POSTSCRIPT.

SaTutoav.

The Earl of WiNeurn.se.s. last night undertook a duty which under ordinary circumstances would have been performed by the recognized leader of the Opposition. He put questions to Lord Melbourne, in- tended to elicit a definite statement of the policy of his revived Admi- nistration, and of the measures he was prepared to adopt in the existing condition of affairs, Domestic, Foreign, and. Colonial ; which Lord Winchilsea considered to be pregnant with danger and causes of alarm. As Lord Melbourne had distinctly stated that he quitted office because he no longer possessed the confidence of Parliament to the extent necessary to enable him to carry on the Government with honour to the Crown and security to the country, Lord Winchilsea wished to know under what circumstances he now undertook the management of affairs ? Had there been an abandonment of principle on the part of the sup- porters of the Government; or had Lord Melbourne abandoned any of his principles ?

Viscount MELBOURNE replied, that he had already related to the House the circumstances under which he had resumed office,—eir - cumstances which rendered it impossible for him, as a man of honour and a man of feeling, to act in any other manner.. He retained the principles on which he took office in 1835.—the same on which the Administration had been originally formed and had since been con- ducted—

" Those principles are principles unquestionably of progressive reform, adopt- ing every measure that is for the good and the advantage of the country ; but certainly I never have been, nor am I now, for purchasing or obtaining support by bringing forward or supporting measures contrary to my opinions, or con- trary to my conscience. That is what 1 understand to be the general principle on which the present Government is founded. I am not myself a very great friend to declarations of general principles on the part of Government. In general they are so extremely obvious, and in themselves so very universal, as in fact to he admitted and professed by every Government ; and they have the disadvantage of being interpreted by everybody according to his feelings, and according to his own wishes and opinions, and often produce subsequent difficulty and subsequent embarrassment, and subsequent disappointment. I sin, therefore, poll:yr; not a friend to such general statements; but at the Sallie time I admit, upon on occasion like the present, that it is perfectly tuxes • sary."

With respect to the state of the country, he thought there was some- thing at the present time "of a nature that was new "—there was a readiness to avow designs of violence and bloodshed, on the part of per- sons who sought to create disturbances ; whereas in former times such designs were glossed over and denied. Various parts of the empire were agitated by a discontented feeling, and seeds of disorder must be expected to germinate and show themselves. A great change had been made in the constitution of the country—a change which many states- men said might not be attended with danger, while all was quiet and calm, but the evil effects of which would appear in times of domestic disturbance, financial difficulty, or foreign war. Now, for that danger, if there really were any danger, the remedy insist be sought in the prudence, wisdom, and firmness of Parliament, and the entire absence of party feeling. According to Burnet, William the Third, a man of the greatest prudence, doubted whether a Republican or a Monarchical Government were the best, but he knew which was the worst—" a monarchy which had not the power to carry into effect measures which are necessary : " and with respect to Ministries, Lord Melbourne would say- " I do not know which is the best Ministry or which is the worst, in itself considered; but this I do know, that unquestionably the worst Ministry is that which does not possess sufficient of the confidence of Parliament mad the country to take those measures which are necessary for the safety of the Country; and I trust that, for the benefit of the country, if there is a deficiency in that respect, the wisdom and prudence of Parliament and of the country at large will remedy the defect."

Lord BROUGHAM professed great reluctance, on account of private friendship with Ministers, to break silence on the present occasion ; but Ins duty compelled hint to make some observations on the "singular peculiarity" of the position of the Government. He alluded to the means employed to support Ministers-

" All those exertions and efforts to support and prop up a falling Adminis- tration have uniformly centered, had thew beginning, continuance, and ending, in one topic, and in one topic only—not a measure, not it principle, not an opinion ; not any thing that has been done in Parliament, not any course of measures or policy professed to be pursued henceforth in Parliament ; but the name of the Sovereign of these realms has been put forward as their only argument—it has been brought out and tendered to the country in lieu of all explanation; and the private, individual, personal feelings of that illustrious been called upon to support a sinking Administration. Thetyhehinh.ealuoltohing-To

fence of their policy to make, but the cry of The Queen t e 11° di" say. of themselves ; they have no measures to promise ; Princess have been made the topic-of mery riotous meeting.afteer

every still worse meeting of mobs, rod of all the demagoguesmteletint!

Queen: the

Queen P " He referred to Lord Melbourne's and Lord John Russell's dee 1 tion that they resigned office because they had lost the confidenc

H le uouse of Commons ; and compared with that declaration tl e of the se made

of the long Whitsuntide recess- " Many thought, and he was amougst the munber, that when im te h

of the session, and. when hardly any business had been done, and When it so much out of the ordinary course—the Whitsun holydays generally but for two days, and ono day for the Birthday—that asking for BO lo ;in" adjournment must betoken the intention of considering the constitution " Government, or of altering its policy ; and as they had lost the confidence otfile great part of their supporters, they were about to occupy a week in taki measures to restore thew confidence, or of appealing to the country. Be Tin; more doubted this, than that he heard the question put from the woolsack. * * The delay must Imre either been for this purpose, or to enable the Government's supporters out of doors to get up an outcry—to raise a clamour —to make an appeal to the ignorant mob—to make an appeal to that mob oho an appeal to them by the grossest and most scandulous misrepresentations. and he could conceive that by such unworthy means an attempt would be made' by delusion, the confidence of a part of the country. This was a

ligible though not a very creditable course of proceeding." were naturally not very knowing in those matters, mid to urge and enovfeorreyoenuslauteinchy. by those who could not gam the confidence of Parliainent, to obtain at least, He never dreamed that a Whig Government would have st od

but constitutional ground— From all he had ever heard or dreamt of, he never thought of any, and above all a Whig Government, standing upon such ground as the Feint—. namely, a Bedchamber question—a question of personal feeling towards the Sovereign ; or that they should have resolutions calling upon them to staidly their Sovereign, and attacking others for attacking the Sovereign, and a rally- ing-cry to defend their Sovereign.

A new light had been thrown by recent occurrences on the means of forming an Administration—

It appeared that when a Ministry said they resigned, they meant only that the husbands resigned, and that the wives, upon the principle of omen- ffirmity, ffid inn follow their husbands—that half went out, but that the better halves remained iii ; and that when a Govermnent came down and said, in the

usual and emtonmey form appropriate to the occasion, " tre only in slice until our suee,,ors shall be appointed," they meant, " We are onfy in office until our wives and sisters shall succeed in preventing our intended successors from taking it."

No human being could be more free from caprice than the present Sovereign, whom he had known ftom her earliest years : a Sovereign, however, might have caprice, thciugh the -wisdom of Parliament was always spoken of; Parliament could have no caprice— Suppose, then, a Sovereign to say, " I do not care for the House of Con. mons—I do not care for the House of Lords—I do not care for the country k I jot-1 insist upon having my Ministers, because they will keep my two ladies of the Bedchamber." That was the situation in which they were now gravely told that the country was placed. That was a true statement and represents. tion of a fact, stripped of the exaggeration which had been engraffedmpon that statement. That was the illegitimate, unadulterated, unconstitutional prin. ciple, which his noble friend had undertaken to lay before Parliament.

Gracious Heaven! that he should have lived to hear it said, and by Whigs-

" let no rally one and all round the Queen ! Never mind the Lords—sever mind the Commons—never mind measures—never mind principles—abandon opinions—leave pledges unredeemed—quarrel with our supporters—quarrd with both Houses of Parliament—quarrel with the People—but, for God's sake, rally round the Sovereign and the Throne ; our Princess on the Throne ought to he the object of itli veneration—whatever pleases the Princess, let that be the law of the laud."

[Want of space compels us to break off, leaving many points un- touched, and many admirable passages unbroken by quotation. To do justice to Lord Ilitouunam's speech, which kept the House in a state of varied excitement throughout, is impossible in the corner of a postscript; and we nmst refer the reader to the full reports in the morning papers) The Duke of WELLINtrros entirely acquitted Lord Melbourne of any share in the false statements which had been so extensively circu- lated. He saw no good reason why. Ministers should have resigned on the 7th of May ; and he approved of the principles of Government laid down to-night by Lord Melbourne- " I am in the habit at times in my place in this House of giving my opinions nail sentiments to the noble viscount. I earnestly recommend hint to perse- vere in the intentions which he has announced in the course of the discussion this nigld. Let him honestly perform his duty in the government of the country. He has failed in carrying one measure which he proposed to Par- liament in a former session. Let lam persevere in the performance of his duty, not only in Parliament, but out of it, and let him trust to the good sense of Parliament and the country for his support. And although certainly I lane the misfortune of differino from him on many subjects, I think I may venture to tell ii hit that he will not find Parliament Thal him, if he will honestly and sin- cerely perform his duty." The Marquis of NoRMANBY said, that when Inc found there was a difficulty about the Queen's Household, he had directed Lady Normanby to tender her resignation. Nothing else occurred in the discussion, requiring notice.

[The only inference we can draw from the speeches of Lord WI- WI:EINE and the Duke of WEeitaxterost is, that the parties have le sunned their old position—the Duke acting as protector so long as Lord MELBOURNE conducts himself satisfactorily on the whole as his Grace's prot6g6. 'flue Premier, it will be seen, carefully absta', nect front specific promises of measures : he simply laid down the " general_t principle" of " progressive reform" as any Tory of them all might have done it—in such a manner as to satisfy the Tory leader, and with less specificality than Sir ROBERT PEEL himself did in 1835. What or_ the Ballot ? what of the ten-pound constituency for counties? The . head of the Government has "spoken,' but not "out." Little goof' will his speech do the Ministerialists at the coming registrations.] The intentions of Government respecting Post-office Reform were last night stated in the House of Commons, with sufficient clearness, by Lord JOHN RUSSELL; "Whom Mr. WARBURTON pointedly questioned bsJeet Lord JOHN said that Mr. Spring Rice's statement had been the sinunderstood-

The intention of the Government was to propose a resolution which would

j fi tour of an 'Uniform Penny Postage. (Cheersfroin nil sides of lintse.) lo"anotstating, he thought it right to add, that a plan, to he in conthrmity with 13t 500 be most likely to be beneficial to the country, would necessarily kesoate months to prepare. Therefore, all that would at present be proposed, oid be a resolution pledging the House to the adoption of the plan, and to okegood any deficiency that might in consequence take place in the revenue. The experiment was a large and bold one, but lions the adoption of it this ad- war at least would result—that it would confer a very great benefit upon dot middle anil lower classes. (Great cheering.)

iThis is quite satisfactory—nothing more could be expeeted.]

A desultory discussion, on a motion by Sir JOIN CAMPB1.3.1„ for a geke; Committee to inquire into the proceedings in the case of Stock- aleand Hansard, occupied the House some time. The general feeling of die Ministerial and Liberal Members appeared to be against the de- on of the Court of Queen's Bench, by which Hansard was prevented fro pleading the order of the House of Commons in bar of the action for libel brought by Stoekdale. Several of the principal Tories, how- ever, considered the judgment of the Court to be sound in law and strictly constitutional. Sir _ROBERT PEEL abstained from giving any opinion on the question, hut considered it of the utmost importance eat prompt measures should be taken to defend the ei eiststutioisa Fivileges of the Commons. The Committee was appointed, and meets

this day.

The County Courts Bill was read a second time ; the discussion king postponed.

The House went into Committee on the Prisons Bill ; and the clause which allows ministers of religion of various denominations to attend eoprisoners, was carried, by a majority of 138 to 81. The other clauses were agreed to.

Considerable progress was made in the Scotch Prisons Bill ; and the House rose at half-past twelve.