The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-09 00:00:00

DINNER AT HUNTINGDON OF THE FRIENDS'
OF LORD JOHN RUSSELL.

On Friday, a public dinner of the supporters of Lord Jobu Rus-
s-11, at the late General Election, took plops In the Town-Hall,
Huntingdon, for the purtse, as was stated la the advertisement,
of " expressing their aptirobabon °this Lordship's conduct In Par-
liament, during the time he was Member foe the county." About
230 gentlemen sat down to dinner; H. P. Stanley, Esq. of Paxton,
in the Chsr.
After the cloth was drawn, the following toasts were successively
Oren from the Chair:—
" The King." " The rod of the Royal Family." " The Can-
stitution, as established at the Revolution, In 1888."
The CHAIRMAN then rose and observed, that the 'nuke' toasts
having been gone through, it became his duty to admit the sup-
porters of Lord John Russell. It gave him the highest satisfaction
to observe to many persons present, and he little expected at one
time to see in a room belonging to the Corporation of Huntingdon
such a numerous body of independent freeholders. After this
assemblage, every person must say, that at another election the
county would he enabled to return a member of its own choice. He
could assure them, that the wish nearest to his heart was the inde-
pendence of the county, and he would my no more at present than
propose " The independence of the County of Huntingdon."
(Cho re )
After a short pause, the CHAIRMAN again rose to propose the
health of their late Member, but before submitting the toast, he
deemed it requisite to give some previous explanation. It had been
said that Lord John Russell had refund to meet his constituents :
the assertion was totally and entirely false. He (the Chairman),
and some of his friends, proposed, shortly after the election, that a
public meeting should be held, bet oo account of the harvest, and
for other reasons, the idea was at that time abandoned. He then
made application to the Russell flintily, acquainting them of their
design, and inquiring when it would be convenient for Lord John
Russell to meet his former constituents. Ile was then informed
that Lord John Russell was abroad, and would not return till
spring; but he and his friends, unwilling to relinquish their original
intention, resolved to convene a meeting ,for that day, and invite
Lord John to another dinner on hie return to the ossatry. The
soie reason, therefore, for his Lordship's was his
temporary absence from the country. He had a letter
from Lord Tavistock, stating that his brother eepold return
in a week or two ; but the Noble Lord in first to
visit Italy, he would not return till about Easter. A mtbilie
meeting would be then given to him, when he hard Wise ten
times—ay, a hundred times—mom freeholders
_preepeot lost were
then assembled. He had yestesiey received a kreem, Ada Paris,
from Lord John Russell, in which he said, that he eaar hg the
newspapers, his late conmituants had
boos to meet
and that he would ever consider it soour to hays
the support of men remarkable for their public spirit sali
pendence. He (Mr. Stanley) had, from his earliest hrs._
the principles of Lord John Russell; he had bees eikelillla
them by his nearest connexions; and so far as a alai allell_ pow
Mille for the future, he would abide by them. US siehialld
Speaker, but have a long pull, &strong puU, anidicveslll elessally,
and we shall secure the return of the Noble He eel* to
have been at the head of the poll; strike out the annuitant, the
copyholders, who came forward as freeholders. and voted fir Mr.
Fellow/es and Lord Mandeville, sod the long leasehellisme Wed you
will find that we have a majority of the properly at en
our side. When any tat wart to be repealed, and he
the Salt Tax, the heather Tax, and the Window. 411111 tide
find the names of our present Members in the miliaria@ l 01111
them, indeed. had not yet `ad the opportunity but
we fins the name of Mr. Fellowee ? When the
peepers came and said, " Mr, we see you have increased pre
widows; you have added one to the number, and we must &NAM
the amount of your tax ;" it was not Lord John Russell's friends
who acted thus: they had not extracted their living out of the
hearts' blood of the lowest people. He wished to see the lower
classes all exempt from theme obnonious taxes, and especially
from the Leather 'Tax. He wished to AM the poor have shoes at
half their present price. Their opponents, indeed, had a vast fund
of patronage; they had Postmasters and their friends to sup..
port; these were places, the nature of which he was at a loss
to imagine, but lucrative offices they certainly were. Who is
to pay for setting up a paper (the litsutingtiou Journal) in support
of their caum ? There were also snug places in the Corporation,
and some gentlemen whom be did not see there, but who used to
attend their Meetings, and make speeches, were now gone over to
the ranks of their opponents. The lion. Speaker then adverted to
the Corporation and Test Acts. Lord John Russell was anxious
for the repeal of these relics of persecution. Those who dissent
from them can hold no place under the Crown ; but did they ever
hear of a r; an wishing to give up his place for the benefit of the
country ? He never yet knew of a person who said to Mr. A. or Mr.
B. " Pray take this place from me ; I have held it long enough,
anti it is time I should retire." He never knew a cam of this kind.
He would detain them no longer, but propose the health of Lord
John Russell. (Cheers.)
JOHN B. ROOFER, Esq., in the absence of his Noble Mead,
had the task imposed upon him of returning thanks in his name.
As there was no man whose conduct was more praiseworthy, so
none whose services were more highly appreciated. The ap.
pearance of the numerous assemblage before him was sufficient to
show that they were not to sit down quiet and dispirited under
their late defeat, but that they were ready to fight the battle of
Independence over again whenever an opportunity occurred. Who-
ever compared the elections of that county in former times with the
present, would be struck with the contrast. Then the nectar,•
arrangements were made in the drawing-room at Hinchinbeeek.
but they had shown them, that if the independent freeholders had
not obtained success, they had at least endeavoured to deserve it.
Their defeat was unattended by disgrace, while the victory of
their opponents was unaccompanied with triumph. That they
themselves did not consider it a triumph was apparent from the
language they held : they were not prepared for the strength and
incorruptible integrity of the freeholders. At first it was thought
sufficient that Lord Mandeville should declare to the Mayor
and Corporation, at their annual feast, that lie meant to contest the
county with his Noble Friend ; but on this failing to intimidate
them, they said it was an opposition for opposition's sake, and that
they would crush the Whigs of Huntingdonshire. Gentlemen,
h.'', far they have succeeded in this you knew ; it was sufficiently
shown by the state of the poll during the two first days of the
election ; and even at the close there was but a majority of 53 in
favour of Mr. Fellowes and of 110 in favour of Lord Mandeville.
That the Noble Lord had such a powerful body of supporters was
a proof of the increasing strength of their cause. In 1768, when
the county was strongly contested by Sir Robert Barnard, the then
Lord Hinchinbronk carried the day by a majmity of 189. In 1807,
the Lord Hinchinbrook of that day defeated Loot Proby by a majo-
rity of 283, and in 11110 Lord Francis Alontague obtained a ma-
jority of 512 over Captain Walla, who was then put in nomi.
nation. The Increased number of independent freeholders
who had come forward to vote for Lord John Russell, was,
as he had before said, the best proof of their increasing
strength ; and it was a pleasing reflection, that this con-
tinued increase had not been obtained by the arts of cor-
ruption, or threats of intimidation. No tradesman or tenant had
been compelled to vote against his conscience. The lion. Gentle-
men concluded by saying, that as Lord John Russell had done his
duty by them, they would but be doing their duty by him In en-
deavouring to re-seat him in the House of Commons; and. Living
proposed the health of their active and indefatigable friend in the
Chair, Mr. Rooper at down, amidst general cheering.
Mr. STANLEY briefly returned thanks.
TYCHO WING, El rose, to propose the freeholders who had
so nobly supported the ate contest, and evinced their enthusiastic
desire for the emancipation of the county. The question, he said,
was not so much a question of individuals as of principle—not
whether Lord John Russell, or Lord Mandeville, was to be their
member, but whether they would have thrust upon diem as a Re-
presentative a person with whom they had no community of feel-
ing. In 1820, Lord John Russell came amongst them, not unso.
heited, but as the invited champion of a battle, which it was pre-
viously determined should be fought on public grounds. He
brought with him none of the blandishmeeiunrtsch_of
church
—no
nleiLisy-
teri..l patronage In the army, navy, or
parasites : they had nothing to bind them together, to cement the
poor and the rich, but the bond of a virtuous purpose. Their re-
cent struggle must have brought it home to the mind of every
one present, that It behoved them to persevere, for their ad-
vanced progress was not by the creation of new suffrages, but
from the freeholders being awakened to a sense of their own duty,
and their independence. if they failed, it would show that their
enemies had six hundred voters, who had no will of their
Own. On the two questions which had been so much agitated—the
Catholic Question and the Corn Laws—he would say but little.
The former ware with some, a convenient cloak of excuse for with-
holding their support, and objected to only by timid persons. But
Com