Star.
London, England, 1830-11-17 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF Till JOURNALS.

TRwrs.—Farewell to the Duke of Wellington's Administration !
If the management of public affairs has been dAallt during his Grace's
Prentienthip, the difficulty has resulted more from petty perplexities
than great affairs. It has been the swelling of the sea atter the winds
had subsided, through which the crew had not strength to navigate the
teasel, not the fury of the tempest which tossed her. When the Duke
or Wellington made the declaration, to the effect that he was opposed
to every species of Parliamentary reform, we saw that his fate was sealed.
We do not know that he did not main it. Yet the country seems to have
iqrgotten that Mr. Canning made a declaration to the same purport and In
Yet stronger terms, and the stability of his Ministry was in no wise
affected by the circumstance ! We will not mention now who still ad.
heed to !inn most pertinaciously, in spite of the offence then given to their professions on the subject of reform, lest we should seem to ex.,
Pose deserving men to odium ; but Mr. Canning was loved by the
People, though slighted by the aristocracy. It is doubtful whether the
Duke of Wellington was ever sincerely loved by the people ; and since
vie Catholic emancipation, he has been hated by the Tay aristocracy
with a Nutmegs equal to its injustice. We pity his Majesty from our,
ik.,lrts, and with equal sincerity wish him success in the most difficult
task that is inward upon a limited Monarch in a
6,tttative Government, namely, the choke or nomination Fr;

ninon ict.c.--If his Once possess any feeling, the circumstances
under which his resignation has become necessary must be to him a sub-
ject
on which he cannot reflect without pain, and we are not, therefore,
disposed to dwell at this time on the signal blunders, to say nothing worse
of them, by which he has succeeded, in a few weeks, in erasing from the
memory of the people of England the gratitude they entertained towards
him for accomplishing the great task of the pacification of Ireland, his
concession to the Dissenters, and the blow which he struck at monopoly
and magisterial tyranny in the beer bill of last session. We were aware of
the difficulties with which a man, the most of whose life had been passed
in the tented field, had to struggle in assuming the direction of the affairs
of this great country; and expecting from him more signal failures than
he actually committed, his conduct was for some time an agreeable disap.
pointment to us. We were first disgusted with his ministry when we
found him embarked with Sir James Scarlett in an irritating crusade
against the press. Indeed, from that time a sort of fatality seems to
have attended his Ministry. The whole of last session was passed in
undoing one day what had been done the day before; and it was uni-
versally admitted at its close, that without important changes in the
composition of the Ministry, it would be impossible to carry on the bits
apneas of the country. With a strange inflexibili to the sense of the
country, so unequivocally marked, he appeared before a new Parliament
with the same imbecile crew (imbecile as regards the great majority, for
we do not wish to comprehend Sir R. Peel, and one or two others, at
most in the censure); arid as if contempt were not enough, unusual pains
would seem to have been taken to excite apprehension and distrust by
the wording of the speech put into his Majesty's month at the opening
of Parliament, and the indignation of the whole people by the ofVensive
terms of the Duke's declaration against Reform. That indignation I
was only relieved by the sense of humiliation, which the fatuous
advice to the King, to refuse to fulfil his promise, to accept of the
entertainment provided for his Majesty in the City, on the elle-
gation of danger ;—humiliation. that the country should be so
lowered as it was by an exhibition, which exhibited so conspicuously
to all Europe, that the Councils of England were guided by men who
could be influenced to disseminate alarm, for the safety of the Metro.
polls, and the stability of Government, without the slightest justifi-
cation. To all who could read the signs of the times, it was obvious
that the Ministry could not hold together much longer. Every more.
ment of his Grace plunged him only deeper in the mire. He experienced
the mortification of perceiving, that these for whose sake he covered
himself with obloquy, by his declaration against Reform, either from
disgust or want of confidence in his ability to retain office, shrunk
t his invitation, and left him to encounter alone the unpopularity
he had hazarded. Had his Grace resigned only half a year ago, he
would have received credit for higher talents and more wisdom titan
he really possessed. As it is, people must either believe that they have
been under a singular delusion with regard to him, or that—
" From Marlborough's eyes the streams of dotage flow."

We cannot take leave of the Puhject of the resignation of ministers
without the remark, that the Duke of Wellington owes his fall to no
intrigue—to no faction—to no unintelligible dislike to him by the
people. Never was there a minister towards whom the country was
more patient—for whom greater allowances were made. His fall is the
result of a succession of acts, so admirably calculated to ruin him, that
no enemy, however ingenious, could have improved upon them, had his'
object been to recommend a course for driving him from office. His
fate ought to be a warning to politicians in these times, •that it is above
all things dangerous to despise the public. and to volunteer incurring un.
necessary obloquy, with a view to gratify a few individuals whose interests
are at variance with those of the people ; these men will be the first to
abandon him to his fate, when overtaken by the storm of general indig.
nation. He who lives in the esteem of a nation may have his path en.
dangered by intrigue, and he may be annoyed by faction ; but the appm.
bation of the people, founded in a belief of honest intentions toward.
them, will prove in all conjunctures a strong tower of defence. By re.
nouncing that esteem, he deprives himself of all value even in the eyes
of those for whose sake he injures himself; for who would be incum•
bawd with a Minister the object of general odium ? The Duke might at
one time have fallen without disgrace; but he now dies and makes no sign.
We have good authority for stating, that, after the sudden but not ern.
expected resignation of ministers yesterday, arrangements were instantly
taken for the formation of a new Cabinet. Earl Grey was sent for,
and we have reason to believe that the office of Premier willbe offered
to him. Should he accept of it, it is said that Mr. Brougham, the Mar.
quis of Lanedown, Lord Althorp, Lord Palmerston, Lord Morpeth,
Lord Durham, Lord Holland, Mr. Charles Grant, Mr. Spring Rice, Sir
Henry Parnell, Sir James Graham, Mr. Tennyson, and Mr. Hume,
will, among others, be invited to take office.

THE HalltALD.—it would be Inconsistent In us to express anything
lute regret for this event, having felt it our duty, in the independent
exercise of our judgment on public affairs, to censure most of their mea-
sures; in doing so, we predicted some of the consequences uif the policy
under which the country at present suffers. There is one individual of
the late ministry whose fall in public opinion we regret, and that is the
Duke of Wellington—because, In his military career, he rendered the
most splendid and memorable services to his country. It is true that
he has received most liberal remuneration from a grateful peo-
ple, in riches and honours, lavished upon him in honouraole pro.
fusion. It is because we wished the laurels which he won
on the field of military glory to remain untarnished. that we peculiarly
regret his having err undertaken the task of civil government, for
which neither nature nor education had qualified him. It is the more
extraordinary that tee should have done so, after having, in his place in
Parliament, not long before, evinced an accurate judgment, by pro.
nouncing on his own incapacity to guide the helm of the State. The
first error he committed was to be tempted to sully a fame which was
splendid enough for the ambition of any man, by starting from the honored
repose of the successful warrior, into the perilous activity of the
Statesman—and the next was his selecting a Cabinet only remarkable
for their submissiveness and incapacity. If he retires altogether from
the fatigues and responsibility of power, we trust the public odium
which the attacks on the liberty of the Press—the neglect of the dis-
tresses of the people the falsification of the pledges of retrenchment
and economy, and other acts of his Government, witether of commis-
sion or omission, excited against him, will disappear with the circum-
stances out of which it arose, and that his distinguished name will
once more be associated with the respect and admiration of his country.
Moixtuo Arivtasisza.—We have to announce the gratifying
fact that his Majesty's Ministers have resigned I Titia is the last act
of their administration, and, with one exception, it is the best. The
country, they may rest assured, is grateful far the kindness. The fact
was last night announced in both houses of parliament--in the one
by Sir R. Peel, who intiwnied the house that he, and all those who
held office with hint in it, had tendered their resignations, which his
Illajemy had been graciously pleased to accept : and in the other by
the Duke of Wellington, who, however, mentioned the tendering
to his Majesty of his own only, and its acceptance. The
announcement was received, as a mutter of course, in dead silence, and
as a thing which surprised no one. Whether the Lord Chancellor will, or
will not resign, remains to be seen. It is generally understood, however,
to be more than probable that he will retain his office in the new ad-
ministration, which will be immediately formed. And now that we are
done wilt the Wellington administration, and in the hopes of a better,
what claims, let us ask, did it prioress to the confidence of the country,
that it should have been permitted to rule it so long ? None, we an.
ewer, but the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Bill—a men.
sure of no merit when all the circumstances of the times are
considered, and at best a trick, which ruined the character of
Peel, and destroyed the confidence previously reposed in the Duke
of Wellington --and a love of peace which exposed the counttrryy
to more insults, and to greater danger of external war, than could paed-
bly have occurred with a more enlightened and spirited Administration.
Russia was permitted during its reign, not only to triumph over Tur-
key, but even to insult the fleets of England, by one of the grossest
breaches of faith on record. Don Miguel even bearded usat our own
arms, and as a mark of our gratitude was to be duly recognised ; while,
if we look nearer home, we shall find no trace of fineness, but in hosti-
lity to those who had no means of defence, nor of wisdom, but
in abstaining from doing mischief. The financial sagacity
of Mr. Goulburn, —in throwing open a trade whieh had
been previously overdone, will not readily be (written by the thousands
who have suffered from it ; while the friendly fee feeling of dcarlett towards
that powerful organ, the Press, which first raised him to eminence, and
which has now had the satisfaction of assisting in his overthrow, ought
to be recorded on brawn tablets--apt emblems Ohio regard for freedom
of discussion, and fit monuments, as we remember Mr. Brougham to
have said regarding him, "of a life eacrificed to principle." But we
will not triumph over the fallen. We never praised the ex-Iklinisters
when they had power—we shall not abuse them now that they are strip-
ped of all but the shadow of it. In the above observations we have
merely recorded our gratitude at their retirement, and our sense of their
public services—in another article we shall speak of their successors.

THE MORMING POST.—Theeirect of the boasted party triumph
over Ministers, obtained by the united (we might say unnatural) efforts
of all the discordant elements of Opposition, in the Hostas of Com-
mons, on Monday night, has proved such as was generally and natu-
rally anticipated. The whole of the Members of the Administration
have in consequence resigned ; and the Nation is thus to be deprived
(may we be permitted us hope, fora time wily) of the services of a
set of honest Statesmen, to whom in better times an unfeigned
tribute of national ade would have been renderedo—whose
abilities are alike sad acknowledged—whom in.
tegrity is inilezible--whese wisdom (with the lamented es.
=Oen of one fatal act, and that imposed upon them by thee time-
Dente), has forcibly shoes Meth to the at:dd.—and the unparalleled

Ministry; and the materials on which the Rcyal will has deeds of whose Chief have spread ma tiefading lustre upon his own
now to act are of a nature more chaotic than chaos itself. It is only to fame, and an vernal glory upon the country. How deeply this unfor.
look in the columns of a newspaper for the capital letters indicating the tunote evont is ilephir.d by us, we need scarcely express—that its erects
chief and 11)0.11 frequent speakers, to see who are named and are the can. may not prover fatsl 'n the best interests of the State, is our most ardent
didates for office t but, of course, nothing is decided, much less known Payer. 3littecers have fallen, but they have halm with honour, in the
yet : we should impose upon our readers were we to attempt to present faithful performance of their duty to their King and country ; and
them with even a conjectural list. Some deuot has been expressed the particular principles, to the advocacy of which they owe
without, however, any ground stated, whether the Chancellor retires ; their defeat, are precisely those upon which all good and
but if be does, he has, on the Regency question, taken leave of the wise Statesmen !give hitherto made their stand, and reso.
House of Lords as a Minister, in one of the ablest, the most clear, his. WWI, determined to maintain. They have sought no vulgar ap.
torical, and appropriate speeches, that was ever 'uttered within its walls pleuse by meanly and icjutiously departing from the obvious path of
state safety ; the public, when the moment of delusion shall have parsed,
will do justice to the purby of their motives and render homage to those
sound principle/I, a due obfervance of which can alone permanently
ensure the salvation of the country. The Duke of Wellington and his
colleagues have done themselves honour by retiring as they have done,
in consequence of the adverse vote of the House of Commons.—
They mieht have struggled on in the toils of office. They might
have dragged through another weary session of degrading and
unprofitable labour. But they have felt, as every honest British
nister must feel, that it was their duty to resign when they could no
longer hope to imp .rt a steady impulse to the progress of beneficial le-
gislation, or to sustain the constitutional influence of the Crown by any
othsr than partial, precarious, or equivocal triumphs over Its persevering
assailants. The present Ministers will of course remain in office until
the appointment of their successors by his Majesty. Upon this subject
nothing can have yet been definitively arranged. All that is known for
certain is, that Farl Grey has been sent for by the King to form the
new Administration, at the head of which his Lordship will himself
he placed. It is not however improbable that the principal offices will
be thus filled :
First Lord of the Treasury Earl Grey.
Secretary of State for the Home Departmeut Marq. of Lansdowne.
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs ... Lord Holland.
Secretary of State for the %Par and Colonial
Department Lord Palmerston.
First Lord of the Admiral.y .• ... Duke of Buckingham'.
Lord Chancellor • • .. Sir J. Leach.
President of the Council Marquis of Camden.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir H. Parnell.
Master tieneral of the Ordnance Marquis of Anglesey.
Privy Seal ... Earl of Carlisle.
Presid, nt of the Board or Control ... 111 r. Wynn.
President of the Board of Trade ... Mr. Grant.
Master of the Bolls .. . . .. Mr. Brougham.
Secretary at War ••• ... Sir R. Wilson.