The Express.
London, England, 1852-12-22 00:00:00

THE LATE CONTEST FOE MIDDLESEX.

Last night about three hundred and fifty gentle.
men sat down to a cold collation at the Albion Hotel,
Hammersmith, to celebrate the return of Lott' Rotten
Grosvenor and Mr. Bernal Osborne. Sir Jun', tilt ELLIY,
M.P., occupied the chair, and was supported by Led R.
Grosvenor' Mr. Osborne, Mr. Keogh, M.P , Sir A. Roth,.
child, Mr. J. Williams, D. Simpson, Captain Reid, Captain
West, Ike.
After the loyal cod customary toasts,
Mr. Mostuoreaser proposed the health of Lord Itohert •
Orosvenor. (Cheers.) ',the character of the noble lord was too
well known to require any elaborate elIC003111(11 on his part.
Ile (Mr. Montgomery) eertriuly thought that the -epresenta-
tines of the people in the Commons House at Parliament
should be chosen from the people themeless; but as there
were exceptions to all ruKs, Lord Robert Grosvenor 44, an
exception to this. His never failing urbanity, and his
unwearied anieluity in the discharge of every duty lie un.
dertouk rendered Lim in every way lit to be the representa-
tive of any coostiturney, and particularly of one like that
of Middlesex. (Loud chi ere.)
Lord ROIIIIIIT 6 ausvallon returned thanks. We lived
in times in which such extraordinary changes were coo-
stoutly taking place that one might almost doubt whether
the ground upon which we stood would not pass away from
under our rent. He would not say whether this state of
things was not enough to make one " Diary "—(lutsider)
—because that word had now acquired a somewhat peculiar
sioaificaoce, and would confuse an ordin iry intellect.
(Hear, hear) lie was quite at a low to desiguete the late
ministry. Some persons bad been 01100LITte01111 enough to
say that it was • ministry without principles, or an unprin-
cipled miniatry. (Cheers.) Others, in the language
which had been made classical by Lord Derby.
had called it the " Thimblerig ministry "—(cheers)--
and he suptoeed that its difficulty had been to
decide under what th table the P (which stood for " pro.
tettion ") would be found. (Laughter.) He (the noble
lord) did not like to call names, but he supposed that when
the future historian should write about our times, he would
call it " the bowing administration." When it had first
been determined to bold the present meeting, their object
was merely to eat the Christmas pie of oongratulatioa, over
the success which had attended their own struggle on the
hustings; but since then—so rapid were changes nowa-
days—they had found %hems, less suddenly exposed to the
inclemency of • parliamentary Christmas, without even a
government over their heads (Laughter, and cheers.)
They dill not really know who might be sent for; and
he had taken care, before he came from home, to
leave word where he was to be found. (Laughter.)
With respect to the future, be would venture to give them
his speculations. Everyboly, they must remember, had at
i some time the turn of the wheel. The friends with whom
he had been in the habit of actin dariag the thirty years
of his political life, and who went by the name of "the
family party," had for five most important and eventful
years adminotered again with great diligence and success;
but last February they were found to be incapabl . of carry.
lag on the government any longer. Thereupon they were
secoseded by Derby and Disraeli, who, to do them Justice,
had brought forward some very good measures. Their
ministry had in it many very honourable and some, though
sot many, very able men. (" Hear, bear," and laughter.)
But there was displayed by them such vacillation, such a
complete uncertainty of principle, and such a total want of
firmness of purpose, that there was scarcely a night when
one cabinet minister did not get up and flatly contradict •
what had been said by another. That being the case, he
thought that now they bad been fairly bowed out it would
be highly advantageous to keep them out. (Cheers.) Nay,
he must go a step further and say that there had been
a recklessness displayed in the means used at the last eke-
d's for corrupting the constituencies of the country
sad a wholesale attempt by petitioning en annoy those mem-
bers wham they could not ,keep out. That would be most
discreditable to any government. (Cheers.) He was will-
fag to believe that those in high once were ignorant of
the means which had been resorted to, but still the facts
were such as to reflect the greatest discredit upon the whole
system which would only recoil upon its authors. (Cheers.)
Why, they had even presented a petition against the return
of his hon. colleague (Mr. 11. Osborne), and, of all things
in the world, for bribery. (Cheers.) He (Lord IL Oros-
) should like to see the "good end safe man," or
the Frail, who would attempt to any the ametitseney
of Middle's. with his " horse nails," or Me " bell
metal." (Laughter and cheers.) Such • petition
was an insult to the whole constituency. (Cheese.) He
quite, however, acquitted the conservative elision (K be
might mill them so) of any partielpetien be the winks swill
the Meerie of Blandford had dined that be bed Many.
te de with it, No that the ghee were re-
al*.
Was the affair. (Cheers. But, besides the "family
a the late government, there was a third body who
:MtSena very able and talented amen—the followers
Its Hobert Peel. (Cheers.) The tarn of the
wised eilm sew fairly I. their f . Whatever the late
any, they had bad a perfectly fair trial.
rityweya=miVeellheel with no coalition, and they had
Mem bird est edify =
_lgibek unpopular nature of the
illemeem WWI Sey OM t forward. (Cheers.) He borped, amellims, the same fair trial would be
ea OM BM el Aberdeen ; and that the noble
mire inehl sus measures that would
elliek the eeprell of the eimatry. (Chien) Cm-
reref=l
1? •
is
esimmaishietbei:nerheres assilaienor trieslefro:
hlm ; eat he herd that Its wrens
Meg pony rare*. bat even of Lied Jeri Illemeill Ma-
ni. em
Ms Own thet tiny would hmeduse
plena tar extending ewe emassereial pereiples, and the rin-
glike
teatprogremin 'Arm ; and diet we amid /ad before
brag we bail ere men •• selopmweateett te peewit us
item that trenlellieum emperor wte bed big/Owed as all.
Never had thew hem mob • year se MI, in whisk we had
Wno fewer them three different ministaries; and it was a
Mat hap Ake hit as that we were able to talk of Inch a
stets of Wimp be • rein manner. (Itszttar.) He
telleted in teedeelem that the tine WO when we
amid have •Jese said straightforward sod eft tangible
.genrameet, with a ray calculated to einem the ra-
ped" mil glen of the mantas and the topple= eel eon-
tamtmeet of tbi whoa, eemmenty. Omni locos)
Mr. 1. BOLL is • Wik munplissweemy speak proposed
the habit ist Mr. Basel Oebenn. (Lest eiesee.)
Illr. IL Onmoisst a made • suitable sehmewleiyamit to the
emmeiss, mil to his friends and seppersee et the late
dildilmswresdarly the worthy chairman of kftessmitt“,
a mem bad deem the liberal came the green* service
sad elms beire. D. Osborne) could never merits with:
eel and respect. (Clesseft) eine
tbeyrelleret said girtiehall both the npnamlar led the'
bed bed seem cause for mutual esterateletkes. 1
7411..4 might engratniele themselves on the imparteet and
latenneles Isla that the principles of fres trade, melee. re-
sisted. lei at Mirth hen so triumphantly salnwati by par-
liament. (Hear. Though theyht take implies to
the manner ;in w ish die had been done, sad they. they
might inspect that them principles wen but hall eillrmed
la the minds of the sea who had lately withstood them ;
though they might thiek that those men, like certain per-
sons who should he nameless, caly . believed and
trembled," rill they might take credit to themselves that
the united voice of the awnstry had forted a sort of dark
wtraction even into the minds of their opponents.
(Cheers.) The country might now feel curtain that what-
ever ministry should aimed@ to office the priseiples of free
trade would be safe. (Cheers.) Bat he pre no credit to
Lord Derby and his colleagues for what they called " bow-
ing to the &violas of the country." (Cheers.) It had
been done upon the principle so well satirised in a comedy
which was highly popular in this country about 'fey years
ago, the " Man of the World," in which Sir Pertivaz
Maritycophant said he had risen in she world by " booing."
(Laughter.) He (Mr. B. Osborne) gave them no credit
for bowing to the decision of the country, because they
kaew full well it was " Hobson's choice" with them.
(Laughter and cheers.) The way in which the noble earl
had been constrained to admit the principle of free trade
was mot creditable to him as a man, and would not be be-
neficial to the party of which he woe the head. (Cheers.) 1 !
Never had man eons into office who had dune more to
lower the tone of morality in public men than my Lord
Derby and his solleaptes. (Cheers.) Never was there be-
fore amen who pretended to high aristocraey and chivalry
of feeling, who had spent Bit years of opposition in trying
to raise the counties sad to delude the fanners by holding
out hopes intended to be realised ; who had said out
of office, " Up, guards, and at them," and who, when he
had got in, bad turned that iuto " Right-about.face—
genets march .." (Laughter.) lie (Mr. Osborne) looked
apes it as a national mischief that cootidence
le the sincerity of public men should be destroyed ; for
representative institutions hardly stood to high in the esti.
Mallon of the country that public men could afford to tam-
per with public confidence. (Cheer'.) When they recol.
lasted that this country was, as it were, the best citadel of