ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 730, 13 April 1853, Page 3

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

HOUSE OF LORDS. Monday, December 20. THE MINISTERIAL STATEMENT. The Earl of Derby rose to state to the House the dissolution of the Government, and entered into some points so curious in an historical point of view, and so unprecedented on such occasions that we give the words of this portion of his speech in full. After adverting to the circumstances that rendered the resignation of Ministers inevitable, his Lordship proceeded thus : —"The examination of the returns of the various elections rendered the position of the Government and of the several parties in the state matter of no uncertainty and of easy calculation. It was clear that, as the avowed supporters of the Government in general on matters not involving the question of free trade or protective policy, but generally disposed to give their confidence to the Government, there were about 310 gentlemen. There were also three other parties, if, indeed, there were not more, —one including within it all the various gradations of opinion, from the high aristocratic and exclusive Whig, down to the wildest theorist and extreme Radical, that party, in all its ramifications, comprising somewhere about 260 members. There was a third party, from the sister kingdom, of gentlemen, principally representing the views of the Irish Roman Catholic clergy, of extreme doctrines of the Ultramontane school, and pledged by their declarations to use their utmost endeavours to overthrow the present or any other Government not prepared to act upon those extreme opinions. There was a fourth party, numerically small, comprising within itself from about 30 to 35 members, gentlemen of great personal worth, of great eminence and respectability, and who possessed very considerable official experience and a very large amount of talent. Those gentlemen profess, and I believe sincerely profess, Conservative opinions; their talents are great —talents which would reflect credit on any Administration; but their number, as I have already said, is comparatively small. In this state of things, it was obvious that the present Government, although being at the head of by far the largest party, and of nearly a moiety of the whole House of Commons, was not in a position to command the support of that body, and that, consequently, if occasion should be taken—if it should be the will of all those three other parties to whom I have referred (0 combine together in a common movement for the purpose of overthrowing the Government —those three parties so combining, whatever might be their power for the formation of another Government, had full power to destroy and overthrow that which existed. It was not long we were left in doubt as to whether that will did exist on the part of those three sections." Having given this picture of the state of the parties, and of this combination for the purpose of ovei throwing the Government, Lord Derby proceeded to enter into particulars of the combination in reference to the statements made in the other house by Sir James Graham. " We speak here upon no doubtful ground. We have had some curious revelations made to us by a right hon. gentleman in the other house, who has lifted the curtain, admitted us behind the scenes, and shown us the various actors preparing fortheir parts, and diseussing the most convenient phrase that could be adopted to obtain that universal concurrence that was necessary to accomplish their object, and studiously concerting their measures in such a manner as by their united efforts the Government might be placed in a minority. An incident of a somewhat dramatic character interfered with the full execution of that well considered and well concerted plan; —an amendment moved from another and unexpected quarter placed the matter upon a different footing, and prevented the union generally of Whigs, Conservatives, and Radicals, in the adoption of the motion proposed by Mr. Villiers. The Government, therefore, escaped defeat on that occasion by the falling asunder of the different materials of that discordant combination. (Hear.) We then proceeded to bring forward and submit to Parliament the financial policy upon which we proposed to conduct the business of the country, and after a lengthened debate in the House of Commons, by the union again of all those three parties, the Government were defeated in a House almost unprccedentedly full —in a House in which there were, I believe, but about 2G members of the whole House, wdio, in one way or amther, did not record their opinion. In a House so constituted the Government was subjected to a defeat by a majority of 10. If that defeat had been upon some minor and incidental point—if it had been upon some detail of a measure the general principle of which was assented to by Parliament—greatly as I should feel the position of Government was weakened by being subjected to a defeat in such a maimer—materially and greatly as Governments have been weakened of late years by submitting to repeated defeats and repeated reversals of their policy—inconvenient as I should have considered that state of things, I should not have considered myself justified upon such a defeat, upon a minor question, in abandoning the duty confided to me by Iter Majesty ; but this was no minor question ; this was upon the basis of the financial policy of the country —that is to say, it was ostensibly upon the basis of the financial policy of the country, but in reality, and in truth it was—was knoAvn to be—was avowed to be—a vote determining the confidence, or the want of confidence, of the House of Commons in the present Government. (Hear, hear.) I need not stop to prove that such was the issue which really was intended by the house of Commons ; and, such issue having been joined, and upon such issue the Government having sustained an unequivocal defeat, I felt, and my colleagues felt with me, that no option remained for us than that of tendering to her Majesty the resignation of those offices of which we were no longer able to perform the functions with satisfaction to ourselves, or to carry out our own views and projects." His lordship then went on to state that Her Majesty had confided the formation of a new cabinet to the Marquis of Lansdowne and the Earl of Aberdeen, and that the latter nobleman had untertaken the task, although of what materials the Ministry was to be composed he, Lord Derby, was at a loss to know. He then proceeded in these remarkable words: Upon what principle that Administration was to be formed, how that Administration is to be composed, what are to be its materials, its views, or its principles, I know not. This, however, I presume, that before long we shall receive from the noble earl himself a full declaration of his intentions and views upon that subject. I, my lords, remember, and probably your lordships will re- j member, that that noble earl has upon more than one occasion declared in this hou?e, that the question of Free trade excepted, hoknew of none upon which there was any difference of opinion between himself and the present Government. I presume, then, it is the intention of the noble earl, and I

shall believe it until I hear him contradict it himself, to carry on ilie Government, if he shall be enabled to form it, upon a strictly Conservative principle, and in a Conservative spirit* How tbat principle is to be carried out at present, with such associations and support as I apprehend the noble carl must avail himself of to form a Government, I confess 1 entertain some little doubt and some anxiety; but of this I say nothing. I abstain from any single expression of opinion, or [from prejudging the course tbat may be pursued by the noble earl. This however, 1 will venture to say, in bis absence as well as in Iris presence, I am confident be relies, and he relies justly, on more forbearance from tbat great Conservative party -with whom I have the honour of acting, than tbat Conservative party lias experienced at the bands of others." After adverting to the measures of the late Government, and hoping tbat the new one would resist democratic encroachment?, bis lordship moved that the House be adjourned till Thursday. The Duke of Newcastle regretted that a portion of this speech was calculated to excite controversy and angry feelings, and objected to the want of courtesy shown to the noble lord intrusted with the formation of the new Administration, in not adjourning the House for at least awe2k,and then proceeded as follows : " I do think there is one statement which dO3B require immediate contradiction, even though the House be adjourned only to Thursday ; for I think it only due to the character of some gentlemen, not members of this House, and of some, too, who are members of this House, and due also to the noble earl who has received Her Majesty's commands to form an Administration, that the country should not be deceived by one statement made by the noble earl with the greatest confidence, and founded, as he said, on facts patent to all, and explained by a right lion, baronet, a friend of mine, in tie other House of Parliament. I beg to give to that statement the most positive and emphatic, but I hope courteous, denial. (Hear.) The nob'e earl stated that from the very commencement of the session, there had been a determined endeavour by different parties to upset his Government, aud be referred to the speech of a right lion, baronet in the other House, to prove that an attempt had been made to form a combination by which (a3 the noble earl stated) the Government were to be prevented from bringing forward their measures. Now, the very opposite of that statement is true. (Hear, hear.) The part which the right hon. baronet announced as having been taken by himself and others, including my noble friend who is now absent, was, that there had been an attempt made to prepare such resolutions as should combine together the whole of the friends of Freetrade, without necessitating opposition on the part of the Government. It was for that express purpose that the right hon. b.ironet's labour was bestowed on the preparation of the resolutions, and if anything more than another could conclusively disprove the existence of any such combinational the noble earl described to have teen formed to upset the Government, it is this simple fact, that the words of those resolutions were eventually accepted by the Government itself, though they did not receive the sanction and approval of the gentleman who first gave notice of his intention to propose a motion in the E ouse of Commons on the subject of the Free-trade policy. Consequently, the conduct of the Government proved that those resolutions could not have had the purpose now attributed to them.'' The noble earl appointed to form a Cabinet had required a week for that purpose, and the House was adjourned only to Thursday. Where, then, was the real combination ? The course taken was most unusual. The Earl of Derby explained, that if the noble earl had not completed his arrangements by Thursday, he would then move to adjourn the House till Monday. Here the discussion dropped.