The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-17 00:00:00

as to the authorship of which the noble earl probably
knew more than he did.
The E irl of DERBY—I know nothing of that paper.
I have no connection with it whatever.
Earl GRANILLE. did not wish %z twit the noble
earl with any connection with the Press, bnt it was said
—whether right or wrong he knew not—that that paper
owed its circulation to being regarded as the organ of the
Conservative party, and that it received occasionally very
important communications from the chiefs of that party
in reference to their political intentions. As the noble
earl knew—for he called theattention of their lordships to
the fact—there appeared in that paper what purported to
be a speech of the noble earl's in regard to the alleged
coalition, in which he refers to the statement of his hav-
ing seen Mr. Gladstone and consulted with him. The
noble earl was made to say that " he had heard it stated
that the amendment moved by the hon. member for West
Norfolk originated in a feeling of disapprobation at the
report which hal been circulated of a coalition between
the party which the noble earl was proud to lead and the
right hon. member for the University of Oxford. That
report was totally false. He had never seen Mr. Glad-
tone upon the subject, nor hal he ever held the
slightest communication with him upon it." And,
again, the article reported the noble earl to have said,
speaking of c " that no one could be more op-
posed to coalitions effected in defiance of political prin-
ciple than himself ; but that wh n members from identity
of sentiment were frequently drawn together to the same
lobby, it was impossible to doubt that a bond of political
union was established which no party could refuse to
acknowledge." And, further, alluding to the fact that
the Conservative party was in a minority, said that no-
thing could be more proper than that some measure
should be taken ti place them in a position to under-
take the Government, if called upon. (Hear.) Oa the
f"l'owing Monday the noble earl came down to the
house, and after seating that he had laid it down as a
personal rule never to notice any mis-statements or mis-
representations in the public press of any part of his
public conduct, and that he then departed from that rule
only from a sense of justice not so much to himself as
to others, said, "I refer to a report in a public news-
paper, which was wholly unauthorised, and which could
only have been sureeptitiou-iy obtained, of a meeting
said to have taken place at my house, which certaii;ly
di I take place, but not at my house, and which, although
it bears on the face of it marks of having been furnished
by some person who was present, or by some one who
heard what passed on that occasion, is grossly inaccu-
rate, for it states not only what I did not say, but ih-3
reverse of what I said. Ido not intend to go into any
detailed explanation on the subject, but I only wish that
it may not he supposed hereafter, if reference should Le
made to what occurred on that occasion, that I did not
avail myself of the first opportunity to protest, as I now
do, against the accuracy of than. report." No doubt it
was right to give that explanation. There were incen-
TO liences, and those inconveniences evidently struck the
noble earl when be said it was not his habit to notice
mis-statements in the public press, and for this reason—
he know that in giving contradiction you invited con-
tradic ion from others. Accor Jingly, the Press in the
fo lo wieg week acknowledged its error as to the locality
of the meeting, and said that-it was not at the house of
Lord Derby, but at the house of the Earl of Eglinton,
that the meetink was held, but added that the noble earl
admitted there had been some political conversation be-
tween Mr. Gladatone and himself. And when they heard
that in some small room of the House of Commons the
noble earl did have an interview with Mr. Gladstone and
one of his friends, the public would be of opinion that
though there might not have been a combination, a can.
cent, or a coalition, that there must have been something
(he would not make use of the word, but noble lords
would know what he meant), when they saw afterwards
that this sort of conference was followed by a decided
vote for the purpose of overturning the Government.
The Earl of DERBY—Did you say that I had a con-
vrr,ation privately with Mr. Gladstone and some other
prs,tn with him in one of the rooms of the House of

Commons ?
E GRkNVILLE—There was a very general
rumour to that effect, but he attached no importance
to it.

Tee Earl of DERBY made an observation denying the
truth of the statement.
Earl GRANVILLE—The noble lord saw the difficulty
consequent upon contradicting one part of a statement and
not going on to explain away the whole; and he thought
ho world see the necessity, when he made up his mind to
contradict, to explain fully, and not contradict one part,
and leave it to ba guessed at what might have been his
conduct as to the other points which his contradiction did
not emb!ace. He (Earl Granville) admitted that a coali-
tion might be honourable to the parties and useful to the
country. In regard to those members of the House of
Commons who voted against the Government on the late
occasion—he did not allude to the Conservative members,
for they had a perfect right to vote as they pleased—but
he must take leave to advert to the votes of some of the
most distinguished members of that house, and say, on the
part of his noble colleagues and himself, that they repudi-
ated entertaining the notion that they were actuated by
other than the highest and most honourable feelings,
though they thought they had misjudged in the decision to
which they came. (Cheers.) Reverting to the subject of
coalition, there was another coalition which he could not
think justified. This also might be a subject for contra-
diction, for he knew nothing of the matter personally, the
' only proof of it that he had having been drawn from
the columns of a conservative newspaper—one of
those papers to which he found he must not
attach too much importance. In the Dublin
Evening Mail it was said (speaking of the Tipperary
election) there was no doubt of the r• urn of
the O'Donoghne, as, owing to the efforts of the con-
servatives in his behalf, two hundred and fifty of Lord
Donoughrnore's tenants voted for him, and he has also the
support of Lord Heywood. He (Earl Granville) did hope,
for the credit of the Conservative party, that this was not
true. He believed that the O'Donoghue was a popular
member of the Young Ireland party, entertaining the most
extreme Young Ireland views, and the strongest opinions
on the subject of tenant-right; and he feared that such a
coalition as was here indicated would be more dangerous to
the credit of the Conservative party than the adhesion of
Mr. Gladstone, or any other memberof that party. (Hear.)
The noble earl had spoken of his devoted attachment to
the Church of England, but he did not think the course he
had lately adopted was the one most likely to aid that
church. Their lordships would recollect the appeal the
noble earl male to the right rev. prelates when he brought
forward his motion on the subject of the hostilities in
China, which could not, he thought, have been otherwise
than offensive, notwithstanding the solemn manner in
which it was put. Subsequently the noble earl passed a
high compliment on the zeal and ability of the two right
rev. members of the episcopal ben h—the Bishop of Exeter
and Oxford—and having done so proceeded to condemn
their absence from the house when the division took place.
A more unfair accusation he had never heard. However,
their lordships would see that it was quite impossible fore
him to enter into the reasons which had influenced his '
noble friend in recommending persons to her Majesty for
episcopal appointments. He thought the accusation of la-
titudinarianism also most unfair, but he would refrain
from going inee any justification of these appointments,
further than to express his belief that his noble friend at
the head of the Government bad, in making them, been
actuated by the best wishes for the prosperity of the church,
and that they ;were agreeable to the great majority of
Churchmen. The noble earl had made an attack of a some-
what personal nature on Lord Palmerston. He thought the
best answer ho could give to that attack was the statement
he had already male, namely, that in 1853 the noble earl
had sought to obtain the services of Lord Palmerston for
one of the most important posts under the Crown. In his
opinion it was easy to underseeel why the people of this
country did approve of Lord Palmerston's conduct, and
wished to retain him as Minister of the Crown. He be-
lieved it was because Lord Palmerston's character, opi-
nions, and feelings were singularly in unison with those of
the people of this country. The people considered the cir-
cumstances under which Lord Palmerston had accepted the
Government, when for three weeks there had been no Go-
vernment, and horiVajeaty had, according to constitutional
usage, offered it to every leader of party who cloutl haver
had the slightest chance of carrying it oh. It was only
when there) chances had been exhausted that the noble
viscount accepted the task, at an age when other men
would hare sought rest rather than active employment.
Having accepted the post, Lord Palmerston had, as the
noble earl admitted, carried on the war With vigour; and
bee brought it to re teiumphattt terutieetion subsea
qu fitly,with the all of his noble friend deaf him; of
a treaty of peace which substantially secured fill the 0=
jects for which the war had been undertaken. The coun-
try se* hint supported by Parliament with more or less
constancy during the War, but they also 114 W at its close,
that, whether by accident or combination, vedette parties,
although they could not here:eve their own position;smight
to Impede the action of, and finally td &Ugh the Govern=
went. The noble earl complained of the dissolution of
Parliament; but the Conservative leader of the House of
Commons had said en the first day of the session that it was
a perfectly right course to a lopt, and it was only after the
noble earl had taken time to consider the matter that it wag
ultimately °beaded to. He (Lord Granville) was inclined
to think that peat coed would result from the step that
had been taken; and; respedtittg the question Upon which
the Government wee geidg td the country, he Would reed
itnleiteact fedde a meendratelein et the Dither ef Wellingten's,
oh a similar Occasion. (The noble earl read the memoran-
dum) the substance of which was that the Queen's servants
dissolved; because, on account of certain combinations in
the Hettse of Cortheees; it wis fifipagsible to carry on the
Queen 'a sdriicei The qtlestion; then; tree Which
they went to the country had no referenda td atiy
titular vote, but was in r ality whether the Ministers
*eta to id supported, er whether the Queee was
to look tar ether sereantin In thie *leer there Would be no
' nee of political cries or nicknames eleetton4 j thud
question was sinq',:, awl against the Government.
Now he believed that the Government had h:en perfectly
13Ori faketi hi the Chinese affair, in supporting
English merchants; whom it veeft hole the fashlen to de-
cry, fled Christian missions, which were so much verses
ctited in -Vied tetintry; But they went to the country on
their general
tho aernirtistration was or was not worthy of the national
Policy— on the question, hi short, of whether
cdnfideileei He blieved that the result of that awed
*child lie trienipliant fee the Clovernmente and, although
it might be diminished by coalitiens, such as had recently
taken place lu Tipperary, he believed there would be a
majority strong
(Herb-, hear.) crawler to carry all progressive measures.
The Earl of HALSIESIPIRY complained of the manner
in which the most solemn statement that a peer could
make had been treated by the noble earl. That noble earl
who was the leader of their debates should not have given
so churlish an assent to his noble friend's statement.
Earl GRANVIL LE believed that the noble earl had beer,
perfectly !Ricer) in his declaretiou.
The Earl of DERBY explained that he had intembel his
disclaimer to apply not only to himself, but to all with
whom he was politically connected. He was perfectly
certain that, on the part of his political friends,
there had
been 110 combination with persons with whore they did not
agree in general politics,
The Earl of MAL A R
ESBUY continued---die had said
that the house looked to the noble earl as the leader of
those debates ; but was it consistent with that position to
talk of noble lords meeting members of Parliament in a
tea room in the other house, and there conspiring against
the Government? Wear.) Neither did he conceive it dig-
nified to road four or five columns of a newspaper, after ho
had been told by his (Lord etalmesbury's) noble friend that
earl himself. Was not such a line of argument amore
ho knew no more about that newspaper than did the noble
weste of their lordships' time ? He trusted it would be the
last time they should hear the solemn and deliberate state.