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bility , which already prevails to some -extent-in mining affairs . A slight dispussion incidentally urose on this principle , which was excellently and concisely explained by Lord Groderich , not only as a convenience commercially , but as a , measure that would go far t $ . conciliate the labouring classes , who supposed themselves now to he excluded , by the operation of statutes , from soaring in the , advantages that are given to larger capitalists . Any prognostic as to the danger to commerce \ yhich would result jfirorn limited liability
is overruledtgF ^ the e ^ as ^ pft , of Fraace , * nd by the Anglo-SaxM examp % ' 6 f the American ITnited States . Ministers suspended their own opinions , as the subject is under discussion by a royal commission . It is * however , evidently making progress in the opinion of influential men . On Tuesday , in a mere episodical discussion , the unanimity on all sides of the House in favour of the principle was rendered , conspicuous by a solitary exception . Far less in importance , but far more stirring in treatmentwas the new Irish scandal . At a pub-I > r . GrayJ related
, K c ^ nn ^ , *^|^^| hoV a gentleman , desiring the-post of paid poor-law guardian , had given 300 ? . to a Member of Par-Hanvent for -the purpose of procurinw it by intercession with-Government ; and another speaker stated another sum * aunilar < 5 ase : as having happened some time ago . The Times made a severe anju ^ d ^^^ corrupt propenslties ; pf ^^ $ ^ h % ^ in ^| e ^| 'i || ierrlng ; that some hundred ttien who § at iii the H&tise as representatives of
and he as little earns a salary on that accoxint as the-leader of the Opposition , or an active independent Member like Air . Hume . The opposition to the jtootion was very properly led by Miiiisteri , themselves ; Lord John Russell showing incontrovenSbly that it would be impracticable . Mr . Cayley withdrew his twoposition . The IrfOfds hav « Seme some good senwee , not oafy in famishing Lord Hardwicke an opportumy of xlrawiaff attention to the manner in wlieh the
higher lWttks in tM JNavy are burdenedlwy very aged arifanirals , gm& otherwise m rapportiug MiriMfcers to take * posi ^ on of strengCb , b \ it alstf in affording to Lord Lyndhurst the occasion of enforcing the necessity for consolidation of the statutes . Under tfrat pressure the Jbor 4 Ofesncellor stated that some progress has been made towards perfecting a section of the consolidated statutes—that relating to injuries against the
person . . Out of doors , the movement in favour of reformatory schools for juvenile offenders continues . At ^ fotteester , Rfr . Barker told the success of a school which he had established-at Hagdwick . At Cardiff the Dean of Llandaff took an active part ; and we have received , this week , the report of a successful school « t Kingswood . Another movement consists in an association of Mayors and other gentlemen to resist the proposed change in
the rural ponce . Mr . Rice ' s committee recommended that the police should be rendered uniform throughout the country , without removing it from local management ; the object being , to improve th 6 efficiency' of the body , and to prevent the inmiunity for thieves and disorderly persons from the conflict and separation of authority . The Mayors and their friends object to centralising the force under the Executive i but the movement , as yet , has made Httle noise .
Irish constitueniaes , really represented Irish placebu ^ 1 ^ ff $ ^ Technically treating .. this article as a breach of privilege , though nifffi ^ iiMf ng ftny ulterior penal intentions , Jkfr . Isaiw Biitt brought the subject before the jp LoU 86 « ' ^ and ~ u 6 tnianued in ^ c ]^ ijESEteH 5 ri d ^ , u centtttwKjeV His feti' ^ j * eswt > n' was ajjreed to "Without ' $ ikm&wt ^ mfam » ife . : i ^ ^ ai 'M ! ic ^ w ^ tlfotf tn % iSurcMse of u paid ^ ardia ^ ^^ entirely impracticable , M eicommiBsioneE Ties
m ; , m wm » m « JDag appomrmenT , Itfr ; Ball himself / has p ^ liVGd an ^ observed a ^ Sf % W ^^^ el | fica 3 ( s sliall : ^ attended to « ave those publicly , addressed to tie department . It has , however , Wn observed , that although the toife ttayle % ( S |^ v ^ % em ^ ld to the 1 * is ! i member | it may nave'Been purchased of an Irish mem-IS&r 3 $ ( e oSstaiiction TbeinW materialMrtmcas t i ¦
, . . , ^ - ^^ mm ^ # & *^» ^> ¦>*»»¦¦ *^^ w * v *** - - ~ , r n - tmS w * m . mM y ^* **»* # - , iTi ~ ¦ , r i in . ffitri ^ who asserts the wurchase of places in the public u < S $ i&b&fa $ W London , supplied materials fora furtner intestigatron ; but It is evident that the fnquiry has two branches—the sale of place frdfrn IriiTi nlembeits , and the corrupt gift of place to Irish member * . It is supposed that , lit all events , the cases are old—there lifts not been such a
thing as a paid guardian for tffcree years . In the dourse olTttte Irish debate , Mr : Thomas Dtmcombe claimed inquiry also into the supposed allegations of Mr . Hudson , that he had paid 69001 . to procure favourable influences amongst Members of Patfiattftitrt in deafitog with Ifhe railway schemes to which he was attached . That suggestion also , received approval , though it does Hot appear to' have been technically adopted . Subsequently , Mr . Hudson emphatically denied that he had said so ; adding a curious oration , full of broken sentences , relating how he had enjoyed the . smiles of prosperity , and met adversity * nth fortitude , hew he might have had * ' means so
gigantic that he could have revelled in them , " flow he was now called upon to " disgorge " ^ what he never received , and how he invited v **« tay Member to take him from his cradle and ¦ fbflow him to that day . ' This speech was lis-^ teWed to almost in silence . Mr . Hudson ' s indig-TiiStfon ' ' it the ' charges' against himself ; his repmttfenes Insinuated against those who followed teBBfin jp ^ O ^ perity and turned from him in adversity * ; . ' toai emotion ; his boast that he Bhould yet complete-all the works which he had commenced " in the plenitude of power ; " and his offer , twice made , to be taken from his cradle—were listened
to with a silence which marked , in the bestowers , absence of sympathy , but , if we may be pardoned the p hilological solecism , a strong feeling of compassion . Mr . Cay ley ' s proposal to give the leader of the House of Commons , as such , a salary equal to that of a Minister at the head of a department , woe course treated as totally impracticable in aocordance with our constitutional usages . Although it is customary to let a Cabinet Minister take into his own hands the conduct of the lea'd in the House , thatuauage , in fact , confers no office whatever . The person who thus conducts business is simply the most influential Member in the House :
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f ? 3 £ E | PA 1 ? TTA 1 TRNT OW THE WBEK . MiKiSTBRtAi . Explanations . EA . asn . for the fray , and anxious to criticise and condemn a Coalition Ministry of which , he does not form a member , Lord CtAiraicarde notified last w « ek that he Wild call the attention of the House of Lords to ^ he ^ ties ^ tiion of peace or wsir . Monday , the appointed day arrived , the Lords fiad assembled , deep , no dbtfbt , m the Blue Book each one , but there was no set debate , for the ex-WhigPostmaster-Gteneral had seen fit to defer his speech . In explaining why he toid the House that he had understood , trom the speeches of the preceding Tuesday , that the Emperor of Russia had virtually , though not formally ,
de" I should exceedingly rejjret , he exclaimed with earnestness Mad . solemnity , increasing as be proceeded , " to find that bar Majesty's ( Jovernment -were deluded by anvthiog that has recently taken place to relax in anything their prepaTations fot war , or that anything that has taken place would h * VB prevented them from increasing to the utmost possible « ment the preparations for war . I have no doubt that vr « 4 HA at A » coaimencement of one of the most formfat 4 > leTRtar »« i wliich this country has ever been engaged . I deepyati ^ rel tbat th « people of this country do not appear to $# « t * ll aware of the magnitude , of the probable duration , and •! " Ae dismal consequences of tliat war . Undoubtedl y ^ for ib *( « Mr tfats conatry is not responsible ; nor are her Mb&mtf& TSWsters resaofcsible ; I acqtdt them altogetlier ; I
llhnk tJwft whatever tbej ^ nave said on the subject has been said will abSBtyiand thaftbej have ) been ably seconded by the various gentlemen employed by them at the different Courts of IStrrbpe ; bu * t I do conjure you to increase to theutmost possible extent every immediate preparation for war . War is inevitable ; and that which is absolutely necessary to the preservation of the dearest interests of this country is , that on the breaking up of the ice v-e should show a superior fleet in the Baltic . If her Majesty ' * Government are not ready io do that , they are most cweply responsible to thecotmtry , for they had their eyes open , and they could not have been ignorant of the danger pressing upon us . 1 would impress upon her Majesty ' s Goverament to increase to the utmost possible extent their preparations for immediate-war ; and that war will be one of the gravest in which this country has been ever engaged . "
Itins far Lord Ellenborough and the House was deeply impressed ; 3 iow deeply may l ^ e judged by its reception of an eqiiiTocal sentence in the speech of Lord Clanrtcabde , who again thought fit to speak . " I agree , " said be , with the n » ble Earl in tbkldng that the war ra which we are about to engage may ^ ery probably turn oat one of the most disastrous" —< flereabttrst of murmured disapprobation broke in two the sentence , and , cotxectins himself , he continued )— " disastrous , not perhaps to
this country—{ Hear , hear )—but disastrous to humanity . " (/ ' Jlectr" from Lord Aberdeen . ) A ^ retrospect , lie said , would be useful . Ministers were aot wholly irresponsible ^ " I agree , " he added , ¦ " that what has been said ^ botl by the Groverament and'by tfeeir diplomatic agents iabroad , tas been said with ability ; but I think the right thing has not been said very often , and much that onglt to have been said has been left unsaid . " Therefore a discussion was , needful ; thepresent state oF things cannot last ; and lie named Tuesday next far & discussion .
Lord F 1 TZWILLIA . M expressed smother shade of opinion . The present state of things cannot last said he , and "I am of opinion it has lasted already too long . " There is not even 4 he shadow of a hope of peace . True , it was not impassible to avert in , the early stages the state of things at which we have arrived ; but whatever way a man may turn that in liis mind , no alteration whatever ought to be made in the course Parliament must ttow take . Whether Ministers deserve credit or blame , it is tire duty of every man to afford then * the Strongest support when engaged in war . However ignorant the people might be of the tremendous character of the war , " I am convinced , " he said , « that there never was a war on which the Government would lie ( note-cordially supported than in that in which , we are about to engage , "
Lord Beaumont , following the cue of Lord Clan » ricarde , complained that the reply of Lord Clarendon was meagre . It is desirable to know whether we are at pgace or war . But he put the case with clearness and point . " The Emperor of Hussla has refused his consent to the last proposition submitted to him ; and not only has he refused , but be has stated that the grounds on which he is willing to enter into negotiations are grounds such as it is utterly impossible for any of the other powers to adopt . Well , if things have arrived at this point , further negotiations with t"he Emperor of * Sussia must be altogether out of the question : and when be has withdrawn his minister lere , and
refused to accept what must have been our ultimatumwhen , on the contrary , he insults Europe by offering proposals , at the eleventh tour , which lie must have known would bo refused—I say , wlien we have arrived at a point like that , that there cannot bo any alternative but war or disgrace . At tliat state of things , if I understand the answer of my noble friend , we have now arrived ; and therefore I think weare now entitled to know whether instructions have gone out from this country to recall our minister from St . Petersburg ^ or whether or no at this moment all negotiations have ended at Sb , Petersburg , in the same manner aa they have ended in >
this country . I am reluctant—quite as reluctant as my noble friend near me—to enter prematurely into any discussion , nor do I wish now to refer to what has passed . I am willing to give the Ministers moro credit , after reading the despatches now on the table , than I previously was , before I had seen them ; but now we havo arrived at that moment when hesitation , or the holding out of false hopes , and trying to believe that there is still pence when we are really at war , is a self-derusive course , which ought to be put an end to . Lot ns-look things boldly in tho uce as they ate , and not shrink from declaring that we aro at war , if Boch really botha case . "
Lord Clarendon , thus pressed , repeated bin former statement with additions , and greater clearness . At the outset he frankly declared that he hadf held out no sort of hppe that fresh negotiations aro to bo entered into , or that peace will be preserved . " lean assure both ^ Lord Beaumont and Earl Fitzwilliam ^ that I havo held out no such hopes at all . Those negotiations , as I have informed your lordships , have boon brought to a close nt Vienna 5 and I also stated that I have just re- * coived official iuiorinntian , so short a time ago llut I have .
cliaed the last proposition made to him , and that negotiations were over .. -But the public pafiers , he went on to * explain , stated that the Emperor had not sent in a formal reply ; that these was the semblance of a negotiation going on at " Vienna ; and ih&t while there remains ever-so faint a prospect of peace , Lord Olanricarde will not be the man to bring on a discussion that might put an end to it . fie would not " open very nice points . " Bat although h « would not provoke discussion , Parliament must soon be informed on these matters . So he magnanimously conteated himself with asking , whether any answer had been received from the Emperor of Russia , and whether the British Minister at St . Petersburg had received any instructions ?
lord Clabendon urbanely met his noble * friend , " by thanking him for the consideration he had shown in postponing a discussion , which he thought might be prejudicial to the slightest chance that * still remains of maintaining peace . '' And then he gave this account , received only that afternoon of the recent doings at Tienna : — "It was on the 2 dof this month that the conference was called together , and this proposal , or rather counter-proposal ,
of the Emperor of Eussia was communicated to the representatives of England , France , and Prussia by Count Buol ; but I only received the official annoimcement this afternoon . It is not yet in the bands of my colloagues : I only had time to show it to my noble friend at tho head of her Majesty's Government , and therefore I prefer at this moment not to enter into any details ; but I think it right to inform my friend and the Houso , that its terms were quite unacceptable , and where not of a character to sun < l to Constantinople . Of that there is no dou"bt . "
Lord Clarendon then told how Baron Brmiow had taken leave of him , on Saturday , and had broken off the relations subsisting between England andliussia ; and he promised to lay before the House the last Note addressed to him by Baron Brunow and his
answer . Here another actor , always prompt and decided in his views , roused the House by a soldier-like view of the state of affairs , and a compendious plan for settling a ^ peace . iLord Ellen uaitotfoH said he had always told the House that " the Emperor of ltussia was for nothing but war . " What profit could there be then in a retrospect of the conduct of li « r Majesty ' * Ministers ?
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122 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,
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Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 11, 1854, page 122, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2025/page/2/
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