THE PAST CENTURY.

Waikato Argus, Volume X, Issue 913, 27 March 1901, Page 4

THE PAST CENTURY.

[Extracts from London Times]. J 1845. April 15— Macatlay o.v Maynootii COLLEGE I>ILL. . . . It is with peculiar bad grace that a member of a university to which I have the honour to belong comes forward an hon. gentleman who never thoucht it necessary on any occasion to op'pose the old grant of £()<>,000-to oppose the new grant of £26,000. (Hear, hear). I thiuk an objection of that sort comes .with very bad grace from any person who represents either of our universities. (Hear, hear). Wnen I consider with what maguificßnce religion and science are surrounded at those places,—when I remember the long streets of palaces, those venerable cloisters, those trim gardens, and those chapels with their organs and altarpieces and stained windows—when I remember their schools and libraries, aud museums, and galleries of art,—and when I remember,_ too, all the solid comforts provided in those places, both for'instructors and pupils,— when I remember the stately dwellings Of the principals aud the commodious apartments of the fellown and scholars,— when I remember that the very sizars and servitors lodge far better than you propose to iodge these priests, who are to train the whole people of Ireland;—when I remember the bowling greens, the stabling, and the combination rooms,— the display of plate on the tables, the excellent cheer on feast days, and the oceaus of excellent ale in the buttery, and when I remember, too, from whom all this splendour and plenty were derived,—when I remember the faith of Edward 111, of Henry VI. of Margaret of Anjou, of William de Wickham, of Archbishop Chichely, and of Cardinal "Wolsey,—and when I remember what we have taken from the Roman Catholicreligion ;—when I remember Kiusr's College, New College, Christ Church, and my own Trinity, I look at the miserable '« Do-tbe-boys Hall " we give in return, I must own I blush for the Protestant religion. (Cheers aud laughter). . . Can we wonder at the clamour that has been raised in the country, or he surprised at the petitions which have hem showered, thick as a snowstorm, on the table of the House ? Is it possible that the people out of doors should not feel indignation at seeing that the very patties who, when w« were in office, voted against the Mnynooth grant, are now being whipped into th" House in order to vote for an increased Maynooth. grant? (Cheers). The natural consrquences follow. Can you wonder that all those fierce spirits whom you have taught to harrass us, now turn round and begin to worry you ? The Orangeman raises his howl, and Exeter Hall sets up its bray (laughter) tnd Mr M'Ncill is horror stricken to think that a still larger grant is intended for the " pi tests cf Baal " at the table of " Jezabel " (cheers), and your Protestant operatives of Dublin call for the impeachment of the Minister in exceedingly bad English. (Cheers and laughter.). . . • December 4—Repkal ok the Corn Laws. It has been the monomania of these two melancholy prints to imagine that they possessed the confidence of the Treasury, and they have been hobbling about the Corn Laws to the very last under the erroneous impassion that they would be the first to be apprised of any important resolution of the Cabinet. Humbly and obsequiously they have been grinding their organs under the windows of Downing street, ready to play any tune that might be most pleasing to the Premier, but he has turned "a deaf ear to their strains, and not even allowed his underlings ■■ n opportunity of throwing out an occasional morsel by way of encouragement. . . . the reason is obvious. The repeal of the Corn Laws is a thing for statesmen to do, and not for old women to maunder about. 1846. June 30.—Sir Robert Peel ox his Fall. Sir, I feel that I have now executed' the task wh'oh my public duty imposed upon me. I trust 1 have said nothing which can by possibility lead to the recurrence of thoso controversies I have deprecated. Whatever opinions may be formed with regard to the extent of the danger with which wc were threatened, I can say with truth that Her Majesty's Government, in proposing these measures of commercial policy which have disentitled them to the confidence of many of tho=e who heretofore gave them their support, were influenced by no other de3ire than the desire to consult the interests of this country. (Cheers.) " Our object was to avert dangers which we thought were imminent, and to avoid a conflict we believed would soon Dlace in hostile collision great and powerful classes in this country. (Cheers.) The love of powpr was not a motive for the proposal of these measures : for, as I said before, I had not a doubt that, whether these measures were accompanied with failure or success, the almost certaiu issue must be the termination of the existence ol this Government. Sir, lam not sure that it is not advantageous for the pnWic interests that this should be so-1 admit that the withdrawal of confidence from us by many of our friends was a national result ot circumstauces ; and I do think that, when proposals of such a naturo are made, apparently at vanenee with the course which Ministers heretofore pursued, and subjecting them to the ciiarge or taunt of inconsistency—upon the whole, it is advantageous for this country, and for the general character of public men, that the proposal of that kind under some circnmttanccs should entail that which is supposed to be a fitting punishment—namely, expulsion from office. 1, therefore, do not complain of it ; anything is preferable to attempting to maintain ourselves in office without a full measure of the confidence of this Bouse. (Cheers ) I said before, and I said tru y, that in proposing those measures I had no wish to rob others of ihe credit justly due to them. Now, I must say, as I say with reference to ourselves, neither of us is the party which is justly entitled to the credit of them. i,Chters ) There has been a combination of parties, and that have led to their ultimate success ; but the name, which ought to he associated with the success of these measures is not the name of the noble lord nor is it mine. (Cheers.) The name which ought to be and will, be associated with the success of those measures, is the name cf a man who, acting, I believe, from pure and disinterested motives, has, with untiring energy, by appeals to reason (loud cheers), enforced their necessity with an eloquence the more to be admired because it was uuail'ected and unadorned (cheers),:- the name which ought to be associated with the success of these measures is the name of Richard Cobden. (Loud a nd protracted cheering;)

Sir, I now close the address which it has been my duty to make to the House, thanking them sincerely for the favour with which they have listened to me in performinq this hist act of my official career. YVithin a few hour?, probably, that power which I have held for the period of five years will he surrendered into the hauds of another—without, repining—l can say without complaint—with u, more lively recollection of the support and confidence I have received than of the opposition which du.mii a recent period I met with (Cheers.) I shall leave office, I fear, with a name severely wneurwl by many lion. »eutleItieu, Who, OU public principle, deeply regret the severance of party ties—who deeply regret that seven-no-, not from any interested or personal -nuiives, but

because they believe fidelity to party engagements,— tlie existence anil maintenance of a great party,—to constitute a powerful instrument of government: I shall suneuder power severely censured, I fear again, by many hon. gentlemen who, from no interested motive, have adhered to the principle of protection as importaut to the welfare and interests of the eouutry ; T shall leave a name execrated by evety monopolist (loud cheering from the Opposition), who, from less honourable motives, maintains protection for his own individual benefit (continued cheering) ; but it may be that I shall leave a name sometimes remembered with expressions of pood-will in those places which are the abode of men whose lot it is to labour, and to earn their daily broad by the sweat of their brow—a name remembered ivitl) expressions of aoocl-will, when they shall recreate their exhausted strength with abundant and untaxed food, the sweeter because it is not longer leavened by a sense of injusIke. (Loud and vocifeious cheering, during which the right hon. baronet resinned his se it.)