Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. V, No. XXV, June, 1852Various
General
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. V, No. XXV, June, 1852
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
The news of the month from England, as from all parts of Europe, is
unusually destitute of interest and importance. The new Ministers
resist every endeavor to elicit from them any definite information as
to the policy they intend to pursue. In the House of Commons repeated
attempts have been made to procure some declaration of the intentions
of Government upon the financial policy of the country, but without
effect. Ministers avow their readiness to go to the people, but upon
what issues they do not distinctly state. The Earl of Derby denies that
there is any more necessity for settling the corn question now than
there has been hitherto, but declares his readiness to meet it whenever
it shall come up. Lord Brougham has introduced a bill to shorten the
time within which Parliament may meet after a dissolution, fixing it
at not less than thirty-five nor more than fifty days. The general
expectation is that the dissolution will take place in July or August.
Preparations, meantime, are made in various parts of the kingdom, for
new elections, and no inconsiderable share of the public attention
is absorbed in the various movements which these respective events
involve. The new Ministers, who resigned their seats in Parliament
upon taking office, have all been re-elected without opposition by
their previous constituencies, except Lord Naas, who has been succeeded
in the county of Kildare by a stanch supporter of Free Trade. This
result might seem like an indication of popularity on the part of the
new Cabinet, but for the fact that eight of its members have been
re-elected by constituencies numbering in the aggregate only 4,804
electors, which is only a fifth of the number represented by Lord
John Russell, and an eighth of that represented by Mr. Cobden. In the
House of Lords, on the 12th, Lord Lyndhurst protested warmly against
the agitation which was carried on to force an early dissolution of
Parliament, as injurious to the country; and he took occasion to pledge
the new Ministry to carry out nearly all the measures of law reform of
which the late administration had given notice. His assurances on this
subject were pronounced satisfactory by Lord Brougham. On the 15th,
Lord Beaumont asked Lord Derby to declare distinctly whether it was,
or was not, the intention of the Government to recommend an alteration
of the present policy in regard to the importation of corn, at the
opening of the new Parliament. In reply, Lord Derby denied that there
was any greater necessity for the solution of the free-trade question
now than before the accession to power of the present Government.
He thought that the appeal to the people should be made as speedily
as was consistent with the great interests of the country, but said
that "neither taunts, nor calumnies, nor mortifications would induce
him to recommend a dissolution one moment sooner than he thought it
expedient." He denounced the operations of the anti-corn-law league,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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