Commons Sitting of 1 February 1855

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILLS.—2° Fisheries (North America); Passengers Act Amendment.

PACKAGES FOR THE CRIMEA— QUESTION.
MR. A. STAFFORDsaid, seeing the hon. Member for Hertfordshire (Mr. Cowper), a Lord of the Admiralty, in his place, he wished to ask him whether the Government had made any recent arrangements in reference to the delivery and consign-

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ment of packages at Balaklava and Scutari; and whether they were willing to take charge of such packages as were addressed to any of our officers and men at the seat of war; and whether any such arrangements included establishments, or places about to be established, for the delivery of packages when the hospital at Smyrna was opened; and whether it was true that Captain Heath was appointed permanent superintendent of the port at Balaklava?
MR. COWPERsaid, that the Board of Admiralty, being very anxious to give effect to the desire that was so prevalent of forwarding packages to the Crimea, containing such comforts and luxuries as could not be procured in any other manner, had given instructions to the authorities at the dockyards at Deptford, Portsmouth, and Plymouth, to the effect that all packages directed to any officer or person engaged in Her Majesty's service in the Crimea or at Constantinople should be received, and, as occasion offered, that those packages should be placed on board such vessels as were employed for the conveyance of Government stores. A special bill of lading was to be made out for each package given by a private individual, and the package itself would be delivered to the senior naval officer at Balaklava, or at any other port in the East. At the same time, he must remind the hon. Gentleman that the power possessed by the Government of sending out such packages or parcels was limited by the number of ships they had under their control, and by the number they were able to hire. Renewed efforts would, however, be made for procuring fresh vessels. There was another limitation, which, however, was of a more serious character—namely, the size of the harbour at Balaklava, and the power of arranging those vessels when they did arrive at that place. In reference to Smyrna he had to inform the hon. Gentleman, that nothing had as yet been done upon the subject. When it became necessary, steps would be taken to place it in an efficient state for the reception of such packages. With regard to the appointment of Captain Heath, he could only say that Sir Edmund Lyons had full authority to make such arrangements as he thought necessary for the public service.

RESIGNATION OF MINISTERS.
VISCOUNT PALMERSTON: Mr. Speaker, I rise to make, in the usual manner,
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the communication to the House naturally expected from Her Majesty's Ministers, which is of course no new information to them, and which would have been made on Tuesday, but that from accidental circumstances the House of Lords had been adjourned over that day. I have now to state, that in consequence of what passed in this House on Monday night, Her Majesty's Government felt it to be their duty to tender to Her Majesty the resignation of their several offices; that that resignation has been graciously accepted by Her Majesty; and that we only hold our offices for the transaction of public duties until our successors are appointed. From this circumstance, the House will naturally feel it to be inconvenient to proceed to the despatch of any public business. I shall, therefore, propose, that this House at its rising should adjourn until to-morrow. My reason for not proposing a longer adjournment—which under existing circumstances would be more natural—is this. I understand from you, Sir, that an hon. and gallant Member of this House, the Member for Westminster (Sir De Lacy Evans), who is to receive the thanks of this House in his place here, has announced to you, Sir, as Speaker, that he will take his seat to-morrow. I am sure that I should be doing violence to the feeling of this House, if I proposed by any longer adjournment to deprive them of the earliest opportunity of testifying to the hon. and gallant Member the sense which they entertain of his brilliant and distinguished services. There is also the Bill which my hon. Friend the Under Secretary for the Colonial Department introduced two days ago—a Bill to carry into effect the treaty recently concluded with the United States. And if there be no disposition on the part of anybody to oppose the second reading, it will be convenient to the public service, and tend to promote the interests of the country, if the House would allow that measure to proceed a stage. With these circumstances before them, I hope that the House will understand that in proposing to meet to-morrow, we simply meet for the purposes I have mentioned. In the present state of public affairs I am sure the House will agree with me in thinking that any other questions, or Motions of any other kind, are not at the present moment proper subjects for our consideration. I therefore move, Sir, that the House at its rising do adjourn until to-morrow.
Motion agreed to.
VISCOUNT EBRINGTONsaid, he could not avoid expressing his regret that no statement had been made as to the prospect that might exist of any Government being formed to replace the one just resigned. In the present crisis of public affairs, and with the troops in the Crimea in that lamentable condition in which they were known to be, not only from the statements of eye-witnesses, but, also, upon the high official authority of one of the Cabinet Ministers who had lately resigned office, he trusted that it would be borne in mind that days, and almost hours, were of importance, and that in no quarter, from the highest downwards, would any feeling of past favour or aversion be allowed to interfere with the desire to procure for the country the best and most efficient Ministry to carry on the war to a successful issue. He rejoiced very much that the noble Lord the Home Secretary had only adjourned the House until to-morrow, and he confessed he wished that some other reason for that had been assigned than the perfectly satisfactory reason. [Laughter.] The perfectly satisfactory reason, he repeated, considered by itself, of the thanks of the House having to be given to the hon. and gallant Member for Westminster for his distinguished services. He could have wished that some allusion might have been made to the urgency of the present crisis; to which, having lost relatives in the war, and having still some of those nearest and dearest to him engaged in it, he might, perhaps, attach more importance, though he hardly thought he did, than the country at large.
The House adjourned at a quarter before Five o'clock.