The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-21 00:00:00

The Attorney-General on the Late Elections.

At the annual dinner of the Craven Agricultural
Society, held at Skpton on Friday,
Sir R. PALMER replied to the toast of "The House
of Commons." The hon. and learned gentlenian,
Who was enthusiastically welcomed, said he could mot
boast of being a thorough-bred Yarkshiren-ian ; but
by what was generally considered the best side—his
mother's :side—he was not only a York-shireman,
but was entitled to claim the right of citizenship in
this very neighbourhood. (Cheers.) lie could assure
them that he never came amongst their beautiful hills
and valleys without feeling proud, indeed, of that
connexion. He was proud to return thanks for the
members of the Yorkshire boroughs. It was a body
to which no man could belong without feeling in-
cited and stimulated more and more to do his best
to serve his country. At least one of these meinhers
occupied a more important position than his in the
labour of the Government. Sir Charles Wood—
(applause)—was entitled more than most people
seemed to be aware of to the respect and gratitude
of the country. It was he who restored to us our
Indian empire, or at all events restored it to that
state of good government without which our empire
could not be secure—(cheers)—and he was one of
the Yorkshire borough members. . (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Childers—(applause)—one of the most rising
men in the House of Commons, was also a Yorkshire
borough member. He had rendered most valuable
services to the Government in one position, and he
was about to render equally valuable services in a
still more eminent position. (Cheers.) And to rise a
little beyond the mere extent of Yorkshire, he could
not fail to recollect that a brother of his noble friend
near him (Lord Frederick Cavendish) who was at
least a Yorkshireman if he did not represent a York-
shire borough, had already rendered most distin-
guished service to the public—he referred to the Mar-
quis of Hartington. (Cheers.) He (Sir R. Palmer)
was told that politics were excluded on such occa-
sions as the present ; but how was it possible to talk
of the House of Commons without mentioning poli-
tics. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) The difficulty was
a little increased, seeing that this was .a new House
of Commons. It had done nothing yet, but he
hoped and believed it would do a great deal before
it had run its time out. (Hear, hear.) It appeared
to him to be wellqualified for renderinggreat service
to the country. (Hear, hear.) To describe what
might be done by the new House of Commonswould
be trenching upon forbidden ground, but he might
remark that there was much to encourage them to
hope great things from the present House of Com-
mons. A most wonderful unanimity seemed to pre-
vail as to the result of the elections. There weretwo
parties—the Government, or the Liberals ; and the
Opposition, or the Tories. The Government party,
by having recourse to a simple system of arithmetic,
had found that the elections had given them a clear
working majority of 70 or 80. Of course every one
expected to find great mortification on the other side
at this result. By no means. (Laughter.) The
eminent leader of the Opposition, Mr. Disraeli, was
quite as well satisfied as the Government. (Laughter.)
The election had turned out exactly as he also wished
and desired—(laughter)—precisely as he expected ;
and so far from disproving the great Conservative
reaction, he contended that it actually demonstrated
the truth of it, (Renewed laughter and applause.)
He was very glad to receive from such high authority
additional proof that the present Government had
discharged their duty with so much more credit than
the Conservatives liked always to admit. (Hear.)
He was happy to think not only that those who
called themselves by the same party name as that
which distinguished the Government, but those who
ranked themselves under the banners of Mr. Disraeli,
were ready to admit that the present Government
was an able and successful one, and he felt sure that
in the next House of Commons the Government,
having a great majority, would continue to admi-
nister the reins of power with a view to the general
interests of the country, and to the union of
classes and interests in the cause of progress, poli-
tical and social, without which it was certainly im-
possible for any. party whatever to govern.
(Cheers.) He did not pretend to understand every-
thing. He had been bred to the law ; and he had
been obliged to serve an apprenticeship to Par-
-144 confestaed-1311.._did not understand
agriculture, but he understood, he hoped, the im-
portance of agriculture in connection with the other
interests of the country to the general good. Ho
hoped they would not expect much from legislation
on agriculture. Parliament would do all that was

possible to remove the fetters Out of the way of agri-
culture ; but it depended chiefly upon themselves to
work out the improvements that were required.
(Hear, hear.) Reference had been made to a most
important subject, which, he would assure them,
was, even before it was spoken of so much in the
country, occupying the most anxious consideration
of the Government —he meant the progress of the
disease which had lately appeared amongst cattle.
Ele would not enter into the question, but he wished
to mention that the Government had good reason
to know that there was very little ground indeed
for supposing that the disease originated with cattle
imported from abroad. It would be a great public
calamity if persons took any prejudice against the
importation of cattle from abroad at a time when,
from the rise in the price of meat at home, that im-
portation was most valuable. (Hear, hear.) He
believed there had been slight ground of reason for

imagining that the
adiseaseborad 7
had. bo been etebe f
n coancvteyoefd
itsto
this country from
existence might in the end prove of great benefit
to agriculture. What was it that led to the in-
creased attention to public health,'and to the pru-
dent legislation that took place on that subject--
legislation not imposed in a compulsory or arbitrary
manner, but left to the people to adopt as they
choose ? It was the appearance of cholera amongst
us. These evils, terrible and calamitous as they
were at the time, if turned to good account, often
were the means of producing permanent good, and
so it might be in regard to this. There was very much
to be learned and very much to be done all over
England in endeavouring to ascertain the laws
4.1_ _.

that govern the subject, and in introducing_ those
mprovements in the system of dealing in cattle that

were necessary to enable the farmers-to avoid such
calamities in the future, or at all events to mitigate
them as much aspossible when they occurred. (Hear.)
They might be sure that from Government and from
Parliament they would obtain every assistance in
order to enable them to grapple with the subject.
(Loud cheers.)