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AC~ THE LEADEB, [No. 278, Saturday,
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IKEJ&RIAL PARLIAMENT. INDIAN GRIEVANCES....
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Th E Ministerial Crisis That Was Threate...
Wood , Sir Geobqe Counewall Lewis , and Sir Geobgb Grey . It was said that these men had asreed with Lord John and Mr . Gt ^ dstone ; but the real charge against Lord Palmerston was that of consenting to sit as President of a Coahtion Cabinet for political purpose * « £ home * **« « in foreign affairs half that Cabinet consisted of " traitors . " Sir George Gret stood up , and boMly denied that there was any division in the Cabinet at all : and there is , indeed , no evidence to prove it . If any persorecsnveyed to Mr . DisRAaB & i the information which ne professed to have , there must beor must have been , some very base " traitor "
, in the Cabinet ; a traitor so mean and so paltry , that we regard his existence among English gentlemen as more improbable than Mr . Disraeli's having been totally deceived in the matter . Mr . Gijvdstose finished the debate by one of Itis most casuistical atfd imefceifcktg speeChes ^ a kind of lecture to the ftouse of Commons for the mistake it had made in not adopting his views , and closing the war on the Russian terms of peace ; and then Sir Edward Lytton ' s vote of censure was withdrawn . Mr . Roebuck ' s motion of censure upon the members of the Administration who advised the
Sebastopol expedition came late in the day absolutely ; and it was rendered still more out of date by the interposition of S ir Edward Lytton ' s motion ,, a censure upon a more recent event , but already felt to be too late . Preter-plu-perfect is not the tens © in which Mr . Roebuck should have spoken , but some tense much further thrown back . The effect of tedium was increased by the adjournment from Tuesday over the Wednesday ; and , excepting Mr . Roebuck ' s conscientious reproduction of his favourite portions from the Sebastopol ^ Report , the discussion principally turned upon the
same question put in a variety of forms , whether or not the debate ought to have been had at all . It was contended , that since the political ^ grounds for proceeding with the Crimean expedition had not been stated , and could not be stated , the House could not judge the conduct of the Cabinet Ministers , and that " the previous question , " therefore—whether the motion ought to be putwas a very proper one to be answered in the negative . Sir James Graham and the Peelites voted against that form , because they wbhed to meet the motion with a direct negative ; but the House
was really engaged in single combats , such as Mr . Bhight ' s attack upon Lord Palmcebstou , and the viscount ' s retaliation . Mr . Roebuck . himself had created a difficulty , for virtually he exonerated the late Ministers in the "War Departments ; Lord Joetst Russeijl , had already been disposed of ; he ctfuld not censure Lord Pa ; lmerston as Home Secretary in the Aberdeen Cabinet , while exonerating the Premier and the War Ministers . The attack , therefore , seemed to be levelled at Lord Paimerston as Premier of the Cabinet which had not given the ddtice imputed ! One speech had a great effect
updri the House , for its substantial facts and noble-minded spirit . Sir Dn Lact Evans impartially and earnestly surveyed the mistakes committed in the Crimea , and the means to correct them . But the real question upon which the House divided was , whether or not it would be Convenient for the several parties to put Lord FAiJ « EnsTON out of office . The body of the members usually sitting on the right hand of Mr . Speaker , and some forty of the more discreet
Conservatives , in voting that Mr . Hoebuck ' s motion should not be put , virtually pronounced a negative on the removal of Lord JPaxmerstok . This division gave to Ministers 289 to 182 ; and with that vote the session virtually closed . Some obstruction to the closing of the session had already been got rid of , Maynooth , instead of being a weekly debate , is postponed till " that day three months "—which will fall somewhat in the middle of the recess . Lord pAr-MEttstow had
made it up with the Irish Members ^ consenting to support their clause for retrospective compensation in the Tenants Compensation Bill . The Chancellor ojf the Exchequer has announced that no further demand upon Parliament will bo nedessary at present ; as Ministers have 3 , 000 , 000 / . of the allowance already made unappropriate . It is true that members havo been doing some ; . ' ¦ ' - , M * m , work in Committee , which would seem , to require 1 '¦¦'' , ** BBwSMl ^ yA T > Ty < u P ract ' ^ sequel . Tho conduct of the police ^ h ^ m ^ K ^^ SiaSl ^ SSS "" ^ the second Sunday of tho rioting has been J ^ MP ^ KTgK ^ P ^ ii ^ it b efore tho Commissioners appointed by ¦ iHKi ^^ L ^^^' w !®^' - " 01110 Office , and tlio evidence is telling so WUJnffii & t & MJb ^ felWttPfllv against the police in particular cases , S ^ HMP" ** $ 3 WP # ™ » Commona will probably have something flswF
to say upon the street * if Ministers do not anticipate them . Sorfte of the police appear to have struck out the brilliant idea , that if they were called upon to attack one pers on they could acquit themselves of the duty by attacking soin « - boqy « fee— - * woman > oar & quiet-lookma man ; or they render their busiaetes easier by the Napoleonic plan of concentrating : their force upon a single point—twelve truncheons on one man ' s head . before the Select
JDr . Hassaul is proving Committee of the Comiftons that which he hns proved before the readers of the Lancet—that by the adulterations of food the retail dealers of this country are poisoning her Majesty ' s lieges , —undermining tire strength of her Majesty ' s subjects for service in the Crimea , and other useful purposes ; and really , with tfee evrrferfee before the Committee , it does seem criminal ttert Parliament should adjoiirn for the recess and leave the
community to another year of poisoning . Then there is the Boer Act—that great law which every police magistrate condemns either by his own opinion or the facts he states ; while it is supported by Sir Robert Careen , who dictates to others the Maine Liquor Law he does not obey himself ; and by Mr . George Oruikshank , who denies that there is any inconvenience resulting from the act , the cry for the act repeal being only " a fuss about drink , " -while he hands in caricatures of his own as evidence for the Select Committee !
Nothing decisive from Sebastopol . The Generals report that all goes on well , and that they are pushing their works nearer to those of the enemy . That they are coming to close quarters is clear from the sorties that have taken place . The French have been three times attacked , on the 15 th , 16 th , and 18 th ; but in every instance the Russians have been repulsed with loss . In like manner the English repulsed an attack upon
the left side on the 18 th . It may therefore be fairly inferred that the enemy finds the proximity of the Allies menacing and inconvenient , and that as reinforcements are expected , he is more desirous than ever of obstructing the progress of the siege in every possible way . This is a period of silent activity on the part of the Allies , and trou bled action on the part of the enemy ; but we cannot have long to wait for more decisive news .
In Asia the Russians have again advanced upon Kara , have cut off * communication with Erzeroum , and have invested the place—some say with 60 , 000
men . The retirement of the French military commissioner from Vienna , and of the Austrian military commissioner froun . Paris , are facts which illustrate the widening difference between the Western Powers and their recent ally . On the other hsind , the large subscriptions which are already anticipated towards the loan in France , now ascertained to be au open one , imply that the resources of that country are much more buoyant , the people much more favourable to the war , than they were supposed to be .
Naples , who has declared that she shall follow Austrian suit , has just been welcoming tho Kino of Portugal ; expecting , it is said , that he will take one of the Neapolitan princesses olF tho royal hands as his wife 5 for while powers are trembling in the balance , dynasties are still pursuing' the speculations of wedlock . Now relations , it ia solemnly said , have been made , favourable to the Orleans family , because the Count de Chamjiord begins to think that his wife never will have an heir .
Rather an important measure is m prospect of being passed by tlie Legislature of North Carolina —a law to legalise the marriage and education of slaves . North Carolina is scarcely a slave state ; her example , perhaps , would bo slowly followed by others more to the South ; and the measure has only been delayed by the hostile and menacing agitations of tha Abolitionists . It may , however , be at least the fine point of the wedge .
This is a better mode of carrying on the war against slavery than tho old plan of persecuting our ally , Brazil , because she could not at a blow purify her domestic institutions , or persevering in an exchange of massacres with the natives of the Gambia , to enforce the surrender of slaves or compensation . In the recent case of Mullaghea , we have thrown away many valuable livea , and bombarded a town , to extort money ; disguising tlie moral lesson under an equivocal appearance of avarice . If tlio Negroes , as a body , were respectably settled In life and educated , it would be morally impossible to keep them in n state of slavery .
Ac~ The Leadeb, [No. 278, Saturday,
AC ~ THE LEADEB , [ No . 278 , Saturday ,
Ikej&Rial Parliament. Indian Grievances....
IKEJ & RIAL PARLIAMENT . INDIAN GRIEVANCES . It * tlie Bouae of Lords , on Monday , the Earl of Ai . bemaM / E presented a petition from the native inhabitant * of the presidency of Madras , praying for a redress of grievances , and that tho administration of tlie Britwh territories in India be transferred from the East India Company to the Crown . The petition emanated from a public meeting convened by the sheriff , and was signed "by 14 , 000 persons . In the course of his speech , the earl pointed out the oppressive and heartless taxation under which the
natives labour—a taxation which reduces them to the very verge of famine , ami which is wrung from them by torture . That horrid practice hail indeed been carried on to a frightful extent ; and this cruel state of things had not been mitigated by any attempts to improve or develop the material capabilities of the land , which was ao disgracefully neglected that famines were of frequent occurrence . — Earl Gbanvillk was of opinion that the Indian Government had done , much already , and ho had no doubt they would do more .
DEFICIENCY BILLS . Lord Montkaole moved for copies of all the correspondence which had passed between the Bank of England and the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the matter of deficiency bills . —Earl Granville at first objected to produce the correspondence , but when the motion was supported by Lord Derby , agreed
to it . RELIGIOUS "WOKSIIIP BILL . The Earl of Shaptesbukt , in moving that this bill be recommitted , observed that certain modifications had been introduced into it , and he believed he was justified in asserting that it was now approved , not only by the Archbishop of Canterbury , with whom he had communicated on the subject , but by the Episcopid body generally . —The Archbishop of Caxtebbury confirmed this statement . —Ultimately , it was agreed that the bill should be sent back to the select committee , the Earl of Shaftesbuey this time expressing his readiness to serve thereon .
THIRD nEADINGS . The following bills were read a third time and passed : —Endowed Schools ( Ireland ) , Edinburgh Lands , Youthful Offenders ( No . 2 ) , Gold Wedding Rings , Commons Inclosure ( No . 2 ) , Encumbered Estates ( Ireland ) Act Continuance . THE OFFICE OF POSTMASTER-GENERAL . In the Commons Lord Palmerston , in answer to Mr . Moftatt , said it was not the intention of Government to abolish the office of Postmaster-General , as it seemed to them that the Post-office ought to be a department connected with the political administration of the country .
lord john russell ' s statement . —sitt e . h . lvtton ' s motion . Lord John Russkll ( who spoke from the third Ministerial bench ) moved , in pursuance of an arrangement with Lord Palmerston , that the orders of tho day "be postponed , bo as to allow of Sir Edward Buiwer Lytton ' s motion being brought on . He recapitulated the circumstances attending his promise to place the Austrian propositions before the Cabinet in the most favourable manner , and the subsequent rejection by the Government of those propositions . The Foreign Ministers of Franco and Turkey agreed with him in thinking the proposals might be
accepted ; l > ot circumstances arose in the course of tho week following their rejection here which caused him to cliangc his mind . He had originally thought that the Austrian scheme presented the means of combining all tho Powers of Europe against the future aggressions of Russia ; but , subsequent to the decisions of the English Cabinet , the Austrian Government proposed to lay down , in Conference , some proposals for a limitation of tho Russian fleet , and declared that even the rejection by Russia of those proposals would not be considered a castts hrlli . Now he ( Lord John Russell ) , in conjunction with the rest of tho Cabinet , did not think it worth while to enter into negotiations founded upon proposals so made . This was on the ltith of May ; and , from that time , tilings rovertcd to their previous condition .
Mr . Disraeli had objected that , after Ins return Iroin Vienna , ho had become " an uncompromising advocate of war . " After tho rejection of tlie Austrian propositions , ho had no other courao . As for the House not having boon informed of tho Austrian propositions , that was a matter for whicli the Foreign Secretary was responsible ; but ho ( Lord John Kussoll ) thought that it would have boon a , dereliction of duty to publish them . When tlio Austrian scheme was refused , ho foil back upon 1 uh former opinions , and a more united Cabinet could not exist . But ho had now resolved to resign becauso of the wide provalenco of opinions adverse to him . H ° was award that ho had many friends , and tho . se ho thanked for their kindness and siipport . As for hi * enemies , who turned upon him when there was a rub in his fortunes , he reaarded . 2 thein 2 with contempt .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), July 21, 1855, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_21071855/page/2/
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