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Another week of Parliamentary idleness ! Thft old Ministers made their appearance in both Houses on Monday evening , and exp lained that , for lack of better men , they had agreed to tfcfce ofljee , and ( i * tsy on the Queen ' s Government as will ay the Opposition would allow them . The Marquis of Lansdowjnb ' s explanation was to the following effect : — " My lords , before I move the adjournment of the House I may as well discharge my duy , by . acquainting youi lordships that in the circumstances of the present
moment , and after the failure of three successive schemes for the construction of a new Administration , her Majesty , after duly reflecting upon the situation in which she was placed by that failure , has been pleased to call upon those of her Ministers who had been recently in office to resume those offices , and to endeavour , at least , to carry on the Government of the country . My lords , that step upon the part of her Majesty was not taken without full and due deliberation ; and I have the authority of her Majesty to state that , having during the time she was so p * using had recourse to the advice and opinion of a noble and illustrious duke—the most
distinguished member of this House—ami who is now sitting at your lordships' table—both his advice and his opinion were in comformity with that step . Under these circumstances I have to inform your lordships that her Majesty ' s late Ministers have thought that they had no alternative but to undertake the task thus , of necessity almost , devolving upon them . Having made that statement , I may be permitted to add , what I am sure jour lordships will readily believe , that no person laments more deeply than 1 do the existence of those differences of opinion , which it is obvious to your lordships , and is have
well known to the public and the world , prevented the construction of a new , a stronger , and a more effect . ve Administration . ( ' Hear , hear , ' from Lord Brougham . ) it there was one wish that 1 could entertain as an individual more strongly than another , or if there were one thing which it would give me more satisfaction than any other , either in or out of office , if possible by any effort of mine to contribute to effect , it would be to put an end to any of those difficulties which have proved obstacles to the construction of that wnich is thought most desirable for the interests of the couutry—a strong and an effective Administration . ( Hear , hear . )"
In the House of Commons Lord John Rxjsseii ,, who does not seem to have been very well received , made a somewhat similar statement . The order of the day having been read for the second reading of the Ecclesiastical Titles Assumption Bill , he spoke as folio ws : — " I now have to inform the House of what has occurred since I last addressed it , and to state the course which I purpose to pursue . Since I last addressed the House the public has been put in possession of a statement made by Lord Stanley with respect to his attempts to form a Government , and the reasons why those attempts were not successful . It is not my intention to make any comment on those reasons ; but I feel it right
—especially after the rumours which have been spread on this subject—to say that it appears perfectly clear that Lord Stanley had full power and opportunity to form a . Government , and that no request he thought it reasonable to make was denied him in the progress of his negotiations . ( Hear . ) I stated on Friday last , that her Majesty had been pleased to send for the Duke of Wellington , in order to learn his opinion on the present stale of affairs . The Queen saw the Duke of Wellington on Saturday , and late yesterday evening her Majesty received a written communication from his grace . I had the honour of an audience of the Queen this morning at twelve o ' clock , and her Majesty having receiveJ the opinion of the Duke of Wellington , that , in the present
state of affairs , the best course her Majesty could pursue was to invite her former Ministers to resume office , her Majesty was pleased to desire that her former Ministers should resume their offices accordingly . ( Hear . ) After what has occurred—after the failure of the repeated attempts which have been made to form a Government , an has been Ktated to the House — 1 and my colleagues thought that we could not perform our duty to her Majesty and the country otherwise than by accepting the offer which her Majesty had been pleased to make . ( Hear , hear . ) Having entered so fully the other day into the hiit > jcct 8 which have- recently formed matter of debate , I will only say now that I trust the House will allow u « till Friday next before proceeding with matters
of publio debate , by which incuns we shall have an opportunity of considering the various mennures we purpose introducing , and the utate of public business generally . ( Hear , hear . ) 1 purpose proceeding with the l ' iCclesiunticul Titles Assumption JJill on Friday , and my right honourable- hiend the Secretary of State for the Homo Department , on moving the second reading of thut bill , will Httite whut amendments and alterutiouu it is intended to muke in it when it uhallgo into committee . 1 therefore propose that the second reading of the bill ahull be fixed for Friday , with the intention of tukuiK it an the flr . it order of the day . Before , however ,
proceeding with the orders of the day on l'riduy I will htate the ooume which the Government mean to pursue with reHpect to other business before the House—uh far , at leant , us fixing the time ut which it ahull be brought under consideration . On thut occasion 1 will answer the question put to me tho other day . which I wan not then in a position to answer , na to the time ut which we shall proceed with the budget . On Friday I shall be prepared to HtMte tlie duy on which the budget will come on , and the course which we are prepared to pursue on thut subject . 1 now move . that the order of the day for the second reading of the Keel . siastical Title ** Aanoniption ttill be postponed to Friday next . ( Hear , hear . )
" Mr . Osbornb : Poep Jfce noble lord intend to persist in the budget whioh has alrerdy been opened to the House ? 44 Lord J . Rumeix : I will state on Friday next on what day the budget will be proceeded with . ( Hear , hear . ) it would be exceedingly wrong in me , in the present » tate of public business , to enter into further explanations . ( Cheers )" Several of her members trfed to elicit from Lord John what changes he would make in . the budget , but with no belter result . Lord John Manners , on the part of the Protectionists , promised to support Ministers for " a consideration " : —¦
" Looking to the peculiar circumstances under which the reconstruction of the Cabinet had taken place , he was sure he gave expression to the universal feeling of members on that ( the Opposition ) side of the House , in assuring the noble lord that from them would proceed no factious or unnecessary opposition to his policy . ( Hear . ) But while expressing what was the general feeling of the members on that side of the House in that respect , he felt it necessary to say that , should their assent be asked to any measure in antagonism to their general piinciples —whether with respect to finance , or the great social and
industrial questions which had already occupied the attention of the House for several days—it would be their unpleasant duty to withhold it . ( Hear , hear . ) Nay , more , he thought he might say , that should Ministers unfortunately take no notice of the agricultural distress , which had been acknowledged by her Majesty's advisers , he had but little doubt that , at a fitting opportunity , so as not to interfere with the conduct of public business , the honourable member for Buckinghamshire would ask the opinion of the House on some measure which would have for its object the relief of that admitted distress .
( Hear . ) The chief topic of conversation in both Houses , after the Ministerial explanations had been made , was that of Papal aggression . The Duke of Argyle described the state of public feeling in Scotland as very much excited in favour of some strong legislative measure to check the pretensions of the Roman Catholic clergy . He rejoiced that no Government had been formed on the basis of passing over in total silence the late aggression . Lord Brougham implored Government to pause before they rejected the advice not to proceed to legislate , at least at present , on this subject , but to be satisfied with a resolution of both Houses .
" That course would be attended with two inestimable advantages . It would postpone for the present that religious agitation , the worst of all agitations , which was tearing society to pieces on both sides of the Channel , though in opposite directions—it would postpone , at least , if it did not altogether allay it . It would avoid the constant renewal of that agitation and acerbity of feeling that at present too much , be might say too fatally , pre vailed on both sides of the Channel ; and it would give time for what he had always thought called for , and what the events of the last few days added infinite force to , the necessity of further inquiry , of fuller and more accurate information respecting all the matters involved in the question . ( Hear , hear . )"
The Earl of Aberdeen said he had taken precisely the same view before the meeting of Parliament . He had then said to Lord Stanley that the proper mode of dealing with the subject was by a resolution to the Queen on the part of both Houses of Parliament . Those who demanded legislation against the Roman Catholics would not admit that they were thereby persecuting those who held different opinions . But what was a penal measure but persecution .
Persecutors never admitted that what they were doing was persecution . Neither Archbishop Cranmer , when he burnt a poor wretch for denying the King ' s supremacy , nor Calvin , when he burnt Servetus , would suppose that they were persecutors . Even Philip II . and the Duke of Alva believed , no doubt , when they put men to death for their religious opinions , that it was all for the good of religion . The days of that kind of persecution have past , but they were asked to make a retrograde step in that direction .
" But though , strictly Bpeuking , every bill that was penal might be called one of persecution , still it might not be considered as a measure of severity . If , however , it was , uh he maintained it was , the lawful right of the Roman Catholic Church in this country to constitute regularly and in an orderly manner their episcopal government , uny impediment to that action wan persecution , because it denied them the right inherent in every church that was acknowledged . For times were now changed . If the Roman Catholic Church wan not tolerated , the whole case would be altered ; but , having admitted them to nn equality of civil rights—having fully tolerated their church—they had a right to constitute that church in u legal and regular manner . For leasons that might « a libfy themselves , they might think fit for a time to have vicars-apostolic only ; but there watt nothing whatever in ju « U < : e or common Bense , after full toleration was given to that church , to prevent them currying on their government in a regular manner . ( Hear . )" In tho House of CommoiiH tlio Irish membcrx expressed strong dissatisfaction ut the intimation that . Ministers intended to'proceed immediately with tho KcttloHiiiBlicul Titles Assumption Hill . Mr . Mii . nkk ( jIihhon ultso complained of the noble lord for giving this unwitiO meaauie undue ; preot deuce over the general bu * incHH . " Tho disciumum of ilu ; tu : e . oiid roading would occupy vory considerable time , and render necessary tho postponement , of finiincial iucii . suix'h to ft lute period of the HOHbion . "
The House of UvA * met on Thursday evening , for businew , but to tajk about any interesting topic which Sight pceur . Lord Monteagle introduced the Kaffir War as the subject of conversation , . tie had read the newspaper accounts , which were certainly very alarming , but he took for granted ^ that they were greatly exaggerated . It appeared certain , however , from iheproclamation of the Governor , that , on The 25 th of December , he had felt himself under the necessity of proclaiming martial law m the eastern district * of { he ' colon * and also of requiring a , levee of the whole Cape population between the vi « ir i
en masse en rn . usae n « - " " ¦* - ~~ sr- r- . . aees of 15 and 50 to defend the frontier against the Kaffirs . Earl Grey could not give a more favourable account of the disturbances than what had appeared in the papers . The official despatches did not come down to a later date than the 3 rd of January . From , newspapers and private letters , however , he had learned that a most sanguinary and unprovoked outrage had bee committed by the Kaffirs . But there was no ground for alarm . Measuies were already in progress for despatching reinforcements to the colony , and he trusted that in a few days those reinforcements would be sent out . Lord
Stanley thought there was considerable ground for anxiety , seeing that the whole of the troops in the colony were not more than sufficient lor the protection of the military posts , and that , consequently , no effective steps could be taken to suppress the insurrection without a levee en masse of the colonists . Had fcrir H . Smith no p lace nearer than England from which to expect an accession of strength ? Eirl GREy thought , if the regular troops were kept in Kaffruria , the natives would be kept from doing much harm .
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The Transportation Question . —Lord Monteagle , in presenting a petition from Van Diemen ' Land on the subject of transportation , on Tuesday evening , made a statement regarding the grievance complained of . In 1848 the Government sent out a despatch in which they promised that transportation should not be continued , after two years . This promise had not been kept , and the enormous amount of convict population—nearly 50 per cent , of the whole—was driving the free population out of the country . He warned the Government to beware lest the example of the Cape of Good Hope should be followed elsewhere . Earl Grey admitted that Van Diemen ' s Land had been treated unjustly from 1840 to 1845 , but denied that any promise had been made to discontinue sending convicts there . In the Australian colonies public opinion was divided as to the advantages of having convicts sent there ; but he thought the parties in favour of it would prevail , especially in Northern and Western Australia
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LORD JOHN RUSSELL'S SUPPORTERS . A meeting of members of the House of Commons , who find it profitable , and of those who deem it most advisable to support Lord John Russell under present circumstances , took place at Downing-street on Tuesday . The meeting had been summoned by Lord John on Monday evening , and 170 members obeyed the call . The Premier was accompanied by Sir George Grey , Lord Palmerston , Sir Charles Wood , Sir Francis Baring , Mr . Labouchere , and Mr . Fox Maule . The conference lasted about an hour . The following official report of what took place appears in tho Globe of Tuesday : —
" A meeting of the members of Parliament usually voting with the Government , and of the Liberal members generally , was held this afternoon at one o ' clock , at Lord John Russell's residence , Downing-street , in pursuance of a circular issued early this morning by the noble lord . The meeting was attended by nearly two hundred members of the Lower House . " Lord John Russell first addressed the meeting , and adverted to the position in which the Government at present stood , directing the attention of the meeting to the fact that there existed a powerful and compact body , at whose head was a distinguished statesman , whose bond of political union was the reversal in a ureat
measure of that commercial policy the beneficial effectn of which the country had ho Hensibly felt during the last few years . From the exertions of that body ( if successful ) either of two evils would result—either protection would be restored , or the country would be thrown into a disastrous state of agitation to repel the efforts of the opponents of free trade . Under these circumstances hehad called them together lor the purpose of seeking a continuance of their support , and of asking them to forego all differences on minor questions , in order to seal the tiuccess of the commercial policy which they advocated in common . The noble lord then adverted to the Papal question , and said that , while adverse to uny unnecessary legislation , he felt bound to go on with tho Ecclesiastical
Titles liill in a modified form . The pUn proposed by Lord Stanley did not meet his uuocnt , ua by referring the subject to a committee which might last possibly for two yean * , the feelinga of acrimony which prevailed would bo prolonged . This he thought most undemrable , and therefore was induced to diupoHO of the question at once . With regard to iinanuial urrangernentH , he Biiid that the Cabinet had not met since their return to oflice , but he hoped when he met the House on Friday , to be able to make u Bint « ni « iit on thut subject , which would be mUisfactory His lordship concluded by asking lor u continuance of that geneious aupport which haul been given him for the Iuhi two year * - not lor the personal object of keeping himself and bin colleagues m »« i «« , but for the sake of securing that which they all had at heart—the welfare uud prosperity ot tho country . ( 1 he forgoing in neccnsurily but L im-
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PAE . LIAMENT OF THE WEEK .
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214 ffft * % Wl > tV . [ Satokdav ^
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Leader (1850-1860), March 8, 1851, page 214, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1873/page/2/
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