The Press.
London, England, 1856-11-29 00:00:00

AMERICA.

Intelligence from New York to the 12th has been
received.

The election of Mr. Buchanan was certain.
Illinois had voted for him. The numbers were—
Buchanan, 174; Fremont, 114.
The Hon. John M. Clayton, ex-Secretary of State,
died at Dover, Delaware, on the 9th inst. The notion
that he had been overreached in the famous Clayton-
Buiwer treaty is said to have killed him. _ _ _

The re-opening of the African Slave Trade and the
extension of the Slave States over Central America is
seriously proposed and canvassed by the Southern
States journals.
The accounts of Walker's victories at Grenada and
Massaya had been confirmed, or rather repeated.
Walker's position was regarded as more favourable.

____ _ .•___--- -- ------ ---- .........,..ni (.1 ine world' but let any alliance with any viscount RAYNKAII later in the evening delivered a
Massey& had been confirmed, or rather repeated. country perish rather than that, as Englishmen, we should speech, in which he acknowledged his unbounded Walker's position was regarded as more favourable. sacrifice anything fundamentally connected with our rights admiration of the foreign policy of Lord Palmerston,
INDIA AND CHINA. and liberties.
justified the interference of England and France in
Sir Robert Peel next touched upon the Neapolitan the affairs of Naples, and expressed his confident
Despatches from Trieste have arrived, bringing question :
intelligence from Bombay to November 3. Final belief that if the dark shadows now visible on the
in course of execution for embark-
All knew that recently a very serious step had been political horizon did involve us in another war,
arrangements we
the expeditiore taken by the Government of this country in ceasing to England would be as willing as ever to put her
The fleet was
ing nary corps for the Persian Gulf. hold diplomatic relations with the Government of Naples. fortunes into the hands of the noble lord the mem-
expected to sail on Nov. 10. It was said that now there were some concessions to be ber for Tiverton.
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NOVEMBER 29, 1856.

MR. SPOONER AND MR. NEWDEGATE
AT RUGBY.

AT the annual meeting of the Rugby Agricultural
Association, Lord JOHN SCOTT, in proposing the
healths of the county members, Mr. Newdegate and
Mr. Spooner, observed that they deserved the thanks
of their constituency for the industry, perseverance,
and attention which they had ever shown to the
interests of the county, and for their consistency and
honesty of purpose as exhibited in their votes. At
the present time he believed it was impossible for
any statesman who bad taken a part in political
matters from 1828 to 1856 to give a satisfactory
account of himself. indeed, he had known a man
say one thing for twenty years, and do the very re-
verse in one month. It was said that Conservatism
was dead, and that there was no longer such a thing
as a Conservative party :
Now,in his opinion,there never was a time when there were
more Conservatives than at present. A great many of the
old Conservatives remained where they always had been,
and he had never seen a Whig in Parliament in office wh)
was not a Conservative. In point of fact, a Whig in office
was the best Conservative in the world. But whether
there was a Conservative party or not, there were certain
things which must be carried out, and certain objects
which must be kept in view. We did not live iu a day of
standstill ; but there was a certain amount of go-ahead
intellectual advancement which rendered it nonsensical to
attempt now what was practised forty years ago. With
regard to the members for the county, whatever might be
their objects personally, they, at any rate, carried out their
own conscientious views, and they had been consistent,
honest, and persevering.
Mr. NEWDEOITE on rising was received with loud
cheers. He said that there was probably never a
period when a member of Parliament bad more diffi-
culty to guide himself so as not to violate those
political attachments which constituted the bond of
party; for party, after all, was the power which
directed the course of Parliament, arid to a great
extent regulated those enactments which proceeded
from it, and became the law of the land. In the
first place he begged to congratulate them upon their
present state of prosperity. Prices had been higher
during the last three years than during any three
years since 1819, higher even than Protectionists
ever desired ; and he must say that he admired the
patience with which the labouring classes had borne
the pressure of those high prices, and also the noble
and uncomplaining manner in which they had, in
addition, borne their share of the burdens of the
war. If the repealing of the corn laws and the
adoption of the system of free imports bad produced
this spirit, lie admitted the magnitude of that ad-
vantage, but he was grateful that he was no party to
the delusions which were practised to force on those
measures :

He was not surprised that Mr. Cobden was singularly
silent on the subject just now. Lord Palmerston had
been visiting Manchester; of course, being fully com-
mitted, he bowed very low before the shrine of free
imports in the town-hall there, and it was amusing to
observe the dexterity with which he fenced with the
difficulty of accounting for the non•fultilment of the
prophecies and expectations of reciprocity on the part cf
foreigners, hoping all things, but kindly devolving upon
future Governments the task of adhering to free trade,
and using all means consistent with it to obtain recipro-
city. Lord Palmerston's reply to the address of the Man-
chester Chamber of Commerce was very like the usual
form of addresses to the Throne in answer to the Queen's
speech at the commencement of thL session when no
amendment had been moved. It was a very complimen-
tar) echo, full of hope, and hope was not a bad thing
while it was fresh; but, like other good things, it would
not, if based on worldly things, keep for ever.

Ten years ago we were assured that foreign coun-
tries would be so impressed with the wisdom of free
trade, that they would relax their duties and respect
the system of free trade :

Lord ralmerston and the free•traders had much to
accomplish before they could persuade the Legislatures of
foreign countries to adopt a system which they asserted to
hare been so beneficial here.

But how did the continental powers reciprocate?—

The list which he (Mr. Newdegate) held in his hand
contained twenty-eight denominations of articles exported
from Birmingham ; and he found that of those articles
France prohibited the importation of eleven, and levied
upon the rest duties varying from 5 to 200 per cent.
Upon the same articles the Zollverein levied duties up to
900 per cent., Austria to 150, Spain to 700, the Two
Sicilies to 500, and Sardinia to 100 per cent. In the
United States a duty of :30 per cent. was levied generally ;
in Brazil a duty from sto RIO per cent. Lord Palmerston
was placed in a position of some little difficulty when he
had to deal with this question before the great productive
industry of Manchester, because though he (Mr. Newde-
gate P had quoted the duties levied on Birmingham goods,
those levied on Manchester goods were no less heavy.
For his own part, he ( Mr. Newdegate) did not think it
vet), reasonable that this country should continue to take
foreign products at nominal duties while such excessive
duties were levied upon our produce. At the same time
he could not but feel the force of this great fact, that, if
the passing of flee trade had secured contentment among
the mass of the people, no matter how impolitic the
measure might be, it had obtained one great advantage.

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