The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-04 00:00:00

INIPERIAL PAIILIADIENI

HOUSE OF LORDS—Tins EVENING.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat ou the woolsack
at five o'clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The Grand Junction Water Bill and North London
Railway Bill were read a second time.
TUE MINISTERIAL CRISIS.

Th. Earl of MALMESBURY said that their lordships
would be naturally anxious to know what was the course
that the Government took after the division of Thursday
night. Therefore en Friday her Majesty granted an
audience to the Prime Minister, when he told her
Majesty that he thought that constitutionally
the Government could claim her consent to a dissolution
of Parliament, but that, on the other hand, the Ministers
were ready to tender, and did tender, their resignation to
her Majesty, and that he would advise her Majesty to
take the advice of the other servants of the Crown. The
Queen was graciously pleased to say that she would
take this cours; and on the next day she granted
the right honourable gentleman the Prime Minister
another audience, when her Majesty said that she had con-
sidered the question, and that she should not accept the
resignation of Ministers, but that they had her permission
to dissolve Parliament whenever the policy of the State
permitted it.
The Regulations of Railways Bill was committed and
passed.
The Petty Sessions and Lock-up Houses Bill was read
a third time and passed.
The Marriages (Franton Manse') Bill was committed
and passed.
At the conclusion of the business of the house Earl
GREY expressed his strong protest against the theory
as to dissolution of Parliament enunciated by the noble
earl opposite, and he stated that he considered it was not
constitutional, and that the right hon. gentleman the
Prime Minister had no right to advise her Majesty to dis-
solve the house.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said that there were other

grounds on which the right hon. gentleman had advised
her Majesty. They must all remember under what circum-
stances the present Parliament was called together. The
present was one of the most vital questions, and when the
present Parliament was elected it was not a Parliament
which could express in a national and constitutional
way an appeal to the country on au issue of this kind.
Earl GREY said that ho did not see because a certain
question was brought forward not before contemplated
that it should affect the position of any Parliament. It
was a question as to whether the Parliament had confi-
dence iu 'the Government or not. If this presumption
were persevered iu the functions of Parliament would be
upset entirely.
After a few further remarks from the Lord Chancellor,
the Duke of Somerset, and the Duke of Richmond, the
House adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—Tuts EVENING.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at 4 o'clock.
NEW MEMBERS.
Mr. Petnberton and Lord Ingostre took the oath and
their seats for East Kent and Stamford.
The attendance in the house was very numerous, par-
ticularly on the Opposition ei Ic of the house. The gal-
leries were crowded, and large lines of persons
assembled in the grand quadrangle to witness the
arrival and entry of members to the house by that way.
His Royal Highness Prince Christian occupied a seat in
the Peers' Gallery. At 23 minutes past 4 Mr. Disraeli en-
tered the house, and was received with loud cries of
"Hear, hoar," from his supporters. The absence cpelsotf
fldour.
Gla [stone from his usual seat at this time appeared to
be a matter of surprise, but precisely at half
the right hon. gentleman entered the house and was re-
ceived with loud cheering. At the particular moment Mr.
Hatfield had a question on the paper, and the Prime
Minister rose to reply to it, it being generally expected
that the Ministerial announcement would be made,
but the Premier merely answered the question,
and resumed his seat, much to the evident
disappointment of the house. Another trifling question
haying been asiswered by Mr. Corry, the business on the
paper was then got through.
THE MINISTERIAL SPATEMENT.
Mr. DISRAELI, who on rising was received with loud
cheers, said after the division on Thursday night, in the
opinion of those with whom he acted an alteration had oc-
curred in the relations in which the Government stood with
the house. He had asked the house thew to consider the
result of that vote, and he had now to communicate to,it
the result of thee() deliberations. (Hoar, hear.) The
house would recollect that when in 1866 Lord Derby was
summonockby the Queen to take the menegemeee of affairs,
the party with whom ho acted was in a minority in the
House of Commons. It would have been quite within
the right of Lord Derby to have diesolvel Parliament and
appealed to the country, but partly owing to the distracted
state of the Liberal party, and thinking that the house had
only been recently elected, he waived the right he un-
doubtedly possessed in the hope that he might be able to
carry on the Government of the country. In 1567 the
Government was called upon to deal with a question
—the question of Reform—which had broken up and
discomfited every Government that had attempted to
deal with it. But Lord Derby did undertake the labour,
and Ito proposed eitsn d finally passed a great measure,
which he believed had given satisfaction to the country.
(Hear, hoar.) After the pessieg of such an Act,
it was quite competent to the Earl of Derby
to dissolve the Parliament and take the opinion of the
country, but that which he had waived in 1866 he again
waived on the occasion he had referred to. Wuether any-
thing had occurredsince which should have derogated from
such a constitutional co urse was not for him to say, but in the
few observations he had to offer it was not his desire to
speak in any coloured manner, but, on the contrary, his
desire was to use the cold judicial language of the bench.
(gear.) Ho thought he might say that during that time the
conduct of the Administration had never been impugned.
(Hear, hear.) The manner in which his noble friend
(Lord Abercorn) had. governed Ireland—a subject which
had brought about the present circumstances—had
led to results which were iu the highest
degree satisfactory. The financial measures of
the Government had never been questioned or opposed;
in fact, they had been supported by hon. gentlemen oppo-
site. Then again the foreign affairs of the country had been
carried on in a manner that was in the highest
degree eatisfaztory to other great Powers, and this had
been done, not by thrusting down its own opinions, but
simply by the conviction that the Government were actu-
ated by justice and a sincere desire for peace. (Hear.) The
manner in which the Abyssinian question had been treated
was also a matter for congratulation, not only from the
manner in which it had been concluded, but to the fore-
sight in such a great commander as they had in the
General who had so worthily executed the operations in
that distant country. (Hear, hear.) The failure of such
an expedition would have been attended with the most
alarming consequences, but thanks to the wisdom in de-
ciding upon the course to be taken, for which he
thought the Government might take some credit, the
expedition had been successful in everything for which it
was organised. Now the matter that bad brought about
tho present crisis had rose suddenly. With but a few days'
notice the house was asked to consider a startling question
—a question whether the Established Church in ono part
of the United Kingdom was to be disendo wed. There was at
the time a Commission sitting to inquire into the revenues
of the Irish Church, and it was proposed and hoped that
the house would have waited until the Commission had
made its report before any final decision vas come to
in the matter, but; such was not the case, and
her Majesty's Government, feeling that the most
serious results would :,follow such a proposition, it
was determined to give the proposition their most deter-
mined opposition, from the feeling that the same proposal
would soon be made with respect to the Church of Eug-
laud. If such a thing was to take place the Cisurch
in England would either become too powerful for the
State, or broken up into opposite sections, or governed by
the despotism of the Court of Rome—in either case the
royal supremacy would be destroyed. The house having
decided not to take the course the Govern.
ment had recommended, it became his duty
to take that course which was open to him.
It had been said that there was a clinging to office
on his part, and that his was a policy of governing by
minorities, but he denied that such was the case. After
the vote had been come to he took the earliest opportu-
nity of laying the whole of the matter before her Majesty.
The advice he gave to her Majesty, under the
circumstances was to dissolve the present Parliament and
take the opinion of the country on the conduct of her.
Ministers and the measure in question. (Hear, hear, loud
cheers, and cries of " Oh, oh." He had also said that
if the matter might be more satisfactorily settled
by the retirement of the present Ministry from office
they were quite ready to retire. (Hear, hear.) He had
tendered his iesigaation to her Majesty, but she too
graciously decided not to accept it, and had adopted the
recommendation he had felt it h;s duty to give to dis-
solve the present Parliament as soon as the
state of public business allowed. He wished
the appeal might be made to the new constituencies, and
that the business of the session might bo so concluded as
to allow the dissolution to take place in the autumn
(Hear, hear.) He disapproved of all the Irish resolutions
and therefore he could do nothing more than do all in his
power to prevent that which ho looked upon as a great
national calamity.
es_Mr. GLADSTONE condemned the advice which the
Government had felt it their duty to give to her lifelestyi;
(Hear, hear.) He thought such advice could
.onl,y
hopebav
been given to her Majesty when there was a rattounidlffer
that the decision of the Parliament to be elected would di
(Hear.)
materially from that which was to be chsoso)
lie thought
Was such likely to be the case 7. (No,snay.
that ho was
not; and for himself, ho
forwardbeau
quite to
(Loud cheers) With regale
quite prepared to go
i
when the time arrives. Ile
that will have to be settledto ith
what hisis ret
os olfuotlilounws,
With respect to the resolutions,
his duty. hite wsashouclledanrloy should be quite prepared to tako t.othat,as