Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-08-31
THE LATE SESSION OF PARLIAMENT

| occ't'rGw rs rus SY5e DcrtH CG5tid Lo'H az" ,,
bu,y- The India BR-Thc Jars Paritamt't-tT'''
| pets OF The Ministry.
The prorogae6n Of Parliament, wn,ch ID ~ ~ s
place to day, naturally suggests reiiosieo' VI tn
session which il closing, and, perhaps, the mos go
Ions member and the moat hons..ou' IS nc r,l,,;
bs,es NAV he surprloed at the contrast oil me POM
| cal aye,fs which have actually occurred WIN '"'
anticipation of ak months ago In-re ID soh" '""''
ds;ion for tn. opinion that gradual chauee - 'aan-
| nlacs in the working of our Parliamentary Io's''u
hon did experiences bath ID by unforeseen elements
in the calculation, no longer ventures On Piop"e'
strain; ana yet, amid the disocatlon oi par,!es h''
wubstsnding the forebodpg Of veteran poiitlciahs'
The institutions of the country are seauMy ~
| and "the Queens Government Is carried on' IL ",
however. highly necessary that statesmen shou'u
| study afresh the conditions under WHICH power may
DO attained and secured, Tor il two successive yeS
the leaders of alb parties have succe'ssey .o'','
ted runOus plumbers in their contests iu olhce, AZ
ths beginning of 1857 il was generally believed that
| Lord Palmerston would be unable TO retain IN otdi'
nary times the power which be iad arqu'rou rs ."o
representative Of national policy and ieelng curing
the Russian war After some prelhn aS shre" u,
| ing, which served only to show the hostile temper OF
the Opposition leaders, Mr.. Glaostone and hoio
John Russell, Mr.. Golden aud Mr.. DIsraeh i"uno I'D
the occurrences OF Canton sn unexpected oppol'u-
nifty of uniting all their followers IN genera, aacA
Oh the object Of their common a,ilmosity. lhe cor
seQuent opportunity for dissolution al tne moment
which wss most advantageous to tne Governmsn.
proved that the eagerDess Of the comoned hsshiou.
had delivered them into the hands o .hsll
| The general election Supplied all Inc deieo's WHICH,
| had embarrassed the Administration oy conVert'us
provisional dictatorship into regular supremacy au
more ESPECIALLY by providing LORD fan,lSlo' "un d
large body Of Liberal adherena VINO mao hT'et Ho! u
the coors of any rvSl leader. Inc euccessiui 'iuis
| ter was copgratuatei on position which bore su-
parical resemblance to the established DOMINION "
Pitt or of Peel and it seemed that smhjority ~ the
| Houaa Of Commons. founded on the unanimous deci
sion of the constituencies had established his fortunes
Mo ina on
! Lord Pamerston and his colleagues were, however,
too secure and too ostentaiods OF their security al
| the very moment when their position was comPro,
missed by three four imprudent appointments anu
by supercilious and sarcastic tone, which Was Pc
cnary uppastable TO the House Of Commons But
no prophet Of evil could have discefneo %here 'he
storm was to gather. and in fact, genera e1pecta
ton prevailed that the lair weather woun aSt TOT al
indefinite period That class OF theorists Wnch
attributes all human to some Machavean
contrvance may have traced the extravaganza outrage
of Paris to the solicitations of Lord Palmerston r
domestic enemies. strict application oil the doctr'e
that beneficial interest in the result OF crime proves
compcity in the act would sgmalise Lord DERBY and
Lord Chelmsford and Mr.. Disrae "a the prompters
and sbettors of Orsn 1t at least certain that ~"
other community or Individual pronted ny 'he
murderous folly of the consprators. Inc Emperor
lost a portion of his character for hrmness anu
moderation, Lord Pamers,on suddenly found himself
attacked "a timid and too pacific statesman England
was alarmed and rritated by the wsnton oluster OF
French officials. When the attempt became known
feeling Of indignant sympathy was universally OK
pressed and it probable that notice OF new Cor
spracy Bill on the frat night OF the session would nave
hsen received with general appreciation Inc ieellug'
however, which induced the French Government
TO hold the English nation responsible Tor the IN
efficiency of its own police naturally gave rise 70
profound irritation, and this, in default of any
more accessible object, rapidly concentrated ltssii
on the Ministry. Within fortnight from the open
ing of the session the wind had veered round and the
Opposition with commemorate aacrlty, shifted its
sails accordingly There is no more troublesome or
less reasonable sensation than that of anger 10 search
of vent, and the viglant opponents OF the Govern
ment observed that Parliament aud the country were
writhing under the consciousness OF an unresented
affront. The selection OF ground OF attack ana Inc
distribution of parts among the combined assalants,
| showed how thoroughly the hostile leaders under
stood that they we're ssizng an opportunity ratntr
| than indicating public principle. MIR. Miner iib
son selected ss the fttest representative OF ma
tonal Susceptibility, Will. MIR. Gladstone took coca
sion to taunt the Minister with his mprudent resist
anoe to French encroachmsns on the questions OF the
Bessaraban frontier and of the Danuoan Prncipai'
ties. There is reason to believe that the coalition
might have been defeated for the moment by a sk'u
use of Parliamentary tactics, but Lord Palmers'on
may have resented the Inconsistency of his supporters
| and he was unwilling to hold on suff-rance the power
which had been conferred on him few months before
BY universal reclamation. 1t Rsid that devoted
and ougwnded partisan who offered during the latter
part of the debate to speak against time was answer
cd by hint that the avoidance OF defeat would D.
dearly purchased the cost OF the proposed h'ction
Although the vote OF censure virtually addressed Ia
Count Wslewsk rather than TO Lord Clarendon, II wa
followed by unnecessary consequences in The constilu-
ton OF Lord Derbys Ministry. The change OF feeling
which had been Effected since the general election
could only he fully understood when its practioai
| suits had been for some time realized
| When Lord Psimersions personal popularity was
casually couded over his colleagues and the party
which they Influenced had little hold on public
confidence IL wun supposed thai u short exp
| rence OF banshment from power would ohiern'e
| the internal dissensons of the ex-d party. by
| making u fusion necessary 10 Their chlei-. and Tor
| many weeks after tho change Of Ministry the
| email diplOmaiiss of society were 6usly employed
| in negotiating imaginary reconclllatlona among
rival preteuder-, anticipation OF The inevitable
overthrow which was thought 10 await the actual
Government Although, however, Lord Derby had
| himsef in the frat instance, m'schculaed Inc
strength of his position. 1t coon appeared that
the House of Commons WAS by no mshnt disposed Il"
repudate its own recent creation. The compca
tions in foreign affairs which had been The mnedate
occasion OF the Ministerial crisis gradually disappear
ed Lord Clarendon bad failed 10 give satisfaction by
the prospect Of an amendment in the Conspiracy Law.
Lord Malm. stury WAS able to terminate the dlecus
sou Of the question without tho necessity ot facing
any Parliamentary conflict; anu even the serl0us ms
take OF nsuring vulgar triumph to consp'Tator by
an mpoliic illegal prosecution passed over with.
out any ostensba burst Of irritation. The end ut
fray and the beginning OF fens have the advan-
tage Of comparative exemption from responsibility ae
well OF pieasan,ness and ease In The dirHgre-a-
bls question uf the Cng!urt LOJd Malineebnry ard
his colleagues were euued to nors positive credit
He had the merit OF carrying out tho bret ne
PotatioGs On the subject with happy com
biuatuu Of courtesy and frnness. The decisive de-
aputcb which was answered by the grant of ccmpen
aaiion the engineers aud by the reeaee OF The Gag
0ri is one OF the most spirited aid logical specimens
of modern diplomatic literature. In the more serious
dispute with The United States the Foreign Minise.
has shown courage aud discretion by formally aban.
doning that supposed right of visitation which sue
cessve Governments has hesated to reDouuce
although no lawyer could have been found 10 justify
OF TO explain it. The only pugDaciOus ar polemics
exception to the foreign policy OF the Government
CONSISTED 10 Lord Malmesburys censure OF the haol
tua uf the slave iiade by the Spanish
Court and its satellites. The speech attracted httle
attention when it IVES delivered in the House Of
Lords but the country bas since heard, not without
sense Of languid amusement, that just rebuks msy
in default Of due apology, provoke the equipment
and despatch of u second Spanish Armada.
The unusual arrangement which made an under
Secretary the representative of the foreign office in
the House Of Commons called attention TO the judi
cous iiherality of Lord Derby in bringing forward
new candidates for office, by giving Mr.. Seymour
Fitzgerald an opportunity OF acquiring considera'
Die Parliamentary reputation. The country ami the
House were thoroughly tired ~ the respectable c.
terie Of inevitable pacemen. The aristocraic art OF
mani Iulang red tape had, tor many years, been
confined TO an oligarchy which every day became
closer; and it was observed, with sensation OF de1
psr that Lord PalmsrstoD, though himself but a
na,uraised aen confined bis choice more rigdly
than Lord John Russell himself, to the Indigenous
blue and yellow connection. Even il the reigninR
Cabinet had been in itself perfect, there was abund
ant rsason for anxiety in the obvious inpossibiiy
after the absorption Of Mr. Vernon Smith, Of finding
a conventonally qualified candidate to supply any
future vacancy. Lord Derby, at the head of Il band
of followers who had scarcely acquired vested