The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 29, 1864,

Meeting of the Coiservative Party.

Yesterday, at two o'clock, a meeting of the Opposition
to consider the policy of her Majesty's Government in re-
ference to the Dano-German question took place at the
residence of the Marquis of Saisbury, in Arlington-street.
The meeting was held in the Irincipal drawing-room, and
was attended by 231 members of the House of Commons,
the only peer present being the Earl of Derby himself.
The chair was occupied by tle noble earl. In his imme-
diate vicinity were Mr Disraeli, General Peel, Lord John
Manners, Mr. Walpole, and the principal members of the
Opposition. There were also 'resent several hon. gentle-
men connected with the indesendent Irish party, who oc-
cupy seats below the gangway
The following were amoneet the members present :
Right Hon, C. Bowyer Addeiey, Henry John Adeane,
Lieut.-Colonel Hon. Hugh 4nnesley, Captain Mervyn,
Edward Arcbdall, Henry Johl B Colonel Walter B•
Barttelot, Allen Alexander Belaurst, William W. Bach,
the Earl of Bective, George S.Beecroft, George A. Caven-
dish Bentinck, Richard Benyoa, Captain Dennis, William
P. Beresford, Sir Robert Gore Booth, Bart., William
Bovill, Major Charles L. Cunming Bruce, Sir Henry
Hervey Bruce, Bart., Lord lurghtey, Sir Percy Burrell,
Bart., Sir Hugh M'Calmont Cairns, Colonel Henry Cart-
wright, Captain Hon. G. H. V, Windsor Clive, Alexan-
der D. R. W. Baillie Cochrane Lieut,- Colonel Hon. Henry
Arthur Cole, Hon. John Lowry Cole, Thomas Conolly,
Right Hon. H. T. Lowry Corry, Viscount Curzon, the
Earl of Dalkeith, Capt. Lionel S. W. D. Darner, Right
Hon. Benjamin Disraeli, Chares Du Cane, Rear-Admiral
Hon. Arthur Duncombe, Hoe. wee. Ernest Duncombe,
Hon. Ralph Heneage Dutton, Sir Philip de Malpas Grey
Egerton, Bart., Right Hon. T. H. S. S. Eatcourt, Lieut.-
Col. John Wm, Fane, Edwar Fellowes, W. R. Seymour
V. Fitzgerald, Major-Gen. ROA Hon. G. C. W. Forester,
Richard Sommers Gard, Lord Mont, Wm. Graham, Vis-
count Grey de Wilton, C. Darby Griffith, Right Honour-
able Lord Claud Hamilton, "Viscount Hamilton, Gathorne
Hardy, John Hardy, Sir lirm. Ileathcote, Bart., Lord
Henniker, Sir Fredk. Wm, Feygate, Bart., Wm. Unwin
Heygate, Richard Hodgson,
tobert Stayner Holford, Vis-
count Holmesdale, John Turner Hopwood, Wm. Henry
Hornby, Wm. W. Filzwillian Hume, Viscount Ingestre,
Earl Jenny n, Hy. Alex. Butltr, Johnstone, Captain Hed-
worth Hylton Jolliffe, Fred. Winn Knight, Major Hon.
Wm. Stuart Knox, Anthony Lefroy, Lord George Charles
Gordon Lennox, Colonel Charles Powell Leslie, Hon Hy.
George Liddell, Robert Longfield, Sir Massey Lopes, Bart.,
Colonel Hon. Henry C. Lowther, George Lyall, Right
Hon. Sir E. B. Lytton; Wm, M`Cormick, Richard Melina,
Right Hon. Lord J. Manners, Taverner Miller, William
Townley Mitford, Lord Robert Montagu, John E. Moore,
Right Hon. John Robert Mowbray, Right Hon, Lord Naas,
Viscount Newport, Hon. Gerard James Noel, Lieutenant
Colonel John Sidney North, Sir Stafford H. Northcote,
Bart., Lieutenant Colonel Thomas H. Pakenhan, Right
Hon. Sir J. S. Pakington, Bart., Sir Lawrence Palk, Roger
William Henry Palmer, Philip Oxendon Papillon, Henry
Paull, George Montagu W. Peacock, Lieut.-General Right
Hon. Jonathan Peel, George William John Repton,
Lieut.-
Colonel Hon. Richard Thomas Rowley, Lord Henry J. M.
D. Scott, Montague Edward Smith, Patrick Boyle Smol-
lett, James Banks Stanhope, Sir Henry Josias Stracey,
Bart., Lieut.-Colonel Charles Napier Sturt, Henry Gerard
Sturt, Hon. Walter Cecil Talbot, Lieut.-Colonel Thomas
Edward Taylor, Lord Edward rhynne, Lord Henry Fredk.
Thynne, Robert Torrens, 11n. Charles H. R. Trefusis,
Charles Turner, John Vance, Edward Wingfield -Verner,
Col. H. R. H. Howard Vyse, Rear-Adm;ral John Edward
Walcott, James Robert Walker, Right Hon. Spencer H,
Walpole, Sir John B. Walsh, Bart., Samuel Waterhouse,
Win. Earle Welby Gregory, Right Hon, James Whiteside,
H. Whitmore, and Basil Thomas Woodd.
The Earl f LERBY first addressed the meeting. He
commences servations by stating that during the last
two or the several attacks had been made in Par-
liament u _ Established Church of this country, but
that, taxying t _r.e firm front that had been opposed to
them, they his seen discontinued, and he might say they
were now abatennsd. He would not, he said, trouble them
by referring to tea 830 pages of papers on the Denmark
question which bad been laid before Parliament, or with
the 161 pages of protocols and papers which had been
issued that morning, but would content himself with re-
viewing in a very few words the course of proceeding which
had been adopted by the noble earl the Secretary for Foreign
Affairs (Earl Russell) and by the noble lord at the head of
her Majesty's Government with regard to Denmark.
Among the most remarkable of the statements which had
been made by her Majesty's Government to Parliament
during the discussions which had taken place on the
Danish question :was, that in certain contingencies Den-
mark would not be allowed to enter upon the contest with
Germany alone. It appeared, however, that as matters
progressed, the ground was shifted, and it was
stated that in the event of certain contingencies—
the Federal execution, for instance—action might be
taken. The execution, however, did take place, and next
there was the invasion of Schleswig, It was then intimated
that Frederickstadt was to be regarded as a sacred spot. It
was, however, taken possession of by the Lierman rorces,
and finally a portion of Jutland also, yet nothing was done
to induce Denmark to believe that the promises held out to
her would be realised. Han(the Earl of Derby) would not
attempt to say that England ought or ought not to have
interfered by force of arms; but what he did say was that
her Majesty's Government, having conveyed a hope to
Denmark that, in the event of certain things occurring,
England would stand by her side, the natural inference was
that Denmark had been misled by those representations,
and that she now had reason to complain that she found
herself deserted by those by whom she had been given
reason to hope that she would receive material assistance.
He did not mean it to be understood, nor did he wish to con-
vey, that his view was that England ought to interfere by
force of arms; but that had not been the tone taken by her
Majesty's Government. The noble lord (Lord Palmerston),
in his recent declaration in the house of Commons, had still
maintained the same tone as that which had led Denmark
to believe that she would receive support from England
—that she would not be allowed to stand alone in the
struggle ; because he said that, in the event of Copen-
hagen being bombarded, or the King taken a prisoner
of war, it might become necessary to consider the matter,
or to recommend a change of policy. But from the ex-
perience of the past there was no reason to believe that
the noble lord might not, in view of these events having
actually taken place, allege that some fresh contingency
should yet arise before he could act, He (the Earl of
Derby) contended that this vacillating and inconsistent
policy was discreditable to the Government, and was calcu-
lated to lower the country immeasurably, to sink its renown
and lessen its influence in the Ares of Europe He was not
himself blind to the consequences which must result to
England if such interference in the affairs of Denmark
should take place; but it was to be supposed that the Go-
vernment who conveyed the idea that teey were disposed
to lend them military aid should have considered the con-
sequences before they made such a declaration, In the
part which he and those who acted with him thought they
should take, it was considered right to deal with the Danish
question by itself, and not to mix it up with the Italian
question, or with the unhappy internecine strife which
was now waging at the other side ®f the Atlantic. The
Danish question should be dealt with by itself, and the
resolution which he was now about to submit for the
consideration of the meeting would simply be confined
to an expression of opinion upon the course of conduct
and the policy which had been pursued by her Ma-
jesty's Government. Tho Government had appeared de-
sirous to leave it to the house to express an opinion,
and they bad endeavoured to impose the duty of eliciting
that opinion upon the Opposition ; but he was happy to say
that neither his right hon. friend (Mr Disraeli) nor himself
had fallen into that trap. The noble earl, in continuation,
said that whilst he did not desire to convey to them that
he that the resolution would
carentertained
with it a majority of the house of Commons, yet he
ry a positive certainty
solemnly and sincerely believed that it would carry with it
the approving voice of the country. , Whether it carried
with it the voice of the House of Commons or not, ho and
the sixteen friends who
whohohad
hadear efullY considered the reso-
lution with him, an
honoured him with their
confidence on that occasion, felt it to be their bounden duty
to elicit the opinion of the House of Commons on the acts
of the Administration.
the resolution
w hTi
chhe 3
in orb Ipe
seraarell ths
ue nb re eqaude otl the meeting
gaYe notice of in the
House of Commons. It was received with loud and repeated
cheering by the meeting.

Mr. fiEn nest addressed the meeting. The hon. gentle-
man said his feeling was that the resolution should embody
an expression in favour of armed interference on behalf of
Denmark.

The observation was received with marks at disapproba-
tion, and

The Earl of DARBY Said he hoped that the hon. gentle-
manressing
ings upon the subject. The noble lord added that he must
would have a full opportunity of expressing his feel-
respectfully
differ from the hon. gtntleman, because if the
suggestion he had made were adopted, and that such an
expression as he had advocated were embodied in the reso-
lution, the Opposition, in the event of their coming into
power, would be bound to carry on warlike operations in
favour of Denmark,and this they Were not prepared to bind
themselves to.

An Hos. Mmtaza, representing a northern county, said
he believed that the feeling in his part, of the country was
entirely in favour of peace. He reminded the meeting that
Y Would narrowly watch
tt
hhee
econstituencies
rerfe
pt
ees
echo ut
ant ti ry
eFrom all that he was
able to learn he believed that, whatever the country might
Government in rater-
ethhienekteofthtehelpaholgiucyagoef hheerldMhayjetshtyem's
towards Denmark, it
was decidedly in favour of maintaining a peaceful attitude.
He apprehended, after the statement made in the House of
Commons by Lord Palmerston, that if a resolution such as
that now submittea to the sleeting were carried against
him in the house, it would be regarded as a demonstration
in favour of war, and to this he (the hon. member) was
entirely opposed.

The Ead (1 DERBY explained that, in his opinion, the
resolution was nut drawn so as to convey any such im-

pression,

This statement was received with expressions of appro-
bation, and appeared to be acquiesced in generally by the
meeting.
Lord lIEIZBY Lris:lcx sail that he was not about to