The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-05 00:00:00

Mr Dutton, M.P„ and his Constituents.

At the dinner celebrating the 110th anniversary
of the Beneficial Society, held at Portsmouth yes-
terday, there were present the Right Hon. Sir F.
T. Baring, Bart., M.P., Sir J. D. H. Elphinstone,
Bart., M.P., Sir J. C. Jorvoise, Bart., M.P., the
Hon. Ralph Dutton, M.P., and Mr J. Bonham•
Carter, M.P. for Winchester.

In responding to the toast of the county members,
The Hon. RALPH DUTTON said it was usual when
members met their constituents on such occasions
as those to speak of what had taken place during
the past session, and in the present instance they
would be able to speak of the occurrences of the
longest Parliament since the Reform Bill was passed.
He believed the present Parliament would not be
dissolved till the spring of 1866. It was the inten-
tion of Lord Palmerston to hold it together as long
as he could, and although they might hear reports
that it was the Premier's intention to retire and sot
meet this Parliament any more, he could aesure
them that the noble lord was never in better health,
and there was no one more fit to lead the Perlis.
ment of this country in the House of Commons.
(Cheers.) Of course he alluded solely to the Li-
beral side of the house. (Hear, hear, and laughter.)
That society had existed 110 years, and had seen
many strange things, but nothing more strange than
that the Prime Minister of this country would in
that month reach his 80th year. Since the time of
Willism of Orange it had not been known for a
Prime Minister to lead the country at the age of
80 years. (Cheers.) Referring to some remarks
made by the proposer of the toast, he said it was
quite tiue that he had made up his mind not to
seek again the representation of South Hants.
(" N 9, no," and " Sorry for it.") Upon a full
consideration of the matter he had come to the
conclusion that no other course lay open to him.
It is well known to them all that he had
upon an important occasion given a vote which had
given offence to his party. (‘‘ No, no," and " Yes,
yes.") It had been represented to him that one who
held Conservative opinions of those who elected
him upon all occasions. To that decision he readily
bowed, thinking it a very proper principle to lay
down, and as he had failed in his duty in this par.
titular he thought it best to give way to some other
gentleman who would suit and serve the Conserva-
tives of South Hants better than he had done. (" No,
no," and " Hear, hear." With respect to his vote
he could only say that, as all sorts of improper mo-
tives had been attributed to him in giving it, half
an hour before the division Le had not made up
his mind. It was suggested to him that he had
better not vote at all, bat walk cut of the house,
but that he thought would have been a cowardly
course of action. (Cheers.) He remembered how
often he had told electors that their votes were
given him as a privilege, and it was their duty to
give them to some one, and how then could he

sneak out of the House of Commons, and not give
the elective vote on such an occasion as that ?
(Cheers.) As he felt he could not give A vote calcu-
lated to involve the country in war, there was no
course but to give it to the noble lord at the helm.
(Great cheers.) He knew perfectly well what the
consequences would be to himself—he did it with
his eyes open—but he should give that vote in the
same direction if he had to give it again. (Cheers.)
He trusted that he and his constituency would part
good friends, for he was not the less Conservative
in opinion because he gave that vote. He E hou Id

return his trust to them next year or the year
after, and he only hoped they might find a gentle-
to represent the agricultural, maritime, and other
interests of the county as they ought to be repre-
sented. (Cheers.) Having again thanked them, he
resumed his seat amidst loud cheers.
Sir J. C, Jervoise,Bart., Sir J. Elphinstone, Bart.,
Sir F. T. Baring, Bart., and Mr. Bonham-Carter
subsequently addressed the Company.

THE BLANKS AND THE DASHES.—There was that
affair of the Blanks with my Lord and Lady Five-
stars, that I happened to know of, having seen and studied
it from the beginning to the end attentively. The Blanks
had been greatly patronised by my Lord and Lady Fivestars
—kind people in their way and gene.ous, but not a little
inconstant. However, the Blanks' reign was a bright one
while it lasted, and they had no cause to complain. Mr
Blank was an indifferent portrait painter, and Lady Fivestara
used to introduce Wm to all her friends as the modern
Raphael ; and Aire Blank was an authoress, and Lord
Fivestars once crowned her as Corinna in the conserva-
tory—and on their side the Blanks were fluttered and
flattered out of all the little common sense they ever pos •
sessed— which was not much—and if they did not walk on
their heads it was not for want of despising their feet. In
the end they came out of their flutter, and then they
drifted into the most dangerous of all stagnations—security.
They forgot to be subservient; they diminished the pro-
fundity of their kowtows; they laid aside the pretty alphabet,
all flowers and flourishes, which they had hitherto spelt
out their adoration of my lord and lady and their un-
dying appreciation cf the good that lay in them ; they
resumed their natural balance, and were no longer cephalo-
pods but honest bipeds, such as Nature had made them ;
tut they fl ittened their own noses in the process irretriev-
ably. The Scotch doctor of the establishment called thorn
pawky; my Lord Fivestars said they were scrubby; and
my lady, with more delicacy if less discrimination, sighed
as she confessed they had grown unpleasant, and she (lid
not know what had come to them, they were so changed.
In fact, their noses were falling out of joint by their own
weight, when the introduction of their friends Mr and
Mrs Dash completed the dislocation. Mr and Mrs Dash
were newer, cleverer, more versatile, and more vivacious
than the Blanks. They had talent in the histrionic
line (my Lord and Lady Fivestars were great patrons of
talent in all lines), and they could amuse a dinner table or
a supper party better than could Mr Blank with his artistic
hair, and his tepid recliaufc of Ruskin very weakly done,
or than Mrs Blank with her political lectures and awful
enthusiasm for "causes." And so they flattened their
dear friends the Blanks' noses straight to their faces, and
Lord and Lady Fivestars never even tried to raise them up
again. But ever after this the Blanks became tremendous
democrats; and the' " insolence of a bloated aristocracy"
was a kind of monogram sealing Corinna's effusions with
the indelible and undeniable stamp of ownership,