The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-10 00:00:00

The Duke of BUCKINGILAM presented a petition from
Mr. C. Leigh, to which he wished to call their Lordships'
attention. The petitioner was of a very old and highly
respectable family, and he came before their Lordships on
account of a petition presented to their Lordships by ano-
ther gentleman, claiming the Barony of Leigh Stonely.
To this Barony Mr. Chandos Leigh made no claim, but
the petitioner who claimed that Peerage, also claimed a
considerable property in the possession of Mr. Chandos
Leigh. lle had served ejectinents to upwards of fifty of
his tenants, not one of which had been prosecuted. He
bad filed a Bill in Chancery, in 1820, "..liich had never
been carried any further. In the petition he had presented
to their Lordships, he had sustained his claims, by calum-
niating Mr. Chandos Leigh's relations; the petitioner,
therefore, prayed their Lordships to compel Mr. Leigh, the
former petitioner, to proceed with his case, and also to
allow him to cross-examine his witnesses by Counsel, and
bring forward such evidence as he might he advised to
idna
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etioonf conversation,o-ito-morrow.
Buckingham,oro
bring forward to rebut the calumnious accusations of the
former petition.
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Redesdale took part, -
the petition was ordered to be taken

STATE OF THE ADMINISTRATION.
Lord KING said, seeing half a dozen of his Majesty's
Ministers present, such as they were, he wished to ask
them two or three questions. He would not ask them
whether or not the Irish were starving, for about that they
knew nothing, and he believed cared nothing. He would
not ask them about things nearer home—he would notask
them whether England was prosperous, for that was a part
of the Government which belonged to none of their de-
partments. He would not ask whether Portugal were safe or
not ; for one half of them would rejoice if the plan were to
fail, which the other half had adopted to give security to
Portugal. He would begin secundunt artem, by asking
that question he cared least about ; he would first ask whe-
ther the present Ministerial interregnum was ever to have an
end? He would ask them who were 12 jurymen s worn to give
good advice and true, whether they had yet selected a fore-
man, or consented to receive a master? Whether the Mi-
nistry were complete or not, was to him a most unimport-
ant matter, for of all the animals in the Ministerial mena-
gerie, the Prime Minister was the most unnecessary. He
stated this advisedly, and on the highest authority. In
1800, an experiment had been made of what sort a
thing it was possible to make a Minister of, and by the
experiment it had been ascertained, that you might make
a jack boots a Prime Minister. Now, an experiment was
trying, if the country could not go on without any. Mi-
nister. First, it had been proved that any person would
make a Minister, and now it seemed to be ascertained
that no Minister at all was wanted. He was surprised
that the Noble and Learned Lord who had such a hatred
of innovations, did not raise his voice against this danger-
ous innovation. If this year it was ascertained that any
body might be Minister, and the next that we could do
without one, was he not afraid that in a short time inno-
vation would extend, and his Majesty might do without
something else? The second question he wished to ask
was, whether there was any truth in the alarming reports
which were in circulation of the falling off of the Revenue?
It had been stated in the newspapers that the quarter's re-
venue was 500,0001. short, and of this 400,0001. was a
falling off in the Excise. During the time of our pros-
perity, the increase of the Excise, they were told, was a
strong proof of the increasing comforts and wealth of the
people, and he wished to know if that Excise had fallen off,
if the Ministers would acknowledge that that was a proof
of our decline ? He would further ask, if the Ministers
could give them any hope of a restoration of public credit,
or would they say, what he believed, that it was not likely
to be restored ? If he were to ask them why the Revenue
fell off, and why public credit was not likely to be restored,
they would give, no doubt; a variety of reasons, but they
would not give the true one; they, would not say it
was all done by the Corn Laws. The Corn Laws im-
peded prosperity, prevented the restoration of credit,
and injured the revenue. Another question he wished
to ask was, whether, under these circumstances, they
were determined to maintain that plan of profuse
and extravagant expenditure which was laid down_
the revenue was fruitful and the country prosper-
ous? :Were all the palaces to be finished on the
same magnificent scale as was voted when there was
more revenue than they knew how to expend? In all
well-regulated Monarchies—at least it was so in the time of
Louis XlV.—if his Majesty's Minister of the Menus
Plaisirs were sick or were to die, not a single half hour
would elapse before his place would be filled up--(Hear,
hear); if one palace were to be pulled down, and two
others built, a superintendant would be immediately ap-
pointed of fine taste and a strong love of profuse expendi-
ture; but when a Minister died, or fell sick, on whose ex-
ertions the good of the country depended, who was the su-
perintending genius of the country's welfare ?—his place
might remain five or six weeks unoccupied, or the appoint-
ment might be postponed, sine die, till the intrigues had
worked themselves out, or till the intriguere had failed to
give us a Government good for nothing; then, and not till
then, was it likely that they would consent that we should
have a Government good for something. To keep himself
perfeCtly in order, he would conclude by moving, that
there be laid before their Lordships a Return of this Quar-
ter's Revenue, as compared with the Revenue of the fore-
going Quarter.—Ordered.
Lord REDESDALE presented a petition from the upper
part of Tyndall Ward, Northumberland, against any alte-
ration of the Corn Laws.