13 APRIL 1850, Page 1

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

auccEssrorr of small rebuffs exposes the condition of extreme weakness which the Russell Ministry has at length attained. Their troubles began with the week. On going into Committee on the Ordnance Estimates, Captain Bolder° moved a resolution declaring that better accommodation ought to be provided for As- sistant-Surgeons in war-ships. At present, officers of that class, although technically ranking with Lieutenants, are consigned to the cockpit, where they have to consort with Midshipmen, to put up with whatever frolic may please the youngsters, and to forego all hope of pursuing their own professional studies. The amend- ment was opposed by Ministers on the paltriest of grounds,—more expense to the Assistant-Surgeons from being transferred to the officers' mess ; want of room in war-ships ; and Admiral Berkeley's opinion that their present treatment is good enough for their social rank and position. In the formal vote that preceded the surrender to Captain Boldero without dividing' Ministers were defeated by 48 to 40: on the unpopular side, the Liberal Ministry was also on the losing side. It was the same next day, when Lord Duncan moved a resolu- tion to abolish the Window-tax. The tax has long been con- demned—even by Commissions appointed under Ministerial au- thority' by several persons now high in office, when they were members of the Health of Towns Association; and by the passage in the Queen's Speech which pronounced sanatory improvements to be so vitally necessary—for the Window-tax is a tax on sanatory improvement. It yields a revenue of 1,800,000/. a year, and of course the Chancellor of the Exchequer cannot afford to lose that amount : but of course it could be made good to him in a less ob- jectionable way. He prefers the bad taxation, and resisted Lord D11116011'S proposition.. With all the command of placemen and ex- pedants, he could only muster 80 dissentients to Lord Duncan's 77 consentients a result universally regarded as a defeat. The day after that, the House of Commons voted on the second reading of the bill to extend the jurisdiction of County Courts, in cases of debt from 201. to 50/., in cases of tort from 5/. to 201.; a change which would extend the benefits of prompt and facile jus- tice to a considerably larger number of people. The fact that the County Courts have worked well could not reconcile a Reform Cabinet to the extension. Sir George Grey "cautioned" the House against going further' and Attorney-General Jervis, head of the lawyers, seemed to work himself up into a fine phrensy of objec- tion to justice thus cheap and easy,—whieh told quite as much against the County Courts under their present aspect as against the bill. The popular wish for the measure was confessed' Sir George Grey professed a desire to ascertain the opinion of the Rouse; and in the division Ministers chose to vote in the minority, which was in the ratio of 67 to 144—less than half the Opposition ! In all these three instances Ministers were opposing a change in the popular direction; actuated to resistance, as they almost avowed, mainly by the consciousness of their own inability to do what is desirable. It may be said that they have voted no confidence in themselves. Still they manifest no sign of relinquishing their hold on offioe : on the contrary, they talk and plan as if they had a new lease ; and their advocates are beginning to talk in "the second manner". of Whig art—to boast of still having a good "working majority." Yes, that jargon of the former Whig Cabi- net has turned up again.

While yet we write they approach another critical passage of the session—Mr. Disraeli's amendment on Lord John Russell's motion for a Committee to inquire into the state of certain public salaries. Mr. Disraeli's amendment says to them, "You do not need inquiry, for you have all the information you want ; you only desire to shuffle off responsibility, and to postpone action : bring forward the measure of reduction on your own information and responsibility, and we will deal with it on its merits." It is

difficult to find a satisfaetorjknswer to that .missive. The First Lord of thewould not seek to disturb his arrangements if he did nonetan 2rat they are wrong : but he hai, within the official departments, abundance of information ; he must know

what to do, and constitutionally he is the right person to do it. . .