THE

HE re-elections of the Members of the Government by their respective constituencies having taken place without the loss of a single seat, the House of Commons re-assembled on the 16th of September, and those who had so long sat on the benches of Opposition assumed their new places on the Ministerial side. The business was commenced by Sir Robert Peel moving pro formá, for a copy of the letter of the First Commissioner of Woods and Forests to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the subject of warming and ventilating the new Houses of Parliament, and which he made the occasion of stating his intentions as to the course to be pursued with respect to the public business of the country. He intended to adopt, without alteration, the Miscellaneous Estimates framed by the late Government, which would be submitted to the House on the following evening: "but as the first part of those Estimates had been taken in a mass, instead of item by item, according to the usual course, he intended to reverse the mode with the second part, and to take them item by item instead of in the aggregate. He should have one addition to propose with respect to flues and other works necessary to the warming of the new Houses of Parliament.

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would be necessary to make provision for the continuance of some expiring laws, and he should propose to continue the existing Poorlaw, with its present establishment, to the 31st of the following July: whether by an ordinary Continuance-act, or by some special Act, he would leave it to the House to decide. With respect to the trials of election petitions, it appeared to him to be for the general

convenience not to adopt any proceedings at present for their determination: the general Committee of Elections were empowered to fix the days on which the several petitions should be taken, and no act of the House was necessary to suspend the trial of them. He then adverted to the question of finance, and the general policy of the new Government:

"With respect to the financial arrangements of the year, my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will, on the earliest day upon which a Committee of Ways and Means can be appointed, state to the House what is the extent of the deficiency to be provided for, upon comparing the expenditure with the revenue for the present year. I apprehend that it will be found not to fall short of the estimate given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and that the sum of nearly 2,500,000l. will have to be provided for the service of the current year. Into the details of this question my right honourable Friend will then enter, and avail himself of that opportunity to state what are the measures by which he proposes to constitute a temporary power of meeting that deficiency. With respect to measures of & more permanent character, having for their object to equalize the revenue and expenditure of the country, it is not our intention during the present session of Parliament to submit any measures for the consideration of the House. I have already expressed my opinion that it is absolutely necessary to provide effectually for the equalization of the revenue and expenditure, and we shall avail ourselves of the earliest opportunity, after a mature consideration

of the circumstances and condition of the country, to submit to Parliament measures for the purpose of remedying the existing evils. Whether that is to be done by diminishing the expenditure of the country, or by increasing the revenue, or by a combination of these two means, I must postpone for further consideration. It is enough for me to state at present, that it is impossible for the country, consistently with the public interests, to proceed in that financial course which has been pursued for several years past; but in proceeding to consider the mode in which so great an evil is to be remedied, I must ask for the confidence of the House to her Majesty's Government, while they give to that subject their most serious consideration. (Loud cheers from the Ministerial benches.) With regard to other measures of a permanent nature, I must make the same appeal to your confidence. It is perfectly true that for some days past I and my colleagues have been in possession of the powers of Government; but the arrangements which I have had to make for competing the Administration have ot placed me in a position to proceed any further in the consideration of measures of such great and permanent importance to the well-being of the country. It is unquestionably out of no disrespect to the authority of Parliament that I decline to submit to it my views upon these subjects; it is not on account of the advanced period of the year, not on account of the probably deficient attendance of Members, not on account of the temptation to indulge in other avocations. My My opinion is, that all such considerations ought to be sacrificed to

the paramount consideration of duty, and should not be permitted to interfere in the slightest degree with the business of the nation. The ground upon which I forbear from calling the attention of Par

liament to measures of that important character rests on the peculiar circumstances connected with the formation of her Majesty's present Government. I believe it to have been a just and true expression of opinion, before the late elections, that there was a great desire upon the part of those who will probably be the warmest opponents of her Majesty's Government to give them a fair trial; and I now declare that, on the earliest possible occasion, the public will find that the opinions of her Majesty's Government upon these most important subjects shall be fully stated to Parliament. In the mean time, I trust that I do not misunderstand the general feeling of the House, that on the whole it is right, upon the forma tion of a new Government, that time should be given to them to consider those measures which they may think expedient to be introduced, in connexion with the financial difficulties of the country." (Loud cries of hear.)

Lord John Russell said, that with regard to the immediate object of Sir Robert Peel's motion, it was not likely that he should have any objection to offer, and that he should certainly raise none against incurring any reasonable expense in carrying arrangements into effect for warming and ventilating the new Houses of Parliament. Upon the latter part of the right honourable Baronet's state. ment, however, he could not give the same assent to his proposals. He said, "With regard to the Mis

cellaneous Estimates, considering myself and those lately in office parties to those Estimates, I shall feel it my duty to attend and give my support to those votes. But, with regard to the further statement of the right honourable Gentleman, I shall certainly deem it my duty to take the opportunity to-morrow, before the House shall go into Committee of Supply, to state the view which I take of the present state of public affairs. (Loud cheers from the Opposition benches.) I do not think it would be consistent now to enter into this consideration; and the course which I propose to take, of making my statement before the House goes into Committee of Supply, appears to me to be both the ordinary course, and consistent with due preparation. I heard with great concern from the right honourable Gentleman the statement of his intention not to propose any measures during the present session. I do not say, that, during the last few days, while he was occupied with the care of forming an Administration, he can have given any new attention to the great measures to which he has adverted. But, considering the length of time which has elapsed since the disputed measures were proposed by the late Government, and the present state of the country, I must say, that I shall be obliged to give it as my opinion, that in the course of the present autumn the Government now constituted ought to propose their measures. I infer from the right honourable Baronet's statement that his intention is, having obtained the necessary supplies, and a renewal of the Poor-law Act, that the House of Commons should not meet again until the ordinary

time in February next. To-morrow I will state why I think this course is not advisable in the present state of the country. The right honourable Gentleman has truly said, that the House of Commons ought not to attend to matters of personal convenience in preference to the business of the country. In that opinion I perfectly concur, and believe that there are considerations of public exigence which ought to direct their immediate attention to measures which seem to me to be of the vastest importance. (Cheers from the Opposition benches.) I do not at all wish to embarrass the right honourable Baronet's course, but merely to intimate my views as to the existing state of the country, and the course which ought to be pursued."

Accordingly on the following evening, Sir Robert Peel having moved the order of the day for going into a Committee of Supply, Lord John Russell proceeded to state his views upon the position of public affairs. He began by expressing his satisfaction at the failure of the late attempt upon the lives of the royal family in France. He then expressed his disapprobation of the doctrine set up by the United States, relative to the affair of the Caroline, that their particular courts could not be withheld by their general Government from dealing with the subjects of other nations; because such a doctrine, pushed to its extreme, would put it in the power of a mere inferior tribunal of criminal law to involve two nations in war. He adverted in terms of commendation to Sir Robert Peel's appointments in Ireland; after which he addressed himself to the main questions on which he dif

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fered with the Government. The Queen had referred to the House the great question of the trade of Corn: the House accepted that reference with a condition that the Ministers should be changed. "The advice of the House of Commons was acceded to by the Queen, and a Ministry was formed full of attachment to our institutions in Church and State, and to - the sliding-scale. (A laugh.) A new set of men are now placed in the Cabinet of the Queen. I am not one of those who think that we should look exclusively to measures, and not to men. I think we should look to both; but let us for a moment recur to the sentiments expressed by the right honourable baronet in April last. He then thought the delay of a month too much, he now proposes that there should be a delay of five months. It was said most fairly, that the right honourable Baronet had recently been occupied with forming a new Administration, and could not be expected at once to bring forward his measures; but I hope the House will not forget the length of time which he had for previous deliberation. At the end of April last the Budget of the late Government was proposed to the House. I then gave notice for a Committee of the whole House to consider the laws affecting the importation of Corn, and I further gave notice, that within a month from that time I should bring the subject before the House. Protests were uttered against this, and I was told that the delay of a month would be intolerable; yet four months have elapsed since the Budget was brought forward, and the right honourable Baronet proposes to add five months to the four, though when the late Go

vernment was in power four weeks were thought too great a delay. Does the right honourable Baronet say that he will take his stand upon the present Corn-laws? The inference drawn from the composition of his Government is, that he will not make any alteration in them. A threat had been held out that no alteration in the Cornlaws would be made, and I must be allowed to say, that the appointment of the Duke of Buckingham to a seat in the Cabinet seems to indicate that the threat will be acted on; for I am told that no one is more opposed than the Duke of Buckingham to any such alteration. The right honourable Baronet and some others have not, perhaps, given any very decided pledge on the subject; because, as regards a sliding-scale, it may be such as to amount almost to a prohibition; it may be such as to give a much less protection than the fixed duty which I proposed; therefore am I justified in saying, that the right honourable Baronet and some others leave their opinions unknown, and have not given any indication of the nature of the measure they would propose. I, at the same time, could not but observe, that while the noble Duke, to whom I have alluded, has been made a Member of the Cabinet, there are others connected with his party, and who have, on occasions, been intrusted with high office, who entertain very different opinions from the noble Duke on this subject. Sir G. Murray, who was for a considerable time Secretary of State in the Administration of the Duke of Wellington, has expressed himself favourable to a fixed duty of 8s., or, I believe, of less. But Sir G. Murray is not a Member of the present Cabinet.