Infoimttiflit.
VOLUME XLIV.-JANUARY TO JUNE, 1863.
THE PALMERSTON CABINET.—1863.
First Lord of the Treasury
Lord Chancellor
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster
President of the Council
President of the Board of Trade
Lord Privy Seal
Home Office .
Foreign Office
Colonial Office .
War Secretary
India Secretary . . . .
Admiralty ....
Postmaster-General
Poor Law Board
Viscount Palmerston.
Lord Westbury.
Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone.
Right Hon. E. Cardwell.
Earl Granville.
Right Hon. Thomas M. Gibson.
Duke of Argyll.
Sir George Grey, Bart.
Earl Russell.
Duke op Newcastle.
Sir G. Cornewall Lewis, Bart.
Sir Charles Wood, Bart.
Duke op Somerset.
Lord Stanley op Alderley.
Right Hon. Charles P. Villiers.
POLITICAL
PAGE
np HE year 1863 would have opened prosperously and eheer-
-*■ fully, but for the distress prevailing in Lancashire. The
public heart had been touched, it is true, and large sums
had been subscribed for the relief of the unemployed, but
still there was much suffering and great privations. Other-
wise the people were well employed, peaceable, and contented.
The Revenue was in an improving state, and political and
religious animosities were more than usually quiescent.
Our Essence of Parliament is so exhaustive of all subjects
of interest, and explanatory of the pictorial allusions, that
for the purposes of this Introduction it will only be necessary
to enlarge now and then on a few of the debates, and to enter
somewhat more fully than usual upon Foreign affairs, and
one or two subjects of social interest.
The Civil War in America had extended its evils to our
own country, as we have seen, hut the suffering people of
Lancashire, knowing that their distress was attributable to no
neglect or error of their own Government, nor to any injus-
tice of the laws under which they lived, bore their lot
patiently—nobly. No doubt this resignation and brave en-
durance were encouraged by the heartfelt sympathy of their
fellow-countrymen, as much as by the liberal subscriptions
which came pouring in from all parts of the United Kingdom
and the Colonies. Not only were the actual suffering and pri-
vation mitigated, but as the Earl of Derby,—the Chairman
and active agent of the Fund,—said in the House of Lords :
“ a great amount of kindly feeling among different classes had
been called forth. The great distress and the means taken to
relieve it had made rich and poor understand each other
better than before, and taught them to remember their mutual
SUMMARY.
dependence upon one another. It led the rich to think of the
duties they owed to the poor, and it showed the poor that the
rich were not unmindful of them in their afflictions.”
Such an event as the stoppage of our cotton manufactures
had never been contemplated, and now that it had come many
prophesied that England would suffer grievously; but the
operations of her trade were too vast for her to be seriously
affected by any local or partial derangement, and the national
revenue, instead of suffering a decline, actually showed an
increase, and allowed a large remission of taxation.
England, therefore, wisely continued her policy of “ neutra-
lity,” although circumstances occurred which made it rather
difficult of observance.
The Alabama, an iron steam-vessel built at Liverpool, which
by her great speed and the skill and daring of her commander
and crew inflicted considerable damage on the Northern marine,
was the subject of much angry remonstrance, our Government
being accused of infraction of international law by permitting
the construction of such a vessel within its jurisdiction. This
infraction was denied by us.
The Alexandra, another vessel of the same class as the
Alabama, and built in an English yard, was, however, de-
tained by our Government, but the legality of the seizure was
disputed and tried in the Court of Exchequer, and resulted in
a verdict for the owners of the Alexandra. The judgment of
the Court of Exchequer was afterwards appealed against, but
the verdict of the jury was regarded by the anti-English
party in America as another instance of an unfriendly feeling
towards their country.
Several English ships, the Adela, the Peterhoff, and the
VOLUME XLIV.-JANUARY TO JUNE, 1863.
THE PALMERSTON CABINET.—1863.
First Lord of the Treasury
Lord Chancellor
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster
President of the Council
President of the Board of Trade
Lord Privy Seal
Home Office .
Foreign Office
Colonial Office .
War Secretary
India Secretary . . . .
Admiralty ....
Postmaster-General
Poor Law Board
Viscount Palmerston.
Lord Westbury.
Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone.
Right Hon. E. Cardwell.
Earl Granville.
Right Hon. Thomas M. Gibson.
Duke of Argyll.
Sir George Grey, Bart.
Earl Russell.
Duke op Newcastle.
Sir G. Cornewall Lewis, Bart.
Sir Charles Wood, Bart.
Duke op Somerset.
Lord Stanley op Alderley.
Right Hon. Charles P. Villiers.
POLITICAL
PAGE
np HE year 1863 would have opened prosperously and eheer-
-*■ fully, but for the distress prevailing in Lancashire. The
public heart had been touched, it is true, and large sums
had been subscribed for the relief of the unemployed, but
still there was much suffering and great privations. Other-
wise the people were well employed, peaceable, and contented.
The Revenue was in an improving state, and political and
religious animosities were more than usually quiescent.
Our Essence of Parliament is so exhaustive of all subjects
of interest, and explanatory of the pictorial allusions, that
for the purposes of this Introduction it will only be necessary
to enlarge now and then on a few of the debates, and to enter
somewhat more fully than usual upon Foreign affairs, and
one or two subjects of social interest.
The Civil War in America had extended its evils to our
own country, as we have seen, hut the suffering people of
Lancashire, knowing that their distress was attributable to no
neglect or error of their own Government, nor to any injus-
tice of the laws under which they lived, bore their lot
patiently—nobly. No doubt this resignation and brave en-
durance were encouraged by the heartfelt sympathy of their
fellow-countrymen, as much as by the liberal subscriptions
which came pouring in from all parts of the United Kingdom
and the Colonies. Not only were the actual suffering and pri-
vation mitigated, but as the Earl of Derby,—the Chairman
and active agent of the Fund,—said in the House of Lords :
“ a great amount of kindly feeling among different classes had
been called forth. The great distress and the means taken to
relieve it had made rich and poor understand each other
better than before, and taught them to remember their mutual
SUMMARY.
dependence upon one another. It led the rich to think of the
duties they owed to the poor, and it showed the poor that the
rich were not unmindful of them in their afflictions.”
Such an event as the stoppage of our cotton manufactures
had never been contemplated, and now that it had come many
prophesied that England would suffer grievously; but the
operations of her trade were too vast for her to be seriously
affected by any local or partial derangement, and the national
revenue, instead of suffering a decline, actually showed an
increase, and allowed a large remission of taxation.
England, therefore, wisely continued her policy of “ neutra-
lity,” although circumstances occurred which made it rather
difficult of observance.
The Alabama, an iron steam-vessel built at Liverpool, which
by her great speed and the skill and daring of her commander
and crew inflicted considerable damage on the Northern marine,
was the subject of much angry remonstrance, our Government
being accused of infraction of international law by permitting
the construction of such a vessel within its jurisdiction. This
infraction was denied by us.
The Alexandra, another vessel of the same class as the
Alabama, and built in an English yard, was, however, de-
tained by our Government, but the legality of the seizure was
disputed and tried in the Court of Exchequer, and resulted in
a verdict for the owners of the Alexandra. The judgment of
the Court of Exchequer was afterwards appealed against, but
the verdict of the jury was regarded by the anti-English
party in America as another instance of an unfriendly feeling
towards their country.
Several English ships, the Adela, the Peterhoff, and the