The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-08 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 8, 1866.

MR. GLADSTONE AT SALISBURY.

The Right Ron. W. E. Gladstone, has for some
der pest been on a visit to the Bishop of Salisbury, and
the liberals of the city, taking advantage of the opportu-
nity, yesterday afternoon, presented him with an address,
a public meeting for the purpose having been convened by
the Mayor (Mr. R. Stokes). There warn a very numerous
aMendanee, and Mr. Gladstone received quite an ova-
tion from the citizens. Mrs. Gladstone was elm very heartily

cheered, sadPreltemor Rawoett,ll.P. for Brighton (a native
of Salimlicuy), had likewise a very cordial reception.
..

The presided, and brielly opened the proceeding'
by explaining that he had convened the meeting in oom-
Orme with a very numerously dined requisition of the
inhafritents of the oily, presented to him on the previous
evening. The address was from theatre' electors and non-
electors, and he entreated for all the speakers a patient
and attentive heeling, whate►er might be the opinions ex-
pressed.

On the malice at Nr. Alderman rawcser, seconded by

Dr. Loan[, the following address wan then presented to Mr.
Gladstone by the Mayor, who had signed it on behalf of the

meeting:

W. I. GIADSIONS, X.P., &C.

Mr,—We the liberal electors and non-electors of the dty of
gallsbnr, gladly emit see the opportunity of your visit to our
anc•ent '
dia=attres-.
" ydot.:4ln twitini
admtrr
of our res y
eer.
re~our
Cur" le oar cornea tam= to you
yoa I).° pect fo-
the man;
iLYditttt Pans maned from your management of
the Anneal affairs of this great country, and we trust
tha ere long tie power of Inaugurating farther ilecal Im-
provements may again be in your hands. teltsen.)
We also beg to express our profound regret that the
course of action pursred by a section of the liberal party
in the put seesion of parliament has led to the overthrow of the
' Judicious measure of refe-m introduced by you, and which
having Justice for Its basis, we believe to be essential to the wel-
fare of the community. We cherish the conviction that the
country is ripe tor action in this =Jet and that the next ses-
sion must witness a liberal government dealing satisfactorily
with the question. We trust that your life may long be spared,
and that this country may continue to have the advantage of
your great abilities, and of your urdoobted political honesty."
Mr. Giaurrotir then came forward, and was greatly
cheered. He said—M'. Mayor and gentlemen, I accept
with the moot cordial pleasure the address which, sir,
you have been so good as to present to me on behalf of
the liberal electors and non-electors of the ancient city

of Salisbury. (Cheers.) It is trae, Mr. Mayor, that I

am not entitled to claim any connection of interest or
descent in a special sense with this most pleasant district
of the country, with its early civilization, with its monu-
ments unsurpassed, with its highly advanced and advanc-
ing agriculture, and with its improved, and I rejoice to
think, constantly improving position. (" Hear, hear," and
apidause.) Yet, sir, there are personal ties which, I feel,
constitute some special relation between this city and this
district, and myself. For 40 years I have had the honour,
and, if it be not my own fault, the advantage of an
uninterrupted friendship with your venerated bishop—
(hear, hear)—and if I do not expatiate upon the character
of that eminent personage it is because I feel that this is
I...political occasion, and hardly suited for such a purpose.
(Hear, bear.) And there is another personal tie with
respect to which I feel myself under no such restraint—
namely, that in common, gentlemen, with you all, I claim
an interest in the memory of Sidney Herbert. (" Hear,
hear," and cheers.) No one can visit this portion of the
country, whether he knew Lord Herbert or not, without
seeing upon every side the marks of his judgment, his mu.
nificenoe, and his philanthropy—(bmar, hear)—brit more
than all these visible marks, gentlemen, is the recollection

of himself which he has left in every one of your minds
and hearts. (Hear, hear.) He was a man of whom it is in
one sense difficult, but in another sense easy to speak.
It is difficult to speak of biro, because of that singular
harmony and singular variety of gifts—every gift of per-
son, every gift of position, every gift of character—with
which it pleased Providenos to bless him, he was one of
whom we may well recite words which the great poet of
this country has applied to a prince of our early history,
cut off by death earlier than his oountrymen would have
desired :
♦ sweeter and a lovelier gentleman,
Framed in the prodigality of nature,
The spacious earth cannot afford again.

He was • man framed in the prodigality of nature, and
one whom, therefore, it would be difficult adequately to
describe—one standing, in many respects, by himself, and
one with respect to whom we may say, that we cannot
hope, or expect to see two such in a single generation.
(Hear, hear.) There was something so genial and so
human in all his great and loving qualities, that we feel
we may claim with him kindred as a man ; and there is
not one of us, however far we may be behind him, who
may not derive advantage from the contemplation of his
character, and from endeavouring. as far as we can, to re-
produce it by walking in his steps. (Hear, hear, and ap-
plause.) Happy in all the circumstances of his life ;
happy in his position ; happy in his descent ; happy in his
domestic relations; happy in his means of doing good;
happy in his social qualities : happy, above all, in that love
and fear of God which was the basis of his whole life—
if he was taken from us earlier than our short-sighted
desires might have suggested, he has left among us what
may well be called • fragrant and a blessed memory.
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) But he has left us something,
gentlemen, in addition to his memory. He has left us
hopes, be has left us rich and abundant hopes, that his
ancient house may be continued to be represented among
you. (Cheers.) Ho has left us the promise, the rich pro-
mise, of his children—(cheers)—and every one of us, I am
sure, joins in the hearty and earnest wish and prayer that
those children may be brought up, as I feel confident they
will be brought up, to walk in the way of their father, and
to remind you of his virtues. (Cheers.) For the first and
eldest among them especially let us breathe that wish. It
is no small thing to be the son of such a father, and in
endeavouring to emulate his career Lord Pembroke will
have upon his side the heartiest desires and the
heartiest prayers of you all. (Cheers.) 'Well, gentlemen,
I come now to the matter of this address. I am
sure you will not expect of me that I ahouli
endeavour on an occasion like this to detain you by re-
producing the feeble image of a scene in the House of
Commons. But I own the generosity with which the
country at large has on every occasion acknowledged the
honest endeavours of its public men to render it service.
Those public men are grateful for those acknowledgments,
and rely upon it, they will form with them a fresh
motive to exertion. I am happy, gentlemen, to think
that I may, in return, sincerely and cordially congratulate
you upon the general condition of the country. We have
passed through, as you have all heard and know—we
have passed through a monetary crisis of unusual length
and severity, but in the midst of that crisis the revenue
of the country has never for one moment flagged. (Hear,
hear.) The revenue of the country, independently of
its immediate purpose of supplying the wants of the
Exchequer, has another most important use in
indicating the condition of the country. Although
the pressure upon those interests that are immediately
connected with the use of capital has, during the last
three months, gone beyond former precedent, yet, at the
same time, the demand for labour has continued almost
without diminution. The state of the capital and industry
of the country has, upon the whole, been maintained, and
the people thrive and prosper, so that we have seen on
this, as on several occasions, that together with the re-
markable transition which has been effected, and in which
Lord Herbert had so distinguished a share, from a
system of fettered and trammelled to one of open and
free industry—we have not only seen, as one of its
results, an enormous extension of the business of
tke country, but we have likewise seen that its vast
commercial transactions have attained to a degree of
steadiness and consolidation such as never before was
known. (" Hear, hear," and cheers.) Well, gentlemen,
you advert, and I cannot wonder that you advert, to
that question which has been the absorbing question of
the present year—l mean the subject of reform. (Cheers.)
Upon that subject, gentlemen, I feel that the country is
unquestionably not in the dark, so far as my opinions, de-
sires, and intentions are concerned. (Hear, hear.) No one
has accused me of any undue reserve in the business of
putting ray conntrymen is possession of all that I had
to say—(" hear, hear," and laughter)-so far as it might
be regarded by them an a matter of interest. In truth,
gentlemen, I have had a teak to perform which, I fear,
has Does beyond my strength—No, no)--and to my
defective performance of that task- (no)—I don't say
you—(laughter)—but at any rate many impute—as they
have a perfect right to impute if they think it—the faller*