The Sun.
London, England, 1830-12-02 00:00:00

REFORM MEEETINO AT LEICESTER.

DINNER OF THE'INDEPENDENT FREEHOLDERS OF

LEICESTEILSHIRE.
On Friday, pursuant to advertisement, a dinner of the free-
holders of the county of Leicester was held at the White Hart
Tavern, Leicester, to commemorate the recent struggle with
the nominee of the Duke of Rutland, Lord Robert :Manners,
who owed his election solely to the support he received from the
other more independent candidate, Mr. Keck. Mr. Paccar, the
hanker, who was the nominee and beaten candidate of the
farmers and yeomanry, desirous of shaking oil' the trammels of
the Aristocracy, and for whom 2,196 of them had voted free of
all expence at the late election, was called to the Chair. He
was supported on his right by General Johnson, the popular
High Sherifrof the county of Lincoln, and Mr. Oldacres, one of
the largest landed proprietors of the county. of Leicester ; and
on his kit by Mr. Healey, of Laughton, an intelligent and pa-
triotic farmer, and chief leader of the yeomanry of the midland
counties, and Mr Stocks, the principal manufacturer of Leices-
tershire. The large room at the White Hart was much too
small to contain the freeholders, who flocked in from all parts of
the county; nearly a hundred were obliged to take their dinners
in other rooms, who atter dinner were accommodated with seats
in the large room.
After the cloth was removed, and the CHAIRMAN observed,
that as there were many toasts to be given, and much eloquent
speaking to be expected, it would be better to omit the custom
of giving rounds of applause at the end of each toast. His lug-
gestion was immediately ecquiesced in, with regard to the
" Hip! hip! hip!" until the close of the evening, when the en-
thusiasm became too great to be controuled. Among the most
prominent and best received toasts were" The King," to whom
a very high tribute was paid, both by the Chairman and the
company ; " The Queen," alter some eloquent remarks on her
truly British and lady-like virtues and manners " The Duke
of Sussex and the other branches of the Royal Family." The
well-sustained patriotism and princely character of his Royal
Highness, were commented on at some length by the Chair.
man, and the bursts of applause that followed, showed that
the appeal was not lost on the company. " The People—the
only source of Legitimate Power" followed, and
The CHAIRMAN, In proposing the next toast, observed it
would be rather new to the ears of the freeholders present,
nevertheless he gave it with infinitely more sincerity than it had
usually been given, and, after a powerful eulogium on the cha-
racter of Its members, " His Majesty's Ministers." The toast
was received with prodigious enthusiasm, the freeholders jump-
ing from their seats to cheer it.
The CHA 111 514 N read a letter from Lord Hamlin, whom he
described as A truly consistent and high-minded friend of Re.
form, stating his inability to be present ; and subsequently an-
other from Mr. Otway Cave, to the same purport, and im-
pressing on the Freeholders the necessity of ardent and perse-
vering exertions in the cause of Reform. The health, of these
Gentlemen were severally given, and received with great
applause.
On " the health of Mr. OLDACRES" being proposed, which
was rapturously received, that gentleman delivered a bold and
straightforward speech, in which he hu commented
upon, and replied to, the attacks that had been made upon Mr.
Paget on the ground of his alleged heterodoxy in matters of re-
ligion, Sec. and concluded by assitring the company, that the
Duke of Rutland should never more return a Member for the
county without a most formidable end expensive opposition.
This pledge was received with defening applause.
On " the health of Mr. STOCKS," the seconderof Mr. Paget,
being dr ink, that gentleman, in a speteh. remarkable for its
close and sound reasoning, showed the necessity of Reform, ad-
vocated the independence of the county, and replied to the argu.
meats of the opposite party.
Mr. HEAL Y, of Laughton, in reply to his health, returned
thanks.
General JOHNSON, whose health was remarkably well re.
ceived, cautioned the freeholders Against depending too much on
the present Cabinet, and considered that the eulogium pro,
nounced upon It by the Chairman was somewhat premature,
though he certainly considered that no Cabinet had met yet
been formed that promised so well for the country.—(Cheer.)He avowed himself a decided friend to the system of ballot, with.
out which he thought there could be no substantial or per.
minent Reform (the same system had been previously advocated
by the Chairman, Mr. Healey, and others). He was an old
Iteleriner, and knew from experience, having sat in the
House of Commons, how that house was constituted. He had
been offered two boroughs lately, but declined taking either of
them at a small, and even at fin expense, and he supported
his resolution by the language of Scripture I have hated
evil doers, and will not air in the congregation of the wicked."—
(Immense cheers and laughter.) As the Chairman had alluded to
his contesting the great county of Lincoln upon the purity
principle, for the small sum of eighty-two pounds. some said
shillings, he enlarged upon that circumstance, and shormi how
easy it was to make a county too expensive for the peat Arks.
tocrats to continue their domination and nomination in
it. The Gallant General observed that a Requisition was
then in the course of signature for a County Meeting in
Lincolnshire. The moment he, as High Sheriff; received that
Requisition, he should stet upon it and call a meeting of the
Lincolnshire freeholder's to advocate the cunt great wise.. 110
concluded a powerful seeech amidst great cheering. The Chair.
roan shortly
_afterwards said, that whatever might be the enor.
mines of the Noble Duke and his nominees, to whom he (Mr,
Paget) had been exposed, they were not to be compared to the
conduct of the Marquis of Exeter and the Duke of Newealitle—
so atrocious, indeed, had been the conduct of these Noblemen
in the interforeffee of the ;rotes of their tenants, that they had
excited a cry from ono end of the country to the other, and he
was satisfied that with even intentionto tie otherwise they had,
in fact, been the best friends of Reforni.—(Cheers and laughter.)
A, gentleman was in the:room who bad worked hard against the
tyranny of the Marquis of Exeter, and to whose talents and exs
ertions great merit was due. He felt great pleasure in proposing
" The health of Mr, Charles Tennyson and success to the brave
people of Stamfintl."—(Great cheering!),
The EDITOR. of the Stamford News returned thanks. Mr.'
Tennyson, he said,. intended to be present, but was prevented by
a legal gabble bans* been resorted to by the sitting member for
Stamford, to delay the condign punishment-with which they must
sonnet or later be visited by this Parliament and the people of
England. He called upon the compan to petition for Reform—
not for any particular mode or theory, but for Reform general's'.
After dwelling upon these andl other topics reinserting some of
the events of the Stamford election, and eulogising the conduct
and character of Mr. Tennyson, he concluded by saying that at
their next contest that gentleman's purse or person would be
ready to assist their great cause.—.(Loud cheering.)
After various other MON, the meeting broke up a little alter
twelve o'clock.

A very silly remark has been made upon, the
apparent incongruity of Lord BROUOHAX having signed
himself " ff. BitouoitAlt, C.," after his elevation to the
Woolsack ; tbe plain truth being that his Lordship wa•
Lord Chancellor some days previous to his potent of Peer-
age being completed, and, of cootie, till then; only Mr.
BROUGHAM.

We have just: learned, that ,a murder of a
most atrocious nature *no perpetrated on Saturday last In
the county of Banff. The unfortnnste victim is a woman
of the name of .I.Attx Ctrat.maas; belonging to Keith,
who earned a livelihood by the precarious employment o'
vending confectionaries, Ice, at the neighbouring fairs.
The unhappy woman had been attending the fair held It
Turtiff on that clay, and the general impression is,•that the
murder had been committed by two men who had been
with her in the'evening. She was discovered on the fol-
lowing morning, lyincin a ditch near the town. Two of
her ribs were fractured, and her fate Win 'dreadfully dis-
figured. Every exertion is making to discover.the prrpe.
trators of this horrible deed, but hitherto, we regret to say.
without effect.—Elain Courier.
• •
We hear, with
.mach sauslactton, that Mr.
serjeant Prtu. has given notice of the following motion+,
to be taken into consideration on the next county diy
That it is expedient to reduce thteounty expendi-
ture as speedily and, as effectually as possible; 2d. That
a COMMitiett be immediately formed to wasidtr the best
mode of carrying into effect this necessary. and desirable
object.