NEWS OF THE WEEK.
DISPERSION has never been carried so far in any vacation as in the present. Not only has the Sovereign sought the custom- ary autumnal refuge in the Scottish Highlands ; not only have those who usually congregate in London during "the season" dispersed themselves to greater distances—gone farther into India and America, in unusual numbers to the South, and in larger numbers to the recently-prohibited North ; but we have in our letters alone evident signs of an excessive locomotion which has seized upon the travelling English of all classes. The vacation has commenced earlier, is pursued with more intensity, and constitutes for the time the business of a greater multitude. Nevertheless, the preparations for next session have already commenced, and are in some cases osten- tatiously paraded. "The Tories," for example, are labouring to arrange a new muster of their forces, and it is said with a new Commander-in-chief, whose name even has been men- tioned; though there is many a slip between such a proposal and
seat' at the head of the Anti-Treasury bench. There was a report lately that Lord Palmerston had called for special sugges- tions from the several departments of his Government towards systematic prosecution of legislative activity next session ; as Ministers intended to make a show before the constituencies, with an eye to the coming dissolution and general election. But we have heard nothing to confirm this report ; and we set it down as one of the idle inferences drawn upon very slight grounds, at a season when authenticated news is comparatively rare, though the materials for authenticated news are continually accruing. That Lord Palmerston may have contributed to the apparent importance of "the departments," by conceding to them an un- usual degree of independence, and also leaving them to shift for themselves; either in the session or in the recess, is more than probable. We have seen the departments bringing their mea- sures before Parliament ; we have seen them defeated without a sigh from the Premier. One department has set itself against another—the Horse Guards, for example, against the War De- ixtrtment ; though that feud is probably neutralized by the mild character of the Royal working soldier who has been stationed at the Horse Guards. Other departments, however, have been indulging antagonistic emulations in the most independent fashion.
During the recess' the most prominent instance of self-asser- tion on the part of the Executive happens in the department of which Sir Benjamin Hall is the head. He no doubt intends to leave behind him a great name, as the founder of new and high places about the capital of the empire. The special occasion was created-by-himself he had collected a meeting of architects to listen to his explanations in inviting designs for to new depart-. ments in the neighbourhood of Downing Street, new abodes of the Foreign Office and the War Department. The calling for designs implies that Sir Benjamin Hall has set aside the plans that were understood to have been previously adopted in his office ; and there have been yet other proposals for a new alloca- tion of the public offices,—such, for example, as Sir Charles Trevelyan's for an entire reconstruction of. official Westminster. Sir Benjamin Hall appears to have committed himself to none of these proposals, but to invite new suggestions. We may pre- sume from the character of his proceedings heretofore, that he
intends to act in the spirit of the suggestion that publicity should be sought at each stage of the work, and that the, business of execution could also at each stage be kept open to public compe- tition. It has been observed that this method of proceeding to supply the immediate want of public buildings for those offices which most need them, would still leave open the official district for gradual and ulterior improvement.
