the Tay just now generally affords very
fair sport. On a forenoon last week a gentleman angling
in the upper waters had the good fortune to hook and land
six salmon and seventeen kelts.