The Sun.
London, England, 1837-08-08 00:00:00

TAMWORTH ELECTION.

DINNER TO SIR ROBERT PEEL.

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(From the Second Edition of the Morning Advertiser and
Morning Herald.)
TAHNVORTH, MONDAY NIGHT, TEN O'CLOCK.
About 180 of the friends and supporters of Sir Robert
Peel dined together at the Town Hall here this evening, to
celebrate the return of the Right Hon. Baronet to Parlie=
ment for this borough. The apartment where the dinner
took place was tastefully fitted up for the occasion with

banners, &c. &c.
Amongst the company we noticed Captain A'Court,
N.P. for Tamworth, P. Walferstan, Esq., W. P. Ing,
R. Dyatt, Esq. (late candidates for Perth and Stafford-
shire) ; H. Stokes, and Robert Peel, jun., Esqrs. (the
Right Hon. Baronet's eldest son.) Sir Robert Peel
presided.
The cloth having been drawn,
The CHAIRMAN called for a bumper, and said, in pro-
portion as their hearts were feeling loyalty and attachment
to the Queen, so he hoped their glasses would be full also.
In addition to the claims on the loyalty which the Sovereign
of the country possesses, she had all those additional claims
on their devotion which belonged to her sex, youth and
beauty.—(Cheers.) The Right Hon. Baronet concluded
by proposing the health of " The Queen," which was drunk
with rapturous applause.
The CHAIRMAN next proposed, with three times three,
" The health of Queen Adelaide, and the other members
of the Royal Family."
" The Duke of Wellington and the Army"—three times
three.—(Cheers.)
" The memory of Lord Nelson and the Navy of this
country."—( Three times three.)
Mr. ING rose amidst loud cheers to propose the health
of Sir Robert Peel. To him and the political principle
which he advocated they had to look up to as the safeguard
of the British Constitution. Having pronounced a glow-
ing eulogium on the private and public character of the
Hon. Member for Tamworth, he concluded by proposing
" The health of Sir Robert Peel."—(Drank with nine
times nine, and immense applause.) When the cheering
had subsided,

The Right Hon. BARONET rose and said—Gentlemen,
I am sincerely grateful for the enthusiastic and affectionate
manner in which you have received the proposal of my
health. The last occasion on which I addressed any public
assembly of this nature was one perfectly unparalleled in
the history of Conservative meetings. I met under one
roof, and within the walls of one building, at the city of
Glasgow, 3,500 men, and received from them the most
marked and gratifying proof of their personal esteem and
regard.—(Cheers.) But gratifying as is the recollection
of that scene to my feelings, I assure you there was
nothing in it more gratifying than the meeting of this
day.—(Cheers.) Although its numbers are necessarily
limited, yet I see around me the faces of those whom
I have remembered from my earliest years, and
from whom I have received indications of continued
friendship. I thank you from my heart for this re-
ception. I attribute it to two motives. The one is a ge-
neral approbation on the part of at least a vast majority of
this assembly of the course I have pursued in public life.
—( Loud cheers.) That course in which I have attempted
to reconcile the firm resolution to maintain our ancient in-

stitutions, with the disposition to improve them where they
admit of improvement—to improve them for the sake of
improvement, and not for the purpose of pandering to the
morbid appetite for innovation, and still less for the pur-
pose of purchasing any short-lived and unworthy popula-
rity.—(Cheers.) That, gentlemen, I consider one of the
causes which entitled me to this cordial reception. The
ether is, and I am proud to avow it, those feelings of per-
sonal friendship and private regard and esteem which grow
out of the intercourse of old acquaintance and residence in
your immediate neighbourhood. Gentlemen, I should
deeply regret if both these ingredients were not ombincd
in this cup of kindness.—(Applause.) I should regret if I
owed my return merely to a cold acquiescence in the Feb-
lie principles I have advocated. I should also regret it if I
owed it solely to considerations of private friendship and re-
gard. But I am proud, gentlemen, of combining the two
motives—approbation of the course I have pursued, as a
public man, and friendship and regard for me, as a resident
gentleman in your county. Gentlemen, I am proud, and
er shall be proud, when I refer to the list of those
who gave me their votes during the last election. I
believe, if the poll had proceeded, I should have numbered
among those who would have voted for me not less than
400 electors; and I am proud to think that those 400
voters were not limited to one particular class, or to one
particular section of her Majesty's subjeets, holding one set
of religious opinions. I am proud to think that among
these who voted for me, I may. boast of basing received
that mark of good will, not Irons churchmen only, but from
every variety of persons professing different religious
opinin-ns. I can point to that Est and show not only mem-
bers of the Established Church, but of all classes of as-
centers—the Unitarians, the Independents, the \Vcslcyan
Methodists the Roman Catholics, also united in tendering
me that mark of esteem and confidence—( Loud cheers)—
and I am proud to think that whatever feelings of discord
entered into the electioneering contest, feelings connected
with religious opinions were altogether excluded.—( Loud
cheers.) Gentlemen, those who differ from rne, know
that I have never made, either in the relations of private
friendship or public life, distinctions on account of religion ;
and many present can testify that I never made difference of
religion a ground of favour or partiality—and, gentlemen,
those who differ from in- know also, that in public life I have
acted on the same principles when the advocate of measures
in respect of which others may differ from me. They may
not agree in the doctrines which I hold and manfully avow
with respect to the Established Church, but I am sure they
will feel this, that when I have been the advocate of those
measures, in respect of which I hold different opinions, it. is
on enlarged and combined views of the interests of all—
from a deep conviction that the maintenance of the Esta-
blished Church, in all its integrity, is for the ultimate benefit
of all classes professing Christianity. if 1 have advocated those
measures, it is from that, and not from any wish to establish
invidious distinctions between any class of her Majesty's sub-
jects, or to obtain for the Established Church any civil supe-
riority over Dissenters. It is on this account, and on account
of the principles which have regulated my conduct in private
life, that I have given my vote to public measures con-
nected with the maintenance of the Established Church.
—(Cheers.) Though we may differ as to the policy of
those measures with regard to the motives which have in-
fluenced me, they are convinced they are such that they
could lend me their cordial support ; and in proof of this, I
am proud to be able to say that I can reckon amongst my
warmest supporters those who differ from the doctrines of
the Established Church.—(Cheers.) As this is a public
occasion, and, on account of recent dissolutions, one of
frequent occurrence, I will not consider that I am trespass-
ing upon the time of those whom I have the honour of ad-
dressing, if I avail myself of this opportunity, as I have
done on former occasions, of offering some observations on
public events.—( Hear, hear.) And, gentlemen, in the first
place—and I would here premise, if there be any personal
friends of mine present, who happen to differ from me in
politics,
I beg that the will close that ear at which politics
may enter—(Laughter)—while I freely and unreservedly
state my own opinions with respect to public events.—
(Loud cheers.) Let me, then, in the first place, congratu-
late you cordially on the result of the general election, so
far as it has gone.—(Great cheering for several minutes.)
Gentlemen, I have good reason to believe that to the next
Parliament upwards of 300 men supporting Conservative
principles will take their places in the House of Commons—
(Renewed cheers)--others carry that estimate to the ex-
tent of 310 and upwards, but of this I am almost perfectly
satisfied, that although the election has taken place with a
Government, which we do not consider very favourable to
Conservative principles at the helm of public affairs, yet
that the Conservative interest has not suffered in the slightest
degree.—( Loud cheers.) This, gentlemen, is a perfectly
novel event in politics. If you look at the result of the
last general election, you will find that the influence of a
Government has sufficed to return a considerable number
of persons favourable to the interests of that Government.
When the Parliament met in 1833, after the dissolution
which had then taken place, our numbers (I speak of the
Conservatives) were reduced, I think from 260 to about
140. For some cause or other after the elections, which
took place in 1833, that phalanx of which I had the com-
mand, and which numbered about 260 in the field, were
reduced, on the meeting of Parliament, to about 140.
1833 and 1834 passed. I was then called, as I remember,
to the chief direction of affairs, and a dissolution took
place. I knew that a variation in the returns would chiefly
be owing to a re-action in public opinion, to a lassitude
aed weariness with incessant agitation, and to a returning
disposition to maintain the ancient institutions of the coun-
try. The result of the elections of December, 1834, was,
thatinstead of having only 140 Members to co-operate with
me in the maintenance of Conservative principles, we divided
on the first question which took place respecting the S ak
ership no less than 306 ; having, in consequence of that
dissolution, swollen our numbers from 140 to 306, or 309.
—(Cheers.) But, gentlemen, that was called .;he Peel
Parliament. It was triumphantly said that the dissolution
took place under the auspices of a Conservative Govern-
ment ; and that such was the influence of Government,
that they were enabled to make that immense accession
to Conservative strength which raised it from 140 to 306.
It tests then remarked by our opponents, " Wait till we
come into office! Let us dissolve, and you then shall find
some variation in your numbers ! You shall again dwindle
to your humble, insignificant minority, and the principles
we profess shall predominate at a general election.—
(Laughter and cheers.) Well, Gentlemen, the experiment
was tried. The Peel Parliament was dissolved, and I will
prophecy, from some cause or other, notwithstanding the