The Sun.
London, England, 1831-04-11 00:00:00

his stand as a candidate for their favour.,--(Cheers.)
There might be parts of the Bill which men who
agreed with them and him in their general notions
might not entirely approve of. There were some
parts which an individual might think could be
'changed to some advantage—(" No dissection !")
—while he agreed in the general principles. He
(the Lind-Advocate) approved of the measure in so
• far as it threw open close corporations, and took
away from a few individuals, neither wealthier, wiser,
nor better than inhers, that right of voting which the
Hill proposed tc communicate to them.--(Cheers.)
He approved of the Bill in so far as it disfranchised
utterly decayed„ uninhabited, and rotten boroughs.
(Cheers.) He approved of the exclusion of all nigh t
lin Peers and wealthy commoners, or jobbers in
ba-
roughs, to nominate a person•under the false title Nf
a representative of the people who was but a tool
and an organ in their hand.—(Cheers.) And,
r.tryve all, he approved of the admission of that large
body Cr fonstituents who were formerly excluded
from voting, t.'7?9! by the addition of whom nearly
half a million of the freemen of this country would

for the first time be entitled to a voice in the choice
of those who were to make the Jaws by which they
were to be governed. Those wctre the principles
upon %rhich he had claimed their sutratges, and upon
which her thought he had received the great honour
which they had that day conferred upon him. The
Learned Lord then thanked them for their kind-
ness and indulgence, and wishing them all manner of
happiness, and a long continuation of that relation-
ship that had been begun, respectfully took his
leave.—(Cheers.)
'Mr. CUMI3I3R then came forward and moved,
" That the thanks of this meeting be given to Joint
Charles. Ramsden, Esq., fur the gratifying and re-
spectful attention which he has at all times paid to
his constituents, and for his attendance this day at
great personal inconvenience; and, highly approv-
ing as h does his uniform and consistent conduct in
Parliament, this meeting again renews the expres-
sion of its unqualified approbation so recently offered."
The Rev. P. CORCORAN seconded the motion,
which was carried with loud cheers.

JOHN CHARLES RtMsDEN, Esq., then pre-
sented himself and said, he hardly knew which was the
most difficult task he had to perform—to thank them •
for the kind manner in which they had received the
vote of thanks which had been submitted to them
by his friends near him, or whether he had a sill
greater difficulty in following the most eloquent
speech which they had heard from the Right ilon.
Gentleman, the Lord Advocate, whom they lad just
done him the honour to return as his colleague. I
was a little while ago a source of deep regret to him
that there should have been occasion for an election
there at the present time. He did not mean because
an election was disagreeable, but he did regret the
cause which made it necessary to appeal to them
upon that occasion.—(Applause.) He wished as
tenderly as possible to allude to the opinions of others
—for every man had a right to his own opinion, and
so long as he used it consistently, no person had any
business to find fault with him. But when he re-
collected that the person they lately chose as their
representative did some few years ago come into Par
liament as a great constitutional wyer, it was a source
of regret to him, that he there, on !he first occasion
when a measure of Reform in the represaitation was
offered to the notice of Parliament, should turn rormil
and say, it was not that which Parliament ought to
sanction.—(Hear, hear.) Because he must tell
them, that although that gentleman might, if he had
pleased, have found fault with any part of the Bill, •
yet he did not wait for' the opportunity.—(Hear,
hear.) Instead of that, on the second reasling of
the Bill, which was nothing more than pledging a
Member to the measure, he voted against it, and
thereby shut the door upon the queCion of Reform.
With respect to himself, it was only the day before
yesterday that lie knew that an election wai fixed
to take place there. And as soon as he knew that,
he determined that it was the proper opportunity fur
him to spear before them,
.not only that he might •
hear what they had to say of his conduct, but that f_
he might have an opportunity of thanking them
personally for the very great and most kind con—,
.)
ttsehool eemiettteiibinorye:sisp,
y(cAiCtrsstghs%esoh•eaoersns himself, Painful
hea
sideration which they allowed to him at the last •
wa•sasheakbriroeaud,oroiut:
hoefeatnegland
home;at
could that subjectonly a
but the day on which he arrived in London, he
found the election had taken place. It was then
no longer in his power to wait upon them, and
though they had returned him to Parliament a nuri:.-
ber of times, he begged them to recollect that it
was the first time he had neglected to solicit their
sulfrage.—(" You are welcome back.") But lie
should never forget the kind manner, as re-
ported to him, in which they excused his
absence.—(Hear, hear.) After the very eloquent
speech of his Right lion. Friend, it would be im-
proper in him to attempt to follow him through the
details. His (Mr. Ramsden's) habits had not been
like the Learned Lord's, and he could lay no claim
to any thing but downright sincerity in die cause
he had always advocated.—(Cheers.) It was for
them to judge how far his humble services had been
consistent with the professions which he first made
to them in that place, in the year 181'2.--(" Yobs
have been consistent throughout.") With respect
to the measure which was now before Parliament,
it was a measure of enormous magnitude; and
although there were many who thought it was fat:
too great and sweeping, he was not one of these.—
(Hear, hear.) For although no man wished to see
the institutions of the country on a more stable foot-
ing than he did, at the same time lie hailed that
measure as one which would give security to those
institutions which they valued most highly.—
(Cheers.) lie knew that it was said by the ene-
mies of the proposed measure (and he would call
them enemies)—he meant in Parliament—that it '
was so sweeping a measure, that they wished to ;
bring forward one of their own, and, forsooth, said
that they themselves were Reformers.--(Laughter.)
But he for one could not take them at their word,
because he had watched their proceedings, and
could not forget them. When it was determined to
disfranchise Grampound, it was asked how the fran-
chise should be disposed of, and he for one gave his
vote for transferring it to the borough of Leeds—
not from any attachment to the borough of Leeds,
but because he knew it to be one of the most itnpor-
taut places in the empire, and ought to have its
representatives.—(Hear.) But, instead of being
transferred to Leeds, two additional Members were
given to the county of York, which in his (Mr.
Ramsden's) opinion had not been a practical benefit,
because the business of the country was us well
done when there were only two Members as it had
been since there were four.—(Cheers.) With res-
pect to the disfranchisement of East Retford, after
three years' discussion it was proposed to give the
franchise to Birmingham, and, to the best of his re-
collection, he voted for it. Instead of giving it to
Birmingham, what did they do but throw it into
the hundred adjmir.ing Retford, which gave two ad-
ditional gentlemen to the county of Nottingham ?
lie, like his Right Hon. Friend, preferred that which
he had seen, because the main principle of it he
knew to be good. He knew there were sacrifices
to make, because in every great measure sacrifices
must be made; but the sacrifices made on one aide
had been made with a much worse grace than ou
the other. He had seen people in Parliament mak-
ing as much struggle about places like Gattou and
Old Sarum, as if they were the most populous
towns, and contending that if they took away the
franchise, it would be an injury to the Constitution,
and would deprive the owners of their property!
That was a principle he would never admit as long
as he breathed.—(No, no.) And if a person
150,0001. for such a borough, he rejoiced that the
take it from him,
at undue influence the proposed Bill would
it was a gross attempt
~
cheers.) No one
House of Commoos.--(Lou9 _
the
jot
than be „Was., of
was more sensible
as by the influential, the middle,
and the lower classes icing combined, that: our it,-
stitutions were kept together,--(Applause.) 114
ought to have in this country, and
he knew that it w
which property