POSTSCRIPT.
The Lords Commissioners—the Chancellor, the Duke of Buccleuch, the Earl of Haddington, and the Earl of Dalhousie—entered the House of Lords, in their robes, a little before five o'clock; and having taken their seats, the Usher of the Black Rod was sent to desire the attendance of the Commons. In a few minutes the Speaker appeared at the bar, attended by a great number of the Members—crowding the bar and overflowing the gallery. Besides the Corn and Customs Bills, other bills public and private, amounting altoge- ther to sixty-four, received the Royal fiat: but long before the list was exhausted, the throng of Commoners had nearly disappeared.
The languid manner in which the sulisequent business was conducted savoured strongly of a Ministerial interregnum.
On the motion of the Marquis of CLANRICARDE, an address to the Queen, praying that the new House should he forthwith prepared for the reception of the Peers, was agreed to. The motion gave rise to some discus- sion on the merits of Dr. Reid and his ventilating plans; and the opinion freely expressed was, that if the Doctor were allowed to carry them into effect, no idea could be formed of the time when the building will be habitable.
With the view of compensating to some extent the loss of the Irish Coer- cion Bill in the Commons, Lord BROUGHAM reintroduced his bill of 1843 for changing the venue in Ireland, and otherwise to facilitate the repression of crime. This bill was read a first time.
The Earl of Ramon, who intended, on bringing up the reports on the Annuity Bills of Lord Harding° and Lord Gough, to ask their Lordships to reconsider their amendments, said that in the present position of the Government it would be proper to postpone it. The order of the day was accordingly discharged. The Marquis of WESTMINSTER having moved the second reading of the Juvenile Offenders Bill, the LORD Cumic.ELLoa suggested that the ques- tion should be adjourned, considering the state of the House and the Go- vernment. The discussion was accordingly adjourned for a week. The Commons eat till half-past seven; but the business transacted was uninteresting. The temporary Sugar-duties Bill was ordered to be read a third time on Monday. Mr. Fox MatrLE withdrew his Free Church Site Bill; stating that two of the Lords formerly named by him had re- cently given sites for churches, and he hoped their example would be fol- lowed. Sir JAMES Gaanam was glad to hear this statement: he thought Mr. Maule had exercised a sound discretion in withdrawing his bill.
A Cabinet Council was held yesterday at one o'clock, at the Foreign Office; and was attended by the following Ministers—Sir Robert Peel, the Duke of Wellington, the Lord Chancellor, the Duke of Buccleuch, the Earl of Haddington, the Earl of Aberdeen, Sir James Graham, Mr. Secre- tary Gladstone, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Earl of Ellenborough, the Earl of Ripon, Lord Granville Somerset, the Earl of Lincoln, the Earl of Dalhousie, Mr. Sidney Herbert, and the Earl of St. Germans.
The resignation of the Cabinet is taken for granted. It was stated in the morning papers that Sir Robert Peel went to Osborne House yesterday after the Council broke up, to wait upon the Queen. The Standard con- tradicts this, but says he went today, at half-past twelve. We learn, how- ever, that though Sir Robert ordered a special train to be in readiness at that hour, he was seen in town, on horseback, several hours later.
The Standard affects to doubt whether Sir Robert Peel has any sincere thoughts of resigning; and treats the removal of his family on the route to Italy as a political ruse!
We hear that heavy betting in connexion with this Ministerial crisis has been going on for some time, and that Lord George has "made up his book" very advantageously.
"Her Majesty, it is said, will come to town on Monday, for the conve- nience of the rival politicians; but probably before that time will invite Lord John Russell to another trial of his marshalling and conciliatory powers. The Marquis of Lansdowne, it is said, excuses himself, on the score of his age and infirmities, from this most onerous of duties. The pre- sent Ministers, it is understood, will consult their own and the publiiinon: venience by retaining their places until the middle of next week; though the Ministerial explanations will not be deferred beyond Monday even- ing."—Times.
"Nothing whatever is known with any degree of certainty as to the formation of a new Ministry. Lord John Russell was visited by Mr. Charles Buller, Mr. Stanley, and several of his political friends, this morn- ing in Chesham Place; but up to the time we went to press his Lordship had not been sent for by her Majesty."—Standard.
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