The Express.
London, England, 1852-10-14 00:00:00

THE lIINCKFORD MEETINO.

[Treads'Now.]
MAJOR BEBESPO a
ttain has been enlightening
the Essex protectionists. His lecture came off at
the dinner of the Hinekford Agricultural and Conser-
vative Club, and may be taken as a kiod of minis-
terial ,indieation of what is in store for us.
introduto7 note to the speech was very
hremsdee, sad if it did not convey. a warning to the
inihinakel supporters of the ministry, who were so
=ey drinking the healthy of their betrayers
ll filled table, we must attribute this to
this stesigth of the landlord's wine or the thickness
ofacmstking in Essex. This note was sounded by Mr.
Vicum who proposed the health of her MAJESTY'S
Ministers, and in the course of his speech took occa-
sion very strangely to beseech his hearers to forget
that they were agriculturists, and to try and think
they were something. else. " lf," said Mr. VICARS,
"he understood aright the position which they
occupied, it was not the honourable one, simply of
owners and occupiers of the soil, but they appeared
in the yet more exalted character of Englishmen,
with English feelings, and patriots with high aspi.
rations." The plain English of all this is,—don't
bother the Major about Protection and such matters
nose, drink your wine, and listen to what he will tell
you about patriotism and aspirations, and all that
sort of thing. The SECRETAUT.AT-WAR, before the
confused agriculturists had had time to make up their
minds as to the extraordinary advice which had just
been given, attacked them in the same strain, and
no doubt clenched the impression made by his friend.
He told his hearers, in high.soundiog terms, that
if they looked at that period during which his
party had held the reins of government, they would
find that they had not flinched from doing their
hest to improve—at the same time that they had
maintained—the ancient institutions of the country.
He assured them also solemnly that they intended
to stand by those institutions, whether civil, mili-
tary, or protestant. After this magnanimous but
rather vague declaration of what his party would do,
he considered that his hearers were in a it state to
listen to his own version of what they would
not do, prefacing this with a brief account of
what they bad not done. First and fore-
most he told the bewildered guests her
bluxur's Government did not come into office
on the ground of Protection. " I deny that position
in tote. I know no reason that any man has to say
that the Government are Free Traders; and I deny
the other position also, that they did come in, in the
slightest degree, upon tho principles of Protection."
That is a strange thing for us to say, but it is not
less true. . . . " When :ailed upon to form a
government, which we could not have contemplated,
we were accused that we came in upon the principles
of Protection. But no, we were ailed upon to form
a government because Lord JOHN RUSSELL was
unable to manage his own party." Of COMM
it wu not the Major's business to answer
the question, "How came you and your
.party
to be of sufficient importance to be called in to
do what Lord JOHN was incompetent to do?" How
came Lord DERBT—who has been the +++auras swig
of each ministry. he has been connected with—to be
called on in conjunction with Mr. Disaaau—a mere
dashing guerilla—to form a ministry P Why—when
the government of the country went a-begging was
it offered to a wayward earl, and a literary poli-
tician? Why ?—but because these two men had by
violent party speeches in both houses of parliament,
by equally violent addresses out of the houses, by
attacking iu the most unscrupulous manner
for his free trade measures the greatest
statesman that England has seen for many
years, gained the sympathies of a large and (as it
was thought) powerful party in the country—that
party being the Protectionists. Lord DERBY and
Mr. DISRAELI obtained power by flattering the Pro-
tectionists. They assumed an importance in the
country which their own position would not have
entitled them to but as the acknowledged heads of
the Protectionist party. In the unscrupulous follow-
ing out of their partisan policy, they weakened the
Whig government; and, when that government fell,
they, the Protectionist leaders, were responsible for
the carrying on of the machinery of the state. AU
this, of course, Major BERESFORD shirks. It suits
his purpose much better to throw the onus of the
formation of this unprincipled ministry upon the
Quinn. Neither he nor his chivalrous leader are
cantent to be answerable for their own position in
office. Her MAJPSTT must be brought forward as •
shield between them and the country.
" We came in at the command of her Mums' to
support her in her just prerogative, and net to allow
the official business of the country to be thrown into
the bands of Sir Jules GRAHAM and his Irish as-
sociates, or of Mr. COBDEN and the Manchester
school."

This is simply a most barefaced shuffle to get rid
of the responsibilities which the Dcrbyito party have
incurred by their connexion with the Protectionists.
" We may be Protectionists still," says the Major :
" I know," he continues in another part of kb
speech, " that Lord DERBY was a Protectionist
in the commencement of the present year, but that
has nothing to do with the question. Her MAJESTY
rushed into our arms to save herself from Sit JAMES
GRAHAM and Mr. COBDEN; hold your tongue until
we have delivered her." How the listeners might
have received this advice, if they had been allowed
time to ponder over it, would be difficult to say. It
is not improbable that after a little reflection they
might have come to the conclusion that they had—
to speak plainly—been cheated. Before, however,
they had time to oonie to any decision on the sub-
ject, the speaker fairly cut the ground from under
their feet, by telling them that whatever they might
think of Protection, he knew that it had not a leg to
stand on. The game was all up.
"By the office,' If I may so call it, or rather by
the situation which I filled so hog for that party, I
am, alas! too well acquainted with the lists, majori-
ties, and minorities of the Home of Commons, not to
be able, in taking up a list of the Parliament which
has just been returned to perceive that there is
a decided majority of members in the borer home
inimical to the feeling end to the woman of protec-
tion to agriewliews. If I differ, as I certainly do,
from the wisdom and justice of their views, yet not-
withstanding, I must acknowledge that I myself and
those who think with me are in a minority, and I ask is
it wise or prudent to force forward a question which
eau bat involve those whose interests you wish to
the utmost of your power, and at every fair risk
M upbekt--is it wise, I my, to force that forward
whoa yea sea gain no advantage P They say—it
is a scriptural phrase--that it is unless to kick
against the pricks, and I firmly believe that in this
instance, if we were to stir this question, and to moot
it in an unfortunate moment, we should only throw
further beck the interests of throe for whom we
would make any sacrifice."
Who talked of the folly or the sin of " kicking
against the pricks" when they were out of office.
Did the farmers think of the endure of evil, who is
said to be able to gnote Scripture to snit hie own
, while this Conservative partisan was sport-
-117 e scriptural knowledge? Who influenced the
minds of the farmers and country gentlemen at
meetings? Who talked of civil war to maintain
Protection, and speculated upon the service the
mounted farmers might do to the good muse P What
party is it that for the last few years have been
speechifying, writing, cooking statistics, making nee
of every imaginable artifice to persuade the agricul-
tural interests that there was no hope for them but
in Protection P Who but these very men who,
having now obtained all they were aiming at, by the
efforts of their poor dupes, now coolly turn round
and tell them that there is no help. The utter de-
nial of any obligation on the government to forward
the views of the Protectionists, and the positive
assurance that each an attempt would be futile, are
two of the greatest impertinencies that were ever
offered to a deluded party. In the mean time the
Liberals have fair ground for triumph, and it is to be
hoped that the next semi-official announcement of
the DERBY Ministry will be as consolatory as Major
Baansronn's declaration that Mininters have aban-
doned Protection.

DEATH OF VICE-ADMIRAL PRAED.—Vioe-Adnd-
ral Bulkeli y Elackworth Prat,' died on the 6th instant, at I
Acton Castle, Cornwall, at the advanced me of 82 years.
Although this gallant oflteer had served 23 years on full-
pay, he had never served at sea since the date of his post
rank. He wee eousequnntly, in 1837. planed on tM nand
list of Ilan ofacers, was transferred to the active list in
1840, promoted to the rank of vise-admiral In 1846, and
plead on the monied half-pay list last year. Conse-
quently, there mono promotions on his deoesas.
MARIA ANTONIA IiAILWAT.—TraffIO for the week
ending Sept. 30, 1852, 2081. ; 1851, 2274.