The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-10 00:00:00

Lord Palmerston's valuable life were spared he
could again visit the town on the opening of the
Exchange, when he could promise a reception quite
as hearty and as enthusiastic, In conclusion he
moved the following resolution :—" That this meet.
ing desires to express to the Right Hon. Viscount
Palmerston the great pleasure and satisfaction which
his lordship's visit to Bradford has afforded, and to
express an earnest hope that he may live long in
the enjoyment of intellectual and bodily vigour to
take, as he has done for raany years past, an im-
portant part in the great councils of the nation."
Mr WiciinAm, M.P., who was very warmly re-
ceived, briefly seconded the motion, observing that
whatever pride he had in representing Bradford,
it was increased tenfold by the events of that day.
It was also a matter of congratulation to him per-
sonally that, in supporting the policy of the noble
lord, he had with him so unmistakably the confi-
dence of his constituents.
Mr Alderman LAW supported the motion, which
was agreed to amidst overwhelming applause.
There was not the slightest symptom of any op-
position, although the chairman specially invited
those who held a contrary opinion to declare it.
Lord PALMERSTON, on rising, was received with
several rounds of enthusiastic cheers. When silence
had been restored the noble lord said—Mr Mayor,
Ladies, and Gentlemen, I can assure you it is no
figure of speech when I say that words are inade-
quate to express the pride and gratification which
I feel at what has passed this day. (Cheers.) I was
delighted with the reception which I met this morn-
ing from the inhabitants of this town. The recep-
tion has been crowned by having had the honour of
meeting this imposing assembly which I am now
about to address—in which I see congregated in
this great and magnificent building a vast amount
of manly intellect, a vast and striking amount of
those other and softer qualities which have been well
described by the gentleman who moved this address
as qualities which induce mankind to be delighted
at accompanying those who possess them. (Laughter
and cheers.) In despotic countries those who have
the conduct of affairs are deprived by custom of
those opportunities which are enjoyed in a free
country like this, which are afforded to those who
conduct affairs of State of mixing with their fellow
countrymen on those easy terms which it has been
my good fortune to mix to-day with the people of
Bradford. (Cheers.) It is customary to talk of the
labours and anxieties of office. Well, those labours
and anxieties are light to those who believe they are
doing their duty to the beat of their power. (Cheers.)
That only harasses which time and opportunity
prevents them from doing—that which they are
able to do is a source of satisfaction if they feel they
are doing their best, and whether their efforts are
attended by success or failure, their minds are satis-
fied that they have performed their duty to their
country. (Cheers.) But it is a great and heartfelt
satisfaction to be able to meet, as I have done to-
day and as I have had other opportunities of doing,
the people of England, to see their faces and show
one's own. (Cheers.) It is a great satisfaction to feel
that we meet on terms of good fellowship, and that,
while on the one hand sympathy must be excited
more strongly in the minds of those who govern, on
the other kindly feelings are inspired in the minds
of those with whom we meet. (Cheers.) It has been
deeply gratifying to me to have been allowed this
day to lay the first stone of a fabric which is to be
the scene of business and commerical transactions in
this, I will call great—but destined to be still greater
and more prosperous—community. (Cheers.) I
might say that I hope this building will be everlast-
ing, but I may perhaps venture to think, though
ample as its dimensions have been planntd, capa-
cious as its halls will be, the day may come when
the increasing commerce and transactions of busi-
ness in Bradford may outrun the capacity of the
building—(cheers)—that some other man succeeding
me may be called upon to lay the first stone of a
larger, ampler, and more capacious Exchange.
(Cheers.) There is something particularly interest-
ing in this town of Bradford, for it is a type of
the English character, I consider that character
to be marked by perseverance, industry, enterprise,
judgment, and courage in pursuing that which has
been undertaken. All those qualities nave been
marked by the people of Bradford. You have
converted that which may almost be said to have
been a barren moor, with only a few scattered
hamlets, into a thriving and great commercial
town. Your progress has only been begun ; happy
will it be for those who shell watch and mark its
future) career. But in the course which you are
pursuing, you are not only contributing to your
own wealth end comfort and well-being, but you
are contributing in:meneely to the strength and
wealth of that country of which you form so
distinguished a portion. (Cheers.) You have been
pleased in the resolution to advert to the conduct of
public men, mine amongst others. It is true, I
trust and am proud to say that during the last five
years this country has enjoyed a state of increasing
prosperity and comfort, and that whilst we have
been in a thriving condition at home, our honour
and the dignity and interests of the country have
been maintained—(cheers)—and, adopting words
which are familiar to the ears of all, the great in-
fluence of England in foreign countries has not been
lowered. These results are the consequence of the
combined efforts of an Administration of which I
may be permitted to say that no other Administra-
tion that ever existed contained within itself a
greater number of able, distinguished, and capable
men. (Cheers.) I venture, without fear of contra-
diction, to say that there never was a Government
in which every department of State was better filled
than it has been filled by the Government which is
now in power, and therefore it would be unjust to
attribute any peculiar merit to any ono member
of that Administration, the merit belongs to the
combined and united efforts of all ; and it is only
by such a continued and united course of action

that any Government can accomplish results worthy
of obtaining the confidence and. goodwill of their
fellow countrymen. (Cheers.) h has undoubtedly
been ono of the main objects of the policy of
the Government to remove all obstacles that stood
in the way of the development of industry and com.
merce of the country, and to induce, as far as they
are able to do so, other countries to adopt the doc-
trine, and follow the example which has been set to
them and held forth by us. But that task is not
an easy one ; there is nothing so difficult to uproot
as a prejudice long established in the human mind;
and although those who have cast away pre-
judice, who have abandoned an error, and got into
the road of truth may wonder that others have not
done the same, yet it is a remarkable fact that the

mind of man is prone to cling to errors as lung as
they are interested in them; but when they have
turned their back upon them, and have come to the
truth, they wonder not only that others do not follow
them, but that they themselves should have ever en-
tertained the same errors and prejudices (hear, hear).
We all know What a long battle was fought in the
country between free trade opinions and the system of
protection. We know how many a man conscien-
tionslY thought that the country would be ruined
by taking away that protection which this, that,
and the other class kaci had from time immemorial
to the prejudice of every other class, and to the de-
triment of the country at large. It is long before
a nation can learn the truth that in all regulations

of commerce you had to consider, not the interest
of ono particular class as producers bat the interest
of that much larger class, the consumers—namely,
the whole nation. (Cheiora.) Although a Govern-
ment may often appear hard hearted and severe in
dealing with the interests of a class of producers
who have hitherto been protected, yet it ought to
have been borne is mind that they are only doing
their duty to the many, and that in fact even the

interests of those few will in the long run find a
benefit in tha changes which are made. (Cheers.)
We all recollect the time when a proposal being mc,d3
to abolish the protection which the agricultural pro-
ducers had long eujoyed,thepeople were told that the
country would be ruined, would be starved, that the
land would go out of cultivation, that the agricul•
tural interest would vanish and p3rish ; and they

said, "For heaven's sake, dent inflict a calamity
upon the country." (Laughter.) Well, what has
been the consequence ? Not only by the repeal of
the corn laws have the bulk of the community re-

ceived large supplies of food which previously they
could not get, and been able, in exchange for them,