GREAT BRITAIN" AND IRELAND. 



397 



FINANCES, COMMEECE, AND MOVEMENT OP SHIPPING OF THE COLONIES IN 1876. 



The Queen's address at the opening of Par- 

 liament contained the following reference to 

 the Eastern war : " Hitherto, so far as the war 

 has proceeded, neither of the belligerents has 

 infringed the conditions on which my neutral- 

 ity is founded, and I willingly believe both 

 parties are desirous to respect them so far as it 

 may be in their power. So long as these con- 

 ditions are not infringed, my attitude will con- 

 tinue the same; but I can not conceal from 

 myself that, should hostilities be unfortunately 

 prolonged, some unexpected occurrence may 

 render it incumbent on me to adopt measures 

 of precaution. Such measures could not be 

 effectually taken without adequate precaution, 

 and I trust to the liberality of my Parliament 

 to supply the means which may be required 

 for that purpose." In the debate on the ad- 

 dress to the Throne the opposition criticised 

 the course of the Government in convening the 

 session so early, not recognizing the existence 

 of an emergency demanding it, and contrasted 

 the former peaceful professions of the Cabinet 

 with its present attitude of anxious expectancy. 

 The Ministry replied that the aspect of events 

 and the attitude of the Russians had greatly 

 changed, so much and so suddenly as fully to 

 justify the apparent change in the attitude 

 of the Government and vindicate its present 

 course. 



On the 21st of January the Chancellor of 

 the Exchequer, in the House of Commons, de- 

 clined to answer a question respecting the 



communications which had passed between 

 the Government and the neutral Powers with 

 respect to the possible peace with Russia, on 

 the ground that the communications being of a 

 confidential character, it was improper to make 

 them known ; but said that the Queen, having 

 received a direct personal appeal from the 

 Sultan, had, with the advice of the Ministers, 

 addressed a letter to the Czar, communicating 

 the fact, and expressing the hope that his 

 Majesty might accelerate the negotiations for 

 an armistice which would lead to an honorable 

 peace. On the 22d the Chancellor of the Ex- 

 chequer gave notice in the Commons that he 

 would on the following Monday (the 28th) 

 move a supplemental vote for the naval and 

 military service. The Government had a few 

 days before intimated that no proposal of the 

 kind would be made until the Russian terms of 

 peace had been received ; but it was not ex- 

 pected then that so long a time as a week 

 would elapse before they were made known. 

 Now, not only were the terms delayed, but a 

 considerable and rapid advance had been made 

 by the Russians, and under the circumstances 

 the Government felt that they ought not 

 longer to delay asking Parliament to enable 

 them to make provision for any contingency 

 which might arise. On Monday the Chancel- 

 lor, according to his notice, moved a supple- 

 mental estimate of 6,000,000 toward increas- 

 ing the armaments of the country. Referring 

 to the apparent situation as between Russia 



