The Sun.
London, England, 1836-09-24 00:00:00

have grown old in the habit of domination, which of all
habits it is most difficult to resign ; and they employ their
power almost invariably against the people. Whence comes
their power ? From the source of all political power—the
people—who can, when they please, take from them the
power which they now possess. But, say our opponents,
the people love the Lords ; the people delight in submitting
to the aristocracy ; the people are worshippers of wealth
and .rank, even when united with ignorance and vice. Ido
not, for my part, believe these assertions, for they are only
n disguised way of saying that the English people are abject
slaves, and delight in their slavery. This is not the truth ;
this is as far from truth as darkness is from light.—(Cheers.)
But the people, having been misgoverned and oppressed in
ancient times by the aristocracy, have, in latter times, been
deceived by the plausible sophistries of the aristocratic
party, who were continually telling them, with an appear-
ance of good faith and sincerity, that the aristocracy were
their best friends, and those who opposed the aristocracy
their worst enemies. You are wiser now than to believe
them your friends.—(Loud cheers.) You now see the
evil—will you hesitate to seek and to apply a re-
medy ? You must either submit tamely to the domi-
nation of the Lords, or you must reform them.—(Great
cheering.) Oh ! exclaim some of our friends, pray take
patience ; the Lords have always made concessions when
they have been sufficiently frightened, and so they will
again. Concession ! Why the very word is an insult.
We ask not for concessions—let trembling slaves beg for
concessions from their proud masters—we demand what is
just from those into whose hands we have intrusted power
for the common good, and we will have it.—(Great cheer-
ing.) The question for the people of England to decide is,
whether they will be governed on the representative re-
sponsible system or the hereditary irresponsible system.
But, say many persons, have they power to decide the
question ? To that I answer, that if they are firm and
united they have most undoubtedly the power—and this is
an occasion for them to exert their power.—(Great cheer-
ing.) I verily believe that the time must soon come when
the Lords will be roused from their dream of pride and
fancied power, and superiority, and pre-eminence, by the
voice of united millions, proclaiming, in tones of thunder to
their startled ears, that the will of the people is supreme,
and must be obeyed.
At the conclusion of this speech the meeting rose, and
greeted the Hon. Gentleman with enthusiastic and long-
continued applause.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed " The health of J. S.
Earle Drax, Esq., of Charborough-park."
Mr. DRAX returned thanks in a speech full of humour.
He declared himself a decided advocate of a reform of the
House of Lords, the vote by ballot, and triennial Parlia-
ments. He considered those the three tests of a true Re-
former. His grandfather had represented the city of Lon-
don for thirty years, and had been the steady advocate of
liberal principles. He was warmly cheered throughout.
The CUAIRMAN proposed as a last toast, " The people,
the only source of all legitimate power."
The meeting, having given three times three cheers for
Reform, separated at ten o'clock. As respects station,
wealth, respectability, and numbers, it was the largest and
most influential ever held in that part of the country. In
Somerset, at least, there is no reaction.

EAST CORNWALL.

IMPORTANT MEETING OF REFORMERS AT

ST. INIABYN.
(Abridged from the Devonport Independent.)
The CHAIRMAN said it would be better to begin the
business by reading to them (the Yeomanry of Trigg) the
letter of Sir Colman Rashleigh, and also one he held in
his hand from Mr. Trevanion. He accordingly read
the former, which expressed the worthy Baronet's deep
concern at the reflections which he believed had been
thrown on his public, and possibly his private character and
honour, and particularly alluded to the hand-bill and pub-
lic advertisement by which the meeting was convened.
Under no other circumstance should he have thought it
becoming to present himself at that meeting. He was
there for the purpose, and all he demanded was the justice
of not being condemned unheard. The Chairman here
read the requisition and appeal by which the meeting was
assembled, signed, as we before observed, by the yeomen
and gentlemen of the district. As soon as the reading was
concluded,

Mr. NORWAY came forward, and said, as Sir Colman
Rashleigh appeared aggrieved by the wording of the requisi-
tion, he would at once acknowledge that he drew it up—
and more, that he had Sir Colman Rashleigh in his eye at
the time he drew it.

Sir C. RAsilLE.l.Gii—l thank you, Sir, for the avowal.
The letter of Mr. Trevanion was then read by Sir C.
Raslileigh, who, after speaking regretfully of the illness of
Mr. T., observed that it was most willingly indeed that he
'Was the medium of making known the sentiments of so old
and tried a Reformer. Mr. T. stated that he had read
With mixed feelings of satisfaction and regret the advertise-
ment in the pavers subscribed by many names of the first
respectability in their hundred (Trigg). His gratification
had arisen from the spirit manifested, and from observiug
that cot a moment had been allowed to elapse before they
determined to avert the threatened danger to the cause of
Reform, and to unite, as they had justly termed it, for the
protection of' their interests. His regret was that the excite-
ment. of the moment should have led them to use expressions
which he was sure their deliberate opinions would condemn.
Whether, having done battle in the ranks of Reform for
half a century, he was or was not to consider himself a
member of the " Whig aristocracy" of the county who had
" deserted the cause of real Reform," of the Whig aris-
tocracy whom they accused of having fled from their posts,
he would say, that a charge more unfounded, as far as he
was concerned, and he sincerely believed, as far as the old
leaders generally were concerned, could not he imagined ;
and he was sure that their better judgments would re-con-
sider and retract what in a moment of impulse they had
advanced. He was at a loss to conjecture en what grounds
such a charge could be founded against Sir Colman Rash-
leigh, to whose exertions the cause of Reform in this
country was so greatly indebted. He had requested him
(Sir C. R.) to be the bearer of his feelings to the meeting
of Trigg, as the deliberations and determinations of such a
meeting might be great benefit to the Reform cause. With
respect to Sir Wm. Molesworth, his opinion was that his
conduct 'in Parliament had fully redeemed the pledges lie
had given, and as the advocate for the remodelling of the
House of Peers, the abolition of Tithes, and the ballot, he
(Mr. T.) should have supported him.---(Hear, hear, and
applause.) Having concluded the reading,
Sir COLMAN RASHLEIGH said—" Now, gentlemen, you
will allow me to say a word in my own behalf. I should
not be a mortal man if I could have read for the first time
the kind expressions of my friend, Mr. Trevanion, with
indifference. You will doubtless conceive that what he
has said of me, and of those who for thirty years have
acted with me in the cause—the cause to which I have
been devoted from youth to manhood, and from manhood
to old age, for I am now within a few years of the number
assigned as the age of man—could not but make me
feel strongly, as it brought to my mind the recollection
of those scenes of struggle and of battle, in which so
many of you have been engaged with me. Mr. Tre-
vanion has, gentlemen, in a certain way, appeared here as
my advocate ; I thank him for the generous expressions
of kindness with which his letter is filled. But no man
must be an advocate for me where my character is con-
cerned. I stand simply upon the footing of justice. I
ask you to do me justice. I come for the purpose of clear-
ing my character of the stain cast upon it ; and if I suc-
ceed, may good come of it to the cause which, so help me
God, I never have deserted. It is said, and I take it to
myself, that I, as one of the " Whic, aristocracy," have de-
serted the cause, and, as one of the " old leaders," have
flinched from my post. I ask what cause ? what post ? I
know not exactly what post is meant ; but allow me to call
to your recollection the last time, I believe, I appeared on
my post ; that is, gentlemen, at the general election in Ja-
nuary, I think, 1834. I then proposed Sir Wm. Moles-
worth, and in so doing I judged it necessary, and had good
reasons to take a good distinction which I might hereafter
have to act upon. The line which in politics I then drew
was this.—(Here the Hon. Baronet read from a newspaper
report of his speech on the hustings.) Within the pale
of the institution, that is the Government by King, Lords,
and Commons, and of legal provisions for the instruction of
the people by an Established Church—these being re-
cognised inviolable—no question of detail, no minor dif-
ference or modification of opinion, should prevent me from
giving the right hand of fellowship to my brother Reformers.
Sir
At that time I was a qualified supporter of Wm. Moles-
worth ; although differing in many material points, those
points appeared not so material to my mind s osuper-
sede the necessity I felt for all Reformersbeingt united.
Gentlemen, I continued Sir Wm. Molesworth, s
sup-
porter up to the time of the registration meeting ; and
then I still said I would give him my support as far
as conscience and conviction would allow me to do so.
At this time the session had not closed ; and the question
of a reform of the House of Lords had not been agitated.—
(Hear.) But soon after this I saw an article in the London
Review, of which Sir William Molesworth is proprietor,
containing a most violent attack on the House of Lords ;
in fact, it went nearly to saying that the House ought to
be abolished. At the same time I read the report of Sir
William Molesworth's speech at the close of the session,
in which he stated that he should support a motion for re-
modelling the House of Lords ; and I at the same time saw
a speech of Mr. Roebuck, Member for Bath, whom I know
to be intimately connected with Sir William Molesworth,
and with that section of the House to which they are both
attached, in which (speech of Mr. Roebuck) it was predicted
that a motion would be made. in the ensuing session of Par-
liament, for remodelling the House of Lords. Under these
circumstances, considering that my supporting Sir Wil-