The Press.
London, England, 1854-10-14 00:00:00

916

NORTH ESSEX CONSERVATIVE CLUB.
THE annual meeting of the Hinckford Agricultural
and Conservative Club was held at Castle Heading-
barn yesterday week. The agricultural feature in
the proceeding comprised, as usual, a ploughing
match, and competitions in other farming operations,
followed by a prize distribution for meritorious con-
duct among the rural population. In the evening
the members dined together at the Bell Inn, under
the presidency of Mr. C. Du Cane. Mr. Peacocke,
M.P., Mr. J. Bromley Moore, M.P., and Major Be-
resford, M.P., were present, as also several gentle-
men of influence connected with the county.
Among the speeches after dinner was ono by the
Rev. J. Cox, in a response to the toast of " Success
to the Hinckford Conservative Club." The rev.
speaker commenced by defending the character,
spirit, and intelligence of English farmers from the
inuendos of Mr. Mechi, whose annual gathering upon
Tiptree-heath he described as a comedy of errors.
He thence passed on to the political aspects of the
times, and dwelt upon the inseparable connection
between the prosperity of the country and the main-
tenance of the Protestant Establishment:—
This country at the present moment had a Ministry, but
not a Government—(Hear, hear)—and the Whigs and
Peelites of which that Ministry was composed were so
determined to keep their places that they wanted a mea-
sure which would put everything like Conservative opposi-
tion under ground for ever. ( Hear, hear.) Look at the
jesuitical nature of their reform measure. It pretended
to give more county members, but at the same time took
especial care to swamp the present county constituencies
by an overwhelming addition of voters from towns. (Hear,
hear.) The effect was obvious. The great supporters of
the Church were the aristocracy, the yeomanry, and the
agricultural labourer ; but the latter was to have no vote,
whereas the enfroachisement of 51. householders in towns
would include the great bulk of the democratic party, so
that the supporters of the Church and Constitution must
inevitably be swamped. (Hear, hear.) But amid so
much that was depressing there was one gleam of light.
He bad acknowledged at their last meeting that the Con-
servative party had received a heavy blow on the question
of the corn laws, and could only be reconstructed upon the
Arm basis of the Protestant institutions of the country.
(Hear.) He was more than ever convinced of the sound-
ness of that remark. The country was beginning to
realise the condition in which it was placed, with a Minis-
try dependent upon the support of the Pope's nominees
for a continuance of place and pay, and at length their
talented leader in the House of Commons (Mr. Disraeli)
had unfurled the Protestant banner. (Loud cheers.) Upon
the support he received would depend the future welfare
and happiness of the country ; for, unless the present
Ministry were displaced, the glorious privileges obtained
by the Reformation would be entirely wasted. (Hear,
hear.) Our forefathers were ready to bleed and suffer
to secure the inestimable blessing of religious freedom ;
our native land had still many blessings well worth defend-
ing; and he trusted we should, like them, take our stand
upon the Protestant institutions of the country—the only
solid foundation upon which the Conservative party
could be reconstructed—and, firmly based upon which, he
believed nothing would be able to remove them. (Loud
cheers.)
• Major EERESFORD, M.P., and Mr. PEACOCEE also
addressed the assembled guests at this meeting.
The latter enforced the principle that Conservatism
was identical with progress, both theoretically and

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practically :
I wish to see the Conservative party in this country
identifying itself with great national questions, aiding in
those reforms which are desired for the country at large,
and taking up those questions of sound progress which in-
volve no danger either to the Crown or to the aristocracy.
(Hear, hear.) I should be glad to see the Government
of India reformed—the stamps upon newspapers re-
moved—and the law of partnership amended. (Hear,hear.)
When I assert that the true Conservative policy is a policy
of progress, I may well refer to those reforms which were
advocated, and, what is more, carried, by the Administra•
tion of Lord Derby. They introduced themselves with no
magnificent programme, yet they succeeded, in a com-
paratively short tenure of office, in carrying two great and
beneficial measures,—one the reform of the Court of
Chancery, which had been considered hopeless of remedy
by previous Administrations ; and the other a bill for em-
bodying the militia, to which we are now indebted for the
protection of our shores—measures to which any Admi-
nistration might appeal as monuments of no small amount
of legislative capacity. (Much applause.) Contrast those
great measures with the unsuccessful efforts of the present
Cabinet; their magnificent promises, and their mean per-
formances. (Hear, hear.) lint while contrasting the
Coalition Cabinet with the Administration of Lord Derby,
I cannot refrain from touching upon that which, at the
present time, is undoubtedly the proudest boast of Lord
Derby's Government—l mean the French alliance. (Hear,
hear.) On the memorable 2nd of December, 11452, when
Louis Napoleon was proclaimed Emperor of the French,
Lord Malmesbury at once recognised that the French
people had a right to select their own form of govern-
ment, and frankly and cordially acknowledged Napoleon
111. as Emperor of the French. (Hear, hear.) At that
time the Coalition party, by every means in their power—
by their partisans, and they were numerous—by their
press, and it was powerful—by their scribes, and they
were unscrupulous—heaped invective and scurrility upon
the head of Lord Maltnesbury. lint they did not stop
with depreciating the Administration; they vented the
same scurrility upon the head of Napoleon himself.
• :)•.) But when a few months had passed away,
42. it forth her assumed mission of universal con-