17 FEBRUARY 1844, Page 8

Zbe Vrobintes.

The election of a Member for South Wiltshire, in the room of Sir Francis Burdett, took place at Devizes on Monday. On Saturday afternoon, Mr. Edridge, the Free-trade candidate, announced in a pla- card that he had resigned. His evasion was the source of some face- tious remark, not only by speakers at the election, but by the crowd, who cried, " Where's Temple ?"—" Lost." " Where's Edridge ? "- " Stole away "; and the like. The only candidate was Mr. Sotheron ; who was proposed by Mr. Neeld, M.P., seconded by Mr. Ludlow Bruges, M.P., and declared duly elected. In thanking the electors, he said that among the 2,000 signatures appended to the requisition invit- ing him to stand, were the names of several old Whigs " ; but the old names of party warfare had long ceased to have any distinctive mean- ing— " I am not afraid that any one who is called an old Whig, and who may have signed that document, will ever have reason to repent having done so, or ind my votes at variance with the line of policy which if be were in my place he would adopt. Our objects, I say, are the same ; the protection of property, the preservation of order, and the maintenance of the different relations of society. The evils we have to dread are anarchy, revolution, disturbance of order, and invasion of property."

Anti-League meetings have been held at Croydon, Kingston, in Surrey ; Gloucester; Bedford, where 400/. was subscribed; East Ret- ford in Nottinghamshire ; Driffield, for East Yorkshire ; Stamford, Spilsby, Alford and Sleaford, in Lincolnshire, where the Earl of Win- chilsea attended, 700/. subscribed ; Berwick ; Abingdon, in Berkshire ; Wolverhampton, in Staffordshire ; Shrewsbury, in Shropshire.