ign
secretary; Lord Kimberley, colonial secretary; Viscount Halifax (Sir C.
Wood), lord privy seal; and Mr. Forster, vice-president of the privy
council, entered the cabinet.

On Mr. Bright's resignation in December 1870, Mr. Chichester Fortescue
became president of the board of trade; Lord Hartington succeeded him as
chief secretary for Ireland; Mr. Monsell was appointed postmaster general
without a seat in the cabinet.

On Mr. Childers's resignation in March 1871, Mr. Goschen became first lord
of the admiralty, and Mr. James Stansfeld president of the poor law board.

In August 1872 Mr. Childers rejoined the cabinet, succeeding Lord Dufferin
as chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster. In October Sir Roundell Palmer
(created Lord Selborne) became lord chancellor on the retirement of Lord
Hatherley.

In August 1873 Lord Ripon and Mr. Childers retired, Mr. Gladstone became
chancellor of the exchequer as well as first lord; Mr. Bright rejoined the
cabinet as chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster; Mr. Lowe became home
secretary and Mr. Bruce (created Lord Aberdare) president of the council.

Irish Church Bill

_Page __276_

_Mr. Gladstone to the Queen_

_July 21, 1869._--Mr. Gladstone presents his humble duty to your Majesty
and reports that the cabinet met at 11 this day, and considered with
anxious care its position and duty in regard to the Irish Church bill. The
vote and declaration of the House of Lords last night were regarded as
fatal if persisted in; and the cabinet deemed it impossible to meet
proceedings of such a character with any tender of further concessions.
The cabinet, however, considered at much length a variety of courses; as
(1) To announce at once that they could no longer, after the vote and
announcement of last night, be responsible for further proceedings in
connection with the bill, but that they would leave it to the majority of
the House of Lords to take such steps as it might think proper; (2) To go
through the whole of the amendments of the bill [_i.e._ in the House of
Lords], and then if they were adversely carried to declare and proceed as
above; (3) To go through not the whole of the amendments but the endowment
amendments, and to conclude that when these had been adversely decided,
they could (as before) assume no further responsibility, but must leave
the matter to the majority to consider; (4) To send the bill back to the
House of Commons with the declaration that it would no