t4r Vruniurro.

Castle Hedingham has contributed another characteristic banquet to the fasti of Protection. The notorious Hinokford Agricultural and Conser- vative Club held its annual ploughing-match and dinner on Saturday, but with sadly diminished lustre. There was a good attendance of the re- spectable farmers and gentlemen of the county of Essex ; but only one Member of Parliament, Sir Bowyer Smijth. The chairman of the day was Mr. George Round ; the chief speakers were the Reverend John Cox and Mr. Ashurst Majendie. Mr. Cox imputed to virulent party animo- sity the verdict of the Select Committee appointed by the House of Com- mons to investigate the Derby briberies, and the unseating of Mr. Du Cane and Mr. Miller for Mallon. For himself, he was " as much a Pro- tectionist as ever." " Still I do not tell you to agitate for Protection ; be- cause I think it would be wicked and foolish to do so." The Free-traders promised peace, plenty, cheapness, and uniform prices : " but instead of plenty, we have free trade and famine" ; and instead of peace, the Em- peror of Russia, holding the keys of the granary of Europe, dares our Go- vernment to touch him, and declares he will do as ho pleases. The Con- servative party ought not to be entirely extinguished because they have been beaten upon a fiscal duty on corn. Their association had been established upon a Conservative basis ; and their principles were "Fear God, honour the King, stand fast by the Pro- testant institutions of the country ; take care of the interests of farmers, labourers, and of all persons connected with the land." Those principles must remain as long as the kingdom exists ; and therefore to say that the Conservative party was annihilated because it had been beaten upon a fiscal duty on corn, was a monstrous absurdity. On what platform, then, could they constitute a real Conservative party ? Were there no principles on which they could rally? He knew the newspapers said that party was at an end—their definition of " party " being the madness of the many for the ad- vantage of the few. Mr. Disraeli had given a better definition of " party," namely, " the embodiment of a principle." He knew that party is at an end with the present Government, because they have no principle, but are a mere combination of Peelites, Whigs, Radicals, Pope's Bands, and a variety of other little conglomerations, constituting a knot of persons in Parliament whose object is the destruction of the Conservative party. Under these cir- cumstances, it is the duty of the Conservatives to hold fast by their princi- ples, and to join with none of them ; leaving them, Whigs, Radicals, Peel- ites, and all, to fall into the "Rogue's March" played by the Pope's Brass Band. The position of the present Government is this, that they are bound hand and foot to the Pope, and without his sanction they dare not make a movement: witness the Canada Clergy Reserves Bill, the Charitable Trusts Bill, and the humiliating letter of the Premier to Messrs. Monsell, Keogh, and Sadleir. They must erect, then, the Conservative party upon the great platform of the Protestant institutions of this country. (Prolonged cheer- ing.) On the proposed Reform. Bill Mr. Cox was very explicit. Sir James Graham has promised the country a large measure of reform. What direction is it to take? Do they want pure constituencies, free from bribery and intimidation ? Then let them raise the franchise ; for it is in little petty boroughs and not in the counties that bribery takes place. A five-pound franchise would enfranchise the men who pelted them at Brain- tree, whilst the agricultural labourers would be disfranchised. Let them not go on tinkering and altering the franchise in that way ; but if there is to be a change, let them go the whole hog and have universal suffrage at once. (Cheers and some opposition.) That might seem strange from him, but he said that universal suffrage is conservative compared with a five-pound fran- chise. He spoke only his own views, but he repeated that there is something Imperial in universal suffrage. Look at France. Universal suffrage is Im- perial ; but the five-pound franchise is downright direct Democracy. He should hold up his hand, then, for universal suffrage, in preference to any Whig-Radical tinkering of the franchise. (Continued cheering.) In gratitude for this speech, and at the suggestion of the chairman, a "special toast"—" the health of the Reverend John Cox "—was drunk in a bumper.

But the next proceeding eclipsed the speech of Mr. Cox. Mr. Ashurst Majendie read two letters; one from Sir John Tyrell, the other from Major Beresford.

" Rougham Hall, Oct. 9, 1853. "I am sorry frankly to admit that I have neither heart, spirit, nor courage to attend your meeting at Hedingham on the 14th October. I fear that many friends will think I am neglecting them ; others, that I am indifferent to what is passing in the county. Your meeting is Conservative and agri- cultural, and I have a few words to say upon the subject. The Conserva- tive party is so completely demolished in the House of Commons as a party, that it must be reformed before it can be a combined party. If I am asked what has brought about that state of things, my answer is, the perfidy and insincerity of conduct and action of many of that party who talked loudly on the hustings of confidence in Lord Derby, and who were afterwards in the lobby of the enemy—defeating by their countenance the proceedings of the most strenuous of our leaders. Under these circumstances, our moral influ- ence as a party has vanished. Undoubtedly, I acted like the cabmen and struck work, and perhaps you may say abandoned my duty. I admit that I am too old to enter the lists ; and I have seen too much of party conflicts to attack those in our own ranks, who though their motives may be sincere, have, in my opinion, acted a part inconsistent with their declarations, which excited cheers from the hustings, and caused extraordinary exertions to be made to secure their return to Parliament. It is not impossible that we may ere long, from the present sedative state of the party, be awakened by some attack upon our own Protestant liberties, or by the din of war, mainly brought about by the antiquated imbecility of the head of the Cabinet, whose known sympathy with the Orleans party has encouraged Russia to rely upon a division between England and France, which would at once leave Turkey at the disposal of Russia. This state of things would never have occurred had Lord Derby remained in office; and that is the penalty that England has to pay in supporting a Government bound by a combination of trading politicians —that is, of men whose great object was to be in office on any principles or at. any price and which is daily becoming explained to the public by the date of the Irish party. Those gentlemen, it seems, have been tampered with by the underlings ofthe Peel-Whigparty, putting into the shade, by their im- perfections the little imperfections of which Lord Derby's officials were accused. Thennly consolation of an alleviating character that is left for us amidst the convulsion in the money-market is, the prospect of bread and meat being one shilling a mouthful. It cannot be said that that has been done by the noble- men and gentlemen of the counties for their own benefit. That is the only pull, in a selfish point of view, that we have. It is a deplorable state of things, that we have a Cabinet composed of statesmen without a party, who are staking the very existence of the honour and credit of the country and the nation upon the decisions and numbers of public meetings; and Minis- ters of the Crown get on waggons and platforms in order to give their opinions weight at the next Cabinet Council. I sincerely wish well to the objects of your meeting. I cannot see my way in this crash of the Conservative party, and I know that the gentlemen of the Iledinghain district understand the local but meritorious object-of their meeting better than I do ; but, at the same time, I acknowledge that I have neither heart nor courage to attend and speak my real opinions of the causes that have brought about this in- ternal confusion and break-down of our party in the House of Commons. I admit it would bring such a hornet's nest about my ears, attended with no beneficial result, that I shall refrain from attending meetings, and content myself with floating upon the political surface, till some event takes place that may render it less disagreeable than it would be now, by corning in conflict with many of those with whom we have fought many a battle.

" I am, &c. J. T. TYRBLL." " Hampton Court. Oct. 13. "You will oblige me by communicating to the members of the Hinckford Agricultural Association, that upon mature consideration I have thought it ad- visable to abstain from attending-the dinner at Castle Iledingham on Friday. Till within a few weeks, it was my decided resolution to have taken advantage of their annual meeting to lay before them and the constituency of North Essex a full and detailed statement of the transactions connected with the Derby election, and the consequent inquiry ; and to have vindicated myself from i the unjust and malignant imputations which I have borne hitherto in silence, awaiting that opportunity to expose and refute them. A fresh persecution has been lately commenced against me. The whole matter has been opened afresh, and is to be brought to the issue of a trial. Such proceedings neces- sarily preclude me from entering into those explanations which might be impolitic as far as I am individually concerned, but what must be unfair towards others whose cause has been mixed up with mine upon this occasion. It would not, therefore, become me to present myself at Castle Hedingham tongue-tied ; neither would it be justifiable to put forward a onesided state- ment, to prejudice the case before it was fairly submitted to the tribunal by which it is to be investigated. Such is the reason which induces me, however distasteful it is to my own inclination, to absent myself tomorrow from the meeting. I trust that those to whom you will read this letter will patiently await the conclusion of those legal proceedings before they condemn unheard, or on the ex-parte assertions of malignant enemies, one whose unremitting exertions for six years in the cause of agricultural and Conservative interests, if overlooked by the party in whose service he has toiled, have not been forgotten by their opponents and hia unrelenting persecutors. "I am, &c. WM. BERESFORD."

Speeches from Mr. Miller, the unseated of Malden, Sir Bowyer Smijth M.P., and some others, filled up the measure of the evening.

The Herefordshire Agricultural Society held its annual meeting on Wednesday. The rain poured down in torrents ; but the chill without did not damp the spirits of the gentlemen who sat down to the evening banquet. There all was high glee. The three County Members were present,—" three gentlemen in butter condition" one speaker had never seen ; one, Captain Hanbury, in the chair, while Mr. Booker and Mr. King King were the orators. Lord Bateman congratulated the farmers on their brighter prospects in spite of bad farming ; warned them against over-speculation ; and exhorted them to give their labourers a liberal share of their prosperity. Mr. King joined in the congratulations. Mr. Booker said he was one of those who had long entertained the most de- sponding feelings and gloomy forebodings, and they might imagine his gratification at finding those forebodings not realized. They might ima- gine the " honest pride " which he felt at meeting his constituents under circumstances so different from those which of late years had prevailed. He would not deny that ho had expected corn would again reach a very high price ; but he did not expect that in 1853 he would have done what he did the day before this meeting—sell a thousand bushels of two-year- old wheat at ten shillings the bushel. He trusted no one would begrudge the farmer a good turn, after all the sufferings he had endured.

The members of the Cheshire Agricultural Society dined together after the usual show, at Tarporley, last week ; the Marquis of Westminster in the chair. Mr. Martin pointed out, that while provision has been made for educating the working classes, none whatever has been made for edu- cating the sons of tenant-farmers. They do not like sending their sons to the National Schools, because they have to mix with boys who are in after life their servants, and the intercourse tends to destroy authority. Therefore Mr. Martin suggested, that a school for them should be built in a central part of the county, by subscription ; and he had no doubt that it would soon become self-supporting, as " something of the sort is loudly called for by the farmers."

General Buckley, of New Hall, Wilts, has issued an address to the electors of Salisbury. He will support the present Government on the questions of the day, but declines to give any specific pledge for the future : although a member of the Church of England, he is " a firm friend to the liberties of others." No opposition from the Conservatives is anticipated.

At the sitting of the Court for the revision of the list of voters for Northumberland, seventeen Benedictine monks claimed votes in respect of a freehold house held by them at Morpoth. A close examination of the chief claimant elicited the fact that the monks of his order take a vow of poverty ; which he explained to mean, that they have only a life interest in the property of the order. It further appeared that the rents had not been received from the property by the claimants for six months pre- viously. The Barrister therefore disallowed the claims.

There has been a church-rate contest in St. Asaph. The polling ex- tended over nine days : with difficulty a majority of 21 was obtained in favour of the rate.

Lieutenant Austin having resigned his poet as Governor of the-Bir- mingham Gaol, the Magistrates have appointed Mr. G. W. Hillyard, in

his place. Mr. Hillyard, it appears, was formerly of Pentonville Penitentiary, and nine years Deputy-Governor of Stafford Gaol."

It is now stated that the Committee appointed to carry out the pro- jected Lawson Observatory have discovered that th ey have hitherto made a mistake about the gift of Mr. Lawson : who stipulated that 10,000/. in addition to his contribution should be raised. The Committee has reduced

its ,S0 50(4 Aftritind has set nbek404954fidtilli. efIditional b:,■1

eli At Preston, on Saturday last, forty-nine mills were Cloaca, and upwards

of twenty thousand people thrown out of emploirnent.' This movement on the part of the manufacturers was part of agretit 'scheme formed to resist the combination of workmen for an ,increased rate of pay. The Preston manufactimers were to close first ; to be followed by those of Burnley, Bacup, and other places. The artisans of most of the trades of Preston have resolved to support the factory hands. The people out of work held a meeting on Monday morning, at which between 20,000 and 30,000 assembled. They cheered for the "ten per cent," and groaned for the people still at work and for the masters—tho " shoddyoeracy."

At Wigan, 800 weavers are out on strike. The Manchester power- loom weavers have resumed work at an advance of 5 per cent—they had demanded 10 per cent. The dyers are still "out." In the Wigan dis- trict, some-16,000 persons connected with coal-mining are idle from the strike of the miners : coals are dear at Liverpool in consequence.

M'Donnell, one of the men engaged in the brutal outrage at Barnet which ended in the death of a poor woman, has been apprehended at Rotherham. He admitted that he had been in the woman's company. A reward of 1001. -had been offered by Government for the conviction of the miscreants.

At the Derby Quarter-Sessions, on Wednesday,. Simpson pleaded guilty to committing the burglary at Lord Denman'e ; and Tomlinson, the butler, _pleaded guilty to stealing two purses, the .property. of the Honourable Eliza- beth Hodgson.

The inquest on the man killed by tlie collision on the Ambergate branch railway terminated in a verdict of `Manslaughter" againsttt guard and two drivers.

Mr. Liddell, stationmaster at Stamford, has been tined 51, by a Magistrate, and dismissed from his situation by the Railway Directors,..for a foolish:Ant/ dangerous act. He was at Luffenham late at night ;. the.train for Stamford had gone, and he walked along the line to Ketton, Being very tired, he per- suaded the porter there to get out a truck., on which he preposed to ride to

i

Stamford; the line thither is on a descent,- and he thought ifinished off; the truck would run into the towii.--Ittstopped refici,Wayl 'Liddell had to get a gatekeeper and his wife to help him,•to push.,its.teAtantforst If a Arain had

come up, there might have been fatal consegammes..... ..1. .. ,. . .... . ..

There has been rioting at Shields between Abe, steam tug :immured some pilots and their mariners. The pilots lisare.tsvg steamers for the purpose of conveying them across the dangerous bar* tjsis mouth of the Type to vessels requiring their -services. The pilots ' have ereployed these steamers to tug

sil

vessels ; they do a good businem • the " m2tug Association' at first re- fused to admit the pildta inblittelftixV;"b t' 6o want to" force them to join it." '. The esseciatioirlivetaisea • the tehligesT their Men; who have formed a union, have demanded higher wages : the pilots and their hands have nothing to do with"either association or union ; and hence' has arisen a bad feeling, which has..forindamni.irt- coMbets in the harbour. The town authorities have interfered to quell the disturbances. • At a merrymaking in a publie-Iiiiinie 'ar ihe' village of Wolvey, in War7 wickshire, a squebblearose, and fee Met; Mobley and Bolton, got to blows. Bolton drew a knife, and plunged ifititti hii"tintagonises' belly ; which occa- sioned his death in ten minutes. The 'assassin hurried' home and went to bed; but he was soon arrested.

Mr. Davidson, clerk in the office of the Clerk to the Board of Guardians of Whitechapel, has been robbed, t Doncaster of 250/. in notes and gold. He had conveyed a pauper woman; and child from London to Thorne, on Sun- day; in the evening he drank'at several public-houses; at the last he en- tered, a number of . had :characters surrounded him and his pocket .was , picked. Several men have. been arrested, but nothing could be proved against them. ....