the King's speech, and to his owndeclaration againstreform. In one
sense GLOBE—With the exception of the Duke of Wellington and Sir R. the assertion may be true. By the King's speech, and his own declare- Peel, the Ministry consisted of persons some of them positively un- tion, the Minister lost his remaining supporters ; but these were sup- popular, none of them possessed of positive weight or striking aptitude. porters whom he could not hope to retain, without going the whole Whether the Duke of Wellington purposely restricted himself to such length of revolution, and who, had he retained them, would have failed auxiliaries, it is difficult to say ; it is possible that he was more attentive to sustain him against the strong and indignant displeasure of the great to the qualities of obedience and dispatch, which made the transaction body of the people. The history of his Grace's brief political career is of official business easy, than to those qualities which commanded the soon told : he encouraged, was supported by, and deceived in turn, every assent of Parliament and the country. But it is no small proof of the great party in the community ; first, the High Tories—secondly, the respect which his own character commanded, that he held together so Whigs—thirdly,the Radicals. The lowest and most contemptible were, long a Ministry composed of such materials. Sir R. Peel has now held in the proper order of degradation, his Grace's last allies ; having office, with short intervals of retirement, for a considerable time. They lost them, he had exhausted all—and fell, not through their special dis- only can judge of his merits who recollect previous Administrations ; pleasure alone, but because in displeasing them he had reached the they only can be sensible of the change which he has effected, and the fulness of his unpopularity. Let any who entertain the opinion that beneficial result of his good sense, diligence, and integrity on the state this party was strong enough to crush the Minister, recollect that of the country, and the whole course of the administration within his Mr. Canning, in the very crisis of his struggle for power, declared influence. Since he has filled his present office (and he has done so in against them in far stronger language than was used in either the some periods of great difficulty and distress), there have been no inva. Ring's speech or the Duke of Wellington's late declaration, and that sions or suspensions of the constitution—there have been no alarms of Mr. Canning gained, instead of losing, influence, by his avowed hos- treasonable plots, fostered into importance by credulity, and then made tility to liberalism and radicalism ; let them-recollect, also, that the last the pretext for invasions of the freedom of the subject—there has been session, and the latter half of the preceding session, presented nothing no ostentation of apprehension of popular meetings, no needless displays but a series 9f retreats or reverses on the part of the Minister—that at of military force against visionary riots, and the peace of the country has the elections he was so unpopular that Mr. Brougham truly said of him been nevertheless perfectly well preserved. The Alien Law has been al. at the Leeds Election dinner, among the infinite variety of claims to lowed to subside into its present unobnoxions form ; such of the Six Acts as public favour put forward by candidates throughout the kingdom, no his predecessors had not made perpetual, have been permitted toexpire ; the man ventured to ask for support on the ground of his attachment to the choice of juries has been placed on a fair and honest footing I he has put a Minister. When these things are considered, it must be plain that it stop to the distribution of judicial patronage in Scotland for political pur. is only in the sense in which the final plunge might be called the cause poses merely, and generally in the distribution of his patronage has of ruin to him who has long run a headlong course of destruction, approached more nearly to judicial integrity than any Minister who pre. that the King's Speech, or the declaration, can be said to have caused ceded him. By this conduct we are persuaded that he has done more the fall of the Duke of Wellington. The day that his Grace abandoned than any man now living, to improve the tone of the Government to- his principles he sealed his political ruin, though he has been able to wards the people, and of the people towards the Government ; for many postpone its consummation for a few months, by temporizing and all the of his best measures have not been forced-on him by any efforts of par. arts of shuffling. With respect to the new ministry, we are at present ties, or any pressing demonstration of public feeling, and were conse- able to say no more than this—that Earl Grey has received the order to quently received as spontaneous offerings of an honest Minister to the arrange it, and that, in his Lordship's interview with the King, he had public good. Add to this his assiduous efforts to amend the Criminal every reason to be flattered with the gracious and cordial manner in Law, and that amidst all his labours he has been uniformly attentive to which his Majesty received him. We believe that Earl Grey has ob- the daily details, and of unimpeached equity and firmness in the business jected to taking the first place in the Cabinet. We shall keep our paper of his administration—and we see in him a public man of whom the open to the latest moment ; 'but, as we have said, at present, nothing is country has a right to be proud. We say this without reference to the known beyond the fact that Earl Grey has the formation of the Cabinet. meritorious sacrifice which he made to the success of the Catholic question. Much has been said of the difficult task which the new ministers have We believe there have been few Ministers more useful—none more honest. before them. We are not of those who see any extraordinary difficulty. The Ministry has fallen in consequence of the suspicion which it la. If the new men speak and act with sincerity, and address themselves se- boured under of being inclined to interference with Continental politics riously to the relief of the people, the correction of abuses, and to im- —of the declared opposition of the Premier to reform—of the belief that proving the security of the institutions of the country, they may be sure the Cabinet was coquetting with the most prejudiced and corrupt and of the co-operation of all classes, heart and hand ; former differences will terrified parts of the aristocracy, and that it was hesitating, to say the be forgotten in4the common pursuit of the common good ; and even if least of it,in its economical reforms. It was foretold, from the common the Ministers fail, they will fail without dishonour. They have, how- strain of their pamphleteers, that the Ministry would receive an acres- ever, before their eyes a lesson that insolence, though qualified by insin- sion from the Tories and alarmists of the old leaven. In humouring cerity and ingratitude, and tyranny, though gilded by fulsome profes- some of these, it has lost its hold of the country. A ministry will, there- MORNING HERALD—Whoever the new Ministers may be, it is to the last—a Ministry free from the suspicion of an intention to inter. quite clear their office will be no sinecure. The embarrassments of the fere with foreign quarrels—a Ministry friendly to Parliamentary Re- country are such as to tax more severely than, perhaps, at any former form—a Ministry resolved, above all things, to proceed unsparingly to period, the wisdom of those who are called to govern it. The progress cut down our corrupt and profuse expenditure, for this is the first want of revolution on the Continent is the natural consequence of the con- and cry of the country. Such a Ministry will have many honest means stant and violent opposition given to political and social improvement, of popularity, and it will have a source of strength in the confidence of , The human mind, like a river confined by artificial mounds, has burst a King whose chief ambition seems to be to retain and deserve the affec- the barriers with which an impotent despotism checked its current for a tion of the people. The dangers to be avoided will be compromise and time, only to increase its power ; and the consequence is, that, where coalition for the temporary purpose of patching up a strong party in it would have diffused fertility in its course, it has carried waste and Parliament. desolation. But the Continental despots accuse the people of turbulence. STANDARD—The irony of the Globe is severe and cutting. It is a What produced that turbulence ?—their own want of wisdom, and well-imagined sneer to praise Sir Robert for not having invaded the con- violation of good faith. When they were in extreme peril from foreign stitution, when we recollect that Sir Robert himself declaredin the House invasion—when the warlike genius of Napoleon threatened them with of Commons that he broke it larougla ; and it is not a little malt- extinction, they made promises of political amelioration, to induce the cious to panegyrize him for not getting up "treasonable plots, fostered people to rise in their defence—which promises they have never oh- into importance by credulity," the very week after his discovery of the served. After their armies had been repeatedly overthrown in san- horrible Don-Key plot to murder th3 King and his Ministers, with guinary conflicts, the patriotic devotion of the people delivered them which he frightened all England, and unich, contrary to his promise, from the chains of vassalage ; but the first use which they made of the irre- he has never yet disclosed. Again, it is very sly to give him credit for stored authority was to rivet more closely the chains of the people who not alarming us with "visionary riots," under the circumstances of the Lad so heroically wrought their deliverance. Revolution on the Conti- late Lord Mayor's Day ; and to remind us that the introducer of the gait- neat is, therefore, easily accounted for ; but England is, in no respect, darmerie into England bad an objection to the use of military force for 'the the countries which are subject to the iron sceptre of arbitrary civil purposes. The sting in the tall is cleverly managed. "We say power. When the late Ministers made common cause with that combi. this without reference to the meritorious sacrifice which he made to the
THEATRICAL REGISTER. nation of despots known by the designation of the " Holy Alliance," We must restrict ourselves this week to a mere list of the performances they committed a mistake which argued a total want of that po. litical sagacity which is the indispensable requisite of statesmen.
DRIJR LANE. They showed that they wanted the understanding to discover that Y
it was the interest of a free state, like England, to keep clear from
Monday—The Brigand—The National Guard—Masaniello. all suspicious communion with tyrannical Governments. The late Tuerday—Hofer—Turning the Tables—The Illustrious Stranger. Ministry had, indeed, repeatedly avowed, upon former occasions, that Wednesday—Tas CONSCRIPT, OR THE VETERAN AND HIS Dori—Midas—Der they were resolved to avoid all cause of war, except in self-defence, and Thursday—The Brigand—The National Guard—Masaniello. to act, with regard to the affairs of other nations, strictly on the principle Friday—Henry the Fourth—Turning the Tables—The Conscript. of non-intervention. They did so as long as the oppressors of the people
COVENT GARDEN. were victorious ; but when the people prevailed against their oppressors, ,
Saturday—The Carnival of Naples—Hide and Seek—Black-Eyed Susan, as in the case of Belgium, then our Government forgot their declarations Nonday—The Strangerr—Teddy the Tiler—Robert the Devil. • of non-intervention, and made common cause with the defeated despot, Tuesday—The Carnival of Naples—Hide and Seek—The Blue Anchor. whose administration they described as enlightened, and whose eman. Wednesday—The Stranger—Hide and Seek—Block-Eyed Susan. cipated subjects they would have returned to their bondage ! It is true
the same Ministry recognised the revolutionized Government of France ; but France was too powerful to cope with in arms, and Belgium is a State of minor importance, in which it was thought the popular spirit
THE PRESS. could be easily crushed. It might be so, if England and the Holy Alli. Sr asrnaan—The Duke of Wellington has ceased to be Minister— ance commenced a crusade against the Belgians, contending alone " so ends our enmity." It is no longer in his power to injure the coun. against the combined efforts of their arms; but, if France took part with try which his skill and valour saved ; and ungenerous indeed would they Belgium, whiclr we firmly believe she would, in such a case, as a matter be who should now willingly recollect any thing but his splendid services. of inclination and policy united, it is impossible to say what would be Without canvassing, however, ill naturedly, the civil conduct and the the consequences of such a war. It would, probably, after being pro. character of the man during the two unhappy years of his administration, ductive of the waste of much blood and treasure, have the effect of re. sve may endeavour to expose a delusion industriously raised for dishonest volutionizing Europe from one end to the other. One of the greatest purposes, as to the causes and circumstances of the Minister's fall from advantages which this country derives from the dismissal of the late Office. It is said that the Minister owes his political ruinto the tenor of Ministry, is to protect Europe from the chances of such a desolating conflict.
success of the Catholic question. We believe there have been few ministers more _useful-7:1one more honest." The sacrifice which he made being the sacrifice of the loudly-declared principles of twenty years of public life, for the sake of keeping place, there is much pungent bitter- ness in winding up with the word honest. It is, indeed, an acrimonious sneer. We have read few pieces of irony better or more gravely ma.
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