6 MAY 1837, Page 7

IfirtropoltS.

The interest excited iii 1Vestininster by the approaching election is greater than has prevailed on a similar occasion fer many years. Re- fOriners and Tories are took ine the most zealot's exertions ill behalf of their respective candidates. Immediately on the announcement by Sir Fralicis Burdett of his intention to apply fOr the Chiltern Ilitudreds, and to offer Iiiinself agaiii as a candidate, Mr. Leader published a letter to the electors, to assure them of his determination to redeem the pledge lie had given, mud to meet Sir Francis on his old ground-- " Ne one," said Mr. Leader. " who Las read sir Francis But dett's letter can &mitt time nature of the strii.!el.• upon which we are tom entailing. (ha one side at e all Herm niers, W 1.1,s as well as ll,elicals—all the stippot ters What Sir rtmleis rood. it s ;m: a niialt and a-mild:tine- Administration.'

on the other side, Is die tree of the Tou y p at), ■411e41 tog..ther in

seep ea of a 11,1 s0hl ,:•■1! 1,1re dishunouted by their

alliimee. It is iiii', shall ilrevril "

Cultilnittees for all tho di-,riet: timitl parishvs wile imme- diately formed by t Ito h .di sh. Tip 11 higs :it Brooke,'s and at the Reform Club resolved to support Mr. Licadu r ; and, with the excep- tion of 111r. De 1'ear, the more active and :1111e of Sir Francis Bur- dett's old friends—the " pismires "—manger! themselves under the same banner. Tlw Tories crowed one whole day at the mentality of Mr. De Veer, which will cause Mr. Leader the loss of one vote—that of " dear De Vear " himself, and nu inure. 'the personal pique which has induced that gentleman to desert the Liberals, with Moon he went so far as to second the resolution calling upon Sir Francis Burdett to resign, affects nobody but himself. Mr. Pumice), goes heart and hand along with the Reformers.

Meetings of Mr. Leader's friends have been held every night of the week,—on Monday, at the British Coffeelmuse, Cockspur Street ; on Tuesday, at the Crown Tavern, Broad Stior•t, Golden Square ; on. Wednesday, at the 13elgrave I hotel, Eloury Street, Pimlico ; oimThurs- day, at the Lowther Booms; last night, at the King's Arms, Palace Yard. At all these meetings Mr. Leader gained golden opinions, by an eloquent and spit lied declaration of his political sentiments. Every day he became more piqmlitr, and-his chance of success improved.

Mr. Grote presided at the meeting at the 13elgrave Hotel, and bore earliest testimony to the worth of Mr. Leader, and his fitness to repre- sent the Reformers of Westminster- " Gentlemen," said Mr. Grote, " 1 do not hesitate to say. from a consider- able knowledge of Mr. Leader and his qualities, that Ite is fully worthy of the esteem and entire confidence of the electors of Westminster. 1 will venture to promise you that Mr. Leader will ever be found the unhesitating and UnCttru- promising advocate of the people's rights, of good government both in print-bide and detail. I have sat by the side of Mr. Leader in the House of Commons now between two and three years; and I may state most conacienti- ously, that I have never once seen him swerve from time cause of the people,

whether under fa.voureble or unfavourable circumstances. I can bear full testimony to the bold and steady way in which he has always ad- vocated good principles, even in the face of large majorities, and at films when good principles were not supported as they ought to have been by the Ministry. 1 can bear testimony both to the fidelity with which he has advocated these principles, and to the high ability, the intellect, aud the eloquence which on many occasions, he has displayed in the people's cause. You have read Mr. Leader's address, and he will himself this evening state to you his opinions on all the leading political points. I need not state that in the political creed avowed by Mr. Leader in his address I fully coincide; but I will fairly say, that even were Mr. Leader a little more or a little less Radical than he is,— if his opinions were even less fully in accordance with my own than they are,- 1 should still have considered it my bounden duty, as a zealous friend of the principles of Reform, to stand by him against Sir Francis Burdett."

Mr. John Crawfurd, Mr. Howard Elphinstone, Mr. Ellis, Mr. Adam Smith, Mr. Morgan John O'Connell, Mr. Charles Villiers, Colonel 'fhompson, Mr. William Williams, Mr. Francis Place, and Dr. Wade, also addressed the meeting. Mr. Villiers spoke some home

truths, but the best passages are not reported—

He did not scruple to say, that in the conduct of the late Member for Wept- iminster, Vee considered thet the party to which he was attatlied been first

abandoned and then insulted ; and that whatever excuses friendship might offer for the offence, the fact was before the country, that the man whose great dis- tinction it was to enjoy the confidence of the people, hail deserted their service, and from the precincts of the Court had attempted to hold up the popular cause and his own friends to the scorn and derision of the world. And now, at every turn in the street, whenever a Reformer met those who had always openly and manfully opposed the popular party, he was pointed st.wah con- tempt, and asked what he thought of his favourite patriot now ? Sir Francis, it was said, now began to learn the truth that they had ever tald him, that he must kick the people if he would have them lick his feet: and he seemed now in that spirit to throw down the gauntlet to twelve thousand electors, and dare them not to reelect him; and that was the position of the city of Westminster, the parent of Reform, she oho gave the example that the rest of England followed ; for it was to the struggle of this borough for a quarter of a century that we are indebted for the Reform Bill, and from that circatustance was it that het example on this occasion would again he followed by the coustituencies a England. Let no man therefore disguise from himself the importance of the event, or what hangs upon hisotvn conduct ; let no man who is a Reformer, and cares for his character, doubt that his position in the counti y depends upon the re.utt of this election. The language of their late Member was before them ; the principles involved in the challenge were intelligible; let no man hope that if be responds not to it with spirit arid success he will escape from becoming the by-word of satire and reproach wherever he is known. Their borough placed in this position, he should care little by whore instru- mentality it was that they vindicated their credit and their cause ; but he thought it matter of high congratulation to them that a candidate for this pur- pose had presented himself uniting so many qualities that fitted him for their purpose as his friend Mr. Leader—a gentleman, independent in fortune, intelli- gent in mind, excellent in disposition—at once uniting in himself the desire and the power to serve his cause and the country.

Colonel Thompson delivered a brief and pithy exhortation, which opened in these words- " Pieniiree ! — ( Great laughter)—jackagses in a lion's hide !—(Renewed laughter.) Holyday terms these, for a candidate to apply to the electors of 'Westminster in Covent Garden assembled ; or to any part or portiiiii of them or their representatives. Go home now to the little pi-mires, that veep about your hearths, or to those greater—no, that won't do—she-us-es !-0, that's no better—well then, to those honest women who adorn your homes, and ask whether any of theni think this is the spirit likely to be useful in tee Repre- sentative for Westminster? I beg of you, in; this contest, not to forget to let your rallying cry be " Pisinires!" (Cheers and laughter.) Unite, as these sagacious creatures tlo, and let no minor differences induce you to divide. Join with any man who is better than your opponent; sacrifice partial differ- ences for the promotion of the great end ; and the result of your union will be the return of Mr. Leader." (Loud cheers.)

Ale. Place, its an old hand in these matters, strongly urged the ne- cessity of an assiduoue eativassAfor the result of the contest depended greatly on that.

Ile could not help mentioning, that it was on that flay, and al t that hour

of the night, thirty years ago, that he drew up the resolution proposing Sir Francis Burdett in the committee of the electors of ‘Vestutioster. They went to the pull on that occasion, and secceeded. TIwy fought the same battle on two subsequent occasions, and beat both IViiige aud Teries; and it would now be roost disgraceful to the electors ef Westminster, it hen they 11.IVC only One faction to contend with, if they did not MUTt.C11. seeoileeteil that, at a meeting that occurred amuse year W,V1 di weed with having abandoned his principles; and on ulna occasion he r.p.m:.!, that Ito ili.1 not know what might happen to Iiiin—lie might let ttrate.1 into in msm-r — (Laughter)—but he did not think t hat it o a is hie that i mi could (v, r abandon the principles of Hamm. At that tine , Mi, i'lace witts..!i, Luse believed that Sir Francis manila be tin lied ilito an ii)ster as have :el ie.I i y— as he now la. ( ('heers. ) would not have said one word in 41,1, .sit am to the return of Sir Francis Burdett had he not abandoned Is pritivip'es as the electors of Westminster. If Mr. Leader hereafter woe! us So Burdett had recently done, he trusted that the electors of Wes.auirister sttatill treat him as they were now about to trent Sir Francis.

Dr. IVacle told the following anecdote— lie recollected, in conver.mtion with Dr. Parr, having strongly t rel.:stied his admiratiett of Sir Francis Burdett ; when the Deetor, n ha was ;it...king at the time, said, " Pool), pooh, lie is like this," blowing out two or three puffs of smoke from his pipe. ( Great laughter.)

Mr. Leader delivered an admirable speech, displeying great tact and readiness ; answering but never shirking the questions with which he was interrupted occasionally ; fearlessly avowing, bur expressing in moderate latiguage and practical form, his Radical opinions. Resolutions were passed pledging the meeting to make every exer- tMn to secure Mr. Leader's return.

We have mentioned that the Whigs have united with the Radicals in supporting Mr. Leader ; but it should be added, that, according to the Times, the Earl of Surry, Earl Grosvenor, Lord Dtandas, and Lord Segrave, have given in their adhesion to Sir Francis Burdett. As to the first and second, they have long been considered Trimmers, and are both unpopular, especially Lord Grosvenor. The interest of' the Duke of Norfolk, and what is of fur more consequence, that of the Marquis of Westminster, does not go with the Tory eatitlidate. The Courier denies that Lord Segrave has ratted; and Lord Hondas, whose son, the Honourable John, is out Mr. Leader's Committee, contradicts the Times, in a letter published in that journal yesterday. It is not, how- ever, a matter of much moment which way my Lord this or that may choose to move ; Mr. Leader will owe his election to the exertions of the Reformers at large, the independent middle classes of Westminster.

The Tories have not been idle. On Monday, Sir George Murray issued an address announcing that, he relinquished his pretensions in favour of Sir Francis Burdett. We expected no less. He quoted some of the Tory sentiments from Burdett's letter to the electors, wad added-

" It appears to me, therefore, that if I was to place myself in competition with Sir Francis Burdett on the present occasion, I should seem to discountenance in

another those same principles upon which I have rested my own claims to your support, and should give occasion, probably to some degree of disunion between

persons professing nearly similar sentiments; affording, by that means, a very 'important advantage to the supporters of political opinions of a diametrically opposite nature."

Committees were organized without delay ; and Sir George Sin- clair (!) was appointed chairman of the Central Committee. Sir George put forth an address to the electors ; but it was a very languid affair, and betrayed the difficulty under which the new allies of Sir Francis Burdett laboured in attempting to reconcile his profeuions et consistency with his claims to Tory support- " He is, al he ever was, an enemy to every abuse, and a supporter a amelioration in our ecclesiastical or civil polity; but he never can consent tit" Protestantism, the bulwark of British freedom, should be sacrificed, or that t: democratic principle in itself so essential to the vigour and stability of our of the Legislature. * • • Government should trench uponotheiusleettopnrerogit aretimveasionf.twheithetoityroduintaoteibbraowncheiby rallying round the standard of independence, and by judging and actin 'fo- yourselves, that you are resolved not to submit to dictation, or to ahead:lea: worthy to represent you—whose character is without reproach, anti whose the call of a few self-constituted leaders, the man who has so long hem deem motives ate beyond suspicion." Sir Francis arrived in town from Brighton on Wednesday noon, in the same carriage with Mr. John Wilson Crolter In the House of Commons, on the evening of the same day, Sir George SM. clair moved for a new writ for Westminster, Sir Francis having taken the Chiltern Hundreds ; and on Thursday a new manifesto was issued from the Tory Committee-room, announcing that Sir Francis would shortly address the electors personally and in writing. The following is the concluding paragraph of this address. The tone, it will be seen, is that of a suppliant for aid, and very different from the style of tbe "

pismire" letter to the electors-

" Can any man point out an abuse which Sir Francis Burdett has advocated —an injustice at which he has connived—a useful measure against which hells, set his face—an act of oppression against which he has not protested—a sacrifice which be has not unhesitatingly made in the cause of rational liberty? He not then, deluded by specious promises or artful misrepresentations; come forward manfully to insure the return of one whom you have so long respected and cherirdted as the advocate and guardian of your rights."