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Leader (1850-1860), 6th March 1858, Edition 1 of 2, Page 220, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      Monday , March 1 st . THE MINISTERIAL STATEMENT . Che House of Lords assembled on Monday to hear ; he explanation of his policy by the new Premier . The in-coming Lord Chancellor took bis seat on the woolsack for the first time , and was congratulated by many of the peers of both parties . Earl Derby , in rising to address the House , admitted that the majority of the House of Commons which had caused the fall of the late Ministry was made up of parties not usually found acting together ; yet he had not heard any rumours of coalition , and he could

      conscientiously affirm that no member of his party had taken any steps to invite gentlemen to join the ranks of that majority . The late Government having resigned , ler Majesty did him the honour to send for him , on Saturday , the 20 th ult ., after her interview with Viscount Palmerston . " With her Majesty ' s permission , lie would venture to state what took place on that occasion . Her Majesty having asked if he were willing to undertake the responsibility of advising her , he took the lflpp > y of laying before her Majesty , as fully and clearly as he could , without partiality or bias , what he thought to be the state of political parties in the House of Commons , it being a subject on which he thought her Majesty ought to have fall information . He entreated her

      Majesty to take another day to consider whether it would be her pleasure to call him to her councils { hear , hear ) , and he stated that , if on full consideration it should be her pleasure , his sense of duty would induce him to accept the task which her Majesty was pleased to impose upon him . { Hear , hear- ) He felt himself bound to beg at the same time , that , if on consideration her Majesty should be of opinion that any other arrangement were better calculated . to- secure a good and stable Government for the country , her Majesty would not consider his position or interests , but take the course which in her Royal judgment she deemed the best .. { Hear , hear . ) On the following morning , he had the honour to attend on her Majesty ,

      who repeated her wish that he should take office , and he ventured to say that in doing so he only did what he was called upon to do by every sentiment of loyalty . " After alluding to the minute subdivisions of party into -which the House of Commons is now split , the Earl continued :- *— " Desirous of forming his Government on a basis that should be Conservative in the fullest sense , but , at the same time , not indisposed to measures of progressive improvement , he sought the assistance of some of those who he thought shared the feelings of the Conservative party to such an extent that they might be able to associate themselves with him in the delicate task "he had undertaken . He applied to one right hon . gentleman and to two noble lords , who appeared to . stand

      in that position ; but they did not think it desirable to lend him their assistance in forming a Government . Thrown , therefore , entirely on the resources of those with whom he was more immediately connected , he proceeded to select for the several posts in the Government those whom he considered best qualified to nil them with honour to the country and credit to themselves . { Hear } hear . ) His first inquiry was to ascertain the numerical state of the army and navy ; and that inquiry afforded him the greatest satisfaction and pleasure , because he found that , notwithstanding the many drains which had of late been made upon them , a respectable force still remains within the shores of the United Kingdom . " ( Applause . ) The reports from China

      showed that the unfortunate operations at Canton are drawing to a close ; and , although he still retained his opinion with respect to the origin of the quarrel , he , of course , could not but rejoice at the success of her Majesty ' s arms . Any idea of territorial aggrandizement , or of seizing a material guarantee for carrying on a peaceful- commerce , would never enter the head of any Minister . " In their foreign policy , the aim of the new Ministry would be to entertain friendly relations with all powerB , great and small . He hoped those relations would be maintained neither by a tone of haughty defiance nor of submission . He hoped they would abstain from all interference with the purely domestic affairs of any country . If there wore any remains of animosity with that great empire , our near neighbour , ho trusted it would speedily vanish , and that our relations with tliat country

      would resume their wonted cordiality . ( Hear , hear . ) Ho hoped he should not bo considered as unduly deprecating the value of any alliance , if ho stated his firm conviotion that , of all the alliances this country could form , with regard either to our own advantage or tho w gTjoTil"T '' 6 T''tne"w " wDrldi- "the- « -most- '' important-is-tli « t-vWitU our nearest and most powerful neighbour , tho groat empire of Franco . " { Hear , hear . ) Tho form or government , whatever It might bo , which tho peoplo of that country might choose to select , is no affair of this country ; but it is of vast importance to Franco , and therefore to Europe , that tho Government there should not bo subject to porpotunl change . Consequently , ho rejoiced at tho recent escape of tho Emperor and Empress . It would not be right to scan too nicely the expression , on the part of the French people , of their indignation at the crime sought to be committed ; but lio could not

      think that the addresses of the French colonels represented the general feeling of ' the great and noble army of France / , because true valour never indulges in bombast . We , in this country , give ready asylum to refugees of all sects of honest opinion ; but we have no sympathy with assassination . The persons -who engage in such conspiracies as that which exploded on the 14 th of January are the bitterest foes of the cause they espouse . They render the employment of the political spy necessary , and do their utmost to destroy that liberty of which they constitute themselves the champions . It was most unfortunate , however , that , together with the bill introduced by the late Government , a despatch was made public , unaccompanied by any answer or explanation . That despatch contained expressions which gave

      great offence to the people of this country . The Government ought to have answered that despatch . The vote which upset the late Government , however , did not affect the bill in the least . The measure might have been proceeded with in spite of the adverse vote . " The new Government had come to the conclusion that , in full conformity with the resolution of the House of Commons , they should , in terms of prudence and conciliation , point out to the French Minister the misconstruction which had been placed on his despatch , and ask for an explanation such as would remove lhe painful impressions which that despatch had produeed . If he ( the Earl of Derby ) knew anything of the friendly feelings of

      the Emperor of the French towards this country , and of his desire to maintain the alliance so beneficial to both nations , and bearing in mind how ready his Imperial Majesty was to listen to friendly advice from friendly quarters , he entertained a sanguine hope that the answer to the despatch which his noble friend at the head of Foreign Affairs had undertaken to prepare would be such as to remove from the minds of the people of this country all irritation , and enable the Legislature and the Government to proceed calmly to the consideration of the important questions involved in the bill to which he had adverted . { Hear , hear . ) Of course it was not desirable that he should now enter further into the details

      of this matter . The course which the Government must pursue must depend upon the character of the reply they received to their friendly application ; but he must Say that , in the meantime , it would be the bounden duty of the Government—and that duty they would not shrink from performing vigorously—to put in force the existing powers of the law for the purpose of checking these dangerous conspiracies . " The Earl then adverted to a publication of a still more violent nature than that which had recently been brought before the attention of the Bovrstreet magistrate ; and the law officers of the Crown were considering whether or not it afforded matter for a prosecution . Referring to the question of the Government of India , his Lordship said that , as the Lower House had clearly pronounced in favour of transferring

      the Government of India to the Crown , the present Ministry had in preparation a measure which would , he trusted , effect moat of the objects contemplated by the bill of the late Government , but which would , at the same time , be free from the objections which had been urged against that reform . It was a great mistake to suppose that Conservative principles are opposed to progress . The arts and sciences are making rapid strides ; intelligence is more widely spread ; and institutions must bo adapted to the altered condition of the country . For himself , he believed that , with all its anomalies and imperfections , the Heform Bill of 1832 had given the country a genuine representative system ; but , for some years , demands had been heard for an improvement in the representation

      of the people , and this year a promise had been made from the throne . " He thought it was highly impolitic that from session to session a question of this importance should be brought before the Legislature , ana session after session abandoned { hear , hear ); and , looking to the inconvenience arising from that state of things , looking to the promises successive Governments had made , ho had felt it to be liis duty , in conjunction with his colleagues , to consider that important question . But he would not promise for himself , or . them , to introduce now , or at any particular time this session , a bill on tho subject . This much , however , ho would saythat , as soon as the pressure of Parliamentary business should enable them carefully to consider the question ,

      they would direct their best attention to existing defects , and tho possible amendments that might bo made in the existing law , respocting tho representation of tho people in Parliament . They would give that attention , with a sincoro and oarnest desire to trifle no longor witli no grave a question , and with the hope that they would bo able , fin tho noxt session of Parliament , to lay boforo the Legislature and tho country a measure on tho subject which might settle for a timo a matter of doop importftM e ) -M JBJlM' | . i-if ft cou | u not please everybody , or tho most ox . travagu . nt ; oxpQofiriionBi' ** ftiight ~ at"'lea 8 t--bo- 'ac «> coptod as a fair measure by moderate and impartiul persons . " With tho expression of a hope that ho should succbod in hia task , his Lordship resumed his scat .

      Earl Granvillu entered into a vindication of tho policy pursued by tho late Government ; and tho Earl of Clarendon mado aomo statements to vindicate himsolf from tho ohargo of not having answered the despatch of Count Walowski , Ho dolled any ono to prove from tho words of that despatch that thero was any intention to insult England . 'Supno » lng , " said his Lordship ,

      " the positions of England and France in this matter reversed , and that he had addressed such a despatch to Count Walewski ; he thought their Lordships -would have considered him a very feeble exponent of the universal feeling . The passage in Count Walewski ' s despatch which had given offence related only to a certain class of foreigners in this country . Nothing was more clear than that Count Walewski not only recognized the right of asylum in this country , but also approved of the manner in which it was carried out . To answer the despatch of Count Walewski satisfactorily , they should have been able to disprove his assertions , and those could not . have been contradicted , for the simple reason that they were fcrue . He knew how much they had been blamed for not answering the despatch ; but he contended that they had taken the course which -was most advisable under all the circumstances . They had

      thought it better to -wait until they had the report of the law officers of the Crown on the state of the law , and until they knew whether any bill could be introduced to meet the difficulty . " In his letters to Lord Cowley , he had told him , with reference to the language which had appeared in the Moniteier , that the people of this country would not endure a threat , and that it was utterly impossible to think of sending away suspected persons . Directly the late Government heard of the attempted assassination of the Emperor and Empress , they addressed themselves to the consideration of the state of the English law with reference to conspiracies against foreign powers ; but he ( Lord Clarendon ) told Count Walewski that no consideration on earth could induce this country to interfere with the right of asj-lum , and that any attempt to use pressure to cause an alteration in our laws would be resented from one end of England to the other .

      After a few almost inaudible words from Lord St . Leonards , who said that his only reason for not accepting office under the new Government was the state of his health , Lord Campbell referred to the attacks which had been made on him by Sir Richard Bethell in the House of Commons in connexion with the Conspiracy Bill , and stated that he had merely given his opinion on an abstract principle of law , which he was justified in doing . by the practice of their Lordships' House . —Lord Broi'qham concurred that he had a perfect right to do so . With regard to the new Premier , he would judge him by his acts and not by his professions , which cost nothing . The House then adjourned to Monday , March 15 lh .

      NEW WRITS . In the House of Commons , on the motion of SiT W Jolliffe , the following new writs were ordered to issue : —For North Northumberland , for the election of a knight of the shire in the room of Lord Lovaine , who has accepted the office of Lord of the Admiralty ; for Chichester , for the election of a citizen in the room of Lord Henry Lennox , who has accepted the office of Lord of the Treasury ; and for Enhiskillen , for the election of a burgess in the room of Mr . Whiteside , who has accepted the office of Attorney-General for Ireland .

      THE EAST INDIA LOAN BILL . SUPPLY . Sir W . Jolliffe , in moving that the House at its rising do adjourn till Friday , the 12 th inst ., said that on Saturday he had thought it might have been necessary to proceed with the East India Loan Bill at the present time , but he now believed that that was not the case . — The motion was agreed to , and it was subsequently announced by Mr . Hamilton that the next stage of the India Loan Bill would be gone through on the 12 th , pu which day also tho House would go into committee of supply on the Army and Navy Estimates . —In reply to Sir G . C . Lewis , Sir W . Jolliffe said the votes taken would merely bo tlio number of men for tho two services , and money votes sufficient to enable tho Government to move a resolution in ways and means . SITTINGS OF COMMITTEES . On tho motion of Sir Jamks Graham , leave was given to committees to sit , notwithstanding tho adjournment of tho House . Tho Houso adjourned at a quarter to five .

      Untitled Article

      THE HE-ELECTIONS . Stamford . —Sir Frederick Thosigor having retired from tho representation of Stamford , in consequonco of his olovation to tho oflico of Lord Chancollor , Mr , John Inglis , Dean of Faculty , of Edinburgh , has iasuc nn address to tho electors , offering himself as a candidate in tho Conservative Interest . East Suffolk . —Sir Fitzroy Kolly , tho now Attornoy-Gonoral , has issued an address soliciting ro-eloction . Ho hero says : — " It would obviously bo premature to ontor at this oarly period into tho views and intentions of a Government which has yot scarcely como into oxistenoe-s-but J-may ^ vjJnturoJojigBuro ^ you that if wo sso fortunato enough to enjoy tho confiTloncTniifu ' i'Ocelvo-tno support of tho constituencies of tho empire w « s » . bring to a satisfactory conclusion tho groat question affecting tho fato of our dominions in tho East , ftlld l * wo shall advance tho cause of luw reform and of ti «> civil administration of the affairs of tho State so as w ( satisfy tho just expectations of tho country . My son »" monts upon Parliamentary llofonn « ro well known i you all . Whenever tho timo shall have arrived for tlio further consideration of this Tall-important question ,

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      IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT .

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      * 320 ¦ T H E Ij E A D B B .- [ No . 415 , March 6 , 1858 .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), March 6, 1858, page 220, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2233/page/4/