The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-02 00:00:00

[STAMPED, ld. ADDITIONAL]

MB. CARDWELL, V.P., ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

The members of Lodge 59 of the Ancient Order
of Druids dined together last evening in the Town.hill,
Orford, under the presidency of Brother DUDLEY. Amongst
the guests were the Bight Hon. E. Cardwell, LP., Mr.
Neate, M.P., Mr. J. C. Cavell (the mayor),AidermenHogtsee,

Thompson, Spiers, Carr, and Ward, Captain Pane, Yr.
Sheriff CartleakEr. J. Round, the Rev. J. C. Halms (the city
rector), Mr. Justice Towle, Captain Hellen, &c.
The toast of " The Queen and the Druids," was
followed by "Prosperity to Lodge 59," "The Prince of
Wales and the rest of the Royal Family," "The Army,
Navy, and Volunteers."
Captain Farm, in responding to the toast, said that the
last year was the first since the organisation of the volunteer
movement in which any portion of that force bad been
called into active service. Everyone present was aware of
the disastrous and dreadful outbreak in Jamaica, and it was
in that island that the volunteers had been called into
active service. He had heard it stated, and had seen it
in print, that the suspension of Governor Eyre was a alight
upon that omoer, and that the government had seat oat
the commission to inquire into the cause of the outbreak.
He should like to ask the right hoe. member for the city
(Kr. CsrdweU) this question, whether the suspension
of Governor Eyre did carry any stigma with it or not, or
whether it was simply a matter of form that the inquiry
emald not take place without that suspension. He
believed that to be the case, and heartily hoped that
it would prove to be the came. (Cheers.) He had
as doubt that hie right ' boa friend would bs able
to answer the question, and to show that the
government bad not been coerced by that party which by
flaming advertisement, and by ranting speeches worked
upon the morbid feelings of an Exeter-h►ll andienoe until
they gained a few faint ahem, which they multiplied and
magnified in their organs into the voice of public opinion.
(Cheers.) These would-be philanthropists were the mod
dangerous party in England. The very existence of the
peace party in England was a thing which ought to be care-
fully watched, and for this reason—they were always pro-
posing the Tannins of armaments. It was true that we
were now living in a time of pesos, but the beet way to
preserve peace was to be prepared for war. The volunteer
service might suffer at the hands of that party, for they
might discourage the volunteer feeling by saying that in
time of peace such a form was useless. (Cheers.)
Captain Idaurri also responded.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed the health of the City
members. The toast was received with load and prolonged
cheers.
Mr. CARDWEL4 who on rising was greeted with loud
cheers, said—Gentlemen, I return you my best thanks for
the kind manner in which you have been pleased to receive
the mention of my name. I assure you that if sometimes
public duties are onerous and laborious there is nothing
which gives to the discharge of them so much pleasure and

so much enoouragement asthe knowledge which we possess
that when we return to meet our constituents and friends
in Oxford, we are sum to meet from you the most gratifying
proofs of your generous confidence and of your kind and
cordial support. (Cheers.) When, six months, ago my
friend Mr. Nuts and I stood before you u candidates, to
render an account of our stewardship ion former parliament,
and to ask you for • continuance of the trust which
you had reposed in us, we hoped, and you hoped,
that the new parliament would be opened, and its earlier
deliberations guided by that great minister whose yoke was
a power in Europe—(cheers)--and who enjoyed in so un-
usual • degree the confidence and affection of all his fellow
subjects. (Continued cheering.) Gentlemen, that hope
has not been realised. We have laid him in the tomb.
His name has been added to the long and honoured roll of
those who have died in the discharge of their duty. (Hear,
bear.) But his memory still lives in the grateful recol-
lection of the people whom he served. (Cheers.) The new
parliament which our gracious sovereign is about to epen
will, I have no doubt, yield to none of its predecessors in
its efforts for the public good, and will, I have no doubt,
when it comes to He termination, bequeath to the nation
measures calculated to increase the prosperity of our country,
and contribute to the welfare and happiness of the people.
Amongst thou measures one of the most important that
will engage its consideration will be, I have no doubt, the
question ofjparliamentary reform. (Loud cheering). We all
know the difficulties of the subject, since it has been pro-
posed by so many successive governments and has been
dealt with so unsuccessfally by so many successive par-
liaments. (Hew, bear.) I speak not as • member of the
administration ; I speak only as a member for the city of
Oxford addressing his friends and constituents ; but this I
will say, that so far as I have seen in the returns which have
been made to the present parliament, it does appear to me
that there never was a parliament better calculated in its
composition to give to that great subject a fair and
comprehensive hearing. (Cheers.) And I, for my part, shall
be glad if we are able to bring it to a great and
satisfactory solution. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, I observed in
the papers today that a very eminent member of parliament
said to his constituents a few evenings ago that in which
I mat cheerfully express my coocurrence—that there
was • period in our history when we were so singularly
prosperous, and when all chimes of the community were
bound so closely together in the common ties of brother-
hood. (Hear, bear.) I remember the time—although my
life has not been long protracted—when very much the
reverse was the cue, and when in the centres of industry is
which my lot was cast distress and discontent were almost
as remarkable as prosperity, and content, ar.d cheerful-
ness are now. If you ask me to what I attribute the
happy difference, I say I attribute it mainly to
that course of temperate and progressive improvement
in the institutions of the country which followed on the
enactment of the great Reform Bill. (Cheers.) I know no
portion of our institutions—ecelesiestmal, municipal, mili-
tary, above all, commercial—whichhas not shared in this
course of great, and temperate, and progressive improve-
ment. (Cheers.) Is this country discussion prepares the
way for legislation. At first there are differences of
opinion, but by degrees, by parliamentary debates, by com-
parison of opinions in public feeling, but, above and beyond
all, by the constant action of a free press examining into
the rubject—(cheers)—ideas that were at first captivating
bloom only for a short time, and being unable to stand the
test of criticism, fall for ever into well deserved
oblivion ; whilst thou on which opinions appear
irreooncileable are by degrees brought down to
points on which, although every one canoot be pleased,
yet there does at last come that harmorty of opinion through
the entire community that enables us to come to con-
clusioos with the general concurrence of the voice of the
whole people. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, if there be one cause
more than another to which I attribute this happy change,
I should say it is the entire absence of legislation for cheese,
and the determined liberty to view every measure that is
brought forward with a single regard to its bearing on the 1
welfare and happiness of the whole people, that hay print& 1
pally been the cause of the prosperity and the content
which now exists. (Cheery.) Why is it that, am you sae in
the financial returns of this morning, when taxes are re-
moved, and you imagine a certain loss will be entailed
on the exchequer, it almost always happens that
the stream of national industry. continually increaring,
is not checked by such events as the American wiar and the
loss of a great portion of the staple of our manufactures ;
that when the year comes round the loss is smaller than we
expected, arid the growth of our prosperity has much to
replace it. I say why is it, except that all these changes
are calculated for the good of the whole community, and
the appeal is made to the consuming power of the commu-
nity for the return that is made. (Cheers.) Aod, gentle-
men, is is not ooly the effect upon our own country, but it
is the effect of the example upon other countries, which
tends
ivery much to produce the result. I remember
that the year 1848, when the revolution in Frame
brought to this country a peat many of the
tinguished mu of that country, we bad then for
two years finished our greet free trade conflict. I remem-
ber saying to one of the most eminent French statenner,
" My opinion is that you will sot be long before you in
France follow our example." Hie reply was "No ; we in
Femme are protectionists.' But I was convinced that our
example could not Whist upon an intelligent and flourishing
people, and accordingly we have lived to see France follow
our example, and enter with us into that race of commercial
progress which is destined to benefit her, to benefit our-
selves, and by a new link bind the amity between the two
countries. (Cheers.) I hope it will sot be long
before the example spreads over the whole of Europe,
and that the great regions watered by the Danube
will enjoy • share of the blessings of • free
commerce. (Cheers.)
Thus it is that the nations of
Europe will be more and more united together year by
year in the modal partnership of commerce. (Cheery.)
Gentlemen, it we cast our eyes *cross the Atlantic, and
look at that great nation which speaks the same language, 1
and draws the law from the same sources as ourselves, is it •