About 1200 Tories dined together at Devizes, on Tuesday, to
cele- brate the return of Sir Francis Burdett for North Wiltshire. Mr. Estcourt, M. P. for Devizes, was chairman. The other "distinguished persons" were Lord Heytesbury, old Mr. Estcourt, Mr. Joseph, and Mr. John Neeld, Mr. Ludlow Bruges, and Mr. 1Vadham Wyndham. A letter from Mr. Long, apologizing for his absence, was read. The honest Globe, in a paragraph about the dinner, thus alludes to this letter- " A letter was read from Mr. Long, declining attending the dinner, as op- posed in its pi inciples to his declarations so frequently made, that 'lie would not be a partisan,' and as appearing at the dinner would be a compromise of his principles. And vet the barefaced Tory organs will still continue to class the honourable gentleman as one of their party !"
Now we will give the letter itself, and leave our readers to judge whether Mr. Long deserves any other appellation than that of fory, or whether he is the sort of person whom a Reform Ministry should be anxious to claim as a friend- Weasen. A og. 30.
" Sir—A letter inviting me to the Conservative dinner on the 19th of September reached me here ; and I have to request you to thank the Com- mittee for this mark of their attention to me. Mock as I should like to meet my numerous friends who will be present on the occasion, and who supported rue so efficiently in my late contest, I feel that it would be too much at variance with the declaration I so frequently made, that I would riot be a partisan, to accept the invit ition. I received, too, such powerful support front the Moderate or Whig party, that I should compromise myself too much at the present moment by appearing at the dinner."
He would "like" to be among the Tories, but he fears that "at the present moment" his appearance at the dinner would "compromise " him "too much !" There's a precious Reformer ! Oh, surely the Spectator did Mr. Long grievous injustice in excluding him from the Reform ranks !
Mr. Estcourt, the chairman, gave a very significant intimation that Mr. Long is "all right" now. He said— Whatever opinions the constituency might have formed of the late Parlia- mentary conduct of their Member, let them nut forget the manly and honour- able declaration which Inc made on the hustings, but hope that the remembraooe of that event would have a powerful influence on his future conduct. -at
Sir Francis Burdett talked in his neual style about the glorious con- otitation, Mr. Daniel O'Connell, the Irish majority, and the Pro- testant religion.
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