The Sun.
London, England, 1836-10-29 00:00:00

that town, under the high-sounding title of a " Grand
Dinner," which seems, even by the reports in the Tory
Papers, to have been a complete failure. The Wor-
cestershire Tories of any respectability appear to have
been heartily ashamed of the thing. Colonel LYGON,
indeed, did muster courage to face the meeting, and
though the Gallant Officer has on many occasions dis-
tinguished himself by his bravery in the field, we look
upon his attendance on this occasion, as the most coura-
geous act he ever performed. Lord EASTNOR was to
have presided—so at least it is given out—but the
Noble Lord shirked the Kidderminster people ; and
instead of coming himself to occupy the Chair, sent
a substitute in the shape of a letter, to state that he
had mistaken the clay, and could not possibly keep his
engagement ! This backing-out of his Lordship
chagrined the motley assemblage to such a degree,
that they could not help marking their sense of the
slight put upon them, by conveying to their absent
Chairman an indirect reproof in one of their toasts.
When Colonel LYGoN's health was drunk, this
significant appendage was attached to whose
mottt was punctuality in every engagement."
The Clergy, too, turned their backs on this unfortunate
meeting, which shows more than almost any other cir-
cumstance that could be mentioned what a pitiful sort
of thing it must have been, Had this Kidderminster
concern been calculated to promote the cause of
Toryism, we should not have missed a pretty consi-
derable sprinkling of parsons at it. When, however,
the " Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese" was given
from the Chair, with three times three, nobody got
up to return thanks ; nor would thanks have been re-
turned at all, had not somebody spied a worthy Curate
sitting near the bottom of the table, and called out his
name. The Rev. Gentleman seemed quite astonished that
he should be expected to officiate on such an occasion,
as he was " an unbeneficed clergyman," and, therefore,
" not called upon to acknowledge the toast." There
was sound sense in the observation. The benefices
are, in strict propriety, the Church of England. Cu-
rates have quite duty enough to perform for all the
compensation they receive, without making speeches
for those who have no pastoral duties to discharge, but
to shear the sheep and carry off the fleece ; and we join
this ill-used gentleman in protesting against the intro-
duction of so indefensible a practice. It is but justice
to say that the Curate's speech, unprepared as it must
have been, was by far the best that was delivered at
this meeting.
We must not omit to notice a vehement ebullition
of rage which burst from a-worthy gentleman of the
name of CLIFTON, who—When some one had been
boasting of the re-action which was stated to hare
taken place among the Operatives—related to the meet-
ing an anecdote which does not seem to us to corroborate
that view of the case. An Operative, said he, had made
a blasphemous allusion to the Liturgy of the Church by
" talking of the Tories as being dead, but without the
sure and certain hope of a joyful resurrection." Now
the Operative who said this was a shrewd, as well as a
witty fellow, and spoke, we are satisfied, the real sen-
timents of every Operative and every rational person in
the three kingdoms.