The Devonport Tories gave their defeated candidate, Mr. George Dawson,
a public dinner on Friday last. Sir J. Y. Buller, Mr. Parker, Lord John Russell's opponent in South Devonshire, and Mr. Stapylton, formerly private secretary to Mr. Canning, were among the company. Mr. Dawson entertained them by a long and violent speech ; one passage of which we subjoin.
" It would be invidious in me to particularize every person who has done me the honour of attending here upon this occasion ; but I cannot pass over without some observations the presence of an old friend of mine, who has on thm. occa- sion come forward to do both you and me honour in gratifying us with his company. I allude, I need scarcely say, to Mr. Stapylton—a man who has to boast of the high honour of having been the intimate friend and confidential companion of one of the greatest geniuses this country ever produced. .I might have expected this favour at his hands from motives of private friendship, but I am sure you will agree with me in thinking it of the greatest importance to our cause that the friend of the late Mr. Canning—that the man whom he honoured by his friendship—has this night gratified us by his presence. Would that Pro- vidence had been kind enough to have spared us for these times that great, that illustrious man! Would that he had lived, to extinguish with the thunders of his eloquence, to have annihilated with the flashes of his sarcasm, those men who are at the present moment acting in direct opposition to all the principles of his life—who are raising their sacrilegious hands against the very institution which raised him to the proud eminence he enjoyed before the close of his short career. At this moment, when the whole country is convulsed owing to the dissolution of a Ministry against which no imputation could with justice be xnade, beyond what party malice and disappointed ambition could suggest, I trust you will allow me, as an humble individual, but at the same time as one who, though humble, was selected by you for the proud distinction of being your Representative, to call your attention to the perilous and awful crisis in which we are placed."
Mr. Stapylton acknowledged the compliment, in a speech that Mr. Canning would have been ashamed to have heard from the lips of any one pretending to be his friend ; for this Mr. Dawson, it should be recollected, took the lead among the factious crew that persecuted Canning to the death—the most violent of all the No-Popery Tories. Now he bespatters the memory of the deceased orator with his hypo- critical admiration; and Canning's friend, Mr. Stapylton, does not reject his nauseous compliments with indignant loathing. They must be well matched, Messrs. Dawson and Stapyltan.
It was mentioned last week, that the Hertfordshire Tories had been consoling themselves for the defeat of the Wellington Cabinet by din- ing together, and abusing the Whigs and Radicals in speeches over the bottle. We have since read an amusing account of their proceedings in the Herrord Reformer, written in the best style of party squibbing. It seems that the bullies and bribers, whose infamous practices at the Hartford election of 1832 were exposed in the Report of the Com- mons Committee, were admitted to dine at the same table with Lords Verulam, Salisbury, and a few others, who, whatever their political siharacters may have been, were generally supposed to possess some sense of decency and gentlemanly feeling. Although only 247 tickets were issued, 47 were given away on the morning of the dinner. The whole affair seems to have been particularly prosy' nothing having ever been heard equal in dulness to the speech of " Verulam pere" ex- cepting that of " V.erulamfi/s." Of course, in this collection of the elite of Hertfordshire, the Cowpers, Dames, Essexes, Blakes, Sir Culling Smith, and the Calverts, were not to be found.
The Cheshire Tories held a public meeting on Tuesday, at North- wich. An address to the King, proposed by Lord Delamere, and seconded by Mr. Mainwaring, was carried. The Liberals generally ab- sented themselves from the meeting ; but Mr. Wilbraham, M. P., who mingled with the crowd, defended his Parliamentary conduct and Liberal principles, with spirit and gallantry. . The Norwich Mercury of Saturday last, in its report of a dinner given on the previous Wednesday at Yarmouth, to Messrs. Baring and Praed, the present Membeis, gives an account of a fracas between the two gentlemen. They made flaming Conservative speeches, and ap.
peered to be quite engrossed with great constitutional matters. But Mr. Praed, towards the close of his speech, intimated that his colleague, notwithstanding his flourishes about regard for Conservatism, was all the while gammoning him, by uniting with Colonel Anson, a Reformer, to turn him out at the next election. Mr. Baring intimated, that pros priety might have suggested to his honoerable colleague the communi- eating the report of the union with Colonel Anson (of which he had never before heard) to himself in private before noticing it in public. Mr. Pracd received a rebuke from the Chairman ; who said "the dis- cussion had better never have been introduced, and the sooner it is closed the better ; " and the gentleman immediately left the room in high dudgeon. He was, however, brought back, and something like a reconciliation seems to have taken place.
The Peterborough Tories are endeavouring to establish a Conserva- tive Society, otherwise a Bribery Club. On the 24th of last month, they issued a handbill, calling upon their friends to " beat for com- rades;" but the Liberals were on the alert, and put forth a counter- handbill, setting the unwary on their guard against the real designs of the clubbists ; and we suspect that the No-Popery corruptionists in Peterborough will find their scheme a had one. A number of influential gentlemen residing in Croydon and its vici- nity have determined on forming aConservative Association in that town.
At a meeting held at the Regent Hotel, Brighton, on Friday even- ing last, and over which Sir David Scott presided, a society was formed, denominated " The Brighton Conservative Club," and several persons enrolled their names as members.—Briy/don Guardian.
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