, 1873-04-09

vas now able to acquaint the House with the
fact that he and his colleagues in Office, with
Her Majesty's permission, were prepared to
carry on the Government as before. He ex-
planned fully that it was only after the party
opposite had Internationally refused to form a
Ministry that he and his friends had consented
to resume office. Mr.. Gladstone added that the
Queen had given him permission to read az ex-
tract from a statement he had made to Her Ma
Jesty. 1t was to the ef,ct that he did not sup
pose that the efforts Of the gentlemen of the
opposition to defeat the overnment.wer MAIDS
with the deliberate intention Of refusing to or
ganize a Cabinet if it should be required of
them, but the summary refusal given when the
occasion arose he considered not fully in accord
with the exigencies of the case nor with parlia-
mentary usage.
Mr.. DisraeIi explained the course he had
thought proper to pursue since the beginning
OF the crisis. He confessed that the differences
between himself and the Irish Catholics were
insurmouGtable. A new Cabinet would require
until Easter to get into working order. Even
then it would have to deal with financial esti-
mates made by its predecessors, and would pro.
badly be outvoted every night in Parliament.
A dissolution Of the House had been suggested.
But why dissolve Sitting on the Opposition
benches he and his fiends has difficulty in form
''5 q PCtASJ w ~ OLD q AAOtIC anu AZ was
not to be expected that they could appeal to
the country without a policy on questions more
important than that of the Irish University
bill. There were many questions on which it
had been impossible to mature a policy even 10
opposition, such as the Central Asian difficulties,
the new rules introduced into international law
by the Geneva Board, the payment of the
award for the Alabama claims, the Commercial
Treaty with France and others of equal magni-
tude. All things considered, he had felt it to
be his duty to decline the responsibility of or
ganizjng a new Government. The Queen her
self had suggested a dissolution of Parliament
he had declined to advise such3a step, and sta
ted to Her Majesty that, in his opinion, there
was no adequate reason for the Government
to resign, and that it might return to Office with
out the slightest loss of honor, and to the great
est possible convenience of he public interests.
In the House of Lords, Earl Granville an
nounced the decision Of the Government in a
speech differing little from that of Mr.. Glad
stone.
The Duke of Richmond defended the con-
duct of the leaders of the opposition in the cri-
sis. 1t had been asked if Mr.. DiSraeli was not
willing to undertake tho task of forming a Min
istry, who did he labor to put the government
in a minority in the House of Commons ? He
combatted tue idea of inconsistency, aud eulo-
gized Mr.. Disraeli, who, he declared, had in
creased the lustre of his fame as a statesman by
his wise, patriotic, and unselfsh action in the
present emergency.
March 20.
Havana.-On the strength of the cable dis
patches from London, the police here have ar
rested Austin Byron Bidwell, alias Warren, his
wife, and Harry Nun, a servant. Bidwell is
supposed to be tie principal operator in the re-
centIy-discovered frauds on the Bank of Eng
land, and answers to the description telegraphed
by the London police. Travelling with an Anne
rican passport he went through France into
Spain, and reached Santander, where he en-
barked on the French steamer for Havana.
The steamer arrived here on Saturday, when
the whole party weretaken in by custody. Bid
well and the servant Nun are in jail, and for
hidden to hold communication with any one OF
with each other. The lady was permitted to
remain at a hotel, where she is under the sur
VIGILANCE of the police.
Although there is no extradition treaty be-
tween Spain and Great Britain, the authorities
will send the whole party back to London if the
proper proofs are furnished. A detective is ex-
pected here from England soon to identify and
take charge of the prisoners.