THE DUNDEE CONSTITUENCY AND SIR HENRY PARNELL.
TO THE EDITOR OF TUE SPECTATOR.
Dundee, 27th March 1839.
SIR—However reluctant to appear, at a time like the present, before the public, I cannot resist the appeal you have made to me in the Spectator of Saturday last. You are quite correct in stating, that, in the course of his last canvass, Sit HENRY PARNELL repeatedly expressed his conviction that the Ballot question would at no distant date be made an open question by the Cabinet ; and that his name would consequently again appear in the division.lisls, during the approaching session of Parliament, as a supporter of that measure. But it is no less true, as you state, that he did then " avoid renewing his original engagements with the Dundee constituency by a specific promise." had he acted otherwise—had it been possible to induce Sir HENRY to extricate himself from the unseemly position in which an unwarranted compliance with the Cabinet mandate had placed him since his connexion with the Government— had he manifested somewhat less regard for his tenure of office, and hut a little more for what was due to his independent supporters, as well as to his own high character as a statesman, which was his sole recommendation to their notice from the first, instead of waiting anxiously till " the last critical hour," an you have indicated, the effect of means taken to change his resolution,—he would have found me and many others, as on former ocsamons, ranked amongst the earliest and foremost of his supporters, and from the outset contributing our aid towards a result which, under such circumstances, would have been ac' complished with much less trouble and expense to himself, and with far more satisfaction and credit to the Reform constituency of Dundee. But, whatever others may have conceived from the hopes of a more en- lightened policy being adopted by the Cabinet, as expressed by Sir HENRY PAR. NELL, I feel hound to declare for my own part, that my course was deter- mined by no confiding reliance on a contingency, for the proximity of which no better security was afforded than the expectations of one in Sir HE N RY PAR, NEIL'S situation. Ile did engage, certainly, to use his best efforts towards effecting this, as a Minister of the Crown ; but, unless Sir HENRY shun con. descend to show how this pledge has been redeemed, the modus operandi must necessarily remain a mystery. My ignorance of the manner gives me no right to conclude that the matter has been entirely disregarded. But, to obviate this in some degree, it might have been as well had Sir HENRY been per. nutted to afford its some little explanation on the subject, instead of keeping a constrained silence, like one
"Who cannot tell his ail to passers by."
Be this as it may, however, my title to call Sir HENRY PARNELL to account for his ab.ence on the Ballot division was voluntarily abandoned at the last election,—or, I should rather have sath, involuotar:ty abandoned, since I gave him toy humble support in the full knowledge of the course he intended to adopt, and only after having exhausted every means to change it, without effect. Sir HENRY could not be more sincere in expressing his hopes, than he was explicit in declaring his intentions. On either side, I believe, there was no mistake. The Reformers supported Sir HENRY Pa assr.r. against his opponent—an undisguised Tory. some there were who opposed him for his conduct regarding the Water question, whose opinions on that controversial subject are very different from those of the Spectator. But into this endless topic I shall enter no further. I feel convinced, however, that, on a fitting occasion, the constituency of Dundee will not be found wanting in their duty ; and that the time will come when their choice may exhibit this in a fairer way than when it lay between 3
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