The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-20 00:00:00

Representation of Finsbury.

Last night a meeting of electors desirous of pro-
moting the return of Mr. M'Cullagh Torrens for
Finsbury, at the next election, convened by circular,
was held at the Belvidere Tavern, Pentonville.
Mr. Torrens attended, on the invitation of a large
and influential body of requisitionists, who, mindful
of his past career in Parliament and his fidelity to
the principles he avowed oa entering it, were de-
sirous that a metropolitan borough of such import-
ance should be adequately and properly represented.
The requisitionists seeking for the proper discharge
of the duties of such a position, desired that they
should be represented by gentlemen whose mental
power, political knowledge, and established public
reputation qualified them for the discharge of the
onerous duties devolving upon the representatives of
such large and important constituencies. Reference
to the past conduct of Air. Torrens in Parliament
had produced the conviction that in him these quali-
ties were combined, and that gentleman was there-
fore invited to lay before a meeting of electors his
political opinions, and also state his decision whether
the amount of popular support accorded to him
would induce him to "necome a candidate. To this
requisition, which was signed, on the whole, by
those who 'dsed to take a prominent part in the
election, of the late Mr. T. Duncombe, without any
exp nee on his part, Mr. Torrens readily responded,
and last night w:ls met by an assembly of gentlemen
who might fairly be said to be representative men
from every part of the borough.

M'DONNELL, representative of Clerkenwell
at the Metropolitan Board of Works, was called to
the chair, and in a few brief but telling sentences
introduced Mr. Torrena to the meeting.
The learned gentleman, in the course of an ad-
dress which was listened to with the deepest atten.
tion, and with frequent and warm applause, explained
the grounds on which he ventured to solicit the suf-
frages of such an important constituency. He had
an ambition—but it as not a selfish one—it was,
in his day and generation, to make his mark on the
age in which he lived as a man who had done
something useful and permanently beneficial to his
fellowmen. He had in the earlier portion of his
public and political career at least given proofs of
the spirit by which ho was animated, the objects he
aimed at, and the principles of which he was the
advocate; and to the past he thought he might
confidently refer as a guarantee for the future.' t He
did not wish to be a mere talker, a mummer, or a
dummy. In past Parliaments he had served his
time to the business of legislation. He hoped he
had learned by study and experience how the work
of the people ought to be done, and how to do it.
He made no vague promises, no elastic professions
of principle. He would not go into Parliathent tied
and fettered by ironcast pledges, but he referred to
his votes on all great questions as the surest tests
of what his future course would be. When in
Parliament he helped to carry the repeal of the na-
vigation laws, and the removal of the disabilities
of the Jews. He was ono of the small majority
that first enabled Mr Locke King to carry the prin-
ciple of a £lO county suffrage, and he had had the
pleasure of voting with the late Mr Joseph Hume
for a large extension of the suffrage in towns, on
the ground that the exclusion of the working classes
was the chief defect of the Reform Bill, 1832. For
the adoption of the ballot he had voted with Mr
Berkeley, though by itself he did not think it would
produce political purity, but must be one of a com-
bination of measures for that purpose. With re-

sprct to the administration of the country, Mr Tor-
rens expressed the opinion that they were too exclu-
sively taken from one class, and at the same time
deprecated a rather wide-spread opinion that
lawyers, as a class, should be excluded from Parlia-
ment in favour of commercial and practical men in
other pursuits and callings of life, whose success in
a mere monetary way, though creditable to them as
individuals, was not necessarily a proof of their
possessing the qualities requisite for a legislator,
On the subject of church rates he thought the time
had come when the Government ehould remove this

cause of religious discord. On general grounds he
would vote against the public money being given
to any sect whatever if those who received those
grants would agree to stand upon that ground.
He should advocate retrenchment of public es-
penditure not only in general terms, but in detail.
With respect to an important question—the law
relating to the relief of the poor and the mode in
which ityas administered—while he thought public

opinion was not ripe for the adoption of a national and
equal rate, he thought the time had come for the
abrogation of the law of settlement and the adop-
tion With respect to the metro-
polisofitaseulfr: while he
e he could not agree with Mr.
Avrton and other advocates of a federal metropo-
litan
municipality,questione
thought it was an open and
a
-ow such boroughs as Finsbury'
iirittflU a compact mass, and exercise
ence on Parliament and upon
couldth er be eg wt emi da et
ad
the Government for the time being. They would
never do so in their present state, and for their own
sakes, apart from general questions, it was ex-
tremely important they should have the advantages
of local self-govenment. The hon. and learned
gentleman, after stherting in very felicitous and
eloquent terms to other matters, concluded by
stating that he asked no one to pledge himself to
support his candidature should a better man appear
in the field. In that case he would be the first to
withdraw from it. If not, he promised, should ho
be elected to represent that important constituency,
that he would render an annual account of his stew.
ardship, and take every opportunity of ascertaining
the views of his constituents, though he did not
promise he would always act upon them. When
he could not do se honestly he would return the
trust they had ccnfided to him.
EPPS, (Cheers.)
Dr. in a very able and telling speech,
moved—" That tlis meeting having listened to a
statement of the political principles of Mr. Torrens,
which he consistently and efficiently advocated for
many years in parliament, expresses its opinion
that he is eminently qualified to become a repre-
sentative for rinebury in the House of Commons,
and pledges itself to use its best exertions to secure
his return for this borough in the ensuing Parlia-
ment,"
short Arr. HcooP:v'eorosai)tsieocno, in which Mr. Collins, Mr.nded the resolution, and after
a
Elt, and other gentlemen took part, the resolution
was carried with two dissentients, on the under-
standing that it did not bind those present who did
not aotually vote for it. At the same time no gen-
tleman present offered any opposition to Mr. Tor-
rens, but merely reserved their freedom of selection
for the future,
The following gentlemen were than elected a
committee to promote the election of Mr. Torrens,
with power to add to their number ;—Messrs. J.
I, Hopwood, Dennis APDonnell, Chas. D. Tolme,
Hugh Owen, John Robert Hall, Richard Moore,
John Lloyd, Rawles Fattison, William Birkbeck,
T. Bounce, James Scott, Samuel Smith, M. Samuel,
John Walker, William Walker, &C.
A vote of thanks to the chairman closed the
proceedings.

HAMPSTEAD-HEATS AND THE NEW SETTLED
ESTATES Act —Among the last acts passed was one, which•
has just been issued, to amend (he Settled Estates Act of
1856. As introduced, it was expocted that the act would
lead to the inclosure of a part of llampstead-heath. It was
amended in the Commons, and as it now stands, it is enacted
that the Court of Chancery, in determining what are settled
estates, is to be governed by the trusts and limitations when
that settlement was made, Other alterations were made to
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