The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-03-20 00:00:00

imperiat Varliantent.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-MONDAY.

The Duke of GORDON presented petitions from places in
BandAire, Rossshire, and Elginshire, praying for church ac-
t ,nmodation in Scotland.

The Earl of ROSEBERY presented a petition froth a parish in
Scotland, praying for the protection of the established church
in that country.

Lord BitouCiisst said he wished to move for a return, to
which, he believed, no objection would be offered. It was a
return of the number of schools in each town, parish, cbapelry,
or extra-parochial place, in England and Wales, which return,
after stating the amount of the population of the said town or
place, according to the last census, should specify whether the
said schools were infant, daily, or Sunday schools, &c. The
form of the motion was in accordance with that which had been
proposed by a noble friend of his (the Earl of Kerry) in the
other House of Parliament.—Ordered.

Mr. Bernal and others from the-Commons, brought up the
newspaper regulation bill, which was read a third time.

EMBASSY TO ST. PETERSBURGH.

The Marquis of LONDONDERRY after apologising to the
house for introducing a subjectpersonal to himself and not strictly
in order, proceeded to give an explanation of his late appoint-
ment as ambassador to the court of St. Petersburg. When
Sir Robert Peel bad framed his arrangements to carry into
effect the administration of the country, he was pleased to re-
commend to his majesty that he should nominate him (the
Marquis of Loudouderrv) to the important situation of ambas-
sador to the court of Reissia. He confessed that he felt a great
degree of pride when he was informed of the nomination—a
nomination which unquestionably he had no right to expect. At
the same time he received a letter faom his noble friend, the
noble duke near him, stating not only his entire acquiescence
in the arrangement, but adding that the noble duke himself
would be much benefited by it. He did confess that it was
with pride he received the intimation that his humble services
Were likely to be again useful to his country (hear, hear); and
wlefn he recollected that, during the time in which he had
exerted his humble efforts for the benefit ef his country, lie
bad become intimately acquainted with nearly all the ministers
'of the day—when he •had served his country at Dresden, at
Berlin (hear, hear), at Paris and at Vienna (hear, hear), when
he had, during that time, been constantly associating with
individuals of great ability and experience—when he remem-
bered, ton, that he had been the companion in arms, on the
fields of Vittoria and of Toulouse, of the most distinguished
diplomatist of the day, (hear, hear), he did believe, however
presumptuous it might appear, and though perhaps he had
acquired neither the sagacity nor the discretion of noble lords
over against him, still he did think, when he was appointed
ambassador to Russia, that he should be able to perform the
duties attached to the situation with advantage to the interests
of the two countries (hear, hear), by cementing more firmly
the union which now existed between them. (Hear, bear.)
Under these circumstances, he did not hesitate to embrace the
offer which had been made to him by his majesty's ministers,
and he accepted of this appointment. (Ilear, hear.) He con-
fessed, however, that he was not prepared for the attack that
had been made on him ; neither he nor his noble friend near
him had any idea that any personal objection would have been
offered to ham•. Ile felt, however, so soon as he had read the
report of the discussion which had taken place in the other
house of parliament, that there was but one line of conduct
for him •to pursue as a British subject, and one who was
att iched to the public service. He could assure their lordships
that he had been guided but by one rule in the course of his
long political and military services; he would boldly state, and
he believed even his political enemies would not deny the fact,
that' in all his proceedings he never had but one object in view,
and that object was to serve his King, and to exert himself to
the utmost and best of his power for the benefit of his country.
Situated as he now was, were he to depart from this country,
after what had passed in the House of Commons, he should feel
'himself, as a representative of his majesty, placed in a new,
false, and an improper situation. He should go with the re-
marks and animadversions of one branch of the legislature so
strongly imprinted on him, that his efficiency would be impaired,
and it would be iinpoesib:e for him to fill the office to which he
lied been called with proper dignity and effect. It was on these
grounds, standing, as he did, upon his sense of duty to his sove-
reign, and not meaning to succumb to faction, though he should
be devoid of feeling if he were insensible to the scoffs and scorn
with which be had been so unjustly attacked—it was on these
grounds that he stood before their lordships, determined, upon
no consideration whatever, to accept of that appointment which
his majesty had been graciously pleased to confer on him.
(Hear, hear.) He had felt it proper to take this decided course.
He had done so entirely on the grounds which he had stated to
their Lordships. He bad had no communication directly or in-
directly with the government. He had neither sought advice,
nor had advice been proffered. (Ilear.) lie lied taken this po-
sham firmly, and after due deliberation. Other times and op.
portunities might perhaps arrive when lie should feel it to be
his duty to wipe away and remove those unfair, unjust, and un-
expected remarks and animadversions which bad been levelled
at him. They related to circumstances which had occurred
sixteen years ago, and they were brought forward at a moment
when it was impossible for him to meet them in that house.
( Hear, hear.) He wished to say nothing of the House of Coni-
mons ; it was omnipotent; but, he would ask, how would any.
one of the members of that house like to he placed in the situa-
tion in which he stored at that moment? (Hear.) Would not
a member, if thus attacked, have claimed the right, and have
been allowed, to defend himself? (Hear.) He would not refer
particularly to the originator of the motion in the House of
Commons, nor to those who followed up that motion ; he should
merely observe that statements had been made of a very gross
and a very false nature. From the course which had been taken
on that occasion it might be seen (and he hoped the house would
reflect on it) how a public servant, when he had done the best
that he could for his King and country during a lone period—
after a service of sonic thirty vears—was likely to be treated.
(llear, hear.) •He could safely defy the utmost malice of his
enemies to point nut one stain on his character, after a service
of thirty years. (Hear, hear.) Let noble lords calmly reflect
on the consequences that were likely to result from a system of
this kind, when they saw such an unfair course of proceeding
adopted against an.humble individual like himself, whose great
&eject always had been to perform his duty according to the
best of his ability. (Hear.) He had now only to thank their
lordships for the attention with which they had heard him, and
he should not on this occasion trespa.ss on them further.
The Duke of WELLINGTON, being officially responsible for
the noble marquis, had a few words to say on this subject. It
would not perhaps be agreeable to his noble friend if he went
into a detail of all the importaut services which he had done ;
but this he would say, that he had recommended his noble
friend, because he conceived him perfectly well qualified to fill
the situation. He had made that recommendation to his ma-
jesty from his own knowledge of his noble friend's great and
important military experience, and also from his acquaintance
with his' noble friend's fitness to fill a diplomatic situation,
fouwled upon his noble friend's long course3of employment in
various diplomatic services, which extended over a period of
many years. He alluded more particularly to his noble friend's
embassy at the Court of Vienna, which lasted nine years, during
which be had performed the most important services. His
'noble friend had on that occasion given the utmost satisfaction
to those ministers by whom he hail been appointed, up to the
very last moment of his miseion ; and, when he retired, he did
so with the strongest marks of distinction and approbation from
the then secretary of state for the foreign depwrtinent. (Hear,
hear.) He was aware of the peculiar fitness of his noble friend
for this particular diplomatic employment (hear, hear,) his
noble friend being a military officer of high rank and reputa-
tion in the service of his country. ( Hear, hear.) Being, aware
of the military situation in which Russia was placed, he well
knew and deeply felt the advantage of havine such a man as his
noble friend at the Court of St. Petersburgh ; and therefore he
thought himself perfectly justified in recommending his noble
friend to proceed as ambassador to that Couit. Ile was happy
to find that his right hon. friend (Sir 11. Peel) approved of that
appointmenteand that his majesty had bee% pleased to sanction
it. Under these circumstances, it was with the greatest regret
he found that the nomination for this iineibetant duty was not
approved of in another place; beeauee it at's in conseuuence of
that disapproval that his noble frilled, witleihat delicacy of feel-
ing which could not but be admired byeall, had declined the
office. (Hear, hear.) Now, uotivithstaading what had passed
elsewhere, he felt it necessary to soya feWevords on a particular
point, nearly connected with this subject., There could be no
doubt whatever that there was no part of the prerogative of the
crown so great or so important as that of sending ambassadors
to foreign courts; nor was there any branch of that prerogative
which ought to be kept more inviolate. But the ministers of
the crow,. were responsible for those nominations. (Hear,
hear.) They were responsible for the instructions under which
his noble friend, or any other noble lord so nominated, was
bound to act. They were, moreover, responsible for the proper
performance of these duties (by the ambassadors whom they
selected) to the whir house of parliament, and to the country
at large. It was impossible, therefore, that the House of Com-
mons could agree to a vote questioning such an appointment.
It was impossible for him to believe_ that the House of Com-
mons would proceed so far as to interfere with that peculiar
prerogative, and to say that the person nominated should not
fill the.situation; inasmuch as by so doing the House of Com-
mons would not only take upon itself the nomination of the
officer, and the direction of the particular duties which he was
to discharge, but would also relieve the minister from the con-
stitutional responsibility of the appiantment. (Hear, bear.)
He did not think that sentiments of such a description were
general; and he could not bring himself to believe that a vote,
affirming such a violation of the royal prerogative, would have
passed the House of Commons. (Ileac, hear.) In conclusion,
he should say, that he thought the country owed a debt of grati-
tude to his noble friend for having, under all the circumstances,
declined the office to which he had beeu nominated. (Hear.)

The Marquis of LA NsnowNE denied that the disapprobation
expressed at the appointment of the noble marquis was in the
slightest degree of a personal nature. He (Lord Lansdowne)
disclaimed for himself any such feeling. The great objection
was the recorded opinions of the the noble marquis (London-
derry) on the foreign policy of the late government. (Hear,
hear.) It was, therefore, not disrespectful to the noble mar-
quis, when it appeared that, so far as regarded the peace of
Europe, as connected with,Poland, and as connected with the
illegitimate claims of certain pretenders to the thrones of both
Spain and Portugal—as regarded also the peace of Europe, witi:
reference to a close understanding and alliance between this
country. and the kingdanm of France, on which it was essen-
tial that we should found and build our concert for the purpose
of securing the general peace of Europe, but to which system
'the noble earl had recently and repeatedly declared himself to
alien and averse—when, on all these points, the noble earl's
feelings were well known, there was no disrespect on the part
of the public when they, believing that the noble earl would
act consistently with his avowed opinions, viewed his appoint-
ment as the appointment of one who would not he a zealous,
willing, and efficient instrument ti) cry into effect that policy
which he (the Marquis of Lansdowne) had not vet beard was
to be changed, and on the continuance of which fie believed de-
pended every chance of preserving the peace of Europe and of
this country. ( Hear, hear.) Ile believed and hoped that cou-
fideuce was felt in this country, founded on the continuance of
proceedings, or perhaps he sh4uld say, on the absence of pro-
ceedings, on the part of government, and of the two houses of
parliament, that the system of policy pursued by the late mi-
nisters would not be departed from. But it must be recollected
that in other countries the saine opportunities of looking to
their lordships' proceeiings and to the deliberations of the
other house of parliament did not exist as in this. This obser- '
vation applied,
above all,. to those more absolute powers in the
north of Europe.
They judged of the system of policy likely to
be pursued by the impression created by personal appointment,
in connexion with personal opinions. "Upon that ground they
were likely to form their conclusions as to the intentions of go-
vernment. Now,
it might so happen that an appointment,
however honourable to the person in whole favour it was made,
might carry with it an appearance the very reverse of that
which the people hoped to see adopted as the policy of the go-
verninent. Ile agreed with the noble duke that the other house
of parliament ought to be very cautious in its interference with
the prerogatives of the crown, but it was the peculiar privi-
legee of that house, entrusted as it was with the finances of the
country to look to the reservation of the peace of Europe, and
to watch every appointment which might appear to them likely
to compromise that prospect of tra nquillity which now prevailed.
In declining the. appointment, the. noble marquis had in his
(Lord Lansdowne's) opinion, taken the course which best be-
came hint.