The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-02 00:00:00

THE SUN.

LONDON, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1861.

By a coincidence—simply by a coincidence—the
Earl of DERBY was yesterday afforded a rather
conspicuous opportunity for enunciating the opinions
of his party, upon the very eve of that important
discussion in the House of Commons, during
which there is to be brought under tile considera-
tion of our popular representatives an alternative
that may be accurately designated " the turning
point" of the present session of Parliament.
It is simply, as we have intimated, the result
of the merest casualty that the Leader of the
OppositiOt has been afforded, by means of a purely
accidental conjunction of dates, altogether beyond
anyone's calculation, this, for him and his followers,
most timely opportunity—the opportunity of
issuing to the public at large a Political
Manifento, upon the very eve of a great
Party struggle between the Government and
the Opposition. That Lord DERBY availed,
himself of this opportunity and availed himself
of it moreover to the full; is, of course, not for a
single instant to be wondered at. It fortunately for
the Conservatives so happened, that one of the
most devoted members of their great aggregate in
the Housd-of Commons occupies this year the civic
chair as London's Chief Magistrate. It fortunately
for 'them so happened, that—in regard to their
Political Chief, and in regard to themselves,
martialled as they are under the banner of the
great Tory Earl's Lieutenant, the Right Hon.
gentleman the member for Buckinghamshire—the
Lord Mayor (CUBITT) was "on hospitable cares
intent," was there in the banquetting hall of his
city palace, the Mansion House, welcoming them
as his , honoured guests upon—of all days
in the session !—the evening of the Second of
May : otherwise, as we have said upon the eve
of the very day fixed for the application
of that Test of the Strength of Parties
in the HOyse of Commons, the Amendment in
respect to the diminution of the war tax upon Tea,
about to be introduced in Committee of Ways and
Meins.`by t 1 hon. gentleman the member for the
great cOramercial constituency of Liverpool.
It .was ill another way also for the Conservative
party, for the. more devoted partizans of the Tory
. -
Opposition, a coincidence of no very disagreeable
character in Fits way, that the festive welcome
accorded to their leaders yesterchiy by the Chief
Magistrate of London, took place upon that for
them this -session red-letter weekday—a Wednes-
day I ,Anfl:_upon that Wednesday of all the Tory
Wednesdays'. in the session which witnessed
what -Mi. DISRAELI himself spoke of last night
as ,one that had witnessed the defeat of what he
said he believed to be the last of the series of mea-
sures successfully opposed [in antagonism to the
covert or avowed support of her MAJESTY'S Go-
vernment] by her MAJESTY'S Opposition. Lord
DERBY had . previously taken occasion to refer
exultingly, amidst the sympathetic cheers of his
audience last night assembled in the Mansion
House, to .the triumphs achieved by his party
during the past three months of the present ses-
sion, 6' Wednesday after Wednesday." Mr.
DISRAELI did not, however, content himself with
a mere cursory allusion to what is naturally enough
a matter of immense satisfaction to himself as head
in the House of Commons of the great body
of the Conservatives, or, as they now love
to call themselves the Great Constitutional
party of the Opposition. Referring to those Wed-
nolday 'successes achieved by himself and his sup-
porters of late so very frequently—successes which
had been incidently mentioned as a matter of
gratulation to the Conservatives by the noble earl
their leader, Mr. DISRAELI particularized some of
their more striking
measures, broughtpeculiarities. He said "Those
im-
portant business is ot forward at moments when
accustomed to be introduced
to the consideration of the
—"se, and not under
the patronage of the Ministry, uwe not commanded
out of doors the attention which fortunately they
commanded within the walls of Parliament.
freeAl
l those'measures in full Houses, after full and
discussion, have been signally and igeomi
noukay
defeated by the tact, discipline, and unflagging
zeal of the Constitutional party in the House of
Commons. My lord, I must say that these impor-
tant Parliamentary transactions have been charac-
terised by one remarkable trait. Although hone of
these measures—systematically assailing the consti-
tution of the Church and State, systematically
attempting to change the disposition and distribu-
tion of power in England—although none of those
measures has been brought forward by the Govern-
ment, every cue of them have been supported by
it, arid in a manner most peculiar and most unusual.
Sometimes the Government have spoken for these
measures, and voted against them. Sometimes, on
the contrary, they have spoken against these mea-
sures, and voted for their. This is a process that
has now been pursued for several months; and to-