The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-02-21 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS-TUESDAY, FEE. 14.

The Assessed Taxes Act Amendment Bill was read a
third time and passed.
THE EASTERN QUESTION.

The Marquis of ,CLANRICABD34 moved that an humble
address be presented to her Majesty, praying her Majesty
to direct that further information respecting the cessation
of diplomatic relations with the Court of St. Petersburgh
and the war, which appears imminent, be laid before this
house. He spoke at great length, and said his quarrel
with government was that they had not, at the moment
Prince Menschikoff left Constantinople, taken effective
measures to ascertain and resist the views of Russia ; but,
after what had passed, he was unwilling to embark in the
impending war without knowing for what object we were
contending, and to what length we were willing to go.
The Earl of CLARENDON said the object of the motion
was to create disunion, and so to damage the government.
He defended the whole policy of government. It had
been asked whether we were at peace or war with Russia.
This was an important question. We were not at war,
because war was not declared, .nor were we strictly at
peace. We were in that intermediate state when the
desire of peace was just as sincere •as ever, but when the
hopes of government were gradually dwindling away, and
they were drifting towards war. So long as war was not
declared, the maintenance of peace was not impossible.
Negotiations might be considered at an end, and as a state
of war might ensue, he would only say that preparations
were being made for carrying it on with vigour and
rapidity.
Lord ELLESMERE hoped that any force despatched to
the seat of war in the East would not be subjected to
diplomatic control.
The Earl of MALMESBURY, after quoting various de-
spatches, declared that the conduct of the premier reminded
him of a very timid master of the ceremonies, in a town
near his residence, who, upon being requested one night
at the assembly to turn out a very ferocious-looking per-
sonage who had entered the ball-room with his hat on,
replied—" Oh, have patience ; no doubt he'll take his hat
off by-and-by."
Earl GREY at great length condemned all interference
on behalf of the Ottoman Empire. The Turks were a
horde of barbarians, revelling in cruelty, rapine, and
murder, and he did not believe one word as to their
modern improvement.
The Earl of DERBY contended, that at the very time
the government had assured parliament that it was satis-
fied that Russia had no aggressive intentions, and that
the peace of Europe would be preserved, the ministry had
correspondence in- its possession which ought to have
shown them that the real truth was the very reverse of
what they had stated, and no doubt believed.
The Duke of ARGYLE defended the policy of the
government.
The Earl of ABERDEEN said, it little mattered what the
conduct of government might have been, as far as the
reproaches of Lord Derby were concerned ; for, let their
conduct be what it might, it would have been certain to
be characterized either as rashness or timidity, and, of
course, as a sacrifice of honour. He earnestly hoped that
the peace of the world might yet be preserved ; but, at
the same time, he thought it right to add, that in order to
meet any emergency that might arise, the government
were making the most active and energetic preparations
for war.
After a few words from the Duke of ARGYLE and the
Earl of ALBEMARLE,

The Marquis of CLANIIICARDR, in reply, repudiated any
notion of asperity in what he had stated, and still adhered
to his assertion, that the conduct of the government to-
wards parliament relative to this question was perfectly
anomalous, He concluded by withdrawing his motion,
after which their lordships adjourned.