§ LORD JOHN RUSSELLsaid: In rising to move the Order of the Day for a Committee of Supply, I wish to call the attention of the House to a particular notice which stands on the Paper for to-night. It refers to the Statue on the arch at Constitution-hill The noble Lord the Member for Lynn, some time since, asked me a question on the subject; but since that question was put, and the statement made as to the feelings of the Duke of Wellington on the subject of the Statue remaining on the arch or not, I have had no direct and positive information on the subject. I now rise to ask the noble Lord to postpone the Motion of which he has given notice 103 until Monday; and of course the Government will postpone the vote for the pedestal until that day. I do so on this ground: I have had no communication respecting the feelings of the Duke of Wellington on the subject since a communication was made to me by a gentleman whose name I will now mention—I mean Mr. Croker, who called upon me in Downing-street. Since then a determination was taken, and the desire of Her Majesty has been expressed as to the erection of an appropriate pedestal for the Statue; and since that time I have not received any authorized intimation as to the feelings of the Duke of Wellington on the subject. Her Majesty, however, has expressed a wish that nothing should be done which could in any way be painful to the feelings, or which could be considered in any way disrespectful to the Duke of Wellington. I wish, then, that the noble Lord would allow me to obtain in some authorized way a knowledge of what are the feelings of the Duke of Wellington; and if it is his wish that the Statue should not be placed on the pedestal which has been proposed, I shall not propose the vote for that purpose in the Committee of Supply; and I am also authorized to state, that if such should be the case, Her Majesty will readily consent to the Statue remaining where it is.
§ LORD G. BENTINCKI have not a word to say, after what has fallen from the noble Lord, beyond expressing my consent to the proposal. I am perfectly aware what the feelings of the illustrious man in question would be at the removal of the Statue from the arch. Without raising any discussion on the matter, which now would be very painful, I will only add, that the memorial to the Duke of Wellington will now, I am sure, remain on the arch, with the consent of Her Majesty, and with the approbation of the people.
§ SIR F. TRENCHsaid, that he was prepared to give the noble Lord the opinion of the Duke of Wellington on the matter.
§ LORD JOHN RUSSELLIt would be better to permit me to communicate with the Duke of Wellington.
§ SIR F. TRENCHhad in his possession a letter which would show what were the feelings of the Duke of Wellington respecting the removal of the Statue. This letter had been written since the noble Lord stated, in rather a sneering manner, that if any one wished to ascertain what were 104 the feelings of the Duke of Wellington, it would be easy to communicate with the noble Duke on the subject.