StietraptilitL A meeting of the electors of Westminster, Mr. De
Vear in the chair, was held on Friday, at Richardson's Hotel, Covent Garden. Sir John Hobhouse's address to the electors, stating his acceptance of the office of Secretary for Ireland, by which he had vacated his seat, and offering himself again as a candidate for their suffrages, was read. Resolutions approving of Sir John's conduet, and pledging the meet- ing to take energetic measures to secure his reelection, were passed unanimously. Sir John Hobhouse addressed the meeting, and said, that the question as to whether the holding of place was inconsistent with the character and the performance of the duties of a representative for Westminster, had been triumphantly settled at the last election. If he were in office at all, it seemed of little consequence what office he held. He had left the office of Secretary at War, and had succeeded to a more imyortant and arduous one—that of Secretary for Ireland. His duties would not require him to quit London.. He declared that no earthly power should have induced him to vote for the Coercion Bill, if it were not to be succeeded by conciliatory measures. He believed be should have to contend with his former opponent, Colonel Evans. He did not think that the Colonel behaved well at the last election ; but now the contest would be EL fair one, and he hoped that it would be carried on in good-humour. [The electors of Westminster will now have an opportunity of recon- sidering the decision which they came to in December, when they pre- ferred a placeman to a pledged supporter of retrenchment and enemy of sinecures, whether Military, Naval, or Civil. Sir John Hobhouse certainly does not come before his constituents under more favourable circumstances now than at the last election, but the reverse. He has regularly voted with Ministers in favour of measures and principles against which he had warred throughout the whole of his previous pub- lic life. He is, in fact, as thorough a partisan as any man in the Mi- nisterial ranks. As far as independence is concerned, the electors may as well pick up any official gentletian in all Whitehall, and return him for their member, as Sir John Hobh4onse ; who has not exhibited the slightest symptom of being prepared to please his constituents at the risk of ffis- pleasing Earl Grey. His speech on Wednesday last, when bringing for- ward the Army Estimates, might have been delivered by Sir Henry Her. dingoand approved of by the Duke of Wellington. The fact is, that he is not his own master. He is hampered by the possession of place. He will fairly represent the opinions of the Westminster electors when those opinions coincide with the views and the resolutions of the Ministry—but not otherwise. His vote on Mr. Hume's sinecure question is a tolerably clear proof of this. In short, perfect indepen- dence and a place in the Ministry have, in his instance at least, been proved to be incompatible with each other. If the electors of West- minster return Sir John Hobhouse, they will elect a placeman—a useful one, we hope, for the sake of Ireland, but still a mere placeman —to represent them : they will do it with their eyes open, and will have no right to grumble at any of his votes.]
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