1884 Atkinson Ministry

The Fourth Atkinson Ministry was a responsible government in New Zealand, which lasted less than a week.It formed on 28 August 1884 after the fall of the first attempt at a Stout-Vogel coalition and lasted until Robert Stout and Sir Julius Vogel took back their majority on 3 September.[1] After the 1884 general election, in which a number of factions were returned to the House, a brief coalition between Sir Julius Vogel and Robert Stout took office, but was immediately ousted in a confidence motion proposed by James William Thomson.[2] Thomson failed to form an alternative majority and advised the Governor to call Sir George Grey; Grey attempted to form a coalition with ex-Premier Harry Atkinson but was unsuccessful as Atkinson believed their followings would refuse to combine.After the fall of the Government, Wakefield’s constituents presented him with a large dead rat.