The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-22 00:00:00

OPENING of the SPANISH CORTES,
SPEECH OF THE QUEEN OF SPAIN.
MADRID, DEC. 15.
Gentlemen, Senators, and Deputies—
During the short space cf time that has elapsed since
Cie termination of the last session of the Cortes no
remarkable alteration has taken place in the relations of
my kingdom with the other Powers.
The negotiations pending with the Holy See continue.
During that interval the ratifications of the treaty
concluded with the Emperor of Morocco have been
exchanged, as well as those of the treaty of reconcilia-
tion, peace, and friendship with the Republic of Chili.
An unexpected accident has prevented the conclusion of
the same formality with respect to the treaty recently
agreed upon with the Republic of Venezuela. The
many bonds which unite Spain with those States cannot
but contribute to the establishment of intimate relations
between the two countries.
I desire to protect by all means our navigation and
commerce. By giving life and animation to agriculture
and industry, a new stimulus will be given to the pro-
gress of our navy, which will insure recovery from the
state of prostration into which it had fallen, and which
will not confer less benefit and advantage upon our
foreign provinces, so worthy of all our interest for
the fidelity they have always displayed under all cir-
cumstances.
At home, in the Peninsula, order and respect of the
laws have been maintained, so that every attempt at
treason had been defeated by the vigilance and the
firmness of the authorities, as well as by the fidelity of
the army, the subordination and discipline of which
might serve as a model for the world; and, in fine, by
the excellent spirit of the people—tired and worn out by
revolt, and anxious to enjoy fully the benefit of peace,
under the shade of the Throne, and under the protec-
tion of oar national institutions.
In order to consolidate the possession of advantages
so precious, we have, by virtue of the authority which
you gave to my Government, established organic laws.
I have to congratulate you on the fact that these mea-
sures have fully justified our expectations. The nation
now finds itself endowed with laws, the want of which
had been felt during so many years, and the establish-
ment of which has been effected without suggesting any
difficulty ; on the contrary, the establishment of those
laws is beginning already to produce their fruits in the
good order and government of the State.
Independently of those reforms—so important and
urgent—others of less magnitude have been effected, as
well in the department of public instruction, as in the
administration of justice, and in various other branches
of Government.
My Government has likewise devoted itself to the
carrying into execution the plan of finance voted in the
last Legislature, and to the removal of all the obstacles
which impeded total reform in matters of taxation. I
can assure you with satisfaction that that plan has been
carried into effect in most of its provisions.
In the estimates, which will be immediately submitted
to you for examination, you will find all the ameliora-
tions and improvements of which they were susceptible.
time and experience will lead us to discover defects
which it is indispensable to correct, which it would have
been impossilbe in so short a space of time to have re-
moved, and which ever accompany the establishment of
a new system.
Some of the evils and injuries arising out of the law of
Aranceles, passed in the year 1841, being obvious, the
Government proposes at a convenient opportunity to
submit to you measures tor their remedy. My Govern-
ru-nt propose also to submit to you measures calculated
to increase the public wealth and to strengthen the cre-
dit of the nation.
My Government will also present to you a project of
law with the important object of endowing, in a perma-
nent and solid manner, public worship and the clergy.
Such, Gentlemen,.Senators, and Deputies, are the prin-
cipal matters to be submitted to your consideration,
relying, as I do, upon your zeal and goodwill, of which
I have received so many and such unequivocal proofs.
The greatest and most difficult portions of this work
being accomplished, it now remains only to conclude
and place it on a solid basis. During the last session
you introduced into the Constitution the reforms indis-
pensable for placing in harmony the prerogatives of the
Crown and the rights of the nation. You authorised
my Government to promulgate those organic laws, by
means of which the political machine received freedom
of action and movement. You decreed, in fine, a new
plan of finance, calculated to put an end to the disorder
which consumed the resources of the State. At present
it devolves on you to examine the results of your former
resolutions, and to introduce such further improvements
and retbrms as shall appear to you called for and neces-
sary—a task, which though less brilliant, is not the less
useful and glorious. Your zeal and perseverance will be
necessary to aid my Government in the laudable task
of regulating the finances and administration of the
state, which necessarily felt the effects of previous groat
and fatal disorder.
I feel convinced that this task, if undertaken, will not
be found greater than your capacity. This I hope for at
least, confiding in the protection of Divine Providence,
and with an ardent desire to add this new service to the
many which you have already conferred on the throne
and the country.

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, SUNDAY.—Yesterday the Queen and Prince
Albert took their early morning walk in the private
grounds adjacent to the Castle.
The Royal Family were all taken for their usual
morning exercise on their ponies.
In the afternoon their Royal Highnesses the Prince of
Wales, the Princess Royal, and the Princess Alice, visited
her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent at Frogmore
House, accompanied by the Dowager Lady Lyttelton.
Lord John Russell arrived at the Castle at twelve
o'clock yesterday, and after having an audienoe of the
Queen, his Lordship took his departure for town.
Sir Robert Peel came to the Castle yesterday afternoon,
and after having an audience of her Majesty the Right
Honourable Baronet returned to London.
This morning the snowy state of the weather pre-
vented the Queen or the Royal Family from leaving the
Castle for their early walk.
The Queen, Prince Albert, the Ladies and Gentlemen
of the Court, with the domestic household, attended
Divine service in the private chapel of the Castle this
morning. The Hon. and Reverend C. Leslie Courtenay
officiated.
The Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and the
Princess Alice, were taken a carriage airing in the
afternoon.

His -Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge attended
both the morning and afternoon service yesterday, in
Grosvenor Chapel, South Audley-street.
Lord John Russell left town on Saturday morning for
Windsor Castle. His Lordship returned to his residence
in Chesham.place in the afternoon.
Most of the Cabinet Ministers in town visited Sir
Robert Peel on Saturday morning. The Right Hon.
Baronet afterwards left town for Windsor Castle. The
Earl of Ripon arrived in town after the departure of the
Right Hon. Baronet, from his residence at Putney.
Communications were forwarded to those Ministers
absent from London.

Sir Robert Peel returned to his residence in White-
hall Gardens, from Windsor Castle, in the evening.
At eight o'clock a meeting was held at the official
residence of Sir Robert Peel, in Downing-street.
There were present Sir R. Peel, the Lord Chancellor,
the Duke of Buccleuch, the Earl of Aberdeen, Lord
Stanley, Sir James Graham, the Chancellor of the Ex
chequer, the Earl of Haddington, the Earl of Ripon, the
Right Hcn. Sidney Herbert, and the Earl of Lincoln.
The Duke of Wellington arrived in town about nine
o'clock. and joined the Ministers.
Lord Granville Somerset had not arrived in town.
The meeting broke up at half-past twelve o'clock.
Yesterday, soon after one o'clock, Lord Granville
Somerset arrived in town from Norwich. His Lordship
immediately went to have an interview with Sir Robert
Peel.

The Duke of Wellington attended the early service
yesterday in the Chapel Royal, St. James's. His Grace
left town in the afternoon for Strathfieldsaye.
The Earl of Dalhousie attended yesterday at the
Home-office, and visited Sir Robert Peel.
The Lord Bishop of London held an Ordination yester-
day morning in the Chapel Royal, St. James's. The
prayers were read by the Rev. Dr. Wesley, and the
sermon was preached by the Bishop of London. His
Lordship ordained twenty-seven gentlemen as priests,
and ten gentlemen as deacons.
At the daily service in the Chapel Royal the prayers
were read by the Rev. Dr. Wesley, the lessons by the
Rev. Dr. Dakins, and the communion service by the
Rey. Dr. Sleath. The sermon was preached by the
Hon. and Rev. G. Noel. The antheanthemwas " Prepare
ye the way of the Lord" (Wyse). Sir George Smart
presided at the organ.

LORD J. RUSSELL'S MINISTR Y.
(From the Times.)
The following was, we believe, the intended allocation
of places in the Ministry which the sudden resistance of
L'rd Grey to the appointment of Lord Palmerston as
Minister for Foreign Affairs brought to so premature a
close :

First Lord of the Treasury, Lord John Russell.
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Lord Palmers-
ton.

Secretary of State for the Home Department, Sir G.
Grey.

Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord Grey.
Lord Chancellor, Lord Cottenham.
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Besborough.
Secretary for Ireland, Mr. Lahouchere.
President of the Board of Control, Sir J. C. Hobbouse.
First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Auckland.
First Commissioner of the Woods and Forests, Lord
Morpeth.
President of the Board of Trade, Lord Clarendon.
Lord Privy Seal , Lord Minto.
The Vice-Prwsidency of the Board of Trade was
tendered to Mr. Cobden.

THE MINISTERIAL CRESIS.
(From the Times.)
The politics of the last fortnight seem especially de-
signed to baffle the ingenuity of those who stake their
credit on the happiness of their conjectures. Everybody
is right, and everybody is wrong. Lord John Russeli
has at last positively and definitely retired from the
scene, and Sir Robert Peel has consented to remain in
office. That, at least, is the latest information. What
new turn things may have taken by the time those pages
are in the hands of our readers, it would be rash to fore-
tell. We only pretend to be historians. Our first an-
nouncement was a simple matter of fact, with no other
predictive character than what appertains to every
statement which cannot for the present be fully authen. •
ticated, and which, inasmuch as it relates to the future.
may be frustrated by the events which a day may bring
forth. Others, meanwhile, have indulged freely in the
spirit of prophecy, and shown much superfluous clever-
ness. Matter of fact, however, as we have been con-
tented to be, by a succession of surprises and disappoii t.
meats, we bid fair at last to come round to a fulfilment
as literal as could possibly have been anticipated. Death
will have removed one member of the Cabinet, and, per-
haps, vacillation another, but there is now every human
probability that at an unusually early day of the nc w
year Sir Robert Peel will propose a repeal of the corr.-
laws. The events of the last week have been so ephe-
meral, so personal, so accidental, as really to be hardly
worth relating. Readers whose minds will be carrici
on to the important future, will not have patience for
the frivolous gossip of the past. That gossip, however,
is simple enough, It is due to the nobleman and gentle-
man whose movements last week occupied so unusual a
space in the columns of the public press, to state that the
impossibility of constructing a Ministry out of all that
splendid and abundant material, did not arise from any
difference of opinion as to the measure to be proposed.
'They were unanimous for an entire repeal of the corn-
laws, and though many of the party were indisposed to
take office, and not very hopeful of success, all had con-
sented, and the business of allotting the places began.
For this purpose, it is said, that the species of provisional
Cabinet in which the measure and the emergency had
been discussed was broken up, and Lord John Russell
gave separate interviews to his intended colleagues.
Here, however, in the very first step of his
Administration, the Premier elect broke down.
Rumour relates that, beginning with Lord
Grey, Lord John Russell offered him the Colonial.
office. He accepted, but had the curiosity to ask who
was to have the Foreign-office? The answer was, Lord
Palmerston—an intimation which had the immediate
effect of neutralizing Lord Grey's love of place and
power, patriotic and disinterested as it undoubtedly was.
He most strongly objected to the appointment, and for
his own part, positively refused to serve with Lord Pal-
merston as Foreign Minister. We will not stop to dis-
cuss how far this objection was sound, and how far th• 3
peace of the Cabinet would be compatible with the pre-
sence of a man whose name is certainly not the harbinger
of peace to the world. LordaGrey, in withdrawing from
the Cabinet under the circumstances, only followed the
example of the Parisian capitalists, who have been with-
drawing their money from the funds with more or less
haste, exactly as there was reason to expect that Lord
Palmerston was to be the channel and negotiator of in-
ternational amity. However, be Lord Grey and the
Bourse right or wrong, so it was, he would net come to.
It was in vain that Lord John represented the utter
impossibility of passing such a man by ; possibility
or impossibility, Lord Grey was inexorable, and took
his ground on the absolute incompatibility of himself
and Lord Palmerston sitting at the same Council
table. The whole of Friday evening is said to have
been spent in fruitless endeavours to move the rock,
As Lord John Russell considered that he could not dis
pense with either of their Lordships, or at least ceul 1
net afford to leave them at liberty to follow their own
devices in the approaching struggle, he resolved again
for the last time, to return his commission into hes
Majesty's hands. Saturday was the day appointed for
Sir Robert Peel to make the formal resignation of his.
official insignia ; and on Saturday, accordingly, be would
have presented himself at Windsor fur that purpose, if
an early intimation of the state of affairs in his rival's
camp had not changed the object of his journey. The
spectacle of two retiring Premiers at once in the Castle
would have been ludicrous enough, if it were not alse_
significant of changes in the constitution of our political
parties which, happy or not, are far too momentous for
smiles. It has been the boast of that era of which
Providence has made Queen Victoria the most august
and distinguished type and representative, that it unites
the ancient factions, and reconciles the discordant
theories of Government. Instinct and philosophy alike
assure us that it is impossible to construct new unities out
of the more dislocated parts and broken material of those
which have passed away. The old forms must com-
pletely expire before the new ones can arise, and new
institutions are born out of the very dust of the old.
Tory and Whig are passing away. They are only re•
membered names. They have no place in the system
that is. Fragments and specimens survive. We can
contemplate, examine, classify, describe, and admire ;
but revive we cannet. Behold the visible consumma-
tion which history at last reveals. Au earthquake shakes
the political world to its basis. Public necessity and
public importunity fight their way through the ruin of
Cabinets to the foot of the Throne. Almost at the ss me
hour the heads of the two ancient and now antique,ed
parties present themselves and declare the impossibility
of constructing Ministries out of existing party material.
Both at once proclaim their parties obsolete—themselves,
as the leaders of those parties utterly invalid and
te. The exigency of the moment compels the Queen
to select the one who is deficto charged with her execu-
tive responsibilities. Sir R. Peel resigning his old autho-
rity, receives from the organic head of the State a new
one, in better keeping with the crisis which compels his
surrender, and consequent re-acceptance of the
trust. Providence and the people have spoken in tones
which it is impious and rebellious not to hear. That
deep murmur has shaken all things, all classes and
parties. The throne only is not shaken, because it
listens and obeys, or rather, to speak perhaps more
loyally and more truly, it follows its own deep sympa-
thies with the heart and mind of the people. The
throne, then, after abrogating the worn-out system of
the age gone by, founds a new order of things on new
principles, and assigns to a re-instated and renovated
Minister that new and solemn responsibility. The
friends of Sir Robert Peel have no reason to lament
what has occurred. Without such a solution the com-
plexities of his previous policy could not be entirely dis-
entangled—the burden of party could not have been
entirely shaken off. Sir Robert Peel, however, must for
the present consent to be regarded in an equivocal and
doubtful position. It is still for him to decide, and put
that last bold master-stroke to his portrait, which pos-
terity shall agree to regard as the clue to his real cha-
racter, and the solution of his apparent inconsistencies.
He resumes office certainly not as a Tory Premier—
that he never was—but not even as a Conservative. Ho
must now be the popular Premier ; and that people from
whom he virtually receives his present policy and trust
he must now determine faithfully, honestly, and impar-
tially to serve.

(From the Morning Chronicle)
The readers of the Morning Chronicle must have been
prepared, by our announcement of Saturday morning,
for the unsatisfactory result of " the Ministerial crisis."
On Friday night, we believe, Lord John Russell com-
municated to her Majesty that, in consequence of a diffi-
culty which had unexpectedly arisen, he must resign the
commission with which she had honoured him to form
an Administration, and on Saturday his Lord-
ship waited on her Majesty for this purpose.
The difficulty referred to, we feel it right to
say, did not arise from any difference of opinion
upon the great question which has produced the
present Ministerial crisis. Upon that question there
was on Friday, and continues to be still, the most com-
plete agreement between Lord John Russell and the
friends with whom he had been in consultation during
the week. Nor is there any truth in the statement
made by come of our Contemporaries, that there was any
difference of opinion as to the individuals who were to
have composed the future Cabinet. Sir Robert Peel
waited upon her Majesty on Saturday. Upon his re-
turn to town he was met by the members of his Cabinet,
with whom he remained in deliberation until a late
hour. It was rumoured last night that Lord Ellenbo-
rough, Lord Dalhousie, the Earl of St. Germans, and
Mr. Gladstone, were likely to be members of Sir Robert
Peel's Cabinet.

(From the Herald.)
Wo believe the following statement may be relied
upon :—Her Majesty desired Sir Robert Peel to wait
upon her on Saturslay, for the purpose of finally taking
leave of her Majesty. Sir Robert Peel repaired accord-
ingly to Windsor, and on his arrival was informed by
her Majesty that Lord John Russell, after having un-
dertaken to form a Government, had failed in accom-
plishing that task ; and that her Majesty must therefore
express her desire that Sir Robert Peel would not abandon
her service. Sir Robert Peel informed her Majesty that,
just previously to his quitting London, he had received
the intelligence of Lord John Russell's failure ; and that,
having reason to believe that those of his •Idleagues who
had differed from him were not prepared to form a
Government, and considering that Lord John Russell
was unable to form oae, he had resolved, without a mo-
ment's hesitation, to withdraw his tender of resignation,
to resume office, and to propose to Parliament those
measures which the exigencies of the public service
might require.

THE LATE HIGH TIDE.
TO THE EDITOR OF TEE SUN.
RESPECTED FRIEND,—From reading the distressing
accounts of the destitution to which some families are
reduced in the neighbourhood of Lambeth, in conse-
quence of the high tide of the Thames, particularly that
of a poor pipe maker, I take the liberty of sending the
small inclosed sum, thinking perhaps thou would have
an Opportunity of forwarding it, and that perhaps some
of thy considerate readers may be led to do the same,
and thus afford theca some comfort and relief, particu-
larly at this season, which Christians are about to cele-
brate, viz., the advent of Ilim, who told us, " Give, and
it shall be given unto you. Good measure, pressed down
and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
into your bosom ; for with the same measure that ye
mete it shall be measured to you again."—Thine re-
spectfully, A CONSTANT READER.
Sheffield, 12tno. 19, 1845.
[We have received with this half a sovereign, which
we will forward to the Police Magistrates at the Lambeth-
office, who appear to have taken an interest in the case.
—ED. Sun.]

The Earl and Countess of Cardigan are entertain-
ing a large circle of their fashionable friends at Deene Park,
Northamptonshire. The party consists of his Royal High-
ness Prince George of Cambridge and the Hon. Captain
Macdonald, the iilarquis and Marchioness of Worcester,
Lord and Lady Ernest Bruce, the Hon. Colonel and Mrs.
Anson, Mr. and Mrs. Hubert De Burgh, Viscounts Maid-
stone and Cantalupe, Lord Adolphus Fityalmence, Mr.
Knightly, &c. His Royal Highness the Du...e of Cambridge
was prevented by indisposition partaking the hospitality of
the noble Earl.