The Sun.
London, England, 1837-07-25 00:00:00

everything in his power to lighten their taxes, and to obtain
cheap and good Government for them ?--( Cheers.) He
begged to tell them that to-morrow they would have an
opportunity of placing two staunch Reformers at the head
of the poll, and wiping off that stigma which had tarnished
their city at the last election—he alluded to the election of
Sir F. Burdett.—( Cheers.) He would conclude by request-
ing them to return two men who would exert themselves to
carry out the principles of Reform to their fullest extent, and
would, as they always had done, employ every means in their
power to bring about the happiness of the people.
Mr. BRUCE, was saluted with a plentiful shower of cab-
bage-stalks, lettuces, &c., and was for some moments in-
audible even to those beside him, on account of the prodigious
din of groans which issued from all parts of the vast assem-
blage. lie called upon the electors to act with temper, inas-
much as they were this day called on to perform one of the
most important duties that could devolve upon the citizens of a
free country. They were now called on to send Members to
Parliament to represent their interests, and to guard their
rights and liberties.—( Cries of " Hear.") He appeared
before them on that occasion as the proposer of his distin-
guished friend ( Sir George Murray), and without
wishing to say any thing to disparage the two other candi-
dates, he must state his belief, that, in point of talent, educa-
tion and experience, they were neither of them to be com-
pared to his Gallant Friend, Sir George Murray.—( Renewed
uproar, and a fresh shower of lettuces, &c., with desperate
fighting between the partisans of the candidates.) Sir George
Murray had no glory to boast of, but what he had gained in
the service of his own country. He had not gone abroad to
fight under the banner of a foreign potentate.—( Uproar,
and " Murray fights for Hanover.") His Gallant Friend had
never fought under a foreign flag, and in the mean time ne-
glected his duty to his constituents. He ( Mr. B.) knew
little of the merits of Colonel Evans as a statesman and a se-
nator. He only knew that in the House of Commons the
Gallant Colonel had always advocated those extreme Radical
principles, which, if followed out, would lead to the destruc-
tion of the glorious Constitution of this country.—(Tumultuous
uproar.) "If you will not hear me (said Mr. B.) I shall
stand here till you do, and I shall try the powers of my
patience against yours." The tumult having subsided a little,
he proceeded to say that as a civilian and a gentleman, he
could not properly say anything of the military talents
of Colonel Evans ; but his Gallant Friend, Sir George
Murray, who had a right to express himself upon such
matters, had always spoken of the Gallant Colo-
nel in terms of the greatest liberality. He had always
spoken of him as an intelligent officer, and one who had
always displayed great personal bravery in a subordinate ca-
pacity. But for his part, he (Mr. B.) could not say that
when the Gallant Colonel was appointed to the command of
an army he had proved himself equal to the responsibility
which devolved on him in that situation. The uproar having by
this time rather increased than diminished, Mr. B. said, as you
are determined not to hear me, I shall only conclude by recom-
mending to your suffrages the distinguished man who will never
desert you in the hour of danger or necessity, but will defend
your rights and liberties in the field should an occasion arise, as
strenuously as he will uphold your rights and liberties as your
Representative in the Senate.

Sir. WALKER (who was for some minutes utterly inaudible,
even to those immediately beside him, the noise of groans,
shouts, screams, and innumerable fights, sexpassing almost
every thing we ever saw at an election), said that Sir George
Murray did not claim their suffrages on the pretence
that he would vote for organic changes, by which the
Constitution must be t'e Aro ed. Any one who looked
to his votes in Parliament, would see that when it was neces-
sary to extend the rights of the people, he had voted for their
extension; he had voted for Catholic Emancipation, and for
the Reform Bill. As lie could not obtain a hearing, he
would conclude by seconding the nomination.
Colonel E CANS then mounted upon the front of the hust-
ings, but could not obtain a hearing for some time, on account
of the tumult occasioned by Murray's men. At length he
said—Gentlemen, this is the third time I have had the honour
of standing before this great constituency ; and although in this
position I must confess I always feel some degree of timidity, yet
I never before have stood before you with so much gratification.
Gentlemen, I have been contending against the enemies of
liberty—the Tories ; and during the time I was exposed to
their bullets abroad, I was exposed to what etas worse at
home—the calumnies and foul abuse of the Tories.—( Cheers. )
The Tories thought they could delude you, but I am proud to
find that every enlightened elector whom I have seen since
my return, applauds and approves of my conduct.—( Cheers.)
It is gratifying to me to find that notwithstanding all the abuse
the Tories have heaped upon me, I still have the approbation
of the public..— ( Loud cheers.) I will just refer you
to the past. Our friends (the Spaniards) have been endea-
vouring to establish free iiietitutions.—(Cheers.) I, as your
Representative, was invited by them to go and assist them.
The House of Parliament was then nearly closed, and we had
every reason to hope that that great object would have been
achieved before the ensuing Session commenced.—( Here
the Gallant Colonel was interrupted by the great
confusion arising from the mob pushing out a fellow
from a band of Sir George Murray's men, who had
several times thrown cabbage stumps at the Colonel.) Gen-
tlemen, let them go on ; never mind their interruptions.—
( Cheers, and laughter,) The Tories, during my absence,
have done their best to abuse me in your good opinion, but I
am happy to find all their arts have totally failed.—
( Cheering. ) What are the calumnious accusations which
they make against me. They say I have plundered the
Spanish Government—(laughter); they pretend I have run
away from Irtm—(renewed laughter); they pretend that I
have conducted discipline in the army in a cruel manner—
(cries of " No, no!") They pretend, in the excess of their
extravagance, that I have caused women to be punished.
Their calumnies are false in every instarice.—(Cheers.)
The great offence I hare committed, and which has roused
their ire, is that I have been fightng for liberty—liberty which
they hate.—( Cheers.) Gentlemen, who are they that
accuse me of cruelty ? Are they the friends of the ameliora-
tion of punishment ? No, Gentlemen, on the contrary, they
are those who are making one last effort to delude you, in or-.
der that you may be disgraced by a Tory Representative for
the first time for these thirty years. Instead of having con-
ducted discipline in a severe manner, I have done all I could
do to ameliorate the system. Both in theory and practice I
have endeavoured to do so; but has my opponent, either in
theory or practice, done anything to ameliorate the system ?
(" No, no.") I ask him, if he has your rotes, whether he
will endeavour in Parliament to ameliorate the punishment of
flogging in the army ? I say I have done so—l say I will do
so.—(Cheers.) I have been perfectly consistent in the whole
of my conduct.—( Cheers.) The evidence which I gave be-
fore a Royal Commission, is in'print, and in the hands of every-
body. That evidence is completely in accordance with the
evidence of Mr. Hume, and that of every other liberal Mem-
ber who advocates the abolition of that punishment, and that
evidence is consistent with my subsequent conduct.--( Cheers. )
With regard to the cause of my absence, I hope you took, and
do take, the interest I did in the liberty of Spain. It is
the best field in which the Tories think that that they can
maintain a struggle against liberty.--( Loud cheers.)
I shall not now go into details. I have done so on many oc-
casions since my return, to smaller meetings certainly than
the present, but still a great body of the electors of Westmins-
ter. The statements that have been made against me are one
tissue of falsehoods from beginning to end. I will now tell you in
a few words what my future conduct in Parliament shall be. It
shall be precisely such as it was when I before represented
you in the House of Commons. I shall support every li-
beral measure, and shall continue to support her Majesty's
present Ministers as I did before on every occasion when
they brought forward good measures for the people. I am opposed
to Church-rates—l am opposed to unmerited pensions.
Let my Gallant Opponent tell y our much.—( Cheers.) lam
opposed to all civil disabilities on account of religious opi-
nions. I am opposed to long Parliaments. I demand
that the rate-paying clauses of the Reform Bill should be
done away with.—(Great applause.) I demand that the se-
vere and oppressive enactments of the Poor-law Amendment
Act should be ameliorated, and I am happy to say that my
worthy colleague, as I believe he wilt be, is equally
opposed to them.—( Vehement cheering.) I think that
the ternpoaalities of the Church ought to be reformed. I think
that justice ought to be done to Ireland—(Applause)—and I
would beg of you, with regard to Ireland, to religion, to mo-
rals, to pensions, &c., to be very guarded as to the mode in
which the Tories represent their opinions upon these sub-
jects.—( Groans and hisses.) Gentlemen, they will tell you
that they are not Tories, but, disguise it as they may, they are
Tories alias Conservatives as much as they were before, and
as they ever will be. I shall not, Gentlemen, detain you
longer, as there are others to address you.—(A cry of " The
Pension List.")—l have already stated my opinion upon
that subject. Unmerited pensions should be done away with,
and I will give my vote to that effect•—( Loud cheers.)
With regard to Portugal, I have in Parliament supported the
young liberal Queen of that country, against her Tory uncle
Don Miguel.—( Applause.) Gentlemen, I have supported
the young Liberal Queen of Spain against her Tory uncle
Don Carlos—(Renewed cheering)—and I will support with
my votes and with my arm, if necessary, the young and
Liberal Queen of this country.—(Tremendous cheering for
several minutes.) Gentlemen, it will be for you by your con-
duct at the ensuing election to decide whether you are deter-
mined to support the Queen and the Liberal Ministers, or
allow the Cumberland Tory party to exercise their baneful
dominion over you and over this country.—( Great cheering.)
Mr. LEADER then came forward, but the cheering from his
friends, and the uproar from the blue party, prevented his
uttering a word for some minutes. The Hon. Geeetleman,
after waiting for some time with exemplary patience, at length
found an opportunity to say—Brother electors and fellow-
citizens of Westminster—this meeting would have been as
peaceable and as • well-conducted a one as that which I had
the honour of addressing two months ago, if it were
not for the presence of a band of hired ruffians.—
( The uproar from the blue party here became really
deafening. Several of Sir G. Murray's friends on the hustings
addressed some observations to Mr. Leader, apparently of a
very angry tendency, which were replied to by that Gentleman
in the same strain. The uproar having continued for three
or four minutes, without the slightest intermission, Mr. Leader
beckoned to his party to eject the baud of clamorous Tories,
and a tremendous rush was made by a dense mass of those
in front of the hustings towards the blues on the left.
A general fight was the result, —the barriers in front of the
hastings were broken down in several places, and a large
body of police, by direction of the High Bailiff, forced their
way through the crowd ; and in an incredibly short time
eleereda space of several feet round the hustings. Order
having been by this means partially restored, Mr. Leader re-
sumed.) Now that the tumult occasioned by a few indisi-
duals has been somewhat appeased, I shall proceed to speak
to you as to the objects of the present ineatirig, end then lay
before you concisely the reasons that have induced me to offer
myself for your sutiragos.—( Hear, hear, hear, and cheers.)
you have met togetlns to to consider an object of the