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
nrogramme thus :—" On 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
plainly yesterday in the High Court of Equity by
the Lcrd Chancellor.

The Daily News, 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 Parliament
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 havo been
reported.

COURT OF CHANCERY.-JUNE 20.

THE RESIGNATION OF GOVERNMENT.

(Before the 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 the Lord
Chancellor,

Mr. Holt stated that the arguments must occupy longer
than Saturday next.
The Lord Chancellor then intimated that, as he should
probably not sit after that day, it was useless to go on with
a case which ho would not be in a position to decide.
The further hearing was then postponed sine dio, 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 Owl, 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 days will be unavoidably incurred
should the Queen not return immediately to
iVindsor."

June 20, it is formally an-
Under date Windsor,
nouuced by the Court Newsman that 4, her Majesty
to return
the Queen and Royal family are expected
to the Castle from Balmoral by Saturday
next
namely, the day after to-morrow : the official new'"
s_
monger of the Court adding that "Orders have
been
received at the Castle and preparations made in
Henry Hf.'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
at
RtheVandyke, Zuccarelli, the Waterloo Chamber,
Reception-room, and those Tapestry-rooms
looking
mperor and
I-1P in a style
into the Quadrangle, are being fitted
her:Majesty at.thoef Castle."magnificence similar to when
the E
wedding of
Empress of the French visited
postponed after all--acs
But, will the
the Princess Helena be
cacrfdair lesser Court festivity
an-
nouncement, which says thatngto the subjoined , has just now been,
"In consequence of the death of his Royal
Highness Prince Sigismund of Prussia,
of her N her Alaj
ajeaty the Queen, grandson
est , E •
iu
Y 4 Evening