The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-15 00:00:00

TAMWORTH ELECTION.

TAMWORTH WEDNESDAY. —Sir Robert Peel having
accepted the office of one of the Lords of the Admiralty,
one of 033 seats for this borough became vacant. The
hon. baronet offered himself for re-election to-day, and
there was no opposition to his return. The election took
place in the Town Hall, but the proceedings appeared
to excite very little or even local interest, the attendance
of burgesses being remarkably small. Mr. J. Shaw,
mayor, as returning officer, presided.
Mr. THOS. BnomwELL:proposed Sir Robert Peel as a
fit and proper person to represent the borough, in a corn-
plimentary address.

Mr. WM. ROBINSON seconded the nomination ; and,
no other candidate having been proposed, Sir Kober
was declared duly elected.

Sir ROBERT PEEL, who was warmly received, in ac-
knowledging the honour thus conferred upon him for
the third time, remarked, that when the late Aberdeen
administration was crushed a state of things without
parallel was witnessed. Ne one of the old parties could
take office ; but a great party, basing its influence on
public opinion, and irrespective of Whig, Radical, or
Conservative, determined to administer oublie affairs
with vigour and determination, were placed in office
and as representing that party of the people Lord Pal.
mersten found himself at the head of affairs. His posi.
tion was the will of the country. The character of the
Premier stamped the character of the cabinet, and the
country wanted a man of independent action, that would
not only inspire vigour into the councils of thee Sovereign,
but would throw his spirit into every branch of the admi-
nistration, more especially into those branches which were
connnected with the present war. (Cheers.) Lord Palmers-
ton was the man to do it, and it became the duty of the
country to stand by the man of their choice. (Cheers.) It
was with this feeling that he (Sir Robert Peel) accepted
office. When the Aberdeen Government fell, the motion
which sent Lord Aberdeen and the Duke of Newcastle
from office eras avote of censure, not upon them alone, but
upon every individual member of the admidistration, and
it was consequently evident that in the ashes of that
Government could not be found the elements of a pope-
' lar or enduring cabinet. It proved so. Mr. Gladstone
(the capacity of whose intellect and the power of whose
eloquence were unrivalled), and Sir James Graham
(second to none for administrative ability) had gone out,
although they promised a qualified support. They were
gone—peace to their ashes !—(laughter)—and, perhaps,
their absence gave Lord Palmerston greater freedom of
action. He reconstructed his cabinet more in accord-
, ance with his own views ; and heimcceeded in obtaining
the co-operation of one whose name was a tower of
strength—the greatest statesman in England, notwith-
standing all his failings—Lord John Russell—(hear and
cheers)—and of Lord Clarendan, who was entitled to
the respect of the country. With regard to the war, lie
would say that we went to defend the territory of an
oppressed power. Bat, he believed, at the suggestion
of Louis Napoleon, we bad actually attacked the pos-
sessions of Russia. Now, this was a mistake. We
thought to carry all before us ; but the besiegers were
the besieged, which was entirely owing to our want of
foresight. Suffering, privation, and neglect were the
consequences. Then the cry arose, "Let us dismiss
our Government, and save our army." We had dis-
missed the Government, and he prayed that God might
save the vestige of the finest army that ever loft our
shores. He confessed that he had opposed Mr. Roe-
buck's motion, because he believed inquiry would at that
moment be injudicious, would be injurious to our allies,
and a joy to our enemies. But although he did oppo-e
inquiry, yet he was not indifferent to the welfare of cur
troops. He was afraid we did not yet know the full ex-
tent of our loss—the limit of death—of men not cut if
in the prime of glory or the shock of battle, but on a
bed of sickness, neglected, and forgotten by the mi-
serable system that had existed. (Cheers.) We had
sent some 54,000 men, and he believed at this moment
they were reduced to something like 19,000 efficient
men. (Hear, hear.) They had been withdrawn from
the trenches ; and their position was marked, not by
rows of stalwart British soldiers, but by files of bleach•
ing bones. He denied that these results could be attri-
buted to penuriousness on the part of the House of Com-
mons. They had granted whatever had been asked,
Nor was the blame of the terrible things we had htar
.l
due to the administration. No ; it lay in a rotten eye
tern of routine, of promotion by seniority or interest,
and not by merit. (Cheirs.) We ought to have con-
fided the Crimean campaign to younger and more vigo-
rous hands. He complained that after Inkerman all
the promotions were staff promotions. (Hear, hear.)
Why, men were actually promoted for Inkerman who
were not under fire at all. That system was rotten at
the core. (Cheers.) He touched on the commissariat
aid medical departments, showed how the troop, were
fed for a fortnight on salt pork and biscuit ; that the
great majority of the hospital cases were engendered by
neglect of the provisional department, and commented
on the fact that the hospitals at Balaklava were actually
destitute of tea and arrowroot. Although he was op
posed to Mr. Roebuck's motion, yet the inquiry bad
elicited facts which were very interesting. General
Bentinck showed, that because a voucher was signed
half an inch too low, the commissariat refused provi-
sions for the starving troops. General Bentinck sent
word that if this took place again he should have the
man turned out of the service. What he should have
done was to have shot the fellow on the spot. (Hear,
cheers, and laughter.) Then General Evans stated that
Commissary General Filder refused to look after his
duties. That was not to be subMitted to, and it showed
the want of spirit in those under Lord Raglan. After
remarking on the loss of the transports in the storm of
the 11th of November, which was atributed to Cap-
tain Christie, he (Sir R. Peel) declared such doings
should be stamped with the indignation of the country,
and no punishment could be too severe for them. He
did not agree with those who said that this gross mis-
management and confusion could not be helped ; and he
denied that the war would be popular if the people knew
the whole truth of it. We went out with chivalric feel-
ing to help an oppressed power, and in the interest of
justice and right, but let the people take care that we did
not transform this alliance for liberty into a combination
of despots against it. (Hear.) The Premiership of Lord
Palmerston was a guarantee for that ' • but he (Sir Robt.
Peel) said that the Austrian alliance had been the curse
of the war—(cheers)—hadpara!ysed our efforts, and that
German interests had paralysed our action. (Hear.)
Why, the whole course of proceedings, from the tune
when the troops left for the Crimea till now, had been
left to hazard or official mismanagement. We had f 'ught
three battles, but what bad we gained ? Sickness and
death. Why, he had a letter from the Crimea on the
preceding day, in which he was told that the 11th Hus-
sars mustered but four men. (Hear, hear.) Let us have
a peace as soon as we could. Let the people of the
country now thoroughly open their eyes to the cam-
paign, and, if peace could be got on honourable terms
and for the interests of Europe let us have it, and save
the vestiges of our army. Let us have a lasting peace.
He showed the costliness of war in life. In one year's
war we soend, it was supposed, 30,000 British lives and
25,000,0001. sterling. From the returns of the Board of
Trade he demonstrated its injurious effects on commerce.
Duties had been put on spirits, the reduction of the tea
duties was stopped, bread was dearer. He heard people
bawl out for more blood and more determination in pro-
secuting the war. (Hear.) He said, " yes, but let us have
peace at the first moment we can have it with honour
and for the interests of the country." He agreed that we
should be prepared for the future. In a few days a hun-
dred pennants would float over the finest fleet that ever
assembled at Spithead ; but although' we might sweep
the ( mil of the ships of every enemy, we must do
more. We must no longer be humbugged by Austria.
(cheers)— we must not permit Prussia, under the cloak
of neutrality, to act as the ally of Russia. (Renewed
cheering.) He wouli recommend further, that Moldavia
awl Wallachia should be erected into an independent
State as a bulwark against Russia. He would go a little
farther. Why not raise Poland ?, (Cheers.) If we
want to stop war, check Russia, awe Russia—raise
Poland. Flu had hopes of peace from the mission of
Lord J. Russell to Vienna, and lienn the circumstance
that the death of a Russian Emperor had invariably
changed the policy of that State. But if peace was not to
be obtained then Government would carry on the war,
not by halves as hitherto, but with energy and deter-
mination, having in view a double object—resistance to
the aggression of Russia and the promotion of the liber-
ties of Europe. (Cheers.) Sir Robert concluded amidst
loud applause, by asking for Lord Paltnereton's Govern-
ment, which would correct abuses and originate reforms
in our military system, a fair stage and no favour.
The proceedings then terminated, without bands,
banners, or banquets.