NARRATIVE OF PARLIAMENT AND POLITICS.

In the House of Lords, on Monday, March 27, the
Earl of Aberdeen laid before the house the following
Message from Her Majesty: "Victoria Regina—Her
Majesty thinks it proper to acquaint the house of Lords,
that the negotiations in which Her Majesty, in concert
with her allies, has for some time past been engaged
with his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, have
terminated; and that her Majesty feels bound to afford
active assistance to her ally the Sultan against unprovoked
aggression. Her Majesty has given directions
for laying before the House of Lords copies of such
papers, in addition to those already communicated to
parliament, as will afford the fullest information with
regard to the subject of these negotiations. It is a
consolation to her Majesty to reflect that no endeavours
have been wanting on her part to preserve to her
subjects the blessings of peace. Her Majesty's just
expectations have been disappointed; and her Majesty
relies with confidence on the zeal and devotion of the
House of Lords, and on the exertions of her brave and
loyal subjects, to support her in her determination to
employ the power and resources of the nation for
protecting the dominions of the Sultan against the
encroachments of Russia."—Lord Clarendon stated,
that on Friday he should move that the message be
taken into consideration.—The Earl of Derby,
remarking that it was not the time to say a single word
on the important subject to which the message relates,
presumed that the Premier or the Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs would take the opportunity of
stating not only the causes of the rupture, but the
precise objects of the war; and would explain whether
there are any conventions or other engagements into
which we have entered with France and the Porte
binding us to any specific object. He also expressed
his earnest anxiety that government would state
whether or not there are articles in the convention
between us, France, and Turkey, "which will be of a
nature to establish a protectorate on our part, as
objectionable at least as that which on the part of
Russia we have protested against."—Earl Grey
trusted that the address would be so drawn that
there would be no difficulty in its being carried
unanimously.

On Friday, March 31, Lord Clarendon, in moving
the Address to the Queen in Answer to her Gracious
Message, hoped that nothing would occur to shake the
opinion of Europe in the unanimity of this country.
He then proceeded to discuss the secret correspondence,
showing the grounds that it afforded of believing the
Czar to be worthy of confidence. He read extracts from
a dispatch in which the Czar denounced the attempt of
any power to take advantage of the weakness of Turkey.
This, he said, was all the government could desire. If
what had since passed could be forgotten, any man with
that correspondence before him would at that moment
feel satisfied with it. What the Czar now demanded
was the actual control of Turkey, and the question had
now become the struggle of civilisation against barbarism.
Even now the dread of Russia weighed down the states
of Europe. He had, in the present year, sent a convention
to Austria to sign for his own advantage; and when
she asked what would be the effect of that signature,
Russia refused to answer. He had every reason to be
satisfied with Austria, whose conduct throughout had
been perfectly straightforward. Unfortunately she was
not agreed as to the mode of action with Prussia, at a
time when any difference between the German powers
would be peculiarly disastrous. He looked forward to
the establishment of the rights of the Greeks, which
would be secured only by the spontaneous act of the
Sultan. He then read the address—an echo of the royal
communication.—Lord Derby feared that the ministry
had not yet realised the importance of the struggle in
which they were engaged, and of which it was vain to
expect a speedy issue. Referring to the secret papers,
he could not see in them any deception on the part of
Russia. He believed that nothing which had occurred
would have taken place if Lord Aberdeen had not been
at the head of the government. The memorandum,
which expressly provided for the partition of Turkey,
had been drawn up under the full cognisance of the
noble earl; and it was at the moment when he succeeded
to office that the Czar, encouraged by the state of Europe,
brought forward his claim. The Czar had more right
than the British government to say that he had been
misled. The government had, in the dispatches
themselves, from which he read extracts in support of his
statement, virtually admitted the right of the Czar to
his claim of protectorate, even while repudiating his
proposals of partition. He warmly eulogised the conduct
of France, and said that where we might have had most
to fear we now received the most efficient assistance.
He reprobated the financial reductions of last year in the
face of impending war, referred to the inadequacy of
our means of meeting it, and ridiculed the idea of paying
the expenses out of our income year by year. He
concluded by expressing an earnest desire for more full
information as to the terms of our understanding with
our allies.—The Earl of Aberdeen complained that
expressions of personal friendship from the Czar had
been converted into weapons of attack upon himself.
He defended the "Memorandum" of 1844, which had
been drawn up while there existed a real fear of a crisis
in Turkey, and was communicated almost immediately
to the French ambassador. The noble earl then alluded
to the attacks upon himself and his government by the
daily and weekly organs of opposition, from whose
columns he read copious extracts. Peace, he affirmed,
had been the guiding principle of his policy, but he had
not neglected the means of carrying on the war with
energy.—The Earl of Malmesbury reprobated the light
tone taken by the head of the government. Adverting
at some length to the memorandum and the more recent
correspondence, he identified Lord Aberdeen with the
propositions contained in the former, and showed from
the latter the importance attached to it by the Russian
Emperor.—After some observations from Earl
Granville and Lord Brougham, Earl Grey concurred in
condemning the financial operations of last year, and
contended that the preparations for war of all kinds
which had now been made were altogether inadequate.
—The Earl of Hardwicke joined in that opinion as far
as the naval service was concerned.—The Marquis of
Lansdowne offered a brief vindication of the policy of
the government, and claimed credit for the rapidity
with which the Baltic fleet had been equipped.

On Monday, April 3, the Lord Chancellor read
Her Majesty's Gracious Reply to the Address which had
that day been presented to the Queen by a deputation