The Express.
London, England, 1867-02-27 00:00:00

[STAMPED, U. ADDITIONAL.]

THE MEETING AT MR. GLADSTORES.

The meeting of liberal members of parliament,
convened by Mr. Brand's circular, took place yesterday
afternoon at Mr. Gladstone's private residence, Carlton-
home-terrace. The following members were present:

Mr. Thole Dyke Aelend, Mr. Hugh Edwd. Adair, Mr. Wm.
Patrick Adam, Hon. Leopold G. F. Ager-Eills, Sir Andrew
Agnew, Mr. Edward Akroyd, Viscount Amberley, Mr. Wm.
Shepherd Allen, Major the Hon. A. H. Anson, Sir Rohl An-
struther, Mr. Edmund Autrobus, Mr. A. S. Ayrton, Mr. Roger
Sinclair Aytoun, Mr. John Bagwell, Mr. Edward Baines, Mr.
Alex. C. Barclay, Sir Hy. W. Barron, Mr. C. R. Barry, Mr. A.
Bass, Mr. M. T. Bass, Mr. Wm. E Baxter, ?dr. Thos. Baxley, Mr.
H. F. Beaumont, Mr. Wentworth B. Beaumont, Hon. Hy. klts-
hsrdinge Berkeley, Colonel B. M. Biddulph, Mr. Michael hlbl
dulph, Mr. J. Bonham Carter, the Right lion. Hy. Brand, Sir C.
Tibor, Bright, Mr. John Bright, Mr. John Ivatt Briecoe, lord
John Browne, Lord Charles Bruce, the Right Hon. Henry A.
Bruce, Mr. G. L. Bryan, Sir Arthur Wm. Buller, Mr Edward
ilanningham Buller, Mr. C. Salisbury Butler, Mr. Charles Bux-
ton, Sir Thou Fowell Buxton, Mr. J. H. M. Calcraft, Mr. John
Candlish, the Right Hon. Edward Cardwell, Hon. Charlet Car-
negie, Mr. Thomas Cave, Lord Edward Cavendish, Lord Fredk.
C. Cavendish, Mr. Montagu Chambers, Mr. Cheetham, Mr. H.
Culling Barley Childers, Sir Montague J. Cholmeley, Mr. James
Clay, Mr. Win. J. Clement, Lord Edward P. Clinton, the Right
lion. Wna 11. F. Cogan, Sir Thomas E. Colebrooke, Mr. J. D.
Coleridge, Sir Robert Parrett Collier, Sir 0. Conway Colthurst,
Mr. Joseph Cowen, Hon. Henry F. Cowper, the Right Hen. Win.
F. Cowper, Mr. Edward H. J. Crauford, Mr. R. Klemm Craw-
ford, lord Cremorne, colonel T. I'. Crosland, Sir Francis Cross-
ley, Mr. Robert Dalidish, Mr. B. Davey, Mr. B. De la Poor,
Hun. George Denman, Mr. J. Dent, Sir Edward Mama.,
Deane, Sir Wentworth Dilke, Mr. L. L. Trlllwyn, Mr.
M. E. Duff, Mr. R. W. Duff, the Right Hon. Sir
David Dundee, Mr. Frederick Dundsa, Mr. C. Edwards, Lord
Elcho, Lord Eliot, Viscount Enfield, Vim-Admiral J. E. Enkhse,
Mr. J. &monde. Mr. Thomas W. Evans, Mr. William Ewart,
Mr. Roger Eyhyn, Mr. It. Fawcett, Mr. John Fildes, Mr. A. R.
Finley, Lord Otho 4. Fitmersid, the Right lion. John W. ries-
Hon. Charles W. W. Fitswilllem, Mr. P. J. Beale Fol-
Fmr ir.Mr. W. Dingwall Fordyce, Mr. Charles Forster, Mr. W. 6.
orator, Mr. W. 0. Foster, the Right Hon. Chichester P. Fortes.
cue, Hon. Dudley F. Forto.tue, Serjeant °melee. Major Gavin,
the Right Hon. Thomas Milner Gibson, Kr. C. Gilpin, Mr. W. H.
Gladstone, Mr. G. Grenfell Glyn, Sir ?rands 11. Goldsmid, Mr.
JulianGokteauid, Hon. Frederick Leveson Gower, the Right
lion. George J. Goschen, Mr. William Graham, Mr. W. H.
Gregory, Mr. H. R. Grenfell, Colonel Greville-Nugent, Sir John
Gray, the Right Hon. Sir George Grey, Captain H. G. Gridley,
the Earl Grosvenor, Lord Richard Grosvenor, Mr. T.
Fraser Grove, Mr. Samuel Gurney, Mr. G. Hadfield,
Mr. E. W. T. Hamilton, Mr. R. Culling Hanbury, Mr.
Thomson Beatty, Mr. J. A. Hardeastle, Mr. John Dove
Harris, the Marquis of Hartington, Lord John Hay. Lord Wil-
liam Hay, taptain A. Dlvctt Ilayter, the Right Hon. Thomas IL
Headlam. Mr. John Henderson, Mr. Edward Heneage, Lord
Henley, Mr. J. Tomlinson Hibbert, Mr. Grosvenor Hodgkinson,
Mr. Kirkman D. Hodgson, Mr. Isaac Holdeu, Mr. Edward Hol-
land, the Right Hon. Edward lionman, Mr. Thomas Hughes,
Mr. R. H. Hurst, the Right Hon. Sir William Hutt, Mr. Robert
Ingham, Mr. B. James. Sir John Johnstone, Captain Robert
Keenley, Mr. Tristram Kennedy, Hon. P. J. Locke King, Mr John
Alex. E inglake, Col. Kingscote, Hon. Arthur F. ICionalrd, Mr. E.
Knatchbult-llngessen, Mr. Samuel Laing, Mr. A. H. Laysed, Mr.
J. Lamont, Mr. W. Lawrence, the Right lion. James A. Lawson,
Mr. W. IL Leathern. Mr. Win. Lee. Mr. G. Leeman. Mr. G. J.lihew
Lefevre, Mr. Harvey Lewis, sir Thos. Davis Lloyd, Mr. J. Locke,
Mr Ald. Lusk, Captain L. Lk Mackinnon, Mr. Duncan McLaren,
" Sir D. C. Marjoribanka, Mr. B. W. Marsh, Mr. C. W. Matte
Mr. J. Merry, Mr. Fredk. A. Milbenk, Mr. J. Stuart Mill, Mr.
Wrn. Miller, Mr. J. Remington MIIIR Viscount Milton, Mr.
Alexander Mitchell, Mr. Thos. A. Mitchell, Mr. G. Moffatt,
Mr. C. J. Monk, the Right Hon. Wm. Monsell, Mr. Robert J.
' More, Mr. Wm. Norris, Mr. Walter Morrison, Mr. N.D.Murphy,
• Mr. C. Neste, Mr. W. Nicholson, Mr. J. D. Nicol, Mr. C. Mor-
gan Norwood, Mr. J. L. O'Beirne, Sir Patrick O'Brien, the
O'Conor Don, the O'Donoghue, Bir Jno. Ogilvy, Mr. 1..
Oliphant, Sir Colman N. (YLoghlen, Mr. G. thislow, Mr. M.W.
. (Vitally, Mr. R. Bernal Osborne, Mr. A. J. Otway, Sir Hugh
Owen Owen, Colonel Packe, Mr. .1. Whitwsn Pease. the Right
Hon. Slr Robert Peel, Mr. A. Wellesley Peel, Mr. Jno. Peel,
Lord Pelham, Sir Morton Peto, Mr. R. Needham Philips, Mr.
Jonathan Pim, Mr. J. Platt, Mr. W. Pollard-Urquhart,
Hon. W. H. B. Portman, Mr. Edmund Potter, Mr.
T. Bayley Potter, Sir James Power, /Mr. R. Green
Price, Sir. W. P. Price, Mr. J. Pritchard Lcrd Proby, Sir H.
Resiinson, Mr. J. Gorden ltehow, Mr. David Robertson, Mr. J.
A. Roebuck, Mr. N. M. de Rothschild, Mr. Arthur Russell, Mr.
Francis W. Russell, Sir William Ri Mr. John H. Aubyn,
Mr. J. D' Samuda, Mr. Mr. Alderman Salomon', Mere-
hard Samuelson, Mr. B. Saundersou, r.WilllamiScholtasid, Sir
William Scott, Mr. G. Poulett Scrope, Mr. Charles Seely, Mr.
Alfred Seymour, Mr. H. Denby Seymour, Mr. 8., Duncombe
Mato, Mr. H. B. Sheridan, 11r.A.Clunes Sherriff, SlrJohn Simeon,
Mr. Jervase Smith, I.lr. J. Abel Smith, Mr. J. B. lindth, Mr. A.
A. Speirs, Mr. W. Stacpoole Mr. Meehan Stanirnnd, Hon. Wil-
liam Owen Stanley, Mr. J. Stanefeld, Mr. John Steel, Mr.
Osborne Stock, Mr. W. H. Stone, Colonel Crichton Stuart,
Colonel W. H. Sykes., Nr. Edmund J. Syrian, Mr. P. A. lor,
j Mr. W. Tito, Mr. W. T. McCullegh Torrens, Hon. Charles 2. D.
Banbury Tracy, Mr. George 0. Treveiysn, Mr. P.Vanderbyt, Sir
Harry Verney, Mr. FL F. Vernon, the Right Hon. Marko Pal-
i lamVilliers, Mr. Harney Vivian, Captain Hon. J. C. W. Vivian,
• Hon. George Weldegrave Leslie,
Watkln, Mr. T. M. Weguelin, Sir Thomas Berch Western. Mr a.
I Hammond Whalley, Mr. J. Whatman, Mr. S. Whitbread CCaspp
tan the Hon. Charles White, Mr. J. White, Mr. B. Whitimth,
Sir Hedworth Williamson, Sir Thomas E. Whinington, Mr. H.
Woods, Mr. Mermaduke Wyatt, Mr. 0. Young, and Mr. R.
Young.

The number of members presentat the meeting amounted
to 289. Several members, unable to attend, sent in their
adhesion. The grand staircase and inner hall were tho-
roughly filled by the audience, who were addressed by Mr.
Gladstone and the other speakers from the spacious land-
ing, a moat eligible position, as all could see and hear the
speakers without the slightest difficulty.
I Mr. ObaDeroNe commenced his address by appealing to
'those present to keep in view what he and hie late col-
' leagues had felt the importance of bearing in mind,the pare-
, mount importance of sinking all minor differences in order
to • speedy settlement of the question of reform, and of
collecting and concentrating the strength of the liberal
party. He hoped nothing had been said or done since the
session began which did not tend to these results. (Cheers.)
His own sincere wish was that the existing government
should produce a measure which the liberal party
could honourably support, and which would be
satisfactory to the country. Great forbearance had been
shown the ministers by the opposition, and he hoped the
same temper and disposition would still be maintained ;
but after the speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
on the previous evening, it was vain to expect to accom-
plish anything useful until they had the ministerial inse-
cure before them in detail. There was an evident difference
between a measure of reform outlined in a speech, and one
, laid upon the table of the house, in the precise terms of •
legislative document. He already saw the gravest reasons
for believing that the government proposals were not likely
t, prove adequate to the emergency or satisfactory
to the country at large. In framing the bill of last year
he and his colleagues not only desired to carry a genuine
and liberal measure, both as regarded the franchise and
that equally important matter the redistribution of seats,
but to pass • bill which might be regarded as • settlement,
and which would enable those who were not willing to go
• further reasonably to deprecate • renewal of political
excitement. He and those with whom he was in the habit
of advising felt that their position was not that of men
who hail been dismissed from office, but of those who
having found it impossible to reconcile themselves
to a vote on • particular detail of their measure
had voluntarily given place to their rivals, whom they
felt it to be their duty fairly to assist in the en-
deavour to settle this great question. He would not in
any way anticipate the decision to which it might be their
duty to coins at a future stage of these discussions, when,
having the whole ministerial bill before them, it would be
their duty to try to amend its details in essential p.trticu-
tars, so as to render the measure one which they might be
able to accept as a party. If they failed in that attempt,
it would then be for them to reconsider their position; and
this he would promise, that no step should be taken, and,
as far as be was concerned, no word be spoken, tending
to commit them prematurely to any decided course
of action. (Loud cheers.) He mould not help feeling that
the large assembly before him testified to the correctness
of what he had assumed regarding the prevalence of a
, desire to come to some settlement of the reform question
without more delay, and of the general willingness
lof the party to continue to the latest possible
moment the forbearance and spirit of accommoda-
tion hitherto maintained. At the same time
; he could not but remark that the views to which he had
!given expression on the previous evening, when speaking
lin the House of Commons, from recollection only, of the
• elements of calculations regarding the franchise, were
more than justified by subsequeut examination and re-
fiection. He had ventured to characterise as sanguine the
!estimate of the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding
the number of the working classes who would be enfran-
chised by the proposed bill. He (Mr. Gladstone) had
given 108,000, instead of 110,000, as the number
of those who would be enfranchised by lower-
ing the qualification fur the borough franchise to
61. rating. He was now prepared to say that he
did not believe anything like even that lower number
would acquire the suffrage in towns in cense.
quence of such a change, and that in point of fact
much leas than a moiety of the number of the work,
ing classes upon whom the bill of the late government
would have conferred the franchise could hope to obtain
that privilege under the present scheme. He would not, ,
however, be tempted to go into details on this oocuion.
Their first duty, he conceived, was to take the opinion of
the House of Commons upon the question whether they ,
could with advantage debate the matter further on vague