The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-20 00:00:00

?:I)trb Mbitton

SUN OFFICE, Seve* o' Clock.

CITY

ELECTION.
(THIS DAY.)

IMPORTANT MEETING OF THE FRIENDS
OF LORD JOHN RUSSELL, MR. PATTISON,
SIR GEORGE LARPENT, AND BARON
ROTHSCHILD.
A moat numerous and highly important meeting of
the friends of the Liberal candidates for the representa-
tion of the city of London took place to-day, at the
London Tavern, for the purpose of hearing the
statements of the different candidates of the grounds on
which they sought the honour of representing the city
of London. Long before the hour appointed for
the commencement of the meeting, two o'clock,
the large room of the tavern was crowded to
excess, as well as every avenue leading to it, by
persons of great respectability. The outside of the
tavern was literally besieged, and that part of Bishops-
gate-street presented more the appearance of a
fair than one of the ordinary thoroughfares
of London. The cause of all the excitement was doubt-
less the announcement that had been made that it was
the intention of Lord John Russell to be present for the
purpose of explaining the grounds on which he sought
to represent the city of London in a new Parliament.
Lord John Russell, accompanied by Lady John
Russell, arrived shortly before two o'clock, and
was loudly cheered by the persons outside, as
were also the other candidates upon their ar-
rival. On Lord John Russell appearing on the
platform in the large room the cheering was deafening
in the extreme, and lasted for several minutes. On the
platform we noticed Lady John Russell, his Excellency
Mr. Bancroft, the American Minister, Mr. Pattison, Sir
George Larpent, Baron Rothschild, Lord Marcus Hill,
M.P., Mr. Trelawny, M.P., 'General Sir De Lacy
Evans, M.P., the Right Hon. Vernon Smith, M.P.,
John Abel Smith, Esq., M.P., Sir William
Somerville, M.P., Sir William Molesworth, M.P.,
Lord R. Grosvenor, M.P., Sir Denis le Marchant, M.P.,
Y. A. Taylor, Esq., D. Salomans, Esq., W. Has es, Esq.,
the Right Hon. Edward Ellice, M.P., and Nathaniel
Meyer Rothschild, Esst.
Shortly before two o clock, J. A. Smith, Esq., M.P.,
'was called to the chair, and proceeded to aditress the
immense assemblage.
The HON. CHAIRMAN, in coming forward, was met
with great cheering, coupled with considerable con-
fusion in parts of the room. As soon as silence
was, in some measure, restored, he said—
Gentlemen, before I address to you the few words with
which I shall think it necessary to trouble you, I beg to
draw your attention to the object which has called
as together here toaday, which is one than
which none can be more important under a constitu
tional government, that of expressing a deliberate
opinion as to the qualifications and fitness of those four
gentlemen who seek the honour of representing the
city of London in Parliament.—(Cheers.) I am sure
there is not a single individual around me who
'will not feel that a meeting with such an object
ought to be conducted with calmness, order, and
temper, and I am sure I shall not appeal in vain to those
around me, when I ask, however inadequate I may be
properly to discharge the important duties of the posi-
tion in which I am placed, for the cordial support of
those present in enforcing order, and securing to
every one a fair, quiet, and impartial hearing.—(Cheers.)
Gentlemen, we are, as I stated before, met together to-
d'sy to give an opinion as to the fitness of those gentle-
'men who seek to represent us in Parliament. but more
especially to meet Lord John Russell—(Tremendous
cheering)—whose official duties have hitherto prevented
him from appearing before you.—(Cries of " No more
bishops.") With respect to the other gentlemen who seek
our suffrages, their opportunities of meeting the electors
have been and will be so numerous, and they have
declared their opinions so openly, and in fact, on all
matters of public interest, they have given such full and
frank assurance as to their conduct in future,
that I feel it will not he necessary for me to
say one word with respect to them further
than, as a member of the committee who recommended
them to your support, to express the great gratification
they feel in knowing that they have been regarded with
such satisfaction by a large portion of the constituency.—
(Cheers.) But, g niemen, I do feel that it is right to say
a few words with reference to Lord J. Russell (Cheers.)
That Noble Lord is a Minister of the Crown, and as
'such labours under c rtain disadvantages as a candi-
date.—(Cheers.) He is prevented by the weight and
imp irtance of official duties from personally taking any
:step to resist that opposition with which, in the
present election, he ii threatened —(Cheers.) But
still more, he is prevented by that reserve, incum-
bent upon him as a Minister of the Crown, from
giving those frequent and free expressions of all his
opinions which he otherwise would do, and making
statements which he cannot do without a violation of
public duty.—(Cheers, hisses, and cries of " That's all
nonsense.") But, if the Noble Lord has that !dis-
advantage, he possesses one great advantage over
two of those Hon Gentlemen whom I hope to sce
shortly in Parliament —(Ch, ers) —he can anneal
as nonourabte to him as it is rare among public men—
(Great cheering)—and I venture to believe that that
long-tried public life is a better guarantee as to his c )u-
-duct in future than any explanations, any assurances,
bow( ver strong—(Cheers)—and any explanations, how-
ever explicit, as to his future intentions.—(Cheers.)
He can also appeal to a name and family.
whose boast and whose glory it has been
to employ their weight in the State, their wealth, their
possessions, and, when necessary, even their lives—
(Tremendous cheering)—in securing the liberties, and
extending the power of the people.—(Continued cheers )
Lord John Russell can say, and say with a proud sense
,of his right to say it, I have ever trusted the people, and
call upon the people to trust me.—(Cheers.) I
believe that the people will respond to that call—
(Cheers)—and I am satisfied that no trifling difference
of opinion, no disappointment at the short coming of
any particular measure, will diminish that confidence
which is due to the long-tried and consistent friend of
liberty in England.—(Great cheering.) I believe,
also, that the people, who are always just to
those who deserve it, and who have served them
faithfully, though not in accordance with the will and
majority of the House of Commons—l believe that the
people will not forget the noble sense he entertained of
his duty, though his power to do good, as far as the
House of Commons was concerned, was crippled by the
majorities of that House ; neither will the people forget
the Noble Lord's carrying on the Government under
restraints and disadvantages which it is now for you and
the constituencies of the empire to remove.—(Cheers.)
.But, gentlemen, I feel that laird John Russell can
justly claim the confidence of the people and the Liberal
party throughout the kingdom ; I feel that there is on,
section of tha• party on ehom his claims ought to tell
with double force—that section which is not more dis-
tinguished by their numbers than their talents, their
*energy and their ;goal. I allude to the Dissenters.
—(Cheers.) I think I may ask, without any
fear of the answer, what other public man in
England has done as much as the Noble Lord, not
only to establish that great principle, that it is contrary
no less
tto justice and fairness than to the princifles of
‘tVis,:s.tiari charity, to visit religious labourers with civil
beaties—(Cheers)—but w.:o has done what he hay
done in removing those several p judices against the
Dissenters which were once so strong, but which have
now disippeared so entirely as almost' ;to create a doubt
whether they ,ver existed.—(Corers.) D
iGsseenbatttliieobmngebntoh,
de3l
will not believe, until I see it, that th
of Great Britain will forget the deep obligation
owe to the Noble Lord, but will allow for a Ifference of
opinion upon a point on which great differences of
opinion exist among even the Dissenters themselves.
—(Cheers, hisses, and great confusion.) Gentlemen, I
will not occupy your time longer, but will conclude with
these words, that it public services and persevering in-
dustry in the performance of duties which are fur the
best interests of the country, give any one a claim to the
honour of representing the city of London, which Lord
John Russell seeks at your hands, I feel no doubt that
that Noble Lord will shortly be triumphantly returned
It one of the representatives of the city of London in
elihtlaent--(Uheers.)
Lord
J"N RUSSELL then rose and presented himself
loethe meeting amidst the most vociferous cheering, and
the waving of hats and handkerchiefs, intermingled with
which there were some _hisses, which seemed to us to
proceed from a small section of persons in the middle of
the meeting. After waiting some moments for the
purpose of Procuringsilence, which, however, he
was unable to obtain, the Noble Lord proceeded
to address the meeting. Ho
the prefatory word " Gentlemen,"'h 841
but uttered
when great
uproar broke out, which lasted some •
it had partially subsided, the Noble Lorrue. proceededWhetno
say —Gentlemen, I am here before yon as a
(Noise and uproar)—for the honour of represaenntiZt;;
at the approaching election for the city of London.
(Continued noise.) Gentlemen, lam at the same time
here to reply to the charges which have been made
against me—(Cheers and hisses)—and to explain to you
the reasons why it is stated, and on account of what it
is stated, that I am disqualified from appearing
before you as a candidate for your suffrages. [Here the
uproar, which had partially subsided, broke out with re-
newed force. What its object was, or what were the ex-
clamations used, we are utterly at a loss to divine,]...—
(Cries of "Shame," and Disgraceful.") It is said, in
the first place, that, as a Minister of the Crown, I csight
not to be a candidate for the city of Londen.—(Con-
tinned noise,) Gentlemen, I believe such an objection
is contrary to the popular genius of our Constitution,
and I believe nothing more will conduce to the harmony
of that Constitution than that persons possessing tne
confidence of the Crown should seek fi r the suffrages of
large bodies of the pee te......we
nothing more advantageous to the
...• -sons representingl can conceive
Crown than that per-
large communities should be able t)
tarry the wishes, the opiaions and. the requests of those
communities to the foot of th:, one.—(Loud cheers.)
eannot agree, therefore, that,
as rwam on, I disqualified from a Minister of the
-.g
your service.—(Cheers.),In the next place, it is said—and this is made a charge—
a oharge utterly
without- proof against nee—(Cheers)—
• that I am the . cause of the
Ilinve about to take place in the • contest which. is
city of London
_ and that iris at my instigation that that contest has
'
to arisen.—(Cries Of "- 1510, , zet:aisly .not," au heers.)