DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16881#0005
IntrfllmdifliL
VOLUME LIV.-JANUARY TO JUNE, 1868.
THE DERBY CABINET.—1868.
First Lord of the Treasury . . . .•■■■. . . . Right Hon. B. Disraeli (now Earl of Beaconsfield).
Lord Chancellor ......... Lord Cairns.
Chancellor of the Exchequer . Right Hon. G. Ward Hunt.
Lord President of the Council . . ., . . . Duke of Marlborough.
Lord Privy Seal ... * .... . Earl of Malmesbury.
Home Office ..Right Hon. Gathorne Hardy.
Foreign Office.Lord Stanley (now Earl of Derby).
Colonial Office.Duke of Buckingham.
War Secretary.Sir John S. Pakington, Bart.
India Secretary.Sir Stafford H. Northcote, Bart.
Admiralty.Right Hon. H. T. L. Corry.
President of the Board of Trade.Duke of Richmond.
First Commissioner of Public Works . . . . . Lord John Manners.
Chief Secretary of Ireland ....... Earl of Mayo.
POLITICAL
PAOHi
rTlHE Parliament which, had adjourned, in December, after
JL the short Autumn Session rendered necessary by the
Abyssinian Expedition, re-assembled on the 13th of Feb-
ruary. It had been sitting only a fortnight when an im-
portant change took place in the composition of the
Government—important as regards the persons concerned,
but not as affecting the Ministerial Policy, which remained
unchanged. Lord Derby felt himself obliged by the state
of his health, to offer his resignation as head of the Govern-
ment to the Queen : this was accepted, and the Chancellor
of the Exchequer (Mr. Disraeli), became Prime Minister
in his stead. Other changes followed, the most notable of
which were the retirement of Lord Chelmsford from the
Lord Chancellorship, in which he was succeeded by Lord
Cairns, and the promotion of Mr. G. Ward Hunt, the
Secretary of the Treasury, to the Chancellorship of the
Exchequer.
The main topic of the session and of the time was Ireland,
and especially the Established Church of Ireland. But
some other subjects of discussion were prominent enough
to claim our attention. The continuance of the Eenian
Conspiracy in Ireland, again obliged Parliament to suspend
the operation of the Habeas Corpus Act in that country.
Voting by proxy, in divisions, in the House of Lords was
abandoned. The Reform Bill for Scotland passed into law,
and one provision in it requires particular notice, as affect-
ing England. It was at first proposed by the Government
to give seven new members to Scotland, and to increase the
existing numbers of the House to that extent; but Mr.
Baxter succeeded in carrying a motion ‘ ‘ that it be an in-
struction to the Committee that instead of adding to the
numbers of the House, they have power to disfranchise
boroughs in England, having by the Census returns of
SUMMARY.
* FA.GB
1361 less than 5000 inhabitants.” Accordingly seven small
English Boroughs, the names of which will be found in the
“ Essence of Parliament,” p. 271, were disfranchised. The
Reform Bill for Ireland was also carried, the Redistribution
portion of the scheme having been first withdrawn. The
trial of Election Petitions was transferred, by the new Bribery
Act, from Committees consisting of Members of the House of
Commons to the Judges. The Income Tax was raised
to sixpence to meet the increased cost of the Abyssinian
Expedition, now estimated at five instead of two millions.
An important alteration was made in the Mutiny Bill,
at the instance of Mr, Otway, by which flogging of
soldiers and marines in time of peace was abolished, and
the compulsory payment of Church Rates was at last
finally abolished.
But “ the entire Political interest of the Session was con-
centrated in the question of the Irish Church.” In the course
of a debate on Ireland, Mr. Gladstone distinctly and em-
phatically declared for the necessity of the disconnection
of the Protestant Established Church in Ireland from the
State, and announced his opinion that “the Church, as a
State Church, must cease to exist.”
On the 23rd of March, Mr. Gladstone laid on the Table
of the House three Resolutions touching the Irish Establish-
ment, the first and most important of which was to the
effect that the Established Church of Ireland should cease
to exist as an Establishment. This was carried against the
Government after a protracted debate by a majority of 65,
and the result was serious. After a short adjournment,
“ Mr. Disraeli ”—to quote the Companion to the British
Almanac—■“ informed the House that he had tendered the
resignation of the Ministry to the Queen, who had declined
! to receive it; that he had then proposed a Dissolution of
VOLUME LIV.-JANUARY TO JUNE, 1868.
THE DERBY CABINET.—1868.
First Lord of the Treasury . . . .•■■■. . . . Right Hon. B. Disraeli (now Earl of Beaconsfield).
Lord Chancellor ......... Lord Cairns.
Chancellor of the Exchequer . Right Hon. G. Ward Hunt.
Lord President of the Council . . ., . . . Duke of Marlborough.
Lord Privy Seal ... * .... . Earl of Malmesbury.
Home Office ..Right Hon. Gathorne Hardy.
Foreign Office.Lord Stanley (now Earl of Derby).
Colonial Office.Duke of Buckingham.
War Secretary.Sir John S. Pakington, Bart.
India Secretary.Sir Stafford H. Northcote, Bart.
Admiralty.Right Hon. H. T. L. Corry.
President of the Board of Trade.Duke of Richmond.
First Commissioner of Public Works . . . . . Lord John Manners.
Chief Secretary of Ireland ....... Earl of Mayo.
POLITICAL
PAOHi
rTlHE Parliament which, had adjourned, in December, after
JL the short Autumn Session rendered necessary by the
Abyssinian Expedition, re-assembled on the 13th of Feb-
ruary. It had been sitting only a fortnight when an im-
portant change took place in the composition of the
Government—important as regards the persons concerned,
but not as affecting the Ministerial Policy, which remained
unchanged. Lord Derby felt himself obliged by the state
of his health, to offer his resignation as head of the Govern-
ment to the Queen : this was accepted, and the Chancellor
of the Exchequer (Mr. Disraeli), became Prime Minister
in his stead. Other changes followed, the most notable of
which were the retirement of Lord Chelmsford from the
Lord Chancellorship, in which he was succeeded by Lord
Cairns, and the promotion of Mr. G. Ward Hunt, the
Secretary of the Treasury, to the Chancellorship of the
Exchequer.
The main topic of the session and of the time was Ireland,
and especially the Established Church of Ireland. But
some other subjects of discussion were prominent enough
to claim our attention. The continuance of the Eenian
Conspiracy in Ireland, again obliged Parliament to suspend
the operation of the Habeas Corpus Act in that country.
Voting by proxy, in divisions, in the House of Lords was
abandoned. The Reform Bill for Scotland passed into law,
and one provision in it requires particular notice, as affect-
ing England. It was at first proposed by the Government
to give seven new members to Scotland, and to increase the
existing numbers of the House to that extent; but Mr.
Baxter succeeded in carrying a motion ‘ ‘ that it be an in-
struction to the Committee that instead of adding to the
numbers of the House, they have power to disfranchise
boroughs in England, having by the Census returns of
SUMMARY.
* FA.GB
1361 less than 5000 inhabitants.” Accordingly seven small
English Boroughs, the names of which will be found in the
“ Essence of Parliament,” p. 271, were disfranchised. The
Reform Bill for Ireland was also carried, the Redistribution
portion of the scheme having been first withdrawn. The
trial of Election Petitions was transferred, by the new Bribery
Act, from Committees consisting of Members of the House of
Commons to the Judges. The Income Tax was raised
to sixpence to meet the increased cost of the Abyssinian
Expedition, now estimated at five instead of two millions.
An important alteration was made in the Mutiny Bill,
at the instance of Mr, Otway, by which flogging of
soldiers and marines in time of peace was abolished, and
the compulsory payment of Church Rates was at last
finally abolished.
But “ the entire Political interest of the Session was con-
centrated in the question of the Irish Church.” In the course
of a debate on Ireland, Mr. Gladstone distinctly and em-
phatically declared for the necessity of the disconnection
of the Protestant Established Church in Ireland from the
State, and announced his opinion that “the Church, as a
State Church, must cease to exist.”
On the 23rd of March, Mr. Gladstone laid on the Table
of the House three Resolutions touching the Irish Establish-
ment, the first and most important of which was to the
effect that the Established Church of Ireland should cease
to exist as an Establishment. This was carried against the
Government after a protracted debate by a majority of 65,
and the result was serious. After a short adjournment,
“ Mr. Disraeli ”—to quote the Companion to the British
Almanac—■“ informed the House that he had tendered the
resignation of the Ministry to the Queen, who had declined
! to receive it; that he had then proposed a Dissolution of