The Sun.
London, England, 1836-01-23 00:00:00

CAMBIA!TION
DINNER.

(From a. Morning ConterepetV.)
Yesterday evening es grand dienver was given at the Town
Hall, to celebrate 'ihe election of Thomas Hovel!, Esq., the
first Mayor of
Cambridge Munici mbridge chosen under the provisions of
'pal Reform Act. The number of guests was
upwards "of 240, comprehending nearly all the most distin-
guishe -ti Reformers of the borough and county. Among thc,
mor, prominent guests, we noticed the Right Hon. „spring
14..ite and Mr. Pryme, the Members for the boroteii ; Mr.
Townley, one of the Memberi for the county ; Mr. Alston,
tone of the Members for Hertfordshire ; Mr. Gunning, jun.,
the new Town-Clerk ; Professor Musgrs.sre, Dr. Lam, the
Rev. T. S. Hughes, the histerirea ; Messrs. Fordham,
Nash, Martin, Ashton, Norris„ Rev. G. A. Besswn, Rees,
Thomas, Hovell, jun., We.ad; Fordham, &c. &c. The
Mayor presided.
After a most excellent dinner, the usual loyal toasts were
drunk with accust'imed honours. " The health of the
Princess Victoria" and that of " The Duke of Sussex" were
received with peculiar enthusiasm.
The CHAIR.MAN then rose to propose the health of his
I.lajesty's Ministers.—(Loud cheers.) To them the gra-
titude of the whole country was due for the noble manner
in which, at a most critical neriod, they had come forward
to undertake the reins of Government, and rescue the
tountry from its impe;ading perils. What that Ministry
had done, the whole, +assembly looked upon with the greatest
gratitude and de„sg. ht. Throughout their honourale and
glorious career they had had to contend with difficulties
opposed to tl,tem from all quarters—(hear)—but all these
they had overcome by quiet, peaceable, but steady and
they
perseverance. It
was under one of their
e,;loriotte measures that the Reformers of Cambridge now,
for the first time, met together in their Town-hall. Those
who talked of a re-action in the public mind had only t!,-,
look at the result of the elections under the Mnicipa
Reform Bill in Cambridge, and almost every other bo-
rough and city of England, to sea their prophetic asser-
tions triumphantly confuted. The toast was drunk with
the ,wramest enthusiasm.
Tkie CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—Undoubtedly,
S-,at fir., you and I have often met ; but allow me to say,
tlrequent as those meetings have been, and ready as
It have ever found you to extend to me the hand of
friendship, I grasp that hand with new and more elevated feel-
ings, when I view in an old and valued friend the first
dfruits of the Municipal Refosen Bill.—(Cheers.) It is
es'ut a few months sirste I had the honour of ad-
ng a public meeting in this town. On that occa-
sion you, Sir, did' me, the honour of proposing me at the
hustings. I then 'cook the liberty of stating, on behalf of
the e Government, that I trusted before we next met we
should see a Bill of Municipal Reform passed into a law
that Would
people of this town.
o.ve satisfaction to the
nowmmeet yeti, and ask, have we redeemed our pledge?
thCheer',) Was that a promise lightly made ? Have
e ‘
bl. ''
f 0 igations then contracted been inadequately per-
;-I..rtned ?--(Cheers.) We have met to-day under circum-
-I,l`74nces of political triumph, and before now ; but to you,
r, and to those who work with you—to those who have
-4°Wli this town will I venture to say, that the day which
,s7a 'Placed vou in that chair, and surrounded you with the
17isn who are now associated with you in Council, is a day
f;":iell the most sanguine amongst us, at times when the
nrightest most
could have passed across his imagination,
Zer contemplated to have lived to see.—( Cheers.) But,
f - misuse the word triumph. Triumph is a paltry, and
Ilielnently but
which a. selfish emotion.—(Cheers.) We look to
we look to better things ; and in the present power
I:ich has been acquired, and in the future extent of that
Tower, Which I anticipate, we look to what is better than
he tri0,,,,,,,
of
Perfor,„ r. men, or the success of party—we look to the
--affee creatures,` of duties and to the happiness of our fellow-
-1." of
Sir, you will allow me, its a very
7 words, and they shall be confined in e..-s narrow a
.1-°lllPass as possible, to look back for tile purpose of
instruction upon the events connected, with this Bill and
with the last .
he last Session. It was an eventful crisis which
si of
res
tored the present Government
to power. It was a
cris no common or ordinary cl',aracter, more than was that
crisis
which hurled them &on:, office.—(Cheers.) The dif-
ficulties which surrounded, us were unquestionably great.
The line of conduct wf,;ich advisedly and on reflection we
„took, I hope and trisst the people of England will feel to
have been the jP:si. one. We did not 'meddle with many
Lit?gs• We did. not make promises, or raise great expectations,
which event might have prevented us from fulfilling. We
applied cearselves to one great object, and we so applied our-
stea to it as not to be driven from it by taunt—not to be
",41-H...ked from it—not to be forced from it. We held firmly
~"::' that one thing, and thereby we achieved municipal re-
ilrin.—(Great cheers.) Again, Sir, the principle upon
Which we proceeded in the preparation of that Bill was, I
4 /bode in which we conceived it be most efficacious. It
*as discussed in the House of Commons and carried. It
then went to another place.—(Laughter) In that other
Place it met with a reception not quite so cordial or acquies-
cent as it was desired. But here or elsewhere, I will ever
bra shit, will deal with an independent and co-ordinate
ranch
t of the Legislature with the same respect and de-
ice which I trust that branch of the Legislature will
deal with the House of Commons. It was rim
Bill should be discussed. It was right that git should ht that the
canvassed. It was a mighty change in
the laws and ie
nsti-
tutions of this country, and God forbid that
any constitu-
tional change should be passed as a matter of course,
like a Turnpike Bill, or a Naturalization Bill. The mat-
ter of the Bill required discussion ; the interests in-
volved in the measure required it.--(Great cheers.) I
say then that it was right it should be scrupulously exa-
mined, and if necessary, amendr,a, and then to be returned
to the Commons. It ryas returned to us, with amend-
Inents. And here Imi
'!st claim for. the Commons of Great
Britain the merit of I:,aving acted as faithful trustees and
`l.93ositaries of the, Political rights of the people.—(Cheers.)
find there bees' violence,
there had there been intemperance, had
that been inconsideration on our part, Sir, I well know
such a course would not only have been fatal to us as a
Part tout what would have been more essential because
more., Permanent in its effects, it would have been fatal to
ofer 3341 itselL—(Hear, hear.) We admitted to the House
•9v.4ords that they had a full and unquestionable right to
ass our measure and change its enactments ; but we
tiliaitned, on our part, a full right to discuss those amend-
ents or changes rather—( Hear, and laughter)—which were
sent back to us. Sir, we did so ; we did so in a spirit of re-
Lference. determination ;
erenee. We but, at the same, with respect and de-
accepted certain of those amendments. There
nanc others to which we expressed our repugnance—a repug-
ae not to be
moderate, and overcome... But finally, by taking a calm,
that w • a prudent course, the result has been,
that we aree can sh°w to those who are opposed to us,
unswayed by petty, paltry, party motives ;
end that the predominant incentive
actuat •
by which we are
1 t ed, is the advancement of the public good.—(Cheers.)
spri.:tle°llect that such was the attachment. to our own off-
ineasur that many of us did not, during the progress of. that
duced ,e, relish.
the acceptance of any. amendment intro-
had 0, '1 the Lords. But had we given way to temper—
just 'ere been a word of disrespect spoken of the fair and
shotprogative of the other branch of the Legislature, we
sense u have forfeited our claim to your approval as men of
the loan``', what is more important, we should. have lost
to,,i-• Has not the event justified the course we then
mdr —(Great cheering.) Suppose I were now to have
yo. essed you, Sir, not for the purpose of congratulating
41, as as Mayor of Camlnidge and this assembly as burgesses,
„ti as our friends, and as individual electors of the town,
,"4,nad to
,justify myself before you by sonic such address
I,Bltllis---'" .(es, it is true, we introduced a Bill for Munici-
-4;4 ,Reform ; but we could not carry it. It has failed ; for
Lords have thought proper to alter some of its original
i•uisii°lls." I know that you in your personal kindness,
and -(4 have forgiven us ; but yet, as men in your hearts
inl consciences, you would have said—" These are very
se Ptacticable gentlemen, would they had overcome their
atrouPles
n ; but they have preferred to maintain their dignity
Ishcir "Pense." Had we taken any other course than that
ou,,— Iwe Pursued, we should have distrusted ourselves and
th,
tl"a.rstires. But, Sir, the point has been secured, and
ho‘ .!1111ph in this great struggle has been complete. And
li vrj llecause the views of the propounders of this Bill
the met with the approbation and have been seconded by
the
n.ierelings of the people of England.--{Cheers.) That is
th " °and of success after all. , These middle classes of
'-e People of England—called to the exercise of the parlia-
entary franchise by the Reform Bill, and of the municipal
franchise by the Bill recently passed—will eventually, when
their minds shall b 0 determined, on due deliberation, upon
accomplishing any just object, accomplish that object, be the
pin li tical combinations of men or parties whatsoever they
has
3"—
ena (beers.) It is the support of those classes which
us to carry this bill. But it has been carried,
not by a reluctant Ministry, coerced by a pressure from with-
.ofut but by a Ministry who' proposed if willingly, and in de-
ference to the principles upon which they had always acted.
Cheers.)
The people of Englund love cheerful giver,
and have been kind enough to l',.elp‘ and aport a govern-
ment that have made, concession to public p feeling, not to
sait the exigency of the moment ; but because they felt it
right, and that such concession mitiit safely be made. If
forl may venture to touch upon considerations somewhat
eign to such a friendly meeting as this, I should say that
In all political crises, as in matters of Philosophy,you may
almost come to the same result by two different
of reasoning. In the divisions which have taken processesplae in
this country, the principle of one partY seems to have been,
" concede nothing to the people but that which cannot be
refused without danger"—while the principle of the other
people which the '
Party has been, " deny nothing to the
People have a just claim to possess."—(Cheers.) But it
may be said—not here, but elsewhere—" 'What ! concede
all to the people ?" No, Sir, that is not my doctrine.