Clo , Cowan.
Mr. Throekmorton and Mr. Walter, the Liberal representatives of Berkshire, were invited by a large body of the electors of Newbury District to a public dinner on Tuesday last, at the Mansionhouse. Captain Dundas, the member for Greenwich, presided. On proposing the health of Ministers, he declared his intention to support thentge- nerally, but especially on those three great measures to which the atten- tion of Parliament would soon be called,—namely, Church Reform, Abolition of Slavery, and the Commutation of Tithes. Mr. Throckmorton made a long speech, in which he renewed his former declaration of adherence to the principles of Reform, and as- sured the meeting of his determination to vote for the removal of all the abuses which still existed in our political system. He pronounced a warm culogium on the conduct of Earl Grey and his Government, and expressed his belief that they would continue to deserve vell of their country. •
Mr. Walter detailed some of the Conservative tricks at the late elections— To mention only one instance, were not the. Reformers wantonly put to the cruel expense and trouble of hunting down thirty-seven spurious votes through fourteen different parishes between Newbury and Reading? ( Great cheers, and cries of " The Dabchichs.") Upon one single ground—rotten ground, he was justified in calling it—it was attempted to palm upwards ot five hun- dred sham claims upon the register. Could that attempt be defeated without expense? But, further,—aud this was of vast importance,—they would recol- lect that in order to enable Mr. Palmer to carry his election against Mr. Hallett, there was a meeting of the Anti-Reformers last' May, at the Bear Inn, in Reading. A list was published of thirty gentlemen present : they passed reso- lutions to contribute to the expenses of the election ; and, as they themselves acknowledged, various sums, from 10 guineas to 1,000 guineas, were contri- buted. Four clergymen attached their names to this list of gallant subscribers. Here, then, were the Anti-Reformers, during a period of eight months, making attacks upon the cause of Reform, by eating pudding and subscribing pounds; and then they reproached him with having assailed them in the way of e-_-;;;ense. The company would observe, moreover, that this enormous fund was eGllected for the purpose of employing, it against a gentleman who had, over and over again, declared his determination not to expend a shilling !
But Mr. Walter was a more formidable opponent than Mr. Hallett; and could fight the Conservatives with their own yeapons, and pay his expenses himself without application to his party for assistance— What his opponents might have spent from their own purses, he had no means of judging; they all knew that the Anti-Reformers had made immense subscriptions. He had had no such aid ; he had pail] all his expenses himself, —though one noble-minded friend did, indeed, offer hhu 2,0001., which, with every feeling of gratitude, he immediately and positively declined; and amidst the gratification which he had in the triumph of their noble cause, it was an additional pleasure to himself individually, that he was not sent into the House of Commons an eleemosynary member of Parliament to support it.
Mr. Fyshe Palmer, in adverting to the first Parliament under the new Act, said— He could not but express his regret that that measure had not been made as perfect as it might have been in the last Parliament; so that it might have enabled every honest man to give his vote without coercion, and freely according to his conscience. In that case his two hondurable friends near him would have secured their election with much less trouble and inconvenience. But that de- fect in the Bill might vet be remedied. He had once thought that the Reform Bill would be a final Measure; but when he found the threats and menaces held out against honest poor men to doter them from voting as they wished, he owned he could not but admit that something more remained to be done to complete the measure of Reform. ( Citeers, and cries of" Yes, the ballot.")
Mr. Palmer also alluded to the Scotch elections, particularly to that of Mr. Kinloch for Dundee, with which he expressed himself highly gratified. He referred to the persecution of his relation Mr. Palmer and Mr. Muir in 1792; and congratulated the meeting that the " eyes of the people were now opened," and he was satisfied that they would have any rather than a Tory Administration. • The health of Mr. H. Marsh (who made a very long and humorous speech in reply) and of Sir Thomas Denman were also drunk.
The Bath Herald contains a report of proceedings at a dinner attended by upwards of three hundred of the supporters of Mr. H. W. Hob- house, the defeated candidate for Bath. Sir Thomas Fellowes was in the chair. After the healths of the Royal Family and of Sir James Graham and the Navy had been duly honoured, the Chairman proposed Lord Hill and the Army, Lord Grey and the Ministers, and the Lord Chancellor and the Bar. The worthy Chairmen prefaced this last toast in rather a singular manner- " Gentlemen, while I catch you in the humour, I will trespass once more. I like to see trasls swept away, so I will give "The Lord Chancellor and the Bar." (Laughter and applause.)
The Bishop and Clergy of the diocese (more trash?) were then toasted ; and at last the Chairman arrived at the grand business of the evening, and proposed the "health of Henry William Hobhouse, Esq., with sincere regret," rec., at his defeat.
Mr. Hobhouse, in returning thanks, indulged himself in making sundry rather unhandsome reflections. on his opponents, which, prove that he is any thing but reconciled to his defeat. Ire made the follow- ing calculation of the strength of ie,s in the ■ "Leaving Inland out of the question (for it is not easy to know the politics ' of that distr ici,N1 country, though it would not affect the general result), we l' have then in tile present House of Commons—Reformers, 404; Conservatives, i 119; New-nod Hers or Mountaineers, 30. (Laughter and cheers.) This, gentlemen, is a signal triumph of our principles, and has been achieved against ievery possible effort from both the opposing parties, for both are equally our opponents. There is certainly a great Mountaineer for Middlesex; but the , Metropolitan districts have repudiated them almost to a man, as well as most of the large cities and boroughs." And again--" With regard to this Mountain party, or New-modellers, who and what are they? Surely it is no difficult or dangerous thing to take an exact measure of their real strength in the country. Are they, then, persons of commanding talent or character—of any eminent station or great utility? are they known by any patriotic conduct, or for great constitutional learning, as to entitle them par excellence to the confidence of us Reformers? Are they Reformers? No, gentlemen, I say with you, they are not Reformers; and I say more, that the Reformers in the House of Commons will soon tell them the same thing : they will tell them that reforming and new- modelling our institutions are two very different things, perfectly opposite in their nature and effects—that the one is the application of a remedy to a specific grievance, of which the effect is certain if it succeeds and if it fails, leaves the institution itself substantially unaltered; while new-modelling involves a change of the substance, removing all the essential good with any accidental evil. It is, in short, novelty, gentlemen. This is what these push-on-keep-moving gentry want ; and in every state, and at all times, a few of them will be found. They might have been useful enough before a Reformed Parliament, but there is no room for them now ; and I hope Ministers will boldly tell them the arro- gance and emptiness of their pretensions. I speak as a Reformer, and I will yield to no man in zeal as such."
All this is very fine talk. Mr. Hobhonse we are bound to hold as a Reformer, since he asseverates the fact so strongly. How long he has been one, be does not inform us. Perhaps since the overthrow of the Duke of Wellington, when the love of Reform ran through the Tory ranks like an epidemic. Be this as it may, we can assure him that every sincere advocate for useful and practical reform will consider his attempt to depreciate the merits of the great " Mountaineer for Mid-
dlesex" as a miserable exhibition of disappointed is spite. An as- sembly of professed admirers, at a dinner-party, s the proper field for the display of Mr. Hobhouse's talents; but the Reformers of England look to the steadfast and consistent Mr. Hume to fight their battle with the foes of improvement on the floor of the House of Commons.
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