The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-13 00:00:00

SOUTH SHROPSHIRE.

Yesterday the election of '"a for the southern
division of the county of Salop," in the room of Viscount
Newport, called to the Upper House by the death of his
father, the Earl of Bradford, took dlace at Church Stretton.
The place of election for South Shropshire is a retired little
borough embosomed in the Stretton Hills, and at the foot of
the Longmynd, which were made so famous during the
severe snowstorm of last January by the extraordinary ad-
Ventures and escape from death of the Rev. Donald Carr
who, while walking from the little church of Ratlinghope,
where ho had been celebrating divine service, lost his way
in the snow when crossing the mountain, and passed the
whole night upon it. He reached Church Stretton in the
afternoon of the next day severely frost-bitten.
The election tookplace at the Market-hall, where a small
temporary rostrum was erected for the accommodation of
the Sheriff, Mr. Harris, and the candidate and his friends.
There was no opposition, so that the proceedings went off
very quietly. About 200 freeholders accompanied the can-
didate to the hustings, and about a dozen county policemen
were there to keep order, but there was no necessity for their
presence. The acting Under-Sheriff, Mr. Peel, having read
the writ, and the Sheriff, Mr. Harris, having taken tho oath,
at once called upon any one to propose a candidate for
election.

Colonel CORBETT then came forward, and having ex-
pressed regret at the severance of the name of Lord Newport
from the representation of the division in the House of Com-
mons, said he had the pleasing duty of offering to the notice
of the electors of the division one who was well calculated
to fill the .vacancy thus occasioned. The gallant officer
whose name he should submit to their notice was not like a
certain nobleman who had lately been starring it before
the electors of another place, who had not quite made up
his mind upon this question, who would rather take time to
think a little of that, and who thought, perhaps, a little of
something else might be good. (A laugh.) He was accus-
tomed properly to make up his mind as to the course he
would pursue. He had already served his country with
distinction in the Senate and in the field. He was a Con-
servative, but was not so bigoted as to believe that all
existing states of things were good because they had
existed. He proposed as a fit and proper person to repre-
sent them in Parliament Colonel the Hon. Percy Egerton
Herbert. (Lound cheers.)
Colonel GATACRE seconded the nomination.

No other candidate being proposed, the High Sheriff de-
clared the Hon. Percy Egerton Herbert duly elected. The
declaration was received with three times three by the
electors.

Colonel HERBERT acknowledged the honour done him,
first expressing his hearty concurrence in the sentiments
of respect expressed by his proposer and seconder for their
late member, Lord Newport, and his worthy father the Earl
of Bradford. Having next expressed his desire to carry
out the wishes of his new constituents in the matter of
local railway extension, which was just now exciting
much interest among them, he went on to say that they
had done him the honour of electing him without imposing
,on him any pledge either at the hustings or during his
canvass. He should now go to Parliament as a supporter
of Lord Derby, as he always had been when in Parliament,
and he should enter the House professing to be what he
hoped they would always find him—viz., a sound Church-
man and a good Conservative. (Cheers.) He had no
confidence in the present Government for many reasons.
(Hear, hear.) He found on most questions that came
before Parliament that her Majesty's present Government
were guided by only one rule of action—viz., how they
should tide over the session and retain office for another
twelve Months. (Hear, hear.) They had a notable in-
stance of that last year on a question of foreign policy of
great interest—the question of the dismemberment of Den-
mark. (Heart hear.) The leading Ministers in her Ma-
jesty's Government used—both in theirplaces in Parliament
and in their despatches—language lofty and bold, and very
befitting Ministers of England, provided always that
they were prepared to stand by them--(" hear, hear,"
and laughter)--and to ask Parliament to support them
on the principles of action which those words portended.
But as the session went on and the Ministry found that the
majority of the House of Commons was not prepared to
take that action, then those brave words were forgotten, and
Denmark, which had probably been induced by those words
to take more important action than she would otherwise
have done, was abandoned, and England was discredited in
the eyes of Continental nations. But the end, nevertheless,
was attained, the Government kept their places, and were
maintained in power for another twelvemonth. He could
not bring to his mind another case in the history of Eng-
land where men holding such high positions as Ministers
of the Crown had used such bold language, and, failing to
carry their point with them, had thought it consistent with
Parliamentary honour to put their principles and their bold
words into their pockets, and to retain office on an entirely
different policy. (Hear.) Then, what course had they
taken on another question—the question of church-rates.
They voted for the abolition of church-rates, because by
that means they hoped to catch Radical votes at elections.
But were they prepared to bring forward any measure them-
selves on the subject—(A Voice—No)—and to stand or fall
by it ? No, they had not the manliness to do this, and so
long as they could by this means catch the Radical votes on
the hustings they were ready to go on in this way, voting
for the bill for the abolition of church-rates on its second
reading, and trusting to its rejection in its subsequent stages
in the House of Commons or by the House of Lords. He
would say that this was an ignominious course for a Go-
vernment to take. Then, on the Irish Church question the
other day, what had been the conduct of Mr. Gladstone ?
He had voted for the measure, it was true, because he had
not yet cast loose his allegiance to Oxford; but he wanted
to be the leader of the Radical party, and he adopted state-
ments made by the most virulent opponents of the Irish
Church, and talked of tithes as if they were an excise. He
regretted to say that his talents still continued to dazzle a
great many good Churchmen; but surely such speeches as
he had lately made—for instance, last year on church-rates,
and this year on the Irish Church—must show to them
what was his restless ambition. His desire to lead the
Radicals, and to be at the head of a party, would in his
opinion drag him down until at last he would be as much a
renegade in Churchmanship as he had been in politics.
There had not been much attempted in Parliament during
the present session, but there was one bill now before the
Legislature to which he would call their attention. He
alluded to the Public Schools Bill, in reference to which he
would recommend the burgesses of Shrewsbury, if any were
present, to look to it, for their interests were very much
compromised by the bill as it now stood. Further than
that the session had not afforded much of interest beyond
what had been called the Edmunds scandal, and which had
shown up the social and political delinquency of that very
creditable member of her Majesty's Government Lord Chan-
cellor Westbury. (Hear, hear.) With regard to the agri-
cultural interest, what did the owners and occupiers of land
expect to receive from the present Government ? What had
they ever received? (A voice—" Nothing.") It seemed to
him that in the remission of taxation their interest had
never been attended to, and this, among other reasons, was
one good reason for his opposing the present Government.
But, although he wished to see Lord Derby in office and the
present Government turned out, let them not suppose that
he was in any hurry about it. Unless the constituencies of
England thought proper to send Lord Derby into office with
a fair working majority, he would say, let them not attempt
it. As long as Lord Derby was out of office with a good
minority at his back a great deal of good might be done.
They were able to restrain the Liberals from doing much
mischief, and it were better for the Conservatives to remain
out of power than to enter office with a small and not
always available majority. A general election was immi-
nent : let them use all their influence in boroughs. as well
as in counties, and follow the example of their opponents,
by sinking small differences as they sank their larger ones,
and thus, by union, give Lord Derby at the general election
a good working majority. Referring to the speech of Mr.
Bright at Rochdale, and to the probability of a Conservative
being returned in the place of the late Mr. Cobden, he ob-
servednon-electors to help their brethren. This advice, if offered
by the Conservatives, would have been called by the name
that Mr. Bright had, in his speech, called upon the
of "intimidation." In conclusion, he thanked the electors
for the honour that day conferred upon him, and proposed
a vote of thanks to the High Sheriff for the manner in
which he had presided.

This having been carried, and acknowledged by the High
Sheriff, cheers were given for the 'new member, the Queen,
and the late member, and thus the proceedings were brought
to a close.