mencement of his freedom.-Mr. Hume recommended that every other means of settling the question should be resorted to, before the suspension of the Jamaica Assembly was decreed. After an adjourned debate on Monday May 6, the House divided, when there appeared for going into Committee 294, against it 289, majority for Ministers five.

May 7. Lord John Russell announced, that in consequence of the vote just mentioned, the MINISTRY had come to the resolution to resign. He remarked that "it was evident that, the measure with regard to Jamaica having been opposed by such large numbers in this House, we could not calculate upon the support which was necessary for the settlement of the affairs of Canada, and therefore in continuing in the administration of affairs, we should be exposing to jeopardy the colonial empire of this country."

In the HOUSE OF LORDS, on the same evening, Lord Melbourne made a similar avowal, "considering that the vote upon this occasion is not only fatal to the success of that great measure, but that it also does, with sufficient clearness and distinctness, indicate such a want of confidence on the part of a great proportion of that House of Parliament, as to render it absolutely impossible that we should continue to administer the affairs of her Majesty's government in a manner which can be useful and beneficial to the country."

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

May 13. Sir Robert Peel (having received the Queen's permission for the purpose) made a statement of the negociations relative to the formation of a MINISTRY to which he had recently been a party. He waited upon her Majesty, by desire, at two o'clock on Wednesday, the 8th of May. Her Majesty had previously seen the Duke of Wellington, and had invited him to assist in the formation of a Government. The Duke had informed her Majesty, that, in his opinion, the chief difficulty of a Government would be in the House of Commons, and therefore, partly upon other considerations, but chiefly on that account, the Duke advised her Majesty to send for one who would have the advantage of appearing in the House of Commons as her Majesty's Minister, and at the same time named Sir Robert Peel. At the first interview, the Queen observed to Sir Robert, that she had parted with the Administration which had just resigned with very great regret; that in all respects her late Ministry had given her entire satisfaction; but that it had become necessary, in consequence of their resig

nation, that her Majesty should take some steps for the formation of a new Administration. "I need not (remarked Sir Robert) enter into a detail, but I must say that no one could have expressed more fully, more naturally, or more becomingly, the regret which her Majesty felt at the loss of her late Administration; nor, at the same time, principles more strictly constitutional with respect to the formation of a new Government." Sir Robert Peel, on taking leave of the Queen, intimated to her Majesty that he hoped to return with a general arrangement on the following day. He conferred in the course of Wednesday with the Duke of Wellington, Lord Lyndhurst, the Earl of Aberdeen, Lord Ellenborough, Lord Stanley, Sir James Graham, Sir Henry Hardinge, and Mr. Goulburn; and waited upon her Majesty the following day, and submitted those names for her approval. He mentioned to the Queen that while the Duke of Wellington placed his services entirely at her Majesty's disposal, yet his own inclinations would rather be gratified if he were permitted to be in the Cabinet without any office requiring him to take a lead in the House of Lords. Her Majesty expressed a particular wish that the Duke of Wellington should hold some important office. Sir Robert Peel then stated that it was upon Thursday that that difficulty or misconception arose, which led to his relinquishing his attempt to form an Administration. Her Majesty conceded what could be wished or expected with respect to that part of the household which is filled by noblemen or gentlemen holding seats in this House. The difficulty arose with respect to certain portions of that part of the establish. ment which is filled by the ladies of the household. Sir Robert mentioned to the Queen his earnest wish to be enabled, with her Majesty's sanction, so to constitute her household, that her Majesty's confidential servants might have the advantage of a public demonstration of her full support and confidence; and that at the same time, as far as possible, consistently with that demonstration, each individual appointment in the household should be entirely acceptable to her Majesty's personal feelings. the Queen expressing a desire that the Earl of Liverpool should hold an office in the household, Sir Robert Peel requested her permission at once to offer to Lord Liverpool the office of Lord Steward, or any other he might prefer. Sir Robert Peel then observed, that he should have every wish to apply a similar principle to the chief appointments which are filled by the ladies of her Majesty's

On

household; ; upon which her Majesty was pleased to remark, that she must reserve the whole of those appointments, and that it was her Majesty's pleasure that the whole should continue as at present, without any change. The Duke of Welling ton, in the interview to which her Majesty subsequently admitted him, understood also that this was the Queen's determination. Early on the Friday morn ing, Sir Robert Peel received the following letter:

Buckingham-palace, May 10, 1839. "The Queen having considered the proposal made to her yesterday by Sir Robert Peel to remove the Ladies of her Bedchamber, cannot consent to adopt a course which she conceives to be contrary to usage, and which is repugnant to her feelings.'

Sir Robert Peel then immediately wrote to the Queen, stating "his impression with respect to the circumstances which had led to the termination of his attempt to form an Administration."

And now (said Sir R. Peel) as to the misrepresentations with which I have been publicly assailed. It is stated that I pressed unwelcome appointments on my Sovereign. Except Lord Liverpool, whom her Majesty herself suggested, I named but two individuals, and both in the expectation that they would be personally acceptable to her-the one Lord Ashley, and the other Lord Sydney. It is stated that I proposed the dismissal of the Baroness Lehzen. I heard that stated on the evening of Friday; but my answer to the person who informed me of the report was, that this was the first time for the last four years that the name of that lady had occurred to me, and that I never mentioned it to her Majesty. Again I say, I may have explained myself imperfectly to the Queen; but my intentions having been fully declared to my friends, to them I can refer for my actual mean. ing. My resignation was solely because I understood that her Majesty bad resolved to retain the whole of the Household, as far as the ladies were concerned; and because I felt it impossible for me to conduct the government without the fullest and most unequivocal proof of the royal confidence. The state of India, the state of Jamaica, and the state of Canada, would all require my immediate consideration, and would call, perhaps, for some proportion of legislative measures. I should have had also to consider the state of this country; with insurrection rife in many of its provinces, rendering it necessary, according to the letter recently published by the Noble Lord, that all the respectable persons in the country should unite in endeavouring

On

The

Sir,

to suppress these disturbances. seeing the present agitated state of the country, I considered that it would be my duty to endeavour to conduct public affairs through the intervention of the present Parliament. Notwithstanding the balance of parties in the House, I thought it my duty in the first place to try the present House of Commons. But what is my condition in the present parliament? I should begin the Government with a minority. I should have had to undertake the settlement of the affairs of Jamaica with a minority of five; and on the question of Ireland I should have begun with a minority against a majority of 22, who decided in favour of the policy of the present Irish government. principal members of the present Irish government, whose policy was approved of by a majority of this house, were the Marquis of Normanby and the noble Lord opposite, the Secretary for Ireland. the two chief offices of the household that are filled by ladies are held by the sister of the noble lord and the wife of the Marquis of Normanby. It has been said, moreover, that in the event of any change in the government the Marquis of Normanby is a candidate for the office of Prime Minister, and the noble lord has been designated as the leader of the House of Lords. If the understanding upon which I was to enter upon office, was that I should encounter all those dif. ficulties, and yet that the ladies of those who preceded me, of those with whom I was to be in daily conflict, were to be in immediate contact with the Queen, and considering the political character given to the Household, that I was to acquiesce in that, I felt there was something still stronger than any personal consideration, and it was this, that, although the public would lose nothing by my abandonment, although the public would perhaps lose nothing by my eternal exclusion from power-yet the public would lose, and I should be abandoning my duty to myself, to the country, and above all to the Queen, if 1 permitted, as an understanding on my acceptance of office, that the ladies connected with my warmest political opponents should continue to retain offices in the Household-there was something that told me I must not undertake the office of Prime Minister of this great country. Lord John Russell said that the misconception which had existed was not as to facts, but as to principles. There was no material difference as to facts between himself and Sir R. Peel. The Queen gave Sir R. Peel full power as to the men of the household; he sought to apply the principle on which Lord Liverpool was selected to the ladies also; and

on this the entire subject hinged. Her declaration that she wished the whole of her female household to remain, put an end to all question as to a total or a partial change. Matters having come on Thursday to this stop, she sent again to Lord Melbourne, and consulted him what answer she should give Sir R. Peel on Friday morning. He called his colleagues together, and they advised her to send the letter just read by Sir R. Peel. On Sir R. Peel's resignation (continued Lord John), her Majesty commanded my attendance. As to the ladies, certainly she had not gathered the precise manner in which he proposed to exercise the power of removal. She asked me whether I thought her justified in the line she had taken; and, on my answering that I did, she said she hoped, that as she had supported our Administration, we should now be ready to support her. Next day the former Cabinet assembled, and prepared a minute, recording our opinion that the principle of change applies to the officers of the household having seats in either House, but not to the ladies of the household. Lord John concluded by saying, that he and his friends having resumed offices, and become constitutionally responsible for her Majesty's decision, must now trust to the opinion of parliament and of the country.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

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May 14. Viscount Melbourne rose to offer that explanation which was necessary under existing circumstances, having been re-called to the government by the gracious commands of her Majesty. On Wednesday he had been sent for by the Queen, previous to which time the Duke of Wellington had been sent for. Thursday following he was again sent for, and her Majesty stated that Sir Robert Peel had taken the responsibility of forming an Administration, but adding, at the same time, that the rt. hon. gentleman asked that all the ladies of the Court, all the ladies about the royal person, should be dismissed; such at least was the impression of her Majesty-the right hon. Baronet had subsequently said that such was not his intention, and he gave him credit for his assertion. Under these circumstances, and under that impression, that the ladies of her Majesty's household were to be discharged, by recommendation of Sir Robert Peel, her Majesty wrote to the right hon. Baronet, stating that she could not comply with that stipulation. The Noble Viscount then read the Queen's letter, and proceeded to observe that he and his colleagues so entirely concurred in opinion with her Majesty, as to the change of her household and on a

change of ministry, that they were determined, at all hazards, to support her Majesty in her anxiety to retain about her royal person those ladies of the Court to whose society she had for so long a period been accustomed. He had tendered the most constitutional advice to her Majesty, as he had thought proper under the novel and peculiar situation in which he was placed. He should never abandon that party to which he had been so long allied. It had been said that it was the disunion of his party which led to the present crisis; no such thing. He resigned office, not because he was abandoned by his supporters, but because there appeared a difference of opinion on a particular question. He had come back to office, because he could not abandon his Sovereign in a period of much excitement and difficulty.-The Duke of Wellington said he had one advantage over the Noble Viscount; he had served three sovereigns during a period of fifty years, through evil report, and through good report; he had done his duty regardless of those reports, and hence his advantage. It was perfectly well known that he had long entertained the opinion that the minister of the country ought to sit in the other house of parliament; hence he had recommended a right honourable friend of his (Sir Robert Peel). He considered that a minister of the Crown was entitled to a control over all the appointments of a Queen's household, and that control became doubly necessary where the offices in every department of the household had been long in the hands of an opposite party. There was much difference between a queen consort and a queen regnant, and the former reign could not be drawn in as a precedent. Had he been the person consulted on the influence or control, he should have acted entirely as the right hon. baronet had done. For himself, he would rather suffer any inconvenience than interfere with the comforts of the Sovereign; but the step recommended was absolutely demanded by the exigency of the occasion.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

May 27. On re-assembling after the Whitsuntide recess, the House proceeded to the election of a new SPEAKER, Mr. Abercromby having resigned. Charles Shaw Lefevre, esq. was proposed by Mr. Handley, and seconded by Dr. Lushington; and the Rt. Hon. Henry Goulburn was proposed by Mr. Wynn, and seconded by Mr. Wilson Patten. On a division, there appeared for Mr. Lefevre 317, for Mr. Goulburn 299; and the former was conducted to the Chair.

FRANCE.

Another emeute broke out in Paris, carly on the afternoon of Sunday, May 12, which at one period bore a very alarming appearance. At about three o'clock, a body of workmen, clad in blouses and caps, suddenly made their appearance in the Rue St. Denis, from whence, having been joined by others of their party, they proceeded to the house of Lepage, a gunmaker, where they seized and carried off about 150 muskets and other fire-arms. They then separated into divisions, attacked and disarmed several of the military posts, captured the Hotel de Ville

in the Place de Grève, but were repulsed

with the loss of several lives in their at

tempt on the Palais de Justice. A ge

neral movement was then made towards the Rue St. Martin, where, as usual, they commenced erecting barricades, extending from the church of St. Marie towards the Halle. These scenes had occupied scarcely an hour. The municpal guards were the first who approached the insurgents, and fired on them. After a heavy fire, with but little mischief to either party, the latter gave way, and fell back on their central point already men. tioned. At the Rue Hauteville, one of the National Guards and a woman were shot by the rioters. They even appeared in the Rue Coq St. Honoré and in the Rue Croix des Petits Champs; but, although their object was unquestionably to have attacked the Louvre in that quarter, they were deterred from it by the closing of the gates, and the firm attitude of the troops within. The soldiers did their duty with praiseworthy devotion :-and the result was, that this dangerous outbreak was crushed, and on Monday morning tranquillity was completely restored.

More recent accounts state that this insurrection originated within the Société des Familles, of which the assassin Fieschi was one, and that the leaders in it were M. Blanqui and others, well known as members of that society, one of whom, a M. Bernard, was made prisoner, after having received a dangerous wound. Nearly 200 prisoners were taken, the chief of whom will be tried by the Chamber of Peers. The rest will be sent before the Court of Assizes. The number of insurgents killed or who died of their wounds was about 40. Nearly as many soldiers, officers, national guards, and municipal guards, were killed or have since died of their wounds.

On the following morning the lovers of order were re-assured by the appearance of the royal ordinances, an

nouncing the formation of a ministry. It is composed as follows:-Marshal Minister of Foreign Affairs; M. DuSoult, President of the Council and chatel, Minister of the Interior; M.

Cunin Gridaine, Minister of Commerce; Lieut. General Schneider, Minister of Minister of Public Instruction; M. Teste, War; M. Villemaine, Peer of France, Minister of Justice; M. Passy, Minister of Finance; M. Duperre, Minister of Marine; M. Dufaure, Minister of Public Works ;-the first six are conservatives. M. Passy would not join the Thiers faction against the King. M. Admiral Duperre is a moderate member of the Centre Gauche opinions. M. Dufaure sented to separate himself from Thiers. is a man of great talent, and has con

SPAIN.

Intelligence from Madrid announces the resignation of the Spanish Ministry in a body. This event took place on the 3rd May, and was the result of the Addresses presented to the Queen by the National Guards of the capital, and the Municipal Guards of Saragossa, Valentia, Seville, and other cities, imploring her to dismiss her late advisers, and to dissolve the Cortes. General Alaix, feeling pursuaded that the ministry did not enjoy the national confidence, convoked a meeting of his colleagues, at which it was resolved that they should resign in a body, which was done immediately.

CANADA.

The American papers contain a correspondence between Sir John Harvey (our Governor of New Brunswick), and General Scott, characterised by the utmost cordiality and good feeling; with an official announcement of the amicable termination of the dispute with the state of Maine. Orders had been issued by Governor Fairfield, for disbanding all the militia in the service of that state, and it was expected they would not again be required, as the protection of the timber in the disputed territory was left to the care of the civil power. Both parties are to continue in possession of, and have jurisdiction over, the parts occupied by them respectively at the commencement of the present dispute; and the decision of the main question will be left in the hands of the Federal Government of America.

At the same time the state of things on the Canadian frontier is unsatisfactory. Scarcely a night passes without the heavens being illuminated by the light from some incendiary fire. The House of Assem