11 NOVEMBER 1837, Page 5

Vie Countrg.

There was a splendid muster of Devonshire Liberals at Barnstaple, on the 30th ultimo, to celebrate Lord Ebrington's election for North Devonshire. About 1200 gentlemen, 750 of whom had entered the town in procession on horseback, dined together in a banquet.room erected for the occasion. The party was the largest remembered ia Devonshire to have /resembled for a political purpose. In the galleries were many ladies of rank and distinction in the county, and the appear- ance of the whole was grand arid imposing. Lord Ebrington spoke at some length when his health was drunk. After alluding to the cir- cumstances of the late conteg, and especially to the opposition of the clergy, arid the endeavours made by the Tories to inflame the public mind on the subject of Ireland, he proceeded, in compliance with the reiterated call of the assembly, to deliver his sentiments on the Ballot-- " I never have and I never will shrink from giving my opiaion fairly and most explicitly on any subject in any meetiog of my constituents in whic.h it is called for, whether thot opinion may be in conformity with that of the ntajorit? of those whom I addrt ss, or whether it may unfortunately differ with theirs. Gentlemen, if I could brig myself to believe that the ballot would effectually give that security to the honest and independent voter in the owl cise of his elective franchise which, 1 am ready to admit, is in many a.m.:motes now want- ing, I certainly 01011141 liOt feel any hesitation in voting (as I did on °Demi:ea. Si,], in a very small aid when the sill.je:t w 1:ct a very popular one) in favour of the : but, gentlemen, the in .re 1 have reflected upon the subject, the more satisfactorily have I brought my in ii h to the conclusion that tile ballot would not he productive of that effect 'teu catild not preveut the landlord floor soliciting his tenant—you you'll not prev.eit the wealthy cue- timer from soliciting the tiaelestnais whom lot employs; and iu proportion as they would have the less means of ascertaining whetfute ti .air promises were kept or not, they would be induced to ex-set more solemn ad bilobiet pledges than they now seek. It appears to toe, therefote, that the Ull'■ refuge by which a man, under these circumstances, could secure privacy to his vote in conse- quence of the ballot, would be in a case in which he vetted iti one w ty after hav- ing promised in another ; and I confess that I cannot briog my inind to tiit couclusion that it would be of any advantage to the really honest artd Mele- pendent elector to give hint such a meaus of eseape from the inconveniences which may be consequent upon the fearless expression of his tpinion. At the same time, I am bound to say that, feeling as I do that the sy.tent of coercing votes is one which requires a remedy—feeling as 1 do that no remedy has yet been pointed out which to my mind Ii, satisfactory, still, as it is that which the majority of the peeple are in favour of, I have fiat some time abstained front voting against the ballot, until I can satisfy my mind that some better remedy can be found."

Another cry of " Universal Suffrage," proceeded from a large pore tion of the assembly ; and Lord Ebrington, apparently not very well pleased with the catechism to which he was subjected, said in reply

to it Gentlemen, as to the extension of the suffrage to householders, I have to say, that although perhaps I may not individually feel any great objectioo to a proposal of that sort, yet I cannot forget, that when the Reform Bill was paned, .1 said/ht. one, that if we could but establish the sofieraye as it was laid &um_ in that bill, we would stop 1/acre: and I will not be drawn by the voice of any man or any party—no, out even by strA an assemble as 1 have now the honour to see around me—to go one jot beyond what my 'honest conviction prescribes Cu, me to be the limits to which I so pledged I will therefore tell you freely and at once, in the face of this meeting, that I am not prepared tosupport A ,notion for the establishment of household suffrage. (Cheers, and a voter of Why ?") I have just stated my reason why. 1 expressed myself satisfied .yith the Reform Bill as it passed ; at least so far as the suffi age was concerned, /accepted it as a final measure. I stated what I had done, on the hustings on the first occasion on a hich I met my constitu. nts afterwatils ; and I received a full expression of their approval : and I will not now, at the bidding of any Luau, turn round upon tile declaration I then made, or of the compact we entered into with those who were not then prepared to go so far as I was, but who upon the ttoderstrinding I have stated were induced to give their concurrence and support to the Reform huh. Gentlemen, I thank you for the opportunity of expressiug my sentiments to this great meeting, to which I feel ou Loamy accounts so much in- debted, but oil no account mute indebted their far the opportunity its call ham giveu Inc of stating to so large a body of my constituents my opinions on some subkcts upon winch I fear it is my misfortune to differ from many of them ; be- cause I feel that the advantage of meetings such as this is, not only that it afford* you a kind and social interview with your Representatives, but that it enable* you to ascertains from them the points upon which they agree with you, tad those upon which they differ from you, and by that means the better to determines whenever the opportunity arrives—and probably it will occur to you at no dis- tant period—whether or not they are fit persons to represent your sentiments."

Other speeches were delivered, but we have only seen a report of Lord Ebrington's.

Another meeting of Lord EbrIngton's constituents took plac cmi time

a: Ba.e:ord. Little worth notice occurred. The principal questions tic !?..; etre not mooted. Lord Ebrington expressed his earliest wish that there should be a strorg demonstration of feeling in England in favour of the 1? ish measures of the Govermnent. The Honourable Hugh Forte scue slightly alluded to the Ballot, as "a mere speculative point ;" and to the Corn-laws, as "a bare feature of political economy

The North Staffordshire Whigs gave a dinner at Cheadle on Tues- day, to their Member, Mr. Edward Buller. Lord Shrewsbury, Lord Waterpark, Lord Alfred Puget, Sir Edward Vavasour, and a nume- rous party of gentlemen of the county, were present. The harmony of the day was not broken by any impatient Radical—all was " Whig- gery, and calm and quiet."