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PRIME MINISTERS.

LORD ABERDEEN. 1853.

1854.

1855.

LORD PALMERSTON.

Aug. A new India Bill is passed, the last charter of the East India Company is granted (a). [See note 1773.]

Dec. Lord Palmerston resigns, really because he does
not consider the Government's policy towards
Russia sufficiently decided.

The English fleet is ordered to enter the Black Sea.
Lord Palmerston resumes office.

Feb.

The ultimatum of England and France is sent to St. Petersburg.

March. A Reform Bill (b) is introduced by Lord J. Russell, but ultimately withdrawn.

Gladstone in his Budget proposes to double the incometax for six months (this to be renewed if necessary) to meet the war expenditure.

The Corrupt Practices Act, providing for publication of accounts after parliamentary elections, and restraining candidates from paying any expenses except through authorized agents, is carried.

March. The Baltic fleet under Sir C. Napier (c) is despatched.

June.

June.

War and Colonial Secretaryships divided.

The allied armies land at Varna under Lord
Raglan and Marshal St. Arnaud.

Sept. The allied armies land in the Crimea.
Sept. 20. Battle of the Alma.

Oct. 17. The siege of Sebastopol begins.

Oct. 25.

Battle of Balaclava.

Nov. 5. Battle of Inkerman.

Dec. Parliament is assembled. Lord Derby charges the ministry with great mismanagement of the war. [The bad administration of the war is denounced strongly in the Times and by the public.]

Jan. Resignation of Lord J. Russell, whose views as to the presence of a War Minister in the House of Commons had not been carried out.

Roebuck's motion to inquire into the conduct of the war is carried by 157 (305 to 148).

Jan. Lord Aberdeen resigns.

Lord J. Russell and Lord Derby are unable to form administrations.

Lord Palmerston becomes Prime Minister (e).
Gladstone, Sir J. Graham, S. Herbert, and other
"Peelites" leave the ministry.

The last penny of the newspaper duty is repealed.
June. Further bombardments of Sebastopol.
Death of Lord Raglan, succeeded by General Simpson.
July. Resignation of Lord J. Russell, who had
succeeded Sidney Herbert, on notice being given of
a motion expressing want of confidence in him for
his action at the conference at Vienna.

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PRIME MINISTERS.

LORD PALMERSTON. 1855.

1856.

1857.

1858.

Sept. 8. Fall and evacuation of Sebastopol.
Nov. Surrender of General Williams after his long
defence of Kars.

A committee of the Lords report against the power of the
Crown to admit life peers to Parliament, which it
attempted to do in the case of Sir James Parke created
Baron Wensleydale. The Government yield the
point.
March 30. Treaty of peace finally signed at Paris
between Russia and Turkey, England, France,
and Sardinia.

April. Lord John Russell's motions involving a scheme
of national education are rejected (260 to 158).
May. Miall's motion in favour of Irish Church disestab-
lishment rejected by 70 votes (163 to 93).

The education vote of this year is £451,000. A paid
Minister of Education is appointed to act as Vice-
President of the Council.

In the Budget the income-tax is reduced from 1s. 4d.
to 7d. in the £ (proposed for three years).

March. Cobden's motion condemning the violent measures resorted to in the affair of the Arrow in China, and approved by Government, is carried by 16 votes (263 to 247).

Lord Palmerston gives notice of a dissolution and
appeals to the country. Bright and Gibson
are rejected at Manchester, and Cobden at Hudders-
field.

April. New Parliament meets. [Estimated strength
of parties-Liberals, 366; Conservatives, 287.]
Indian mutiny. Outbreaks at Meerut and Delhi,
Lucknow and Cawnpore.

June. Destruction of the Chinese fleet.

July. Death of Sir H. Lawrence at Lucknow.

The massacre at Cawnpore.

Sept. Capture of Delhi.

Relief of Lucknow

under Generals Havelock and Outram, who, joining
the garrison, await further relief.

Nov. Final relief of Lucknow under Sir Colin
Campbell, commander-in-chief.

lock.

Death of Have

Commercial panic in England. Suspension of Bank

Charter Act.

Dec. Parliament meets.

The Bank Charter Indemnity Act is carried.

Dec.

Capture of Canton by English and French.

In punishment for the mutiny Sepoy rebels are blown from the guns.

Orsini attempts to assassinate the Emperor of the French. [There is much irritation in France against England for harbouring assassin refugees, and much irritation

(a) Lord Derby's Ministry.- Lord Derby, First Lord of the Treasury; Lord Chelmsford,* Lord Chancellor ; Lord Salisbury,* President of Council; Lord Hardwicke,* Privy Seal; Disraeli,* Chancellor of the Exchequer; Walpole,* Home Secretary; Lord Malmesbury,* Foreign Secretary; Lord Stanley* (succeeded by Sir E. Bulwer Lytton), Colonial Secretary; General Peel,* War Secretary; Lord Ellenborough, Board of Control (succeeded by Lord Stanley); Henley,* Board of Trade; Sir J. Pakington,* Admiralty; Lord J. Manners,* Chief Commissioner of Works; Lord Colchester, PostmasterGeneral; Sir F. Kelly, Attorney-General; Cairns, Solicitor-General; Lord Naas, Irish Secretary; Hardy, Under Home Secretary; Lord Carnarvon, Under Colonial Secretary; Eglinton, Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland.

* In the Cabinet.

(b) India Bill.-The territories and powers of the Company are transferred to the Crown. India is to be administered by a Secretary of State for India and a Council of fifteen members.

The Board of Control is abolished.

(c) By the year 1859 church-rates had been refused in no less than 1525 parishes or districts.

(d) Proposed Reform Bill.-County and borough franchise to be assimilated, the latter remaining as before. Lodgers at £20 per annum to have votes. Educational and other "fancy" franchises. Voting-papers to be allowed.

(e) Sotheron Estcourt succeeded Walpole as Home Secretary; Lord Donoughmore became President of the Board of Trade; Lord March (afterwards Duke of Richmond), President of Poor Law Board; Sir Stafford Northcote, Secretary to the Treasury.

*

(f) Lord Palmerston's Ministry.-Lord Palmerston,* First Lord of the Treasury; Lord Campbell,* Lord Chancellor (succeeded by Bethell (Lord Westbury) in 1861); Earl Granville, President of Council; Duke of Argyll,* Privy Seal; Gladstone,* Chancellor of the Exchequer; Sir G. Lewis,* Home Secretary (succeeded by Sir G. Grey); Lord John Russell* (created Earl Russell 1861), Foreign Secretary; Duke of Newcastle* (succeeded by Card well), Colonial Secretary; Herbert,* War Secretary; Sir C. Wood,* Indian Secretary; Milner Gibson,* Board of Trade; Sir G. Grey,* Duchy of Lancaster; Duke of Somerset,* Admiralty; C. P. Villiers,* Poor Law Board; Earl of Elgin * (succeeded by Stanley of Alderley*), Postmaster-General; Cardwell (succeeded by Sir Robert Peel), Irish Secretary; Lowe, Vice-President of Council (succeeded by H. A. Bruce); Laing (succeeded by Frederick Peel, and in 1865 by Childers), Secretary to the Treasury; Lord Carlisle, LordLieutenant of Ireland (succeeded by Lord Wodehouse 1864).

Sir G. Lewis became War Secretary in 1861, and died in 1863 (succeeded by Earl de Grey and Ripon*); Cardwell became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1861, and was succeeded by Lord Clarendon * 1864.

*In the Cabinet.

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1859. War declared by France and Sardinia against Austria. The Austrians are defeated at Magenta and Solferino.

July. The Treaty of Villafranca brings to a close the war between France and Austria. Lombardy ceded to Sar

dinia. Tuscany, Parma, and Modena unite themselves to Sardinia, but Savoy and Nice are ceded to France. Queensland is made separate colony (Brisbane capital), with a representative government.

a

PRIME MINISTERS.
LORD
PALMERSTON.

1858.

LORD DERBY

1859.

LORD PALMERSTON.

in England about the threats of certain French colonels and others.]

Lord Palmerston introduces a bill transferring the
government of India from the East India Company
to the Crown.

Feb. Lord Palmerston's Conspiracy to Murder Bill
(relating to Orsini's late attempt on the Emperor),
making conspiracy to murder a felony, is defeated
on Milner Gibson's amendment by 19 votes.
Lord Palmerston resigns.

Lord Derby becomes Prime Minister (a).
March. Capture of Lucknow under Sir C. Camp-
bell and Outram.

Final suppression of rebels in India. Campaign of Sir
H. Rose in Central India.

May. A bill abolishing the property qualification for
English and Irish members of Parliament is intro-
duced and afterwards passed.

June. A new India Bill (b) is introduced, and afterwards carried. Secretaryship of State for India constituted; Lord Stanley first Secretary.

June. A treaty is arranged between England and China
at Tien-Tsin.

A bill for the abolition of church-rates is passed in the
Commons and thrown out in the Lords (c).
July. The admission of Jews to Parliament is at last,
after many years' effort made by the House of
Commons and resisted by the Lords, effected by a
bill enabling either House by resolution to modify
its oath, which is carried by 143 to 97.

Feb. Lord Cowley is sent to Vienna to mediate between
France and Austria concerning Italy.

Disraeli announces the proposals of the Government on
the reform of the franchise (d). [Walpole and Henley
had retired on account of these proposals (e).]

March. Defeat of the ministry on the second reading of their Reform Bill by 39 votes (330 to 291). April. Dissolution of Parliament.

May. The formation of volunteer rifle corps is sanctioned by the War Office.

A declaration of neutrality in the war about to begin
between Italy and Austria is issued by the Gov-
ernment.

May. The new Parliament meets. [Estimated strength
of parties-Conservatives, 305; Liberals, 348.]
June. The ministry is defeated in the amendment
to the address by 13 votes (323 to 310).

June. The Queen wishes Lord Granville. to
undertake the formation of a ministry.

June. Ultimately Lord Palmerston becomes
Prime Minister (ƒ).

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