A Cabinet Council was held at three o'clock yesterday afternoon,
at the Foreign Office ; the summonses for the meeting having been issued in the forenoon. The Ministers present were—Lord John Russell, the Lord Chan- cellor, Sir George Grey, Viscount Palmerston, Earl Grey, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Francis Baring, Sir John Hobhouse, the Right Honour- able Henry Labouchere, the Marquis of Clanricarde, and the Right Honour- able Fox Maule. The Council sat three quarters of an hour. After the Council Lord John Russell went to Buckingham Palace, to have an audience of her Majesty.—Court Circular.
On the opening of the House of Commons, it was crowded with excited Members, anxious to learn the Ministerial determinations with regard to the Budget : expectation had been piqued by the understood determination of the Protectionist party to move an amendment, and agitated by surmises as to what had been the result of the suddenly-assembled Cabinet Council.
The explanations by Lord JOHN RUSSELL, about the policy of checking the tendency to Romanizing in the Church of England, were listened to with impatience.
About twenty minutes to six, the order for going into Committee of Ways and Means on the Income-tax was read.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL rose and said—" Sir, I have to request that this or- der of the day shall be postponed to Monday. On Monday next I shall state the reasons to the House why I have made this request.'
The House seemed taken by surprise ; but, after a short pause,
Mr. ITERRIES said—" I wish to ask the noble Lord, if it is intended posi- tively to proceed with the Committee of Ways and Means on Monday next ? "
Lord Joust Russz.m.—"I cannot state positively ; it is intended at pre- sent to do so on Monday ; but on Monday next I will state the reasons why I postpone it now, and the course I intend to take."
A noise of conversation instantly, pervaded the House ; some unimportant motions were agreed to in dumb show, and at six o'clock the House broke up, "in most admired disorder."
The explanations elicited earlier in the evening, from Lord John Russell, by Sir BENJAMIN HALL, were prefaced by a statement of the innovations and alterations in the church service which have been made by the Reverend Mr. Murray in the church of St. Andrew's, Wells Street. These innovations have been made the subject of memorials by a body of the parishioners to the Bishop of London, without success ; and Sir Benjamin Hall inquired of Lord John Russell, "whether the Archbishops and Bishops of the Church are about to take any steps for the purpose of suppressing the Romish prac- tices complained of ? Lord JOHN RUSSELL stated, that lie has been in com- munication with the Bishop of London on the case of Mr. Murray, and with the Archbishop of Canterbury on the mode of worship referred to. The Bishop thinks that Mr. Murray's mode of worship isnot in accordance with the purity of the Reformed Church of England ; but lie finds that the law imposes difficulty, delay, and expense, upon his interference : he will do everything in his power. The Primate explains the uncertainty and considerable expense of the law, and the difficulty of imposing on a clergyman the Archbishop's interpretation of the rubric ; but he does not at present advise legislation. If legislation become necessary—not to make any alteration of the rubric or liturgy, but to alter the mode of carrying the existing law into effect—appli- cation shall be made to Parliament. Lord John thinks it decorous to leave the matter in the hands of the Primate, with the aid of such counsel as he can obtain.
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