Year: 1868

The British Constitution seems to be at this mo-
ment in a chaotic condition. The disturbance is so
great that it may afford great comfort to Americans
who sensitive to foreign criticism upon their own
You are trying the strength of yours by Impeach
ment. England does not put less strain upon hers
by the experiment of governing by minority. You
are Inundated by Mr.. Johnson but seem likely to
remove him. England is disgraced by Mr. Disraeli,
but the often praised elasticity of her Constitution
has not yet enabled her to throw him off


What took place between the Queen and Mr.
Disraeli on Friday and Saturday lastf On what
conditions do the Ministry still hold office Mr.
DisIaeli has made four separate statements to the
House vet nobody is quite sure of the answer 10
either of those two vital questions. Apparently the
more speeches Mr.. Dsraeh makes, the more confused
does the matter become and, by the intervention OF
Dne of his colleagues in the Upper House, the per-
pexity is curiousy complicated


There is probably no previous instance OF First
Minister attempting TO deceive the House as 10 what
had actually taken place between himself and the
Queen in a great political crisis There is certainly
none in which First Minister sought to shift from
himself to the Queen the responsibility of suggesting
what course the defeated Ministry should take. Mr..
Dsrael has done both. His statement 10 the House
on Monday night was masterpiece of disingenuous-
ness He first declared that he had advised Her
Majesty to dissolve Parliament, but had at tie same
time rendered his resignation. Nothing is clearer
than that formal offer of resignation accompanied
with recommendation to the Queen not to accept
it, is a sham. The Queen appears to have so
regarded it. She took day to consider not the
resignation but the request for power to dissolve.
At the end of "a hours she summoned Mr. Disraeh
again TO her presence and gave him permission to dis
solve In his first speech Mr. Disraeli says the Queen
expressed herreadness 80 dissolve this Pariaments
soon As tue state of public business would permit"
aud he explained this to mean soon as measures
could he completed for holding an election by the
new constituencies. But when challenged to say
whether an appeal to the new constituencies was
made a condition of dissolution, and if so, whether
the condition was annexed by the Queen, or by HIM
self Mr. Disraeli went further and said that the
power which he had from the Queen to dissolve was
absolute and that her consent was given without
reference to the constituencies old. But upon
receiving that assent he himself suggested to the
Queen that the dissolution should be postponed un-
iii the Reform acts could be completed,
and an appeal taken to the new constituencies.


What follows from this impudent confession
Two things: First, as Mr. Lowe clearly stated, the
Ministry twice defeated by maOrities of 60 and g.
propose 10 continue in Office exactly as If no such
defeat had occurred. If the Irish question had never
been started, they would have gone on, as they are
going on now to perfect the Reform acts, and to
dissolve. some months hence, with view to the
election of a new Parliament by the new consttu-
enccs. They now propose to do neither more nor
less than that and the journey to see the Queen at
Osborne and the solemn ministerial statement to
the House are the merost burlesque. The House and
its votes are treated with contempt. But secondly,
this also is clear: That the Prime Minister has
no hope of reversing the majority against him
in a new Parliament chosen by the present
constituencies. This point seems not TO have
been touched in the debate but have
no dOubt was decisive in Mr. Disraeils mind
for the rejection of the Queens offer that he might
dissolve at once. To have gone into an immediate
election would have been to insure his expulsion
from Office within six weeks by increased majority
in anew Parliament even admitting, as is said tc
he the fact that in general election the possession
of office is worth to any ministry about 30 votes
But whatever other people may think, Mr. Disraeli
at least believes possible that the result of his Re
form bill and of Household Suffrage may be the cleo
ton OF Tory majority to the next Parliament To
Reform measure admitting only the intelligent arti-
san class to the suffrage, no Tory ministry
would ever have consented, even to prolong
Its grasp OF office. The artisans are Liberal
by an immense majority. But below the
artisans stratum of beings capable the Tories
believed. Of being bought OF Ibulled, and
enough to outweigh the Liberal majority in the arti
sans Hence came Household Suffrage and hence it is
that Mr. Disrae is resolved postponing the dsso-
linton till the hOusehodeTs come into power And
this is what he endeavOred to hide from tho House
by slurTng over the conversations between the
Queen and himself leaving it to be supposed that the
proposal to postpone the dissolution Her Majes-
tvs and not Mr.. Disraeli's


That the Prime Minister'S proposal to dissolve was
hagrsntly unconstitutional that il had no precedent
in its favor except two created by himself and Lord
Derby in 1852 and 1862 and that the precedents on
the other side are numerous and deeisive-these and
other constitutional arguments were fully brought
out i'll the debate alluded to these in my last letter.
and have space to restate them but pass OH to the
extraordinary episode III which the Duke Of Rich
mOnd figures as the leading character


IamnOt sure but that Mr. Disrael's Dukes have been
som'e of more trouble to him than the hostile ma
lorlty Oh "a, House Reckon the Earl of Malmesbury
with them, an0.hat scale would certoirIv Li6L The
beam Three stuplG Dules aud a., I,orl ,roro .,;J
STILL who cannot be ept out Of the Cabinet and who
cannot be kept from Mischief in n. ,ou.t ,o,l avon


Dir. DisraeIfs powers Oh management Wbile the
Prime Minister was nghtlns his battle in tho Cam
mons Oh Monday night, one o. b;s len,o,.r4S - -


LORDS was doing his worst to deau0a The
- bis chief Malmesbury had ,earned re IeSaa"


unusually well but alas there wa. Pioh'1,S ~


the field, who had received no instrueions IooaIaa
1 suppose, it never entered into M n,,rooIps
busy head that he would presume to sav on,,tin,
about the policy of the Government In sswsr %
question from the Duke Of Somerset, the DnLa -
Richmond, who, as President of the Board OF Trad


has seat in the Cabinet made this astounding state


ment. her Majesty said His Grace, declined 10 ac


cept the profered resignation of the Prime Minister


ana Tue result Is that we still occupy the ,ame
position we did before and In the eveHt Of ann di6I


efu Il.