SCOTLAND.
The requisition for a public meeting to call upon Sir Henry Parnell -to resign his seat for Dundee, wits signed by eighty-eight electors, of whom fifty-six voted at the last election for Sir Henry, four for Mr. 'Gladstone, and twenty-eight not at till. Provost Ku)', for retisons not stated, refused to cull the meeting ; but a Committee appointed sonic months since to watch over the conduct of public men, summoned a meeting ; which was held on the 13th instant, and was numerously at- tended both by electors and tion.electors. A number of Sir Henry Parnell's partisans were present, and gave ineffectual opposition to the proceedings. The resolutions declared- -1. That the conduct of Sir Henry Parnell Miring Bic present ses.ion of Parlia- ment, Iii continuing a moldier of no Administration it tb It has deelate.i, hi. its otgan in the Cumulous, that there should lie tto more Reform ia the Repre,otat ion ta the People—that the agricultural interests '.loul,l hays, Ito lirsioultus IISS. ia the Commons, aud be supported at the eXpellse of Ilk! manufacturing and mercantile coma unity — renders him mint to represent the opinions of the people or Dundee. 2. That, w hike this meeting express their dissatisfaction at tire general conduct of Sir Henry Parnell during the present session, they, in partiettlar, condemn his absence at the division on Mr, lirote's motion tur the Ballot, as being contra: y to his express pledge that be would support the lial:ot if it was an open tines : while the fact of its bail nu open question to him, if he hail the courage atill h,iuIitic 11011eSty necessary In a Representative of the People. is proved by the totes or Sir Hussey Vivian and Mr. Robert Steuart —two members of the Administration It hose honesty in representing their constituents deserves the thanks of the community. "3. Thal. therefore, this meeting call on Sir Henry Parnell to resign his seat for Dundee, that the electors may have an opportunity of returning a man who will truly zopresent the opinions or the community."
The following amendment was moved, and negatived by a large majority—
That this meeting being convinced that Sir IT. Parnell, the present Representative
1 of the burgh, has not violated his declarations respecting the Ballot, in abstaining from voting it) its favour ; that, therefore. it is inexpedient to call upon hint to resign his sent iu Parliament on that liceount."
A vote of censure on Provost Kay. for refusing to call the meeting, was carried ; a vote of thanks to him for not calling the meeting having been moved as an amendment, and rejected by the same large majority that supported the resolutions.
It was attempted at this meeting, as it had been previously in the Ministerial paper, the Dundee Advertiser, to prove that Sir Henry Parnell bad, at his lust election, expressly avoided any pledge on the Ballot. True ; he did very cunningly avoid renewing his original engagements with the Dundee constituency by a specific promise ; but the aim of all that he said on the subject, as we proved lately (see Spectator of February 24th) by quotation from his speeches, was to persuade the electors, that, in consequence of the change at Court, the Ballot question would be made " open," and that be should be able to vote for it in the ensuing session. What says his most valuable seconder, Mr. Symon ? did not he support Sir Henry Purnell, at the last critical hour, with this expectation? did he not so interpret se Henry's half.promises? and is Mr. Symon satisfied with the mese in which those half-promises have been kept ?—If we are mistakes ive. shall gladly submit to the correction of that strong-headed lei manly Reformer. Most truly is it stated in the second resolution, that the Ballot might have been as much an open question to Sir Henry Parnell as it wee to Sir Hussey Vivian and Mr. Robert Steuart. It was not an open question, only because Sir Henry Parnell is inferiorin political honesty and independence to Robert Steuart—because he values his place', with their large profits and patronage, too highly to incur even the slightest risk of losing them. There was a verbal inaccuracy in our paragraph last week, which stated that the Tories had gained a local "predominance " in Dundee. for they have not yet got a majority in the Town Council. But the' tendency, as shown on several occasions within the last six months, j5 strongly that way : and for this, we believe, Sir Henry Parnell is in a great degree answerable, both by the trimming and disappointing course of his general politics, and by his timid balancing between parties in local controversy three years ago; his indecision on that occasion having tempted the disputants into long, costly, and bitter litigation in Par. liament, which failed in its main objects, but exasperated the parties against each other, split the Liberals into sections, and entailed on the town an inheritance of debt and trouble.
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