The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-19 00:00:00

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—the palace of the people of England—realised to its
utmost extent. (Loud and continued cheering.)
The CHAIRMAN proposed " The Health of the Ladies
of England," which, having been drank with due gal-
lantry and heartiness, the company withdrew to pro-
menade in the palace to the strains of the music of the
Crystal Palaca band, roam amid the treasures of art
contained in the various courts, or inhale the salubrious
and refreshing summer breezes as they are wafted over
the park and terraces.

It is but an act of justice, to the directors and managers
to state that the refreshments and wines supplied at the
dejeuner, entirely from the company's own cuisine and
stores, were of the finest and most reckercke character,
and Mr. Rini-no is entitled to great praise for the ad-
mirable and very complete manner in which, under novel
circumstances and with many diiiiculties •to contend
with, the whole of the necessary arrangements were car-
ried into effect.

THE ELECION OF SIR GEORGE GB EY
FOR MORPETTI.

MORPETH, Jusiz 17.
Sir George Grey having accepted the office of Secre-
tary for the Colonies, his re-election as member for
Morpeth took place to-day in the Town Hall, Morpeth,
in the presence of a large number of the electors, the
Mayor (Nicholas Wright, Esq.} presiding.
After the usual ceremonies had been gone through,
Thomas Jobling, Esq., nominated the right hon. baro-
net ; and this havinff been seconded by Jame.' Hood,
Esq., the Mayor took a s pow of hands, and declared
tkat Sr George Grey was duly elected. .
u GEORGE Gi thew Amid... forret*, and, after
thanking-the electors for replacing in his! ford-
trui.t
lie received from them 18 months ago, aid, that in ad-
dressing them on that ocdasion, he bad not any new
political principles to announce, and that being so
he thought it vi ould be a waste cf time to repeat from

that pi4ce those opinions which on the hustings at
the county of Northumberland election, or in that

hall as their representative, they had heard on
former occasions in confirmation of those opinions with
which be endeavoured to guide his parliamentary con-
duct. During 22 years o his public life his conduct
had been before his fellow-countrymen, for in that time
he had taken an active part in conducting public
affairs ; but if he thought it not necessary to allude
to the past, there were two points, although of unequal
importance, upon which Ile would beg to offer a few
observations. The first related to his own personal
position, and the other, which was of far more im-
portance, had reference to the present state of affairs of
the country, as contrasted with that which existed when
he was first returned as their representative. With re-
gard to the first point, he must observe that when he
first addressed them as a candidate for that borough, he
did so in a private capacity, and as a neighbour residing
not far distant from them, and whose interest was in
common with themselves, and as such he sought their
suffrages from a desire to co-operate with them in pro-
moting the moral and social improvement of the country
although at that time he was totally unconnected with
the administration of the Earl of Aberdeen, which then
had only been just formed. They, however, might remem-
ber that at that time he said that that administration
comprised men who, although they were never collected
together in a cabinet before, yet nevertheless held
opinions approximating one with another, and who be-
came united at the end of that great contest for com-
mercial freedom which terminated in December, 1853,
by the resignation of the Earl of Derby's government.
Many of those hon, gentlemen, finding themselves in a
position to fight the battle of free trade, and having suc-
ceeded in winning a victory over Lord Derby's govern-
ment, felt themselves called upon to co-operate with each
other, not only in displacing the government, but in sup-
porting the Crown and the constitution, by forming and
on the administration of the country upon
principles on which they were all agreed. (Applause.)
That administration possessed some hon. gentlemen
with whom throughout his life he had cordially
acted on terms of political and private intimacy; while
there were others whose talents, experience, and zeal
for the interest of their country no one could doubt who
watched their conduct, and he (Sir George) felt bound
to state that when that Government was first formed he
had the uffer of becoming one of its members. He, how-
ever, felt himself at liberty to decline the invitation, and
that, too, on grounds perfectly consistently with his
public duty ; not that he objected to the principles of
that administration, as he did not go to Parliament with
any blind intention to support it, but from their broad
declaration of principles he felt determined at once to
give a generous and general support. (Applause.) This
pledge he trusted he had fulfilled, as he had been enabled
during the time he bad been the representative of that
borough to support the general poliey of the Earl of
Aberdeen's administration. The hon. baronet, after
briefly noticing how he was deprived of taking part in
the great and last struggle for free trade by losing hi:-
seat as a member for Northumberland, referred to having
received a communication from the Earl of Aberdeen in
September last, requesting his acceptance of the office
of Secretary for the Home Department ; but being then
still reluctant to take office he begged to be relieved
from the anxiety and responsibilities of. it, and he was
glad this was acceded to, by the acceptance by Lord
Palmerston of an office which he had retained with great
ability and success, From that time he had not been
called to the 'performance of any duty, excepting that
which devolved upon every individual inember who had
a seat in the legislature of kis country—namely, the dili-
gent attendance to his duties, in which he thought every
member member ought to take a great interest. Recently,
however, it was with regret that he found himself again
invited by a new distribution of office, arising from the
present state of affairs to enter upon the duties of office.
Before doing so he considered the question put to
him, and be did so in the light of submitting the
desires of those friends to whose wishes and services lie
had always deferred, and acting, after due deliberation,
upon such opinions generously expressed, he determined
riot to decline a proposal made to him for a third time.
If, however, he had consulted his own feelings and per-
sonal convenience, he should certainly have declined the
honour intended him ; but feeling that, on calm conside-
ration, and under the conviction that a man could not
always judge best of what was his duty, he had endea-
voured thus to make up his mind, lest he might be con-
sidered guilty of political cowardice, or an undue regard
to his own parliamentary ease and convenience. (Ap-
plause.) Standing, therefore, as he then did, as a mem-
ber of her Majesty's Government, he did so under a deep
sense of the great responsibility attached to the arduous
duties he was called upon to fulfil. With regard to the
second subject he hal before adverted to, and which
was of immense importance, lie would then offer a few
remarks. Ho had already said that there was a great
contrast between the state of public affairs when he was
first elected a member for that borough with that which
then existed. At that time the nation was in a state of
profound peace, and the minds of the people were ex-
clusively occupied by the extension of trade and com-
merce. A profound peace then prevailed, but which
certainly was threatened to be disturbed by some vague
apprehensions from the agitated condition which a power-
ful and neighbouring country was the subject of ; but
these happily passed away, and England was then in
close and intimate alliance with France. (Applause.)
That unfortunately was not the only change in their
circumstances. They had exchanged fur peace, long en-
joyed, a state of war, of which none could foresee the
termination. They knew they had enjoyed the bles•
sings of peace for at least 40 years—a period marked
signally by all the results of peace, viz., by a progress
unexampled in any public. history, either in political,
social, or commercial progress. (Applause.) But then
they were enaged in war, and he could not but express
his deep regret at such an occurrence, or rather
the circumstances which rendered it imperative upon
Government to advise the Sovereign of these realms to
declare war. War itself was not a light evil ; nay, he
might say that it was the greatest evil with which the
human race could be afflicted • but still war itself might
become necessary even in the interests of peace ; and
he stood before them, because the mind of that adminis-
tration was inspired with the conviction, in which lie
shared, and, he trusted, also was shared by every one
present, that it was not a war of cupidity, ambition,
and aggression, or arising frum the sinful love of commer-
cial glory, but in defence of a great cause, into which
Government had been forced in accordance with
t an
opinions of the great body of the people—tore power,
,
is
over-weening ambition of a mighty and despot.
and to stand in the gap in defence of the independencepof
Europe against that power. (Applause.) Waer
itw asense inueimperah.
to be deprecated on every band as tomak
tive duty of every Government to exhaust every means to
prevent it, on behalf of their Sovereign, their country, and
the world, before having recourse to an actual declaration
of war; and such a course, he believed, the present Go-
vernment had adopted. No one, at least, could doubt that
twas with the greatest reluctance they involved the
country in war, although some thought it necessary to
censure them, because they were not more ready than
they were to enter into it at an earlier period than they
did, to check the ambition and the projects of Russia.
He, however, believed that the Government had acted a
wise part, and one which became them in the emer-
gency, as, Christians and as statesmen, in postponing the
step they were at length compelled to take. (Applause.)
But when war became inevitable, and the country em-
braced it, then there were two main objects which
Government ought to set before themselves. The first
was they ought, because backed by the people, to take
the most effectual means for a vigorous prosecution of
the war ; and, as the second greatly depended on the
first, they ought to keep in view the great importance
of bringing that war to a speedy termination consistently
with the attainment of a just and honourable peace.
(Applause.) With. regard to the first object, true eco-
nomy, the interests of humanity, and a sound polio',
alike demanded that the nation should put forth all its
energies in order to a vigorous prosecution of the war.e
To wage war with inadequate means, and to attenVl not
)t to
make the people believe that the burden of it w
be heavy, would be a failure of duty on the part of Go-
vernment, tending to protract what they ht
abridge, deceive the people, and ultimately caussoeugto
greater
burdens to be imposed upon them than otherwise they
would have had to bear. The Government,. however,
had not 'concealed anything frbm the people to prove
that the war in which they were engaged could only be
prosecuted with vigour and effieoacy by great sacrifice

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