The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-23 00:00:00

( From the Times)

It is with much regret that we call public attention to
a short paragraph, wich will be found in another por-
tion of our columns this day, under the heading of
" Disgraceful Scene in the Carlton Club." It appears
that certain members of that institution had met to-
gether for the discreditable purpose of giving a dinner
to Major Beresford on account of his connexion with
the recent transactions at Derby. Major Beresford has,
within the last few days, incurred the strongest censure
which could be pronounced upon his conduct by a .Par-
liamentary committee, short of being found guilty of
actually administering bribes. The opinion is very
general that, even as it is, there is a strong discrepancy
between the statement of facts set forth by the commit-
tee and their deduction from it. It appears that if evi-
dence had been called which may still be called before
the committee which will have to try the right to the seat
now held by Mr. Horsfall, the case would have been
pressed home to Major Beresford in a manner which
must have instantly led, as its least consequence, to his
retirement from the house. The affair is by no means
brought to a sionelurslon. Tho rceignotinn of the Derby
Ministry may have smothered the inquiry for a short
time, but it cannot escape a thorough investigation, save
by an entire dereliction of duty on the part of those who
are bound to see justice done. But, even as it was, the
censure contained in the report of the Select Committee
was so strong as to necessitate the immediate resigna-
tion by Major Beresford of the post he held in the ser-
vice of the Crown. We may even go further than this.
It has been universally reported—and if the report be
false it can be readily denied by the person whom it
most concerns—that the reason why Major Beresford's
colleagues united to support him was, that he had
assured them, "upon his honour," that he was
guiltless of all participation in the Derby bribery.
Now, although it was open to him to prove his -
innocence in every way that he could desire, and
although one of the principal witnesses against him
—if not the principal witness—was not called, he could
not, after an investigation of many days, satisfy Lords
Barrington and Harry Vane, Sir William Moleswortb,
and Messrs. Goulbourn and Deedes, that he was innocent.
So far from this, and merely looking at the clipped evi-
dence before them, they returned against him a verdict
which must consign him for the future to oblivion as a
public man—even if the matter should rest there. The
offence of which Major Beresford stood accused was,
that he, a Minister of the Crown, had been actively en-
gaged in corrupting by bribery an English constituency.
Now, let us ask, was this a time to give a festival in
honour of such a man and such an event ? Is it to go
forth among that numerous section of the community,
which is only too eager for violent changes in our repre-
sentative system that the members of the Carlton Club—
Lord Derby's compact phalanx of 310—stick at nothing
in the shape of bribery and corruption, and that, even
when their chief agent is detected, his detection merely
leads to festivities in his honour, that he may exert him-
self more strenuously at the next election in his honour-
able career? _

The particulars of the Beresford Banquet we must
leave to the imagination of our readers. " Beresford,
Bribery, and Three Times Three"—"The Man in Drab,"
—in solemn silence,—" Three Groans for the Select Com-
mittee," and so forth, were appropriate toasts for such
an occasion ;—whether given or not, we cannot say.
But, while these good old Tories were fuddling them-
selves in one room of the Carlton, Mr. Gladstone, for
his misfortune, had entered the club-house, and was
quietly reading the paper in another- he was not en-
gaged in conversation with any one. Presently some of
the topers who had been whitewashing the Major came
into the room where Mr. Gladstone was sitting. We
will not for the moment divulge the names of the parties
to the most disgraceful scene which followed, but content
ourselves with copying the guarded language of the re-
port :—" One of the principal performers in the scene is
a gallant colonel, and another who played a prominent
part in it is a 'gentleman' whose name has figured a
good deal of late in the public journals in connexion
with another scene." It appears that no sooner had
these worthies become aware of Mr. Gladstone's pre-
sence, than they used towards him the most insulting
language. They told him "he had no right to belong
to a Conservative Club at all"—that he ought "to be
pitched out at the window in the direction of the Reform
Club," &c. Mr. Gladstone, according to the report we
have received, answered them in the most courteous
terms. Courtesy to such persons was of course but as
pearls to swine. They repeated their insulting lan-
guage ordered candles in another room, and then re-
hevedMr. Gladstone of their presence. Such is the
version of the story we have received, and, as far
as Mr. Gladstone's share in it is concerned, we doubt
not that it does him but scant justice. Political oppo-
nents he may have in abundance ; but certainly his
name stands high as that of a man who could not
under any circumstances be thought to violate the
decencies of life, or to do aught unbecoming the cha-
racter of an English gentleman. As for his antagonists
—his assailants, rather—the public can best judge of
probabilities when their names are made known.
There can, we imagine, be but one conclusion to so
disgraceful a transaction. The committee of the Carlton
Club are the best judges of the character they would
wish their society to wear for the future. Any step on
Mr. Gladstone's part beyond the most contemptuous
silence would be as misplaced in point of judgment as it
would be mistaken on principle. He has had the mis-
fortune of belonging to a society to which persons were
admitted ignorant or regardless of the decencies of life.
If they are not expelled from it at once, he has nobody
to thank but himself, should he incur at a future period
any repetition of similar conduct. Assailants such as
these, if actively dealt with at all, are fitting subjects for
the station-house and the police-court,—nothing more.
Does the Carlton require a detachment of the A division
to keep order among its members ?

LORD DERBY'S CHARGE OF " COMBINATION.