The Sun.
London, England, 1828-02-19 00:00:00

Sinking Fund, but at all events he is so on other ques-
tions, and he is a regular accomplished political economist ;
and yet the Right Hon. Gent who approves of him, ob-
jects to my Noble Friend ; and then the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman, who was so proud that he could not endure the
shadow or appearance of neglect or slight, which he thought
unbecoming of his office of Chancellor of the Exchequer.
bends at once at the nod of the Commander-in-Chief, and
retires from the more dignified office of Chancellor of the
Exchequer, to the humbler situation of Master of the Mint.
Then, what is it, after all, which put an end to the late Go-
vernment? For, with all the explanations which we have
heard, we are as much in the dark as ever. (A laugh.)
Whenever they came to any thing that was material, they
slipped ever the subject as quickly as possible. We have
been anxious to know 'how the case stood between the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Right Hon. Secre-
tary the Member for Liverpool ; but this is the matter
over which they have drawn the thickest veil. Then the
Right Hon. Secretary for the Home Department mistakes
the whole case; and when he explains how it was that he
.could not join the Administration of Mr. Canning, he puts
.one in mind of the person who put himself in the dock
without being arraigned ; and when he was informed
.of that circnmstance, said, " Well then I will go."
'The Right Honourable secretary took a longer time
.to explain the reasons why he went. How, he says, could
Ido otherwise than as I did in April, in the situation in
which I stood with reference to the Catholic Question? I
could act with Mr. Canning, hut I could not act under
him. I was compelled to leave him when he became the
lead of the Government, and in all this the Right Hon.
.Secretary is perfectly consistent. I wish that those who
are for the Catholic Question had acted with the same con-
sietencv. Why does not the Right Hon. Secretary near
him, say with equal consistency, " I could act with the
onke of Wellington, but I cannot take office under him ;
because It.?rCatholic Emancipation, and he is against
t." Then as to the question of guarantees, I cannot help
expressing my astonishment that the Right Hon. Secretary
for the Colonies 'should have thought it necessary to take
up so much time in explanation upon that subject. Who
ever talked of guarantees under seal or in writing ? No-
body that could judge of the matter ever thought of such a
'thing. There was a very good law passed in the reign of
Charles 11., called the Statute of Frauds and Perjuries, and
.1), that law it was provided, that no guarantee should
b:q valid except it was in writing : who ever dreamt,
hosvever, that the Right Hon. Secretary had asked or
obtain ed guarantees in writing or under seal ? Nobody
ever entsrtained any such notion. But in other respects
the statermant of the Right lion. Secretary, is neither very
clear nor very satisfactory. There are two forts of pledges,
he says--one a direst pledge, and the other is virtual pledge
The direct pledge Ido not value much, and the virtual
pledge Ido not value at all. It is easy for people who
intend to put off others with vague and general statements,
to talk about conversations and explanations and under-
standings, and so forth. Others, however, understand
the value of these explanations and guarantees. The mil-
aions in Ireland understand it. You have required ex-
planations on the Foreign Policy, the Home Policy, the
.oColonial Policy, and the Irish Policy, to be formed by
£h present Administration ; and whatever these ex-
planations ,were, the result is that you were satisfied
with them, and you say that you honestly came into
office under the man who gave those explanations.
s' I 'am a friend to Catholic Emancipation," says the
one ; lam adverse to it," says the other. They were
but lately irreconcileable in their notions of the Home and
Foreign, and Colonial and Irish Policy of the Country.
'They were pitted against each other at explanations res-
pecting the Corn Question. But now the Right Hon.
Secretary for the Colonies says—you have given me exPlaa
gaSions--we have had conversations together—there is an
aindealtanding between us, and I oonsent to come into
office ursder you ; and there the Right Hon. Secretary sits
side by siale with the other Right Hon. Secretary—they
disagreeing essmpletely upon one of the vital questions of
asur domestic po.ticy ! But, then, says the Right Hon.
.Gentleman--Itere N another pledge—another guarantee.
Lord Dudley still continues to he the Secretary for Foreign
Affairs, and the Right Hon. Mr. Lamb still retains the
office of Secretary for Ireland, and I am happy that he does
continue in that situation ; and, in addition to this, the
Right Hon. Secretary for the Colonies says, that he has
the pledge and guarantee of the Right Hon. Gentleman at
the head of the Board of Trade, and of the Noble Lord
who continues in his situation of Secretary at War.
The Right Honourable Secretary might himself be satisfied
with all these guarantees, if such he chose to call theM ;
but it is perfectly clear, that they are not understood by
others to be guarantees. It is perfectly manifest, that there
fob a change of tone in the Administration of Ireland since
the late Cabinet was broken up. Look at the sentence on
Eneas Macdonnell, who was convicted of a libel on Arch-
deacon Trench—a libel couched in no unmeasured terms,
spoken in moment of extreme irritation, and yet not so bad
as those which were brought forward every now and then
at Westminster and at Guildhall. For a libel of this sort
Mr. Macdonnell was sentenced to twelve months' impri-
sonment—(Several voices exclaimed eighteen.)--It is true
he has been imprisoned eighteen months on the whole, but
I. believe it to be twelve months for this offence, and six
=Ohs for something else. But I have seen in a printed
'paper 3 libel on one of the most exalted persona in the
realm-3 gross and foul libel, something like raving
madness, rather than any thing else. In short, there
;never was a worse libel upon the personage to whom he
Alluded, both in his public and in his domestic character;
and yet,for some reason or other, the sentence was only int-
pr".sonment for three menthe. Such was the sentence of
the law in that instance. I saw another person sentenced
for having published two charges of felony against an ex-
alted personage, the grossest falsehoods that ever were
heard .of, and yet Mary Ann Clarke was sentenced only
_to nine months, imprisonment; and Mr. Eneas Mac-
aiamell was, on these two charges, both of them' trifling
in
..the comparison, sentenced to eighteen months' ina-
prismenent. Can any man doubt that when Mr. Mac-
Annell st.sod before the Judges for sentence, these Judges
felt deeply the impression that they had before them the
known, active, and able agent of the hated Catholic
.As-
sedation hear)—Then Lord Dudley is the
virtual pledge for our foreign policy. But who sits be-
side Lord Dudley ? .A young Nobleman, who is, no doubt,
possessed of many solid, as well as brilliant qualifications,
but whos not as
yet ha,
.mat,:y_opportunities for display-
)—.Nobleman, who, by way of
ins them. (Hear. youn,,
ntarantee, had said that
-chewing the value of a virtual b
t but that he
,Ir. Canning had no foreign us man Thisad
policy
always considered him as a most douse his is to stand as
5,.3 the mixtureof conflicting opinions, syhies
inistra
a gnrantee for the perseverance of the present
! Than as_ to-
ting in the foreign policy of Mr. Canning
that
the guarantee for free trade, it is plain, at least,
either one or other of the parties must give way on the
subject o: the Corn Bill, for there can be little reasonable
grounds to expect that, among a Ministry formed of
such materials, any wise or enlightened measure on that
head will be sulopted. Certain political differences
having taken place, you gain come into office upon
the principles of Mr. Casy'nines Administration,
but joined with those very men who were obliged to leave
Ma. Canning's Cabinet last year, heca,„:e they refused to
adopt his principles. I find this subject osc the late Mr.
Canning to be by far of too delicate a nature to al'a'ow. myself
bstain
to dwell much upon it, and therefore I willingly ,:
from going into details. I make no charge against at:;
man. The feelings of individuals are .best trusted to the
possession of those who are swayed by them. But I can-
not avoid expressing, my approbation, my sincere and
cordial admiration
a the bold, the manly course pur-
aineU by an illustrious individual elsewhere, who, un-
.awed by the frowns of the Court—uninfluenced by men
at weak and puerile feeling
Power—unaffected lay th
public man was so much
44 our nature which every
fattier for laying aside, came fearlessly forward to rescue
1 cannot
t.h*! character of his deceased relative from the attacks of
some of his bitterest enemies.—(l-Icar.)---Sir,
quit the suSt;ect of the late Administration, without saying a
s
few words wit:a respect to some of its Member, with whom
1 was never in °slice, but whose principles I have invariably
supported, because 1 was convinced of their soundness. I
ooay, Perhaps, have thought, that the leading men of that
party have occasionally displayed less firmness and decision
.enan I .could wish. There is, at present, one of that
;party, against whom this charge has been mach out of
,doors and elsewhere—l mean the Marquis of LanadoWne
an- d I mune T'i'n openly here, because I wish to have no
disguise upon the subject. It is stated, and perhaps thare
is some truth in the statement, that had he come suffia
.deeutled mere u ponis wn
ciently forward---11211
weighthe
of character he poss'.l.:: hses,o he
strength and the
would have prevented all that had recently taken
place, and have kept the Ministry together. It
'is well
well
that no greater charge than this can
be made
my Noble Friend ;—it is well U his bittert euctriies,
can say no more than that the Noble Marq es
placed
ui
in a situation of great delttacy and difficulty ;7- ]']aced
as
he did the second situation in the Ministry (a.. 1 some-
times scarcely that) ;—it is well that be who, :. An his
high rank in the country, his great talents, his I. repu-
tation, and enviable though unenvied popular; it is
well, I say, that against such a man, possessing t'
manly
vigour and independence Which, from an acqua. slice of
thirty years, I know him to possess;—it is well tl against
such a man, his bitterest enemies can bring is, heavier
charge than that, as he tempered the inexperien of his
stead with an wrnnts.4 91 agei hl of ins