The Press.
London, England, 1857-10-03 00:00:00

I am persuaded that the time which has elapsed since the
Reform Bill of 183.2 has enabled many classes to so im•
prove themselves and their means of judgment as to
exercise that franchise wisely for the benefit of the com•
munity. . . . I trust, therefore, that in all future
changes that may take place, as well as in previous changes,
while we extend the bounds of religious liberty, and I trust
it will be done soon—while we extend to the Jew that
liberty which has been given to the Protestant Dissenter
and the Roman Catholic—while we extend and fortify our
institutions, that it will be done with the common consent
of all classes in this country, and that thus this country may
continue to flourish ; that we shall not see, as some envious
persons have presumed to conjecture—that we shall not
see our power in any part of the globe diminish.
In conclusion, Lord John Russell impressed upon
his hearers the necessity of "moderation" in our re•
conquest of India :
We shall know in future to whom we can trust, and we
shall know in whose hands we ought to place arms again.
We shall he then enlightened by experience, and I have
that faith in the courage of this country, and that faith in
its justice and humanity, that I feel sure that while it has
strength to gain the victory it will have moderation to make
a good use of that victory,
On Saturday an address from the Nonconformists
was presented to Lord John Russell. The address
was only remarkable for the allusion it made to the
famous " Vienna Conference of 1835," and for the
reply it drew from Lord John Russell :

I have ever been convinced (he said) that whatever
opinions may gain ground for a time—owing to certain
speakers or writers, who have been exalted into temporary
notice, giving prominence to their opinions—that English•
men are not long deceived by such opinions as to the cha-
racter of any statesman. It has been rightly noticed in the
address presented to me, that the time has not yet arrived
in which to make full explanations as to my conduct at
Vienna. Being employed as the confidential servant of my
Sovereign, I thought it better that my reputation as a
statesman should suffer injury than that I should make
untimely explanations. Most certainly I believed at the
time—though I might be mistaken—that the measures I
proposed and supported were for the interests of my
country ; though perhaps I have thought more of the
interests of my country than, I am bound to say, the pre-
vailing passions of the times.
- - -

His lordship left Sheffield, accompanied by Lady
Russell and their children, for London the same
morning.

MR. AUGUSTUS STAFFORD, M.P., AT

OUNDLE.
AT the annual meeting of the Northamptonshire
Agricultural Society, which was held at Oundle on
the 21th ult., Mr. A. Staffori, M.P., proposed the
toast of the evening—viz., " Success to the North-
amptonshire Agricultural Society." After referring
to the advantage of the sale of corn being adjusted to
one common scale, the hon. gentleman alluded to
the question of agricultural statistics, and expressed
his opinion that "the farmer should have a right to
give such returns as he thought fit, and not be re•
quired to give any more than he thought fit." The
honourable gentleman next referred to the law of
settlement

They knew how, on the one hand, it was required by
existing arrangements, the landmarks presented by their
parishes—the source of many dear associations and enno•
Kling recollections—while, on the other hand, it was in com•
patihle with that free market for labour and open competi•
tion which ought to be the labourer's right. He had seen
bill after bill withdrawn on this complicated question.
The only remedy seemed to be that boards of guardians
should have greater powers than the central board was
willing to give them. In Ireland a power was vested in
boards to make the whole union into one parish, and a
aucgestion to adopt such a plan in certain cases seemed to
ba the only method of meeting the difficulty.
Mr. Stafford next praised agricultural societies as
useful to all clas3es connected with the land. In-
stancing the hardships and dangers of the Crimea,
Mr. Stafford claimed for soldiers from the rural
populations that they constituted tha chief strength
of our army, in their powers of endurance of the
vicissitudes of climates and the fatigues of long
marches, where men from manufacturing or civic
populations became exhausted :
It had been the custom to run the rural population
down, and he had often been struck with the glibness with
which town populations eulogised their advanced civilisa•
lion over that of the rural districts ; but none were more
moderate in prosperity or patient and enduring in adver-
sity, or more the mainetay of our army at the present
time.

Towards the conclusion of his speech Mr. Stafford
adverted to the Indian mutinies, and denounced the
horrors that bad been perpetrated. He thought that
every tenant farmer among his constituents, of what-
ever shade of politics he might be, would not with-
hold any sacrifice to maintain the integrity of our
empire, and put down and punish the perpetrators
of the horrid cruelties that had been committed
there.

Mn. lionnsort, M.P., at the dinner of the .Cum-
berland Agricultural 'Society, referring to the origin
of the Indian mutinies, said that too much indiffe-
rence had been displayed by Parliament towards
India. Our government of India had, on the whole,